Today's sermon is a letter inspired by the readings. I drew the idea from a blog which you are welcome to check out here: dancingwiththeword.com/. It's entitled "Elijah, the Get Up and Eat Angel, and God."
In it the author, Rev. Dr. Janet Hunt, wrote three letter, one to each of the characters in the 1 Kings story, then she invited her readers to do the same. So I did. And…well I don’t know how inspiring it is or anything (you can decide that), but it was, for myself, a very meaningful practice. As "homework" I am inviting you to take the chance to do so as well. Go read her letters with the above link, certainly, and you may read mine here as well. Then be sure to write your own. The promise and good news we hear from our two readings working together today is this: God sends us the people in our lives that have helped us through the tough times. The ones who’ve given encouragement, or even just a presence, sometimes a distraction—whatever you’ve needed to get you through. The ones who put everything back into perspective, who remind you that you are too important—to God, to them—to give up here. Like Elijah’s angel, they don’t take away the hardships on the road, but they are Jesus’ presence with us in the midst of it. They make the hard road worth traveling, and remind us of our beloved-ness. And finally, it makes me think: not only when has God reminded me, through others, to “stop: take that nap, eat that snack”, but when am I, as part of the body of Christ, also Jesus’ presence for others? Here is the letter I wrote to Jesus this week. What's yours? Dear Jesus, You said you are the bread of life, the true bread from heaven which comes down and gives life to the world. You say that all who eat the bread will never hunger, that all who drink will never thirst. But we are hungry. We are thirsty. There are so many places in the world that need life—so many places where we only see the opposite—we see division, scorn for fellow humans, we see crisis after crisis: Fire and flood, disease and famine—but also injustice and cruelty, hate and sabotage, mistrust and desire for revenge… We are tired Lord—yes, hungry and thirsty, too. We snap at our fellow humans, we fight, we feel like what we have to give is not enough, we give up. We’re tired- Tired of this pandemic Tired of the disastrous weather Tired of how we treat each other Tired of feeling that the good we do, the good we desire is never enough Tired of feeling like we are not enough We are tired. And hungry. Hungry for that promise you give—eternal life. Thirsty for the refreshing water that really revives. We need you. I get Elijah today. He’s been giving everything: serving you, proclaiming you, speaking out, performing miracles, even fighting; and for it…getting threatened, run off, forced into hiding. He’s exhausted. And mad. And defeated. We’ve been there. We are there. Alone on the mountain, unable to even know what to do next. We need you. Where are you? But you are there, aren’t you? Your coming to earth proved that you want to be here with us. You came, once, to help us out of this place we’re stuck in—tired, hungry, thirsty. You gave us the bread of life. You ARE the bread of life. That’s why you died on the cross…to give yourself for us—bread broken for the world. Then you were raised from the dead! You came back! To be with us? To keep giving yourself away? You are here aren’t you? Do we see you like Elijah’s story? In the form of an angel who reminds us to eat? Was that you every time in our lives when someone, our friends, your angels, told us to keep going?—"rest, eat, you still matter.” Every time that we wanted to give up, you came—or sent an angel—and reminded us to take care of ourselves, didn’t you? And when I’m strong, having been fed the bread of life, there’s someone out there who needs me, too. You come to the others sometimes through me! Is that what it means to be “the body of Christ?” That you somehow miraculously and mysteriously are with the world through all of us? When you feed us at your table, and we hear the words that the bread and wine is your body given for us, your blood shed for us, you somehow really become part of us, don’t you? We are what we eat, and we are fed by you. Thank you Jesus. I’m still hungry. I still thirst. But now I know to look for you. I know that I can rest. You will send an angel for me. When I’m rested, I know you’ll send me as an angel for another. After some rest, after a meal, when I’ve been filled by you…I know things will look better, because you’re there, too. I know the nourishment you give will last. Jesus, I’m still hungry, tired, thirsty…but I know you’re here. And I’ll rest in you. Comments are closed.
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AuthorRev. Chris Sesvold is currently the pastor at Halfway Creek Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Holmen, WI. Archives
October 2021
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