Saints to Each Other

St. Elijah, from a Serbian fresco

October has been a crazy month, and I've been negligent in my postings. Ironically, November should be better. Since last we spoke, the saints of Seneca Presbyterian have stopped to contemplate God's promise to David to build him a house (a dynasty) and Solomon's house for God (a temple). Kings have been the focus of our attention, but this week we will begin to focus on a king's fiercest foe: the prophet. Elijah is a great place to start.

The united kingdom ruled by Saul, David, and Solomon has broken in two. David's sons continue to rule the southern kingdom of Judah. A succession of kings rule in the north - in the kingdom of Israel. The books of 1 and 2 Kings tell the story of all these divine rulers - with a sharply critical eye. In 400 years of kings, only two win the seal of approval - Hezekiah and Josiah - and they both come from the southern kingdom of Judah.

In this Sunday's text, Elijah appears suddenly on the scene as the "troubler" of King Ahab and his queen Jezebel. We will be considering the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, but no one should miss out on the other stories of Elijah. You can read them in 1 Kings 17-21 and then 2 Kings 1-2. They are amazing! If you've ever wondered where the phrases "fire from heaven" - "a still small voice" - and "swing low sweet chariot" come from, you'll find them in the stories of Elijah.

Yet this Sunday offers another amazing figure. We know her only as the widow of Zarephath. She is a foreigner living in Phoenicia, Jezebel's home territory. She as the unexpected honor of hosting Elijah as he waits out the drought sent by God as judgment on Ahab, who slipped up by building a temple to his wife's god Baal in his capital city of Samaria.

As we contemplated this text together, the Wednesday night Adult Study Group at Seneca Pres was amazed by the faith of the widow. She exists on the edge of starvation and death. She is approached by a total stranger who asks for her last bit of food. Yet when the stranger tells her "Be not afraid," she trusts him.

This week, we will also celebrate All Saints Sunday at Seneca Pres. We will remember saints in our church family whom we have lost in this past year. We will give thanks to God for them and seek to remember other saints in our lives.

As you prepare to worship God, I invite you to contemplate:

• When have you lived on the edge of starvation and death - whatever that means to you? 
• Where has God entered your life unexpectedly?
• What saint offered the gift of life to you?