1 Kings 17:8-24

Year C - Pentecost⁺³ or Community Practice⁺³
June 5, 2016

1 Kings 17:8-24

We are dealing here with a very high theology of G*D. This G*D meddles. Well at least as the storyline goes. We, of course, are able to mediate this G*D. We listen for a call. We go where we are sent. We carry assurance that some plan will see us through. We bump into a bump and draw this to G*D’s attention with every expectation that our assessment of the situation is what is going on. So we act and, hooray, everything works out better than could be expected. As a result our assurance is confirmed, we really are G*D’s right hand.

Imagine for a moment what this story would be without the affirmation that G*D’s “word” is in our mouth, that we represent G*D. How difficult will it be to let that go? How trapped we are in our transactions!

This is a very strong and evocative story that easily catches at our imagination. Now imagine you didn’t have an imagination. Can you see how this story tricks us into thinking more about G*D and less about Neighb*r? If those two are to be intimately intertwined we will need to lose most of the story: Elijah heard, “Go to Zarephath near Sidon, not that other one.” The son of a widow died. Elijah walks the boy down from the upper room and returns him to his mother. Elijah next heard, “Go to Ahab.” And on we go.

Luke 7:11-17

Year C - Pentecost⁺³ or Community Practice⁺³

June 5, 2016

Luke 7:11-17

Last week we heard, “What a surprise! Never have I seen such faith in Israel as in this Centurion.”

This week we hear nothing about faith at all and the ante is upped from healing a distant servant to a near-at-hand resurrection of a widow’s son (presumably an Israelite woman). There are those who would have this be a second-hand resurrection known as a resuscitation because another death is already on the way—discount such protective-of-Jesus devices.

What we have expressed here is compassion (all by itself—rather than being tacked on to faith). What is at stake, the impossible, an unconditioned event with no known access to it, is ever so much more than a card to elicit praise.

Catch a glimpse of the difference between the straight-forward description of Yeshua (“Jesus” carries too much baggage with it to be helpful) and that of an awestruck crowd. This event, like all expressions of compassion has no real audience. News is not to be spread. Engaging a G*D not at all concerned with “helping” “US” is plenty work enough. “Praise” and “news” short-circuit our participation in simple compassion that is to simply be lived in whatever moment is available. Such laudable results reduce our disorientation that leads to being simply present.