Friends, if you joined us yesterday, you may recall during Pastor Mary’s sermon on “Genuinely Loving Others” she referenced Luke 4:25-26, when Jesus recounted the story of the prophet Elijah and the widow at Zarephath in Sidon, as originally told in 1 Kings 17:8-24. There were approximately 900 years between the events that took place in 1 Kings 17 with Elijah, the widow, and her family and Luke 4 with Jesus’ ministry when He recounts those events that took place within the Old Testament. Jesus used the example of the widow of Zarephath, just as Pastor Mary pointed out yesterday, to reveal that God’s love is not limited to Israel or to any one group of people, His love is made available to all of His creation, as long as His creation will grab a hold of Him and welcome His love into their hearts to bring on going change.
Today’s passage from the lectionary is 1 Kings 17:8-16, but I highly suggest that you continue to the end of verse 24 as this love story has 8 verses beyond our devotion and they are absolutely miraculous. Within this story we see that God’s love ministers to the broken and breaks the barriers of those who are seemingly “outsiders or enemies” due to geographical, cultural, and/or religious differences. God spoke to both Elijah and the widow, two of His children who would have never crossed paths within their own strength. Yet, they both listened to God’s instructions, they obeyed despite having human doubt, and as a result God’s provision and love was revealed beyond what either of them could have ever thought possible.
You and I are called to love our enemies, to reach out to the unlikely, and to be Jesus’s hands, feet, and heart in this dark world, as we share His love. Allow the Holy Spirit to move through you today as you extend the love of Christ.
1 Kings 17:8-16 (NLT)
The Widow at Zarephath
8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”
10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”
12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”
13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”
15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being the perfect example of love. Please forgive our unloving ways and allow us to see others through Your lens as You touch our hearts to experience Your love for Your creation. Holy Spirit, quiet our thoughts about others, speak to our spirit so that we know Your love for them, and help us to represent Your love. In Your Name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.