New Life as a Way of Life
June 06, 2010
June 6, 2010
Rev. Susan E. Gilbert Zencka
Frame Memorial Presbyterian Church
Texts: 1 Kings 17:8-24; Luke 7:11-17
I have a definite appreciation for the fact that in a week when I was sicker than I have been in almost 20 years, both scripture readings are about healing. To add to this theme, last night, the AMC channel showed two movies: Virus and Outbreak. Really. I skipped TV.
And looking at these stories – it is easy for us to get stuck on the healing, and on the did-this-happen-or-not of the story. After all, these are impressive stories. But there is a lot more going on in them besides the miracle healing – so let’s look at the full stories.
First of all, these two stories are clearly connected – Luke quotes the other story in his telling of the story about Jesus. But not only that – in Luke’s earlier account of the first sermon of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth, he had referred to this story. Nain is supposed to be about a day’s journey from Capernaum, near Nazareth.
Let’s look at the Gospel story first, and then connect it to the story from Kings.
This story is only told in Luke’s gospel. Jesus is going to the town of Nain, and we aren’t told why, but as he arrives, he comes upon this funeral procession. Quickly he takes in the scene – he observes that there is only a mother in mourning – no father, no brothers, and so he realizes that she is a widow. To be a widow in ancient times was to be without property or protection. It could be a death sentence if there were no other men to care for her. So when Luke tells us that “he was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow,” he is describing a very bleak situation.
The story continues: “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion toward her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” This is the first occasion in Luke’s Gospel that he refers to Jesus as Lord – and what is happening at this moment? Jesus is having a profoundly compassionate response to the widow. It is in his compassion that Luke identifies him as God.
And Jesus stops the procession, speaks to the dead man, who then sits up and begins to talk! And then Luke tells us “And Jesus gave him to his mother” borrowing the exact language used in the account of Elijah and the widow – “Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother….” And the story continues with the response of the two crowds that were present: the mourners who had come with the woman, and the people who had come following Jesus and the disciples. And they share the same response: “Fear seized all of them, and they glorified God, saying ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favorably upon his people.” Why were people afraid? Well, in the presence of a man for whom death is not a limitation, I think most would be afraid – at the same time, they have a response of joy and gratitude to God, and they speak about two things: (1) the greatness of Jesus – comparing him to a “great prophet” - interesting because Elijah was known as the greatest of the prophets; and (2) that God has looked favorably upon them as a people.
And the story concludes that “This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding countryside.” Of course.
Now, looking at the story from 1 Kings – are there any details we should notice here? First, this is a longer story, involving a couple of important episodes. As it begins, Elijah is nearly at the end of his resources – inner and otherwise – and is seeking assistance. There is a drought in Israel, he is exhausted and hungry, and he travels OUTSIDE of Israel to the Syrian region of Sidon. There he meets a widow, probably not the best choice for aid, but he approaches her nonetheless. And she explains that she had only enough grain for one last meal that she and her boy will eat before dying. And Elijah says essentially, “Well, before you do that, could you make me a little cake? And then there will be enough grain and oil to last until the drought ends.” Wow – in case we thought Jesus might have been a little rude interrupting a funeral – though with good results – this seems kind of stunningly rude. Again, however, there is a good payoff – despite the famine, despite Elijah’s personal depletion, despite the widow’s poverty…there is enough. And perhaps that is the point of this first part of the story – that community is sustaining, that relationships are life-giving, that when we are able to reach out in vulnerability, and to accept help, when we extend hospitality, when we don’t let national boundaries make us enemies – life prevails, even in the face of drought.
And this story tells us so far that God cares about those outside our tribe, that God cares for the poor, that God is about community and relationships. We’re not meant to be on our own, as isolated individuals or households – we’re meant to be connected to one another in vital, life-giving ways of mutuality, and we’re meant to be reaching out beyond our natural communities to welcome others. When we start to debate immigration policy, we should remember how often the Bible urges Israel to welcome the stranger and the alien.
Moving on…in the second half of the story, the widow’s son becomes ill and dies, and in her grief and fury she blames Elijah, but then he brings the boy to life again, and as Jesus does later, Elijah gives him to his mother.
Remembering the extreme vulnerability of widows, and that the loss of one’s only son could be a death sentence, these two stories show God’s care for the poor and vulnerable. But taken together, they also tell us that new life is God’s way of life. Jesus wasn’t the first to bring someone back to life. And besides these two stories, the prophet Elisha also brought someone back to life, Jesus brought a couple of others back to life, Peter brought someone back to life and – oh yes – the resurrection of Jesus.
These all seem to underscore God’s commitment to life – so when we’re faced with dilemmas, perhaps the more life-affirming option would be the more consistent with God’s kingdom. So we should be supporting conditions where life can flourish. And it turns out that among the conditions for life is relationships. Being involved with one another is life-giving. Reaching out to one another is life-giving. Accepting help from others is life-giving. Opening ourselves to one another is life-giving. Caring for the poor and vulnerable is life-giving. Welcoming others is life-giving.
What else? It seems that these stories also tell us that there are no barriers to God’s compassion – if even death doesn’t hold God’s love back, then it’s hard to imagine what could? These are stories that tell us that God creates a way where there is no way – so when we are faced with hopelessness in life – in our relationships, in our finances, in our health – we can know that in God, a new way is possible. And that new way often depends on God’s people being able to be open to others and to our own needs in ways that are both vulnerable and authentic.
We’re not called to share a lot – just what we have. We’re not called to do a lot – just what we can. This morning we will be commissioning 8 youth and 2 adults to go on a mission trip to West Virginia. They will be in some new situations, they will meet new people, they will find out new things about themselves and each other. And they will be creating a new way to hope for some people who had run out of ways to hope. And they will share their skills, and their labor, and their hearts, and they’ll do what they can…and it will make a difference, and it will make them different.
That’s really what life in God is about – letting God make a difference in us as we make a difference in God’s world. And to live God’s hope for the world, we need to believe in new life as a way of life – but as we practice that way of life – as we practice being open to others, as we practice doing what we can where we can, as we embody God’s love – God will create new relationships, new opportunities, new hope in, among and through us. We don’t need to worry about whether the stories were true back then – we need to consider whether God’s hope, God’s love, God’s mutuality in relationships, God’s new life are true in us, now. May it be ever so. Amen.
Rev. Susan E. Gilbert Zencka
Frame Memorial Presbyterian Church
Texts: 1 Kings 17:8-24; Luke 7:11-17
I have a definite appreciation for the fact that in a week when I was sicker than I have been in almost 20 years, both scripture readings are about healing. To add to this theme, last night, the AMC channel showed two movies: Virus and Outbreak. Really. I skipped TV.
And looking at these stories – it is easy for us to get stuck on the healing, and on the did-this-happen-or-not of the story. After all, these are impressive stories. But there is a lot more going on in them besides the miracle healing – so let’s look at the full stories.
First of all, these two stories are clearly connected – Luke quotes the other story in his telling of the story about Jesus. But not only that – in Luke’s earlier account of the first sermon of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth, he had referred to this story. Nain is supposed to be about a day’s journey from Capernaum, near Nazareth.
Let’s look at the Gospel story first, and then connect it to the story from Kings.
This story is only told in Luke’s gospel. Jesus is going to the town of Nain, and we aren’t told why, but as he arrives, he comes upon this funeral procession. Quickly he takes in the scene – he observes that there is only a mother in mourning – no father, no brothers, and so he realizes that she is a widow. To be a widow in ancient times was to be without property or protection. It could be a death sentence if there were no other men to care for her. So when Luke tells us that “he was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow,” he is describing a very bleak situation.
The story continues: “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion toward her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” This is the first occasion in Luke’s Gospel that he refers to Jesus as Lord – and what is happening at this moment? Jesus is having a profoundly compassionate response to the widow. It is in his compassion that Luke identifies him as God.
And Jesus stops the procession, speaks to the dead man, who then sits up and begins to talk! And then Luke tells us “And Jesus gave him to his mother” borrowing the exact language used in the account of Elijah and the widow – “Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother….” And the story continues with the response of the two crowds that were present: the mourners who had come with the woman, and the people who had come following Jesus and the disciples. And they share the same response: “Fear seized all of them, and they glorified God, saying ‘A great prophet has risen among us!’ and ‘God has looked favorably upon his people.” Why were people afraid? Well, in the presence of a man for whom death is not a limitation, I think most would be afraid – at the same time, they have a response of joy and gratitude to God, and they speak about two things: (1) the greatness of Jesus – comparing him to a “great prophet” - interesting because Elijah was known as the greatest of the prophets; and (2) that God has looked favorably upon them as a people.
And the story concludes that “This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding countryside.” Of course.
Now, looking at the story from 1 Kings – are there any details we should notice here? First, this is a longer story, involving a couple of important episodes. As it begins, Elijah is nearly at the end of his resources – inner and otherwise – and is seeking assistance. There is a drought in Israel, he is exhausted and hungry, and he travels OUTSIDE of Israel to the Syrian region of Sidon. There he meets a widow, probably not the best choice for aid, but he approaches her nonetheless. And she explains that she had only enough grain for one last meal that she and her boy will eat before dying. And Elijah says essentially, “Well, before you do that, could you make me a little cake? And then there will be enough grain and oil to last until the drought ends.” Wow – in case we thought Jesus might have been a little rude interrupting a funeral – though with good results – this seems kind of stunningly rude. Again, however, there is a good payoff – despite the famine, despite Elijah’s personal depletion, despite the widow’s poverty…there is enough. And perhaps that is the point of this first part of the story – that community is sustaining, that relationships are life-giving, that when we are able to reach out in vulnerability, and to accept help, when we extend hospitality, when we don’t let national boundaries make us enemies – life prevails, even in the face of drought.
And this story tells us so far that God cares about those outside our tribe, that God cares for the poor, that God is about community and relationships. We’re not meant to be on our own, as isolated individuals or households – we’re meant to be connected to one another in vital, life-giving ways of mutuality, and we’re meant to be reaching out beyond our natural communities to welcome others. When we start to debate immigration policy, we should remember how often the Bible urges Israel to welcome the stranger and the alien.
Moving on…in the second half of the story, the widow’s son becomes ill and dies, and in her grief and fury she blames Elijah, but then he brings the boy to life again, and as Jesus does later, Elijah gives him to his mother.
Remembering the extreme vulnerability of widows, and that the loss of one’s only son could be a death sentence, these two stories show God’s care for the poor and vulnerable. But taken together, they also tell us that new life is God’s way of life. Jesus wasn’t the first to bring someone back to life. And besides these two stories, the prophet Elisha also brought someone back to life, Jesus brought a couple of others back to life, Peter brought someone back to life and – oh yes – the resurrection of Jesus.
These all seem to underscore God’s commitment to life – so when we’re faced with dilemmas, perhaps the more life-affirming option would be the more consistent with God’s kingdom. So we should be supporting conditions where life can flourish. And it turns out that among the conditions for life is relationships. Being involved with one another is life-giving. Reaching out to one another is life-giving. Accepting help from others is life-giving. Opening ourselves to one another is life-giving. Caring for the poor and vulnerable is life-giving. Welcoming others is life-giving.
What else? It seems that these stories also tell us that there are no barriers to God’s compassion – if even death doesn’t hold God’s love back, then it’s hard to imagine what could? These are stories that tell us that God creates a way where there is no way – so when we are faced with hopelessness in life – in our relationships, in our finances, in our health – we can know that in God, a new way is possible. And that new way often depends on God’s people being able to be open to others and to our own needs in ways that are both vulnerable and authentic.
We’re not called to share a lot – just what we have. We’re not called to do a lot – just what we can. This morning we will be commissioning 8 youth and 2 adults to go on a mission trip to West Virginia. They will be in some new situations, they will meet new people, they will find out new things about themselves and each other. And they will be creating a new way to hope for some people who had run out of ways to hope. And they will share their skills, and their labor, and their hearts, and they’ll do what they can…and it will make a difference, and it will make them different.
That’s really what life in God is about – letting God make a difference in us as we make a difference in God’s world. And to live God’s hope for the world, we need to believe in new life as a way of life – but as we practice that way of life – as we practice being open to others, as we practice doing what we can where we can, as we embody God’s love – God will create new relationships, new opportunities, new hope in, among and through us. We don’t need to worry about whether the stories were true back then – we need to consider whether God’s hope, God’s love, God’s mutuality in relationships, God’s new life are true in us, now. May it be ever so. Amen.