In The City, we see the teaching time as communal, shared time - meaning we preach together. We tell the story together. Each Sunday we affirm our two agreements.
The first is that in The City, there are no rhetorical questions. If a question is asked, you will be given time to think about it or answer it either in the teaching itself or later in a reflection time. You can record your thoughts however you'd like - the YouVersion app, your phone memo, a journal, post your thoughts on social media - but don’t let questions go unattended.
The second thing you need to know is YOU matter in this time of worship. When asked what makes The City different from other churches in Columbia,our belief is that we’re not in competition with other churches, we’re all on the same team. But there is one thing that is different and the difference is YOU. When you are here you make this experience richer, more textured. You bring your light and energy and questions and very heart to this space and that creates atmosphere and community for the short hour or so we’re together.
If you agree will you say amen? Now, if you’re not ready to agree, that’s okay. Maybe next time. You’re here and you matter and you’re invited into these next moments:
We're in a new series called All Things New: Question Resurrection. We’re looking at resurrection stories from the old testament or Hebrew Bible and the New Testament the next few weeks and engaging the question the story raises.
Last week looked at Jesus’ and asked the resurrection question: Why do you look for the living among the dead?
This week, we’re looking at the Hebrew Bible, sometimes called the Old Testament. We prefer Hebrew Bible as it’s too easy to signify Old Testament as in over, outdated, and in light of the New Testament it can take second place and lose its primacy and importance in the life of faith for millions around the world.
Today, we’re exploring a story in 1 Kings. The Hebrew people were led by judges, kings, priests, and prophets.
Let’s meet the Prophet Elijah.
He seems to have been naturally of a rough spirit. And rough spirits are called to rough services. His name signifies, my God Jehovah is he: he that sends me, and will own me. He was taken up to God, did not die a natural death. In that time, the prophet was a representative of God. God collaborated with people - in this case, the prophet - and the people, through the prophet - collaborate with God. A prophet spoke life, called people to turn toward life giving, God ways. The prophet Elijah also resurrected life.
Perhaps a view of resurrection we can share with the prophet Elijah is that people aid in each other’s resurrection.
How does that look today: MOVE
Now, as we look at the Hebrew Bible its important that we understand a bit about midrash.
Midrash are writings, which fill in gaps in biblical texts, is an interpretive act, seeking the answers to religious questions (both practical and theological) by plumbing the meaning of the words of the Bible. Midrash responds to contemporary problems and crafts new stories, making connections between new Jewish realities and the unchanging biblical text.
Question: Have you ever felt like giving up on the bible or church? What kept you?
Today we’re going to hear midrash and explore the chapter 17 of 1 Kings.
In Chapter 17, the story is in three parts with the main character being The Prophet Elijah. First, Elijah and the Ravens:Prophet - speak on behalf of God, speak hard truths, speak truth to power. Elijah speaking to the King Ahab predicts a drought in the land And God sends him to a wadi… a muddy watering hole. In that place, God commands the ravens to feed him meat and bread. Elijah depends on the ravens for nourishment. They bring him meat and manna.Second, Elijah and the Widow: Elijah leaves and goes to another city. When the watering hole dries up because of the drought, God instructs Elijah to go to a new city.
Just like the ravens feed Elijah, so does a widow who’s down to just a little bit of meal/flour in a jar and some oil. She plans to make some bread for herself and her son and then die. Elijah asks her to take the last bits that she has, first make him a cake and then make one her and her son. God is reported saying: The jar of me will not be emptied and the jugs of will not fail until the day that the lord sends rain on the earth. And the story goes that the widow and her son were provided for. God made enough and their jars were refilled. The miracle of give and receive. In her giving to the prophet, she and her son live.
Midrash says that this part of Elijah’s stay in the house of the widow was meant to bring him closer to the suffering prevalent in the world, and to acquaint him with the hunger and want from which women and children suffered.
It’d be like a person coming in touch with poverty. We could look at the statistics of poverty in Columbia, such as: 39 percent of Columbia residents are in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Including college students, the city’s poverty rate is 21.7 percent for whites and 34.2 percent for blacks. For families, the poverty rate among blacks is 28.9 percent while only 7 percent of white families fall below the federal poverty level. The racial divide is even more glaring in the child poverty numbers: 16 percent of Columbia’s kids under 18 live in poverty, but the number is only 4.8 percent for whites — and 37.3 percent for blacks.
We can write checks and send our Christmas offerings to organization, do food drives and believe we actually understand the impacts of food insecurity. Elijah experiences a sort of poverty. He relies on others. He’s dependent on ravens who ravage meat and give to him. Then this widow bakes him some bread.
The theme of dependence, of receiving help. Brene Brown writes that if we are unable to receive help without judgment then we do not give help without judgment.