In this over-the-top story, Ahab appears powerless against prophetic truth. His impotence is dramatically manifest in front of the entire nation. Elijah the prophet is revealed as the one who helps a suffering nation flourish again.
Could you give a total stranger your last dollar? Could you give your neighbor your last box of cereal? Can we trust that God will always provide for us in every circumstance? I can’t imagine anyone giving away their last meal like the widow did for Elijah.
This is what prophets do. They disclose the abundance that God provides. They struggle against the powers of death and in time they prevail. They announce that everybody matters, whether insiders or outsiders.
This story concerns the prophet Elijah and a nameless widow of Zarephath, up north of Palestine, in what is now Lebanon. It runs contrary to logic. Let's think about how, as people of faith, we’re called to trust God even when God leads us in directions we wouldn’t otherwise go.
Today we’ll take a little tour of a passage from 1 Kings that you might remember from Sunday School because . . . it is SUCH a good story. Times were hard in the village of Zarepheth.
The time has finally arrived to dedicate the temple in Jerusalem. A huge crowd has gathered for this event. King Solomon stands before the altar, spreads his hands heavenward, and offers an extensive prayer.
Wonder, gratitude, and obedience. If our life as a parish, our life as people, is to be a prayer to God for partnership in building a future, then wonder, gratitude, and obedience must characterize our life. A word, then, about each one.
One of Solomon’s biggest problems was his thirst for women. He had 700 wives and princesses, not to mention 300 girlfriends. Kinda makes your eyes glaze over just thinking about it, doesn’t it?
It is always tricky when someone asks what you want for your birthday or Christmas. Sometimes we don’t have anything in mind. Solomon didn’t have that problem with God.
Bienaventurados los que cumplen sus mandamientos, para que tengan derecho al árbol de la vida y puedan entrar por las puertas de la ciudad. Afuera están los hechiceros, los sexualmente inmorales, los asesinos, los idólatras y todos los que aman la falsedad.