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June 23rd:
Potsdam Call: Psalm 42 (777) Text: 1 Kings 19: 1-15a Read: W&S 134 Not Alone This week has again reminded me: That God has an interesting sense of humor. For on a Sunday that comes five days after Marge suddenly left me to fend for myself so that she might go to California to help and support her sister Nickie I find myself preaching a sermon titled "Not Alone." Despite the fact that I agree with, and respect, her decision to be with Nickie Despite the good company that Adam provides me And despite the love and support I feel from this congregation and other friends This week there have been more moments in which I felt alone than in any week during our 27 ½ years of marriage And so, my sharing a message which I titled "Not Alone." puts a smile on my face and makes me chuckle. At God's sense of humor Even though I am the butt of God's ironic interaction. But, of course, it was how Elijah felt That inspired my title - not how I felt. Still, this week has helped me to better understand our scripture. But before we can get to Elijah's story, we need to understand what took place immediately before the story. And what took place before the story was an event of major proportions. It had aspects of a Super Bowl. But even that annual event fades in comparison. It had aspects of a Presidential Campaign But even that quadrennial poll is dwarfed. It had aspects of a war With a battle that was winner take all. If we roll all these into one, We get some idea of the magnitude of what we call "Elijah vs. The Prophets of Baal." Baal was a false God worshipped in communities around Israel And by some in Israel Including Israel's foreign born queen. You remember that queen We spent last week with her - King Ahab's wife Jezebel. This event was a momentous contest that began When Elijah accused Ahab of forsaking the commandments of the Lord and challenged the king to a contest between Baal and The Lord, "Now therefore," he told the king "have all Israel assemble for me at Mt. Carmel," with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table" Ahab accepted the challenge, Confident and arrogant he wanted to put Elijah in his place. Then Elijah commanded [1 Kings 18: 23-25] All morning long the prophets of Baal Called for their supposed god to start the fire and roast the bull But no fire was started despite all their pleadings. Then Elijah got to work He built an altar with 12 stones He built a trench and put seeds in it He arranged the wood and put the cut up bull on it And He poured water on the offering and in the trench - 3 times At last he called upon God And God responded "... the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust and even licked up the water that was in the trench." When all the people saw it they fell on their faces and said "The Lord indeed is God. The Lord indeed is God." Elijah directed the people to, Seize and kill the prophets of Baal. The people seized them, and brought them to the Wadi Kishon, There they killed them. Dramatic, exciting, and scary. It is in the aftermath of that excitement and drama That our scripture begins. Needless to say, because it follows that contest and its aftermath Our story will not seem nearly as exciting or as dramatic, But we are not here to get excited or to witness drama We are here to strengthen our relationship with our God. Our scripture - despite its lack of excitement and drama - Can do that by teaching us a lesson to which we can all relate. [19: 1-3a] Elijah had stood up against the queen's faith He had embarrassed the queen and her king He had shown them up And, not surprisingly, Jezebel was not happy. She told Elijah that she was going to kill him In fact, that she would kill him within 24 hours. Elijah Tired, worn out, and afraid Just could not take any more of it. And so, having no doubts but that Jezebel was serious the prophet fled for his life. [19: 3b - 15a] And he really fled He left Israel and crossed into Judah approximately 65 miles south of Mt. Carmel. Even that wasn't far enough for Elijah. He continued another 50 plus miles going deeper into Judah finally stopping in Beer-sheba And even though he was well out of the kingdom of A and J He was ready to give up. "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life." With that prayer for death, he laid down and fell asleep. Having been fed and nourished during the night by the Lord's angel, He proceeded on to Mt. Horeb and took refuge in a cave. And there, God asked him a question. It was a question that seems simple at first But which is considerably more profound In fact a question that at times we need to ask ourselves "What are you doing here?" Elijah knew that God was thinking, "I called you to do a job. That job was to be done in Israel where I am very displeased with things And yet I find you all the way over here miles from where you are supposed to be serving me." Because he understood the question, Elijah defended himself, telling God what he had done, Beginning with "I have been very zealous for the Lord" And closing with, "I alone am left." He is told to stand on the mountain because the Lord was to pass by He did so But God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire Then out of sheer silence came the voice asking the same question, "What are you doing here, Elijah Again Elijah answered And again beginning with the claim that he had been very zealous for the Lord And closing with "I alone am left." But God said to Elijah, "Go, Return." And God told him to anoint certain people along the way. Elijah set out to do what God had told him to do. He had been reminded that he was not alone That God was with him And that others would be as well. The fear and self pity reflected in his death prayer vanished with that reminder. I commented earlier that this week had reminded me That God has an interesting sense of humor But even more powerfully it has reminded me That God has an uncanny sense of timing For this scripture - chosen by me over a month ago - long before any thought of Marge flying to California. Was brought alive for me Because of the difficulties Marge encountered Tuesday night She was to fly to Charlotte; switch planes and fly to Phoenix Where she would get on a third plane that would take her to Ontario, CA There she was to be pick up by a friend On the night before he left for several days of vacation He was to take her to her sister's home where she would spend the night and then go to see Nickie in the hospital the next day. But thunder storms hit Charlotte after she arrived Delaying her departure so long that By the time she got to Phoenix she would miss any flight to Ontario She spent hours in Charlotte where she had never been before And where she knew no one She spent the night in Phoenix where she had never been before And where she knew no one The next morning she arrived in Ontario, Again, where she had never been and where she knew no one And where now she had to find a cab to get to Nickie's house the one person she knew having left on vacation. And yet when I talked with her later that morning, she said, "I was frustrated a bit, but I never worried." And she explained "I knew God was with me, so I was never alone." And isn't that the lesson that God taught Elijah? On Mt. Horeb decades, centuries, and millennia