A Sermon based Upon 1 Kings 19: 1-15a
By Rev. Charles J. Tomlin, D.Min.
Flat Rock-Zion Baptist Partnership
Year C: Proper 7, 5th Sunday
After Pentecost, June 19th, 2016
“…"I
have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have
forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with
the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it
away." (1 Ki. 19:10 NRS)
Today I want to start with an old story
about two fellers who didn’t like each other.
One named Ole, and the other named Clarence. Ole lived across the Minnesota River from
Clarence Bunsen, whom he didn't like at all. They were yelling across the river
at each other all the time. Ole would
yell to Clarence, "If I had a vay to cross dis river, I'd come ofver dere
an beat you up good, yeah sure ya betcha by golly!"
This went on for years. Finally, the
state built a bridge across the river right there by their houses. Ole's wife, Lena , says, "Now iss yer
chance, Ole. Vhy doncha go over dere and beat up dat Clarence like you said you
vud?" Ole replied, "OK, by
yimmy, I tink I vill do yust dat!"
Ole started for the bridge, but he saw a
sign on the bridge and stopped to read it, then turned around and came back
home. Lena asked, "Vhy did you come back?"
Ole said, " Lena , I tink I changed
my mind 'bout beatin' up dat Clarence. You know, vhen I yell at him from across
da river he don't look so big. But dey put a sign on da bridge
dat says "Clarence is 13 ft. 6 In.”
(http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/173446.html?1291147417)
Today we consider another moment from the ministry of the prophet Elijah.
Elijah was one more powerful prophet, but one day, as they say, Elijah
‘met his match.’ Even though we haven’t covered
all the high moments of Elijah’s ministry, this must have been the lowest point. Elijah was on the run for his life. He felt as if he was the only one left who had
not forsaken their promise to God. To
say the least, to feel small and defeated is not a very good place to be. But as I hope we will all learn, it may the
most necessary place to be with God.
I
HAVE BEEN VERY ZEALOUS …. (10a)
The highest moment in Elijah’s ministry came
just before this lowest one. Elijah has
just called down ‘fire’ from heaven and
then slaughtered all 450 false prophets of Ba’al. But even before the last cinder of coal went
cold, this Elijah’s brave heart fells him and he is on the run.
Last week we encountered Jezebel, the notorious
wife of King Ahab, who seemed to have worn the ‘pants’ around the kingdom. After hearing what Elijah did to her ‘prophets’, Jezebel was outraged and sought
revenge ‘to make (his) life like the life of one of them by this
time tomorrow’ (v. 2). Whatever
made Elijah’s heart shudder in fear of Jezebel’s wrath more than 450 false male
prophets (she was the King’s wife, you know), he must have known that she could
and would back up her threat. Jezebel is
Elijah’s “Clarence” across the bridge.
But after making his escape, Elijah
began to realize just what this meant.
Here is the prophet of the LORD running from mean woman, albeit a very powerful
and mean woman. But here’s the problem
for his large, male ego. She’s a woman. He’s supposed to be God’s big, strong, courageous
prophet. For a prophet to be running
from anyone, let alone this Jezebel of a woman does not help his ego. So, when Elijah stops to catch his breath,
seeking the shade of a ‘solitary broom
tree’, he came to realize what was happening and starts feeling down about himself,
ending up so depressed, that he asked the LORD to ‘take his life’ (v.4). With
despair and exhaustion Elijah lay down and falls asleep under that broom tree.
Finding such a story in the Bible is
really incredible. We live in a world
where the recipe for success has become ‘never
let them see you sweat’. I did a
little research on that popular phrase.
It’s only been around since 1984 and came from a Gillette Deodorant
commercial. The commercial featured
three celebrities who mentioned three ‘nevers’ in their respective professions. Each of them mentioned two things that they
would never let other people do for them.
Then, all three ended with the line, “And Never let them see you sweat.”
In other words, don’t let them know or see your weaknesses.
While that may be a good strategy for
winning a football game, beating out other competitors in business, or becoming
the best actor or actress, it’s not a good philosophy for living a genuine,
honest, open, compassionate spiritual life.
(For goodness sakes, this was a
commercial!) In order to truly grow
in faith, to gain spiritual strength, or to get closer to God, we need to know
and understand our own weaknesses. We
need to come clean not only with who we are, but also, to honestly and
sincerely face who we aren’t. There is
no place for ‘supermen’ or ‘supergirls’ among the people of God. There is no place in God’s grace to put
‘perfect’ people on pedestals. The Bible
doesn’t do this. We shouldn’t
either. Throughout Scripture God uses
people who are much less than perfect.
Think of lying Abraham, boastful Joseph,
stammering Moses, adulterous David, and now, right in front of us, egotistical Elijah. We need also to picture New Testament characters
of an over-bearing Simon Peter, a
vengeful James and John, a murderous Saul, or even a fretful Jesus, who in the
Garden of Gethsemane prayed for ‘this cup to pass’ from him. If we can remember that the greatest heroes
of faith, also have weaknesses and flaws, we might learn how God could also
bless the ‘weakness’ in us.
When Mother Teresa’s personal letters
were discovered, they gave great details about many of her personal feelings. What was most shocking was how she had confessed
how she had ‘spent almost 50 years of her
life without sensing the presence of God in her life’. She once wrote to a priest, Pastor Michael
Van der Peet, saying, “Jesus has a very
special love for you. But as for
me---the silence and the emptiness is so great---that I look and do not see, ---Listen
and do not hear….” This saintly woman
who said it is not enough to say ‘you
love God, when you do not love your neighbor’ or that ‘we must join with Jesus on his cross by feeding the hungry and helping
the hurting’ and unapologically condemned abortion and bemoaned youth drug
addiction, writing that “Christ is
everywhere---in our hearts, in the poor we meet, Christ is in the smile we give
and in the smile we receive.’ But as
she gave and served among the poorest and darkest places on earth, she also gave
her joy and confidence away. “The tongue moves (in prayer), but does not
speak…” she wrote to Pastor Michael.
“I want you to pray for me---that
I let God have a free hand (in my life).
In more than 40 letters she bemoaned
the ‘dryness,” “darkness,” “loneliness” and “torture” she was
undergoing, even to the point of having doubts about the existence of heaven or
God. The most fitting title of the book
of these desperate writings? “Come, be
My Light!” (http://time.com/4126238/mother-teresas-crisis-of-faith/).
“There
is perhaps nothing worse than reaching the top of the ladder and discovering
that you’re on the wrong wall” (Joseph Campbell). But how could such a thing happen to a saint
who served so wonderfully? How could it
have happened to a prophet who has just toppled 450 false prophets or raised a
dead child? How could Elijah be so strong and courageous
in one moment, and then fall so fast to become so weak the next? His life, just like our own lives, can be ‘roller coaster’---filled with valleys
and curves. “How can you endure such
curved, hilly roads?, a Flordia girl once asked me.” I answered: “How do you Floridians stay awake on straight, boring streets? Can you have an interesting life driving
straight lines?”
But sometimes, so lows are very low,
aren’t they? I’ll never forget hearing
about a very gifted, much beloved pastor of a large congregation who once burned out while trying to serve all the
many needs of his congregation. Then,
unexpectedly, he gets up one Sunday and resigns, telling the congregation that
he has cared for all of them, but they haven’t really cared at all about him,
or his family. So now, he must ‘run’
away from ministry so he could take care of his family, and himself. No one can give, and give, and give, without
needing time to recharge, refresh, and rejuvenate. But the never ending way of ministry, with
all the constant and overwhelming needs, seldom take our very human ‘limits’
into consideration. As I was writing
this, a friend of mine called to tell me she was sending me a copy of a book
written by a pastor in Greensboro, who after retiring has written a ‘tell-all’ book
about the things he needed to say, but could not say when he was a pastor. All those years his congregation came to him
with all their problems, even sometimes with their problems about him, but he
said they never were willing to listen to his problems, especially not his
problems with them. Now, it was his
turn. I said, “Good luck with that!”
Facing our own weaknesses is important
for any of us who are trying to live a life of service, who have demanding
jobs, or have the daily burdens of caring for others. If you are not taking care of yourself, without
warning, you may find yourself in a crash of energy, running on empty, with
nothing left to give. This has an even
better chance of happening when you have been successful, or when you are doing
the right thing than when you have just be doing your own thing. When you give and give without taking time
for yourself, one day you wake up to find you have nothing left, because
unfortunately, you’ve given away yourself.
I
ALONE AM LEFT…. (10b)
Again, it was not Elijah’s failures, but
it was his success that caused Jezebel to come after him. He was on the run because of the good he had
accomplished. When the evil came back, it just evil just
kept coming and he had given all he could give. He couldn’t take it. He ran.
When Elijah finally reached a shady spot
he quickly fell asleep and dreamed about angels coming to him, encouraging him ‘to get up and eat’. He had
to be dreaming because and angel comes a second time, asking him again to ‘get up and eat, otherwise he won’t have
strength’ to continue on his journey (v. 7). After
the second spiritual meal is offered, we are told that Elijah gained enough spiritual
and physical strength to ‘walk for forty
days and night until he came to Horeb’-- that is Mt. Sinai---‘the mountain of God’ located deep
in the Arab desert (v. 8).
When Elijah finally reached the safety
of God’s mountain, he spent the night in a cave, where the word of the LORD
came asking, “What are you doing here,
Elijah” (v. 9)? Isn’t it interesting
that after the angel of the LORD came to him twice, God wonders what’s going on? Of course, this story is about what God does
or doesn’t know, but it’s about the ‘battle’ going on inside of Elijah. “I
have been very zealous for the LORD…” (v. 10) he answers, but look where it’s got him! What good has it really done? What does it really matter? Things have only gotten worst instead of
better. The good ones who were with me,
are now all gone.
“I
alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away” (19:14).
This was the lowest moment for the
prophet, but his greatest pain is not simply the threat upon his life, but it
is the complaint you could hear from prophet after prophet, preacher and
preacher, pastor after pastor, and even disciple after disciple; the most
difficult challenge of being a Christian and a leader is one thing: loneliness. When you know what others don’t know, or what
others don’t want to know, and when you do what others don’t do, or you have to
say what others are not willing to say or face,
often the greatest inward pain of being the voice of truth is the
feeling of being all alone.
A 2006 Study from the respected Barna
Institute interviewed 627 Pastor’s around the country and over 61% reported to
have “close friends”. Although
Scripture says that it is ‘not good for man to be alone’ (Gen. 2:18), one unintended
result of ministry can still be loneliness; loneliness that come from doing
good, which is not good for a church or a minister. It is
something that can happen to the best of us, even when we aren’t expected
it. Several years ago, I was attempting
to lead a church with Sunday night services in a summer time evangelistic
effort. I proposed that the church buy tickets to a
local minor-league baseball game and give these tickets for members to give a
way to unchurched friends. Everyone was
excited about the upcoming event which would take the place of our Sunday
evening service. On the Sunday morning
of the event, I reminded everyone of the event and shared that we had a few
extra tickets. When I was shaking hands
after the service, one of the devout ladies stopped, looked me in the eyes and
said; “How dare you call off Sunday night
worship for a baseball game!” She
walked away as I tried to explain that Jesus called us to seek the lost sheep. She just would not hear anything. To her, I had failed to be a responsible
pastor. It hurt me that she was hurt,
but who could I tell? Better yet, being
a very wonderful, respected lady in the church, who would she complain to? I was trying to lead to church to do good,
but she was making me feel awful for doing it. This is the loneliness of ministry. Sometimes you see what others don’t, you must
say what others don’t want to hear, and you have to do what others don’t want
done.
I’m not trying to make this a ‘pity-party’
for preachers, nor to gain sympathy.
Everyone has their lonely tasks and low moments in life, and there are growing
challenges of being Christian leaders in an unchurched world. But what I want do what you to take from this
message is that ‘loneliness’ can happen to the best of us, especially when we
are doing good and right things. We
need to remember this, especially as we pray and support our leaders, even when
we may or may not agree with them on everything. Churches need to especially remember that it
is not just the pastor’s job to support them, but it is also the church’s job
to support, care about, and befriend their leaders, especially their pastors,
who pull up stakes and move into communities away from family and friends.
THE
LORD WAS NOT IN THE FIRE (12)
Of course the lows and loneliness that can come in life or ministry, is not
just something that happens to prophets and pastors. It can happen to any of us. What is most important for us to grasp is
that it will even happen because we are good people, and even in the moment we
are doing the most good, life may suddenly turn against us.
This is exactly what happened to the family of Ana Greene. It was a happy Christian family of
four, Dad, Mom, Brother and Sister,
until the unthinkable happened. Ana became
one of the 20 child victims and 6 teachers who were gunned down at Sandy Hook
Elementary School in Connecticut, just before Christmas 2012. After
that terrible event, the Father Jimmy Greene, a very talented jazz saxophonist,
turned to music to help deal with his loss.
The album that was released was nominated for 2 Grammys, especially for
a song he wrote and sang, “Ana’s Way”,
which was a tribute to this six year old daughter’s short life. How do you deal with your grief in this way? How have you been able to take something so
tragic and turn it into music? Many
couples split up because of all the pain they suffer. “How did you do this,“ the reported
asked. The husband and wife answered together,
in unison, with only one word: “God!” The explained that they would not have been
able to bear it, had it not been for their faith and faith community. “They still bring food to our doorstep, even
after 4 years”. (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sandy-hook-victim-dad-jimmy-greene-nominated-two-grammys-jazz-album-inspired-daughter/).
The most important part of Elijah’s story comes at the end. After he has made his escape to the ‘Mountain
of God’, he found God’s presence not in the wind, the earthquake, and not even
in the fire, but he met God’s voice in the ‘silence’ and stillness
(19:11-12). It was in that ‘silence’
that his soul was both questioned and challenged to get up and even told to ‘go’ and ‘return’ and even to go on the
‘way to the wilderness’ because God’s promise will find him, even there (vs. 15a).
What Jimmy Greene found, is not what any of us want to find; music even in
the midst of terrible grief. What Elijah
found, is also not what any of us hope to find; not all the answers or power we
want, but the sweet stillness of God’s abiding promise and presence. Yet this is exactly the promise and presence
that restored courage to this prophet. Here,
I can’t help but remember the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz, who the Wizard
finally said, had had courage all along; but he had to find it within himself,
when he met it in a moment of being on the journey with new friends. God is the friend, and God is the presence,
who will also help us find the courage and the strength that is already within,
even there in our own weakness, where we also can know the God who, can say
more with silence, that the world can ever say with all it’s many, many words. As
Jimmy Greene said, “Music has a language
all it’s own.” And so does God, Jimmy.
And he knows that too. I hope
you hear that too. Amen.
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