Elijah & the Angel

Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time – Cycle B

1 Kings 19: 4-8; 

Ephesians 4: 30–5 :2; 

John 6: 41-51

I am not what most people would consider a Bible scholar. I'm pretty good with the New Testament writings, but I am somewhat lacking in terms of Old Testament knowledge. It is one of my short-comings.

Our first reading today was from the book of Kings, and the main character in today's story is the prophet Elijah. Now I've heard of Elijah, but I was not too familiar with his story. So I went back and read Kings to understand what was happening in the first reading.

Elijah was a prophet who lived about eight hundred years before the birth of Jesus. The King of Israel at the time was named Ahab and Ahab's wife was Jezebel. Jezebel, the queen, was from a foreign land, and she worshiped a different god named Baal. It was Jezebel's mission to lead the people of Israel away from Yahweh and convince them to worship Baal instead.

When Elijah learned of the queen's intentions, he proposed a “god contest” of sorts. The followers of Baal were to sacrifice a bull, cut up the meat and place it on an altar. It was their god's duty to light the fire and cook the offering.

Baal's followers danced around and implored their god to start the fire, but no fire came. During all of this, Elijah was chiding them, and questioning them saying, “Where is your god? Is he sleeping? Is he meditating? Is he traveling? Why won't he light the fire?” (1 Kings 18: 25-30)

Then Elijah called the people to him and explained that Baal was not god and that his followers were deceiving themselves. Elijah built an altar to the Lord, placed the meat upon the altar and prayed that Yahweh ignite the wood. Even if you haven't read the story, you can guess what happens next. A fire is miraculously lit, and the people of Israel turn away from the false god Baal, and return to the God of their forefathers. Everyone rejoices, everyone that is except Jezebel, who vows to kill Elijah.

So what else can Elijah do? He runs for it, of course. You don't stick around when an evil queen wants to see you die. Elijah flees for his life.

That more or less brings us up to today's reading. Elijah has been running from Jezebel and her army. He should be celebrating. He has brought the people of Israel back to God. Instead, he is depressed and despondent. He is on the run … alone … with nowhere to go. It appears that even God has abandoned him. Elijah takes refuge under a broom tree and now he just wants to die in peace.

I imagine there are many of us today who can relate to what Elijah is feeling. Some of us may be suffering because of illness, loss of a relationship, a painful divorce, the loss of a job, or just tired and weary about being tired and weary. It may even seem as if God has abandoned us.

God has not forsaken us. Just hang on a little longer – help is on the way.

In Elijah's case, he falls asleep. When he awakens, an angel has provided him a hearth cake and a jug of water. Elijah eats and has enough strength to continue. He walks for forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horab.

For us, help can come in any number of ways. Perhaps it's a phone call from an old friend. Maybe it's a kind gesture from someone at work. Sometimes if might be a particular song played on the radio at the right time. But somehow, somewhere, an angel comes along. We are touched by an angel who urges us to eat something for our journey. We are somehow strengthened by this simple act of love. And so we continue with our journey, nourished, and ready to serve once again as humble servants of the Lord.

We come to this table and eat, which lets us keep believing, keep hoping, keep allowing us to serve as angels for one another.

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life … Whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

With nourishment like that, how can we possibly fail?

Deacon Darryl J. Diemer

19th Sunday In Ordinary Time

August 9, 2015

Painting: The Prophet Elias by Daniele de Volterra c 1550-1560