Loading...Many years ago in a land far, far away there was a man named Elijah. Elijah was overwhelmed by his job, by enemies, by life: he was a prophet of God and served in an area which was supposed to be Jewish, but the king and queen started worshipping another god, and when they did, so did other people. When Elijah spoke up about that, people (specifically the queen and king) got really mad at him and threatened to kill him, even after Elijah was proved to be right – that God was God and the only God.
So, Elijah ran away. He ran into the wilderness area far away from where any people lived. He ran so far into the wilderness area that he ended up at the holy mountain of God – the same mountain where the Law was given to the Hebrew people many generations before through Moses.
Elijah felt abandoned and alone. Just listen to his lament!
“I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, through 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 Kings 19:10, and 14)
God instructs Elijah to go up the mountain and wait for God.
Then there is a great wind – so strong it breaks rocks. Not God.
Next, there’s an earthquake that shakes everything. Not God.
Next, a fire. Not God.
Finally, there is the “sound of sheer silence”; or as the King James Version puts it “a still small voice”. And, God is there.
There is the miracle of God’s presence with Elijah.
He is not alone, even in the midst of his distress and fear.
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Many years ago
in a land far, far away
there was a man named Jesus.
He was feeling overwhelmed by the crowds clamoring for his attention
they were scared, needed healing, wanted to see/hear him
and, since they were out in the desert,
they needed food and Jesus fed them.
Jesus needed time away,
so he sent everyone away – the crowds back to their villages
and the disciples in a boat to go across the sea –
and he went up a nearby mountain for that time away.
He needed to be alone for meditation, prayer, quiet time, “finding God in nature,” spending time with God (a.k.a. his Abba), or whatever word or phrase you want to use.
And, there was the gift of God’s presence,
the miracle of God’s presence.
Jesus, refreshed and renewed, goes to rejoin his disciples and friends.
Of course, he ends up startling them, scaring them, even terrifying them since he’s WALKING on the water!
But, he immediately tells them,
“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid!”
Whether for them or for us, when we are in the midst of whatever might startle, scare, or even terrify you,
there is the miracle of God’s presence with you:
Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid!
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It wasn’t just Jesus walking toward them on the water that had them all discombobulated, they were out in the sea in the midst of a storm.
Then, Peter, our guy who just puts himself out there
who thought he had enough faith that he stepped out to also walk on the water to go to Jesus,
but who then doubted himself and began to fear and to sink –
The disciples and Peter all experienced the miracle of God’s presence
in the midst of fear and of doubt.
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We all know fear, doubt, anxiety, and storms.
They may stem from personal stuff (illness, work, or family situations),
or from what’s happening in your neighborhood, in society at large, or even from the specter of war that’s showing up.
Consider for a moment:
do you want to “run away”?
do you feel tossed about in the boat?
do you feel like you’re sinking as you try to follow or be with Jesus?
I invite you to turn to someone nearby (ideally someone you didn’t come here with; maybe even someone you don’t know particularly well) and share, in turn, what it was you thought of AND how you’ve experienced the miracle of God’s presence.
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For me, one of those places where I lament, and worry, and am fearful is exemplified by what’s happening in Charlottesville, VA.
The stories and images from Friday night and Saturday are disturbing and painful. I’d like to say that they’re shocking, but the truth is, it doesn’t really shock me.
The rally and the march by neo-Nazis and White Supremacists, I think, are the latest ratcheting up of the deep divisions in our society. What’s going on in Charlottesville plainly lays out for us to see what’s been hiding just under the surface for a long time: racism, white privilege, bigotry and scapegoating (the unfair blaming of others for our own situation). And, not just pockets of those ugly things. But in large scale.
I lament at the lack of empathy, compassion, and respect.
I lament at the division and violence (of speech and action).
We need a miracle!
We need the miracle of God’s presence
but not the kind of miracle where some sort of “magician God” waves a wand and all is fixed.
We need the kind of miracle
•in which we listen for God in sheer silence,
•in which we prepare for and act with God’s justice towards those who espouse such hate,
•in which we who have known the pain of brokenness and the healing of reconciliation act in love toward our African-American, LGBT, Muslim, or Hispanic friends, colleagues, and even strangers.
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St. Paul, writing to Christians who experienced significant divisions within their community because of their different backgrounds, remind them and us:
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,
the same Lord is Lord of all.
Division and brokenness are real. They come as part of being human.
But they are not the last word.
The miracle of God’s presence –
of Jesus Christ who knits us together as brothers and sisters -- does.
God’s justice, reconciliation, and hope given freely
and in which we love and live
work as the miracle of life through us
for the sake of the world. Amen
