The LCA provides this sermon edited for lay-reading, with thanks to the original author.
Pentecost 5, (Proper 7) Year C
1 Kings 19:1-15a
Elijah is disappointed with God. He doesn’t seem to know what is going on! God should get his act together. Elijah is about to be killed. Jezebel, the Queen, has put out a contract on Elijah to have him killed. Jezebel is not a person who uses half measures. She would make some of our cruel dictators and terrorists look weak and gently by comparison.
So Elijah flees for his life, way out in the desert. Hardly a soul wanders out there. Elijah finds a lonely bush for a tiny bit of shade. He has had enough. He yearns to die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he says, “Take my life.” Elijah feels there is no point in him living on. Not even God can use him while Jezebel is around. She is murder! She even destroyed places of worship. Nothing is sacred to her.
And God does nothing. That is what is eating into Elijah. God says nothing, and God does nothing. There must be a dozen different ways God could “fix” Jezebel up, like a flash of lightning, or an earthquake so the palace collapses in on her. But God seems to have lost his nerve. Jezebel is so powerful, and here is Elijah, truly believing he is the last follower of God still alive on the whole earth, and God does nothing. Elijah feels he would be better off if he were dead too. He lies down under the broom tree and goes to sleep, hoping he won’t wake up.
We can all feel like Elijah at times. We can feel disappointed with God. The way he lets evil people in the world get into power, the senseless killing of thousands of people known as ethnic cleansing, the barbaric cruelty shown towards prisoners. Surely God could do something drastic to wake evil rulers up and make them come to their senses?
Look at the power God has at hand. He can throw stars into orbit in outer space – where comets collide and smash into each other. Or just a typhoon or two in the right place on earth could stop the evil. God has the power. Why doesn’t he use it to clean out the most evil people on our planet?
God could simply speak the word of judgment, and all evil people could be destroyed in a flash. We hear nothing, yet we are surrounded by noise. There is loud thumping music, sirens screaming, TV’s blaring, the traffic roaring by, and God is quiet. Surely God could shout louder than all the noise we humans can make. People would be as scared as Hell if he shouted out loud. Then they might stop to listen to God for a change.
Fear is a powerful force to drive and control people. Raw fear gets people’s attention. The terrorists use raw fear like Jezebel does. If only God were like Jezebel, and got things done!
Elijah doesn’t get his death wish out in the peace and quiet of the desert. God’s spirits minister to him through a meal. Some bread and water are miraculously provided where there should be none. Elijah then lies down again to sleep on, but God has different plans for Elijah. In verse 7 we read,
Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, for there is a long journey ahead of you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
Quite a journey! It would be a bit like walking from here to Uluru.
Sinai is the special sacred place for God’s people. Here God met with Moses and handed him the 10 commandments. One might feel nervous or weak at the knees standing on that mountain, knowing all that had happened there with God. Elijah finds safety in a cave.
Then God, who must have a great sense of humour, says, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”Elijah is in no joking mood. He is depressed. He answers, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me too!”
Then Elijah is led through a terrifying experience [Verse 11].
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind.
It was an empty wind! With no malice in it. No threat from God in it. Just the usual cyclone following the laws of physics as God had designed it to follow. It is normal and empty. God isn’t speaking through the cyclone.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. It was a terrifying experience for Elijah, like force 8 quake or more on the Richter scale. But there was no threat from God in it. It was simply an earthquake, following the laws of nature and physics as God had designed it. It was empty of God. God wasn’t using the earthquake to scare hell out of people.
And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. A fire – the most destructive force people of that time could experience. Fire became synonymous with Hell. It was the most dangerous power that could be let loose. In our time we humans have harnessed far worse firepower. Our leaders have enough bombs of mass destruction to wipe out all civilisation on earth a number of times.But God isn’t using fire. It is a harmless fire. God isn’t building his kingdom with that kind of firepower.
And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
God chose to speak to Elijah in a whisper, and Elijah heard him. He knew straight away it was God speaking to him.
If one wants to hear God speak clearly deep into our hearts and minds, it is better to not look out in the universe, created by God speaking the Word! We might want to play God at times and ask him to cause terrible fear and have people cowering like terrified animals. We might think God should force people to be kind to one another, scare people enough for them to seek safety in the churches, and boost our numbers! Do we really want God to use these sorts of tactics of fear to drive people to love one another?
When the Spirit of God whispers to people through the Scriptures, he touches their hearts and lives. People are moved to sing praises and give thanks to God. Some people are moved to write moving music that touches our soul.
When the Spirit of God whispers of the love of the Father into people’s minds, they are drawn back into the Father’s arms, like the prodigal son.God wins people by his love. Not by terror. God is not a terrorist. When the Spirit of God whispers to people that Jesus has swapped places with them on the terrible cross, and he himself has faced the terrible judgment of God on sin, then people are touched by the healing love of Jesus. They live in wonder that God would act with such a gift of grace for his people, rather than using punishment and fear.
When the Spirit of God whispers to people living in fear of death that Jesus is risen, and he has opened the way ahead, people sing for joy and even shout the resurrection news, “He is Risen”. When the Spirit of God whispers the Good News about Jesus, people lose their fear of the future, and trust Jesus to lead them ahead through whatever may come. The way Elijah is moved to go back the way he came so he can serve God. God has a purpose for Elijah.
In verse 15 we read:
Then the Lord told him, “Go back the way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus.”And Elijah won’t have to live alone as God’s only representative in the country. God promises Elijah, “Yet I will preserve 7000 others in Israel who have never bowed to Baal or kissed him.”
Christians throughout the world continue to go out of their churches, where God has whispered into their hearts and minds his love for them, and they return back into the world where they came from. It is God’s world too. There they minister to others, especially those who have given up hope.
God builds his church by his Spirit whispering into people’s hearts and minds the good news of his love and grace, and of hope for the future. May we not be disappointed in God working in this quiet way.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guardour hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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