Can I get an AMEN? I mean, Lent is always a time for serious reflection, confession, and sacrifice. But we are learning about these things a bit excessively, don’t you think? I have spoken with many of you who realized quickly that the “giving-up” of coffee, sweets, and other habits was not happening any more, as our lives entered into such a restricted place. We’ve been thrown into the deepest of spiritual practices: loving our neighbor even at the expense of our comfort.
If our staying home prevents one person from getting sick, then it is worth it. And yes, IT IS HARD. As the insanity amped up with regard to food and toilet paper, and people having what they need in the midst of panic. I was drawn to the story of the widow of Zarephath in 1Kings 17: 7-14. She has always struck me as an example of someone who really sacrificed. Here’s the story of Prophet Elijah’s visit:
“Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
Pause. Wait, what? Elijah is asking this woman for the very last bits of food that she had, the last bits. Can you imagine as a parent actually gathering the sticks to build the fire that would make the last meal you would ever feed your son? The famine was serious, and her options were slim, especially as a widow. She was going to do the last kind thing and then die. Elijah’s audacious request must have only made her evermore aware of her plight.
He responds:
“Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.”
Don’t be afraid? Sure, easy to say...but not as easy to do. He is asking her to make a clear sacrifice of her already scarce portion of bread, and she does. God provides what she needs each day to feed her family throughout the drought, and it sounds like she fed Elijah too.
There is much to say about this story, but for now I wonder if we could just think about the idea that God is an abundant God. Our God is sufficient, enough, complete…and provides for us abundantly. There are people like this widow right here in our own neighborhood right now. Persons who are afraid that they will run out of food and not be able to feed their children. Mothers and Fathers who are unable to find the formula their children need, or who are unsure about how to meet the basic needs of their families. We have probably all faced scarcity at one time or another. It happens when we have to ponder how to get all the bills paid, or what to focus on first. It happens when the car breaks down unexpectedly or someone gets sick and the hospital bills rack up. Scarcity and fear really do go hand in hand. And yet, in the midst of preparing her last meal, this widow made Elijah some bread.
God’s abundance does not mean that we will never face lack, it means that the very foundation of our view of the world can be do not be afraid…there is enough. Living into the abundance of God prevents us from buying all the toilet paper because we realize that there are other people who need some too. Living into God’s abundance means that in the midst of this season of less we may encounter more. More of God’s presence and steadfastness, more of the Holy Spirit’s nudging and call, more of Jesus’ challenge to really love our neighbors.
So friends, in the midst of this most uncertain time. I pray we will rest in the knowledge that God’s abundance reigns, and that when we face lack we are surrounded by a community of faith that has our back, and we are not alone…ever. I’m praying for you everyday, and won’t we celebrate when we can gather again!
You are loved!
Pastor Devon
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