Rev. George
Miller
Nov 1, 2020
1 Kings
17:8-16
Over the past 6 months,
Emmanuel UCC has been active in the community.
We’ve shown up, spoken out, hosted and attended events.
One comment we sometimes hear
is that politics should not play a role in religion.
While we can’t speak about
other faiths, we know as a fact that politics has ALWAYS been part of the
Judeo-Christian narrative.
Genesis begins with God
creating the world and giving humans the dominion and responsibility to care
for creation.
Exodus starts with Shiphrah
and Puah refusing to obey the commands of the pharaoh.
Exodus continues with God
hearing the cries of the enslaved immigrants, freeing them, and totally deconstructing
a nation’s economy that was entirely based on a workforce of slaves.
Political concern continues with
Jesus.
In Luke 4, Jesus declares that
God sent him to “bring good news to the poor…proclaim release to the captives
and…to let the oppressed go free.”
Look at the Lord’s Prayer- Thy
Kingdom come; thy will be done…
These are political terms
and images.
What kind of Kingdom do you
think Jesus is referring to?
As covenantal members of the
UCC we would say that Christ is referring to a kingdom in which justice, kindness
and ethical humility matter.
A Kingdom is which we each care
for God’s beautiful nahalah and leave behind a legacy of blessings.
A Kingdom in which the
widow, orphan, and least of these are cared for.
Today’s reading involves politics
and faith. It’s set during the rule of
King Ahab, called the most evil of all kings.
King Ahab put up gates,
built altars to false gods and dismissed all claims of injustice. As a result, a natural disaster hit the
country- the rain ceases to fall.
3 weeks go by- no rain. 3 months go by- no rain. 3 years go by, no rain.
The land, the people suffers
financially, spiritually, and physically.
At the lowest point of this
unforgiving disaster, a widow, with nothing left to her name but a handful of meal
and a spit-ful of oil goes to the edge of the city, and gathers wood for one
last supper.
We don’t know how long she’s
been a widow. We don’t know how old her
son is. We don’t know if she was always poor, or if she was working class or
very rich at one time.
What we do know is this- a natural
disaster has struck her and her son so hard that she is on the outskirts of
town, unattended, and completely vulnerable to all forms of danger.
What she’s gathered is 2
sticks; 2 sticks to start a fire in the middle of a drought in which all she
has is a bit of this and a smidgen of that.
Let’s take a moment…
Let’s pause right here…
Let this story sink in….
Let it breathe.
We are just 2 days away from
Election Day; perhaps the single most important, divisive election in our
lifetime.
For those who have yet to
vote, who are you going to vote for?
I won’t tell you who to vote
for, but what we’re going to do is this-
When you vote, when you select
your leaders for Commissioners, judges, Representatives, President, and Vice
President, ask yourself-
Who would be most beneficial
for the widow and her son in today’s scripture?
If the widow and her son
were here today, who would they vote for? What would they most be concerned about?
When going to the polling
booth, before checking off a single name, ask yourself-
If all you had were 2 sticks,
a handful of flour and a thimbleful of oil, who would you want to see you
through the next 4 years?
As you vote, ask yourself-
Who most embodies the
Kingdom of Heaven as you understand it?
Who will lead with
gentleness, kindness, and humility?
Who, for you, embodies
passion and compassion for all?
As you vote, think back to
the words of Jesus and ask who will “bring good news to the poor, proclaim
release to the captives, and let the oppressed go free?”
When you vote, keep in mind
that you are not just a citizen of the United States, but you are a Citizen of
Heaven.
We are Citizens of God’s
Kingdom.
We are the children of Sarah
and Rachel. We continue the legacy of
Hannah and Queen Esther.
We are wise like Shiphrah
and Puah.
We are creations of the One
True God who called use to have dominion and to show care for all creation.
Who do we vote for? Why?
What would the orphan and
widow ask you to do for them come Tuesday?
What appears to be the most
Christian choices to you?
In grace and wisdom, we say “Amen.”
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