Take Our Lives Lord
Joy Haertig | Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 10:52AM Last week we reflected on the doctrine of the Trinity and I gave a brief overview of the flow of the Christian seasons that go round and round in the church. Today we begin the season of Ordinary Time, which will take us through the summer and early Fall until we come once again to the season of Advent in late November.
This season of Ordinary Time is when our Old and New Testament readings invite us to reflect on how God is at work in our daily, ordinary lives – and how God challenges us to keep growing in our own faith as compassionate people in the world.
I chose to use the Hebrew scripture readings today, in particular, the one from I Kings because it is such a great story with so many details about God at work in daily life in things like oil, bread and water; in the varying relationships with family, friend and stranger that wrap and weave themselves throughout our days.
We enter the story of I Kings when Ahab is in office, not a favorite King for the people of Israel. He married a foreign woman, Jezebel, from Sidon, who in turn brought along her people’s god known as Baal and she persuades her husband Ahab to set up shrines where this Baal could be worshiped.
This was not a good idea for Ahab.
The God of Israel was the One true God.
The Hebrew prophet Elijah who bridges the relationship between the King of Israel and the One true God tells Ahab to expect a lot of trouble because of these shrines.
This caused Ahab to become angry, so God gets Elijah out of town to protect his life.
That is the surface story. The politics of those in power and the debate over who is in charge while the real “God” story goes on behind the scenes, teaching us something about what really matters in our daily lives…
When Elijah is sent away he is first cared for by the ravens. Birds that brought him food and who lead him to the wadi that provided water until the drought dried it up.
Birds! and in particular, birds that were considered unclean by religious law because they were scavengers.
As a faithful religious man, you’d think he might not take food from the ravens.
Then Elijah was led to a hungry widow and her son.
Elijah is hungry and thirsty, and so are they.
Basic human stuff, basic ordinary human needs and concerns.
And get this – this hungry and thirsty widow is from Sidon – the home of Jezebel the “wicked” wife of King Ahab. This widow is no doubt a worshipper of Baal herself!
After everything Elijah had been through with the King and his wife, it seems like Elijah might not want to take food from someone like her.
But this is who God has brought him to, not only for Elijah’s sake, but for her sake as well.
Who she worships doesn’t seem to matter.
Who he is and who he worships, doesn’t seem to matter either.
He is hungry and so is she.
She and her son are about to make the last of the meal and oil they have and then be ready to die from hunger, for there was absolutely nothing left.
Elijah assures the woman that there is enough to share and enough to survive, and indeed there was, as they ate for many days.
While political leaders argue and spin and aggravate, and distract us - the real work of transformation, healing and compassion happens in the daily opportunities that come our way to reach across the gap to one another, to serve and be served – often to and with those we might least expect to encounter or be cared by.
This week when the staff met we began by hearing the words from the beloved Christian hymn, “Take My Life and Let it Be” and pondered the idea of surrender and obedience.
Some of you no doubt know this hymn well. It was written by Frances R. Havergal who lived in the mid 19th century.
“Take my life, and let it be, Consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move, At the impulse of they love;
Take my feet, and let them be, Swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my will, and make it thine; It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is thine own; It shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord I pour, At thy feet its treasure store
Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for thee.”
This song captures the underlying God-truth that we hear in today’s reading from I Kings. As followers of Jesus, we are simply asked to surrender our lives – our moments, days, hands, feet, will, heart, love and self, to the way of compassion.
We never know where God might lead us, or who might be led to us in our times of need – but like the ravens, Elijah, and the hungry widow – we surrender our lives and our pride, we give and we receive.
Old Testament scholar and UCC member Walter Bruegemann states that compassion is a radical threat to the numbness maintained by the dominant order. He believes that compassion is the only thing that will save us.
Our newly chosen mission statement, Peace – Respect – and Love, In Action – is all about compassion. Our purpose and mission is to learn what compassion is, how to give it and how to receive it.
We are here because we do not want to become NUMB to the hurts and needs of our world.
While the politicians of the world argue and struggle amongst themselves, we have work to do.
While the politicians and corporations argue over the environmental catastrophe in the gulf – we have to wake up to our dependency on oil and our own responsibility for helping make this mess.
While states like Arizona pass biased legislation, we need to recognize ourselves as immigrants in a country that is not originally our own.
While our leaders argue, we in our local churches, mosques and synagogues can work on the ministry of hospitality to the stranger – the widow, widower – the outcast…
We can continue to encourage our children and teens to understand our relationship and responsibility towards the homeless and hungry.
We must try and work harder at our commitment as a greening congregation in our recycling, in our use of paper products and our care for the grounds.
We will strive to listen to the concerns, the suffering and losses of others, we will hold one another in prayer.
We must understand that we can give and receive whether we are gathered or scattered as the body of Christ.
Seems to me that the story of Elijah, the ravens and the hungry widow – tells us that ordinary time is sure to be full of surprises and opportunities to serve and be served no matter
Who or what we worship.
Who we love or how much money we make or have in the bank.
Republican or democrat – libertarian or independent –
English speaking or Spanish.
These do not need to be our arguments – our stumbling blocks to service.
May we not become numb; turn away in fear, too timid to ask for what we need, too prideful to accept a helping hand or too judgmental to give one.
May God open our eyes during ordinary and extraordinary times –
“Take our lives, God, let them be, consecrated Lord to thee!”
