Advent: Join the Triumphনমুনা

The Scripture:

"Then Elijah said to them, 'I’m the only one of the Lord’s prophets left. But Baal has 450 prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves. Let them cut it into pieces. Then let them put it on the wood. But don’t let them set fire to it. I’ll prepare the other bull. I’ll put it on the wood. But I won’t set fire to it. Then you pray to your god. And I’ll pray to the Lord. The god who answers by sending fire down is the one and only God'" (1 Kings 18:22-24, NIRV).

The Story:

Have you ever trash-talked someone? Maybe you say, “I could beat your team with my eyes closed,” or “I could beat you with one arm tied behind my back,” or, my favorite, “You have butter fingers.” The truth is, trash-talking is not always loving people like Jesus would love them. But here in this story, we see Elijah challenge a group of people, trash-talk them, and then defeat them. The Bible is pretty cool.

Elijah is a prophet, which means God gives him words to say and he speaks for God. He is kind of like God’s microphone on Earth while God is in Heaven. Elijah is not the only prophet. In fact, a lot of the Old Testament is filled with prophets. But there are also other prophets who speak for another god, but they are wrong and follow evil.

Elijah challenges these false prophets of Baal. He gives a simple challenge: put a bull on the altar, and whoever can call out to their god and rain down fire means they are a true prophet. The prophets of Baal start dancing, singing, and shouting but nothing happens. Elijah starts trash-talking them saying, “You should shout louder, your god can’t hear you. Is your god asleep? Is your god using the bathroom?” Some serious trash-talk.

The story ends with Elijah triumphing and God raining down fire, proving that God is the only True God. This story reminds us that God has no competition. Sure, Elijah faced off against these prophets, but it wasn’t even fair. Our God is King of kings and Lord of lords. God is Greater than anyone and anything, and He has proved it over and over again!

The Triumph:

The Christmas Story proves that God is who He says He is. Jesus being born is a miracle. That exact moment in time was perfect for Jesus to be born, and proves that God is in control of time and history. There is no one Higher or Greater than God, and Christmas is the time to celebrate that.