1 Kings 17:8-16.                 You can give of yourself!!                                                             8/11/15

8 Then the word of the LORD came to him: 

9 "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."

10 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?" 

11 As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread." 

12 "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 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." 

13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 

14 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 gives rain on the land.' " 

15 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. 

16 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. 

Here in this reading today we have some great encouragement for us as we seek to live out our lives as Christians. Constantly we are faced with the need to give and do things which are beyond what we are capable of and have the where with all to even be able do. Well here today the recording of this event should spur us on and give us some real hope. Whether our situation might be that we are called on to help others out, or if we ourselves do not have what is required in order to get by. Let us explore how.

God has placed people and situations in our lives, like this widow had to face. We have been called on to help, care for, or put ourselves out, in one way or another, for some person, organization or situation. But like the widow we just don’t have what it takes in order to carry out what is required.

On the other hand we may be like Elijah and need assistance from someone else to help us out in some way or other. Here also we are hesitant or are aware of the limitations of the person before us. We have before us something that is beyond what is required, we don’t feel that it is right or possible and that we shouldn’t be doing it. I am sure that this has happened to all us, many times.  

At many of those times we might be like the widow in our reading. We can’t do it – we have got nothing to give - we are at the end of our tether. Just as she was out to make her final meal for herself and her son with the very last that she had, with no possibility of getting anything further – we too can feel that we can’t do it and haven’t got what it takes.

And we are right - more often than not –we can’t do it. How can we? – We don’t have the abilities, or we are so busy now – we have got family and work commitments to think of. We have our own health problems. In fact we have all kinds of valid reasons why we can’t. Just like the widow we feel that we only have enough flour and oil to make one last feed, then that is end.

So it is often seen as just not possible. In fact it is even plain stupidity: particularly to our modern society and it’s thoughts for oneself first. So why should we put ourselves out. It would just be plain ridiculous. If we give and give, we too will surely die.

Yet there is a wonderful message from God here in the story of Elijah and the widow. I find it rather ironic that God tells Elijah that he has commanded the widow to feed him, but when Elijah asks the woman she seems not to know what is going on. In fact she says she is about to make her last meal with the final bit of four and oil that she has, and then she and her son will die of starvation.

 But Elijah says; Don’t be afraid! Just go give me some bread and then you have a feed yourself. And by the way you won’t go without. Yeh, right!! Only enough for two little loaves, not three, and you expect that this going to keeps us all alive. Come on, what planet do you come from!! But Elijah tells her that God says it is going to all be right. Humanly speaking it may be impossible, but with God anything is possible. God will take care of the situation. If he says; she’ll be right, then there is no need to be afraid.

Now the question is, do we trust Elijah and the God who stands behind him or not. Will we trust God as Elijah did and ask a person to do the impossible? Or on the other hand do we trust the words of Elijah and God to give us what is needed even though there is not enough for ourselves? Tough questions.

But then even more critically will we actually do what has to be done? It is one thing to say that we will, but then another to do it. After all we are practical people and God has asked us to use our brain as well. And yes there are occasions where it is not good to give to those who are taking advantage of those who are generous. But too often we shy away from doing what we know that we should be doing.

Now many times we do do these things that have to be done, and other times that we don’t even try, though we know that we probably should have. Too often though we are simply looking to ourselves and our capabilities or lack of it, and then doing nothing. We are unsure; wanting to do the right thing but hesitant and even reluctant.

               

With this in mind let us think again of what happened in the case of this widow. She fed Elijah and her son and herself with those three little loaves. Then blow me down, next day there was still some flour and oil in the containers: Enough for another feed. This then went on for over two years: each day the flour and oil did not give out. In the midst of this her son got sick and died; yet God did not abandon her. In fact through Elijah her son was raised to life again.

So this widow helped – giving all she had each day, with nothing left over – and God came through. God did not let her down or Elijah down. Throughout this serious drought God took care of them, despite the fact that they humanly speaking did not have the where with all to survive. They both realized that God and his word is truth and trustworthy.

However there we find the answer as to why they gave so much and do what was not possible. Here, along with the widow and her two small copper coins in our Gospel reading, we find that they gave because they had nothing much to lose. Without God and what he gives, they knew that they and their little was of no use to anyone; even themselves. Without God and what he supplies she and her doing was nothing.

Then in their willingness to share they were given more and more. They found more than they expected. They were brought to the realization that God is true to his word. Without God and what he has to give they are nothing and have nothing, but with him all things are possible.

Now what does this mean for us here today?  Surely we here know by now that without God we too are nothing and have nothing. Yes by worldly standards we are all very well off, but we surely know that this can be here today and gone tomorrow.  At the same time we know that having everything in worldly terms is not the answer to a happy and fulfilled life.

Having much does not mean that we can and do automatically give to the needy. Nor does wealth mean that we are more willing to trust that we will have what is necessary to do what needs to be done for the benefit of others. In fact it means that we become more dependent on ourselves and what we have rather than looking to and trusting God as the giver of all that is good.

However as we look to our Lord we find the where with all to be able to do what is necessary. Only in him can we give and give out of our poverty. Only in him can we keep finding that which has already ‘run out.’ Only in him we find the wisdom and strength to do what is the right thing to do. He alone can bring something out of nothing in order that good may abound.

We can be sure of this because we know that he himself has given us in abundance forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection we know that not only does he have our best interests at heart, but he has ensured that we have eternity with him guaranteed. We also have his promises that he is with us always and will give us what we need in order to do his will. So as he leads and guides us, we can go forward with every confidence and do what he asks.

With that assurance we are able to step out and seek to do what our Lord wants of us, no matter how little we have in our store. For we know that he is with us and he can provide abundantly what is needed, despite us. Even though we have nothing to offer we have his assurance he is able to provide in and through us.

In response to who God is and what he asks of us and what he promises us, we can now set about our lives with a renewed confidence and hope: Not in ourselves and what we do, but in the Lord God Almighty. He is able to provide, even when there is nothing there to start with. So let us get on with being the people that he wants us to be. Then again to our great God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, will be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish