Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Psalm 34; Ephesians 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51
Grace and peace dear family of God’s people.
One of my favourite scenes in the ‘Chosen’ series is Season 2, Episode 2, the encounter between Jesus and Nathaniel. A night before Nathaniel meets Jesus, he sits alone under the fig tree, heartbroken, distressed and in deep sorrow. His building project goes wrong and he is asking God “why”, and in agony, he keeps saying, “God, do not hide your face from me.”
The next day, Jesus meets him and calls him a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Nathaniel asks how Jesus knows him and Jesus says the most powerful words
“When you were in your lowest moment, and you thought you were alone, I did not turn my face from you. I saw you, under the fig tree.”
Nathaniel could not hold his tears. He confesses that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.
The situation of Nathaniel is the situation of Elijah in today’s First Reading. Elijah saw himself as a failure – he had just performed the miracle of calling fire at Carmel and he thought that would cause a national revival. Instead, he was being haunted by Jezebel. He ran for dear life and under a broom tree (furze bush), He told God “I have had enough, take my life.” He was physically exhausted, spiritually burnt out and mentally depressed.
Take note of the following – Elijah said “I have had enough, what’s the point, this is the end” but God says it is not the end.
Elijah said, “I want to die,” but God says, “You will not die, in fact, I will take you to heaven.” Let us pause here and thank God for the times He said “No” to our requests.
God saw Elijah where he was (he was in the wilderness and under a furze bush but not far from God). Wherever we are, God sees us and we are not out of His sight (2 Chronicles 16:9; Proverbs 15:3; Psalm 34:15).
God sent an angel to Elijah in the wilderness. God doesn’t just send an angel to sacred places; He still sends His angels to us in the wilderness. Let us stop and praise God for the angels He has sent to us in our wilderness of sadness, loneliness and confusion.
Let us also remember that we are called to be an angel to someone in the wilderness of life, someone distressed, doubtful, lonely and on the verge of despair.
The angel didn’t chastise or kill Elijah but fed him. God wasn’t angry that Elijah spoke rashly. God is a gentle Father who doesn’t treat us according to what we deserve (2 Corinthians 1:3).
The Second Reading of today calls us to imitate Him in the way we treat others and respond to their actions. We are called to be gentle, kind and loving like God.
Elijah was fed, he rested, he received strength to journey for forty days. This definitely was not ordinary bread, it must have been a heavenly bread, a bread that can sustain a person for forty days.
This is where the First Reading of today embraces the Gospel. Jesus tells us He is the Bread of life. He is the Bread baked on the hot stones of God’s love. He is the living water that satisfies our thirst.
When we are downcast, low, down, feeling forlorn, afraid, worried or depressed, we can receive strength and life from Jesus in the Eucharist. We can receive peace and the grace to carry on. Every Eucharist worthily received, infuses the life of Christ in us, it gives us grace for any state we are in and it revives, heals, renews, redeems and reforms.
The song that comes to mind as I end this reflection is ‘Great things happen when God mixes with us’ by Carey Landry
Chorus:
Great things happen when God mixes with us (x2)
Great and beautiful, wonderful things,
Great things happen when God mixes with us.
Stanza 2.
Some find health, some find hope; some people even find joy.
Some see themselves as they never could before
And some people find that they can now begin to live.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on August 11, 2024.