These stories of the dead brought back to life image God’s
awesome power. Those who witness Jesus raising the son of the widow in Nain are
fearful in its presence. “Fear seized all of them…” But, as with the widow whose
son Elijah raises from the dead, the ultimate response of those who experience
God’s life-giving compassion is to give the credit to the force that is beyond
what we can comprehend. The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a
man of God…”
Luke 7:11-17
Luke 7:11–17 deals with the raising
of the widow's son at Nain, a story that is unique to Luke's Gospel. It is very
similar to the story in the Old Testament reading for today, with parallels in
structure and theme. A noticeable difference is that in this passage, there is
a crowd present that is lacking in Elijah's raising of the widow's son. This
crowd gathers in support and sympathy for the death of the only son of the
widow of Nain. A similar difference occurs in the proclamation of a prophet in
the midst: while the crowd proclaims Jesus as prophet, only the widow is
present to proclaim Elijah as a man of God. Later texts in Luke will emphasize
Jesus as the One who fulfills the words of all the prophets who have gone
before him. Verse 17 testifies to the news of a compassionate Christ who would
bring back a widow's only son. When read in context of the whole Gospel of
Luke, Jesus is not merely a resuscitator—he is the One who triumphs over death
and brings newness of life. – Sky McCracken
1 Kings 17:17-24
It may be tempting to get distracted by the intricate
story of Elijah’s experiences being fed by a raven and sent into a
drought-strained land, and if it serves the focus of these texts, so be it. But
the lectionary in the 1 Kings reading zeroes in on the raising of the boy in
order to emphasize power of God’s word as it comes to reside in the world of
the finite––in the prayer, actually, of Elijah.
God's power and Elijah's
prophetic-ness are finally tested as the widow who feeds Elijah and welcomes
him into her home now finds her son dying and ultimately without breath. She
finds herself understandably frustrated with Elijah, even though she simultaneously
recognizes him as a man of God. As Elijah ministers to the boy and cries out to
God, the son breathes again. Elijah's role as a prophet is further
strengthened, and Elijah's God—the God of Israel—is not only the LORD of the rain, but
is also the LORD
of life. – Sky McCracken
Galatians 1:11-17
Paul makes it clear that his
revelation is. . . a direct revelation from Christ, which most authorities
agree is a testimony informed from his Damascus road experience, when God “was
pleased to reveal his Son to me.” This was a radical departure from his former
life of being a persecutor of Christians as well as a leave-taking of his
ancestral tradition as a Pharisee (as well as the son of a Pharisee). More
radical is Paul's prophetic call to proclaim Christ to the gentiles, which
again came not in discernment with any human being but came from God who had
ordained him to the task before he was born. He is an apostle, as he claims at
the beginning of Galatians: sent not by human commission or authority, but by
God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
Whether one believes Paul was
called or converted upon meeting the risen Christ, one homiletical task is to
explore Paul's call/conversion and how an authentic encounter with the power
and grace of God can change us regardless of our past or present manner of
lifestyle or conscience into a life of Christ. – Sky McCracken
Here again is a direct invitation to the preacher to proclaim
the power of God’s Word. What we receive when we gather for worship is the very
power of God––present in our midst through scripture, preaching, prayer, and singing––to
create strength from weakness, renewal from despair, life instead of death.
Look at what God’s Word accomplishes in each of the readings for this day.
Sky McCracken
is a United Methodist Church pastor and District Superintendent in Paducah,
Kentucky. His blog is at revdsky.blogspot.com.
Homily Service 43, no. 3 (2010): 13-22.
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