Expectancy...John had it, Jesus had it, Elijiah had it

Expectancy... how do we view our blessings?

One of the most powerful sermons that I heard was on stewardship. This I think, is how it should be. Jesus spoke more about money than love in the Gospels. There is a reason for that. The great thing is we see that Jesus spoke about money not for monies sake but for ours. By being a pauper and living in pure expectancy Jesus lives out his own message. This should give us hope that Jesus had integrity. If Jesus had integrity than we might trust that Jesus knew of what he was about and what might be good for us. So if Jesus is speaking about money a lot and he himself is not out there seeking to take it for himself then it follows that spiritually money has a lot of power.

Anyway, the best sermon I heard was on stewardship and it was based on expectancy. The preacher did not dodge around the issue as if when we talk about money we are talking about persons outside of ear shot. This happens doesn't it? He spoke directly to his congregation. He challenged them with the question and he talked about the offertory. He challenged them with, "Go ahead, try and outgive God." The challenge was out of Expectancy...that we give in order to be God like. We trust that God does really like a cheerful giver. We trust that when we give faithfully that God will continue to be faithful to us and continue to provide as we provide to others. We give in response to God's mission to share but we also give as an act of faith that the God we worship will continue to provide for us.

In the OT reading Elijiah has expectancy. The woman to whom he ministers to (and provides a nifty miracle like Hanakah...the non terminating meal and oil) does not have expectancy. And this is not to condemn her. She was poor and she had children to feed. She was unable to see how God might have her interests at hand. What is interesting is that God does not bless her out of thin air but through Elijiah. Elijiah shows up with the message. He does have the gift of Expectancy. God tells him to enter a village and he does so. He is called to meet a widow and he goes out to find her (Widows by the way are those...like aliens, who are marginalized) Elijiah finds the widow who can no longer take care of herself. Obviously things are bad as she tells Elijiah..."I am going back to die" The widow does not have expectancy... the jig is up.

Elijiah brings her a miracle which should change her thinking. She is reminded that she is not alone. She is reminded that God is involved. Expectancy.

So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth."