Today we begin in what has been called the “green season” or “ordinary time.” Now, it is called ordinary not because it is “plain ole'” but because we mark our Sunday gatherings by numbers rather than by the major festivals and observances of Christ’s life – his birth, baptism, Holy Week, Easter, Ascension. Our liturgical calendar is divided into roughly two major parts – the first begins with Advent and ends with Pentecost. In that one we celebrate the life of Christ. The second one begins with Pentecost and ends with Christ the King Sunday. In this we celebrate the life of the Church and consider our lives as disciples with Jesus as a model and teacher for us.
In our readings today we heard of 2 widows and 2 sons. In Jewish society, a widow was in a precarious position. The Hebrew word for widow connotes one who is silent or unable to speak. At that time women had status only in relationship to the men in her life – her father, her husband, her sons. Women were excluded from inheritance of family wealth – that was preserved for males. They were essentially property owned by their husbands or fathers. Wealth passed from father to son – women could not own property. So to be widowed put one immediately into a position of vulnerability, unless you had a son who could care for you.
And so, each of the two widows in our readings today– women whose names remain unknown – face horrific losses. Each of their sons, also unnamed by the Scripture writers, die. Many gathered here this morning have experienced the loss of a child – and this loss brings with it grief that can scarcely be fathomed. And as horrible as that loss is, the loss to these two women is compounded. Not only have each of these mothers lost their beloved child but, because of the structure of society, the loss of their sons brings with it the loss of hope, a future promising a bare subsistence-level life, at best.
God enters each of these desperate situations and restores hope. The first widow encounters Elijah in our Old Testament reading during a three years stretch of severe drought. Elijah has been with her and her son during much of this time and God has consistently provided food and water for them. But then an awful day comes and her beloved child dies. She shakes her fist at Elijah and blames him. Without a word of request on her part, Elijah springs into action, scooping this young one up in his arms, takes him to his room lays him on his bed and cries out to God on behalf of the widow at Zarapheth, prays over him and we read that “The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah.” The boy was revived, his mother rejoiced, and proclaimed, “Now, I see… now, I understand. You speak the word of the LORD.”
In the second story, Jesus also meets a widow as he travels with his disciples from the Jewish town of Capernaum to the town of Nain, far outside of Israel. They had been walking for hours and hours as they covered the 25 miles separating these two places. They were near their destination and as they came face to face with a funeral procession. A man had died and was being carried out of town to his burial place, and his mother, a widow, was weeping. The lesson says that Jesus “had compassion for her.”
Compassion comes from Latin and means “to suffer along with.” Compassion is not pity. It is a feeling of profound oneness with someone who is suffering. Jesus felt compassion for her, and acted without even being asked. He didn’t just try to console her. He didn't just say “there, there…” No. He acted. “Young man, I say to you, rise!” And when God speaks it is as good as done. The young man sat up and all present glorified God. In an instant, life for these two women moved from grief and hopelessness to joy and promise, because of the word of Jesus Christ speaking life back into being and the earnest prayer of Elijah.
So what difference does this make to us, the Church, the Body of Christ, today?
First, both Elijah and Jesus shared in the suffering of another person. They were willing to step into the shoes of these widows and share their grief and worry and despair. This is not easy to do. Meeting needs without compassion is all well and good – but haven’t you had those times when you would rather experience compassion, shared emotion, than have a quick fix? May we grow to be compassionate people.
Second, both Elijah and Jesus took action. They both moved directly to address the immediate need of these women. Jesus as the Holy One of God could speak life back into being. Elijah could not do that. But he did set aside his own personal concerns to respond to this situation. And then he did what each of us can do – he prayed. In fact, Scripture says that he “cried out to the LORD.” May we also act as one rooted and planted in prayer.
Third, both Elijah and Jesus traveled outside of their own backyards. Elijah went away from the Land of Israel to the expanse east of the River Jordan into the land of those who did not worship God but worshiped false gods. Jesus didn’t hang out in one place but traveled all around the region and in doing so came in actual physical contact with many different people with many different needs and many different stories. They reached out to people who were very different from themselves. May we too carry the love of God as we come into contact with the people whom we meet every day – people with different needs and different stories and different experiences.
In the Epistle of James we hear:
If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
By our baptisms, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and empowered to love and serve others. We become the body of Christ, to share in the passion of the weak, the needy, and the hopeless. The gift of Pentecost is the gift of the Holy Spirit through which we each are called to move out of our backyards, out of our comfort zones, to walk along side of those in need, those whom Jesus loves. Today, we sit here together, called to live compassionately as the body of Christ in the world.
Thanks be to God.
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