Proper 14.B.24
1 Kings 19:4-8; John 6:35, 41-51
The Rev. Melanie McCarley

Discouragement can be a devastating feeling. And, we’ve all been there. From the little leaguer whose team didn’t win a game all season, to the middle manager who is let go of their job as they approache 60, the high schooler who doesn’t get into the college of their choice, to those in failing relationships and others with mounting medical issues. Who among us, at some point in our lives, hasn’t felt like throwing up our hands and throwing in the towel.

All of which brings us to today’s lesson from First Kings, and the prophet Elijah, who has just sat down under a solitary broom tree in the wilderness where he says—Lord, just let me die. What brought him to this unhappy place?

Here’s some background. A mere chapter before today’s lesson—Elijah (with the help of God), triumphs over the priests of Baal. It’s a wonderfully dramatic story—rated R for gore and violence—but ultimately ends in stunning victory. It’s worth reading. So, by the time we come to chapter 19 of 1 Kings (a mere 4 verses before Elijah has forsaken his prophetic role and given up in despair under the broom tree), nearly all of Israel has turned away from Baal and toward the living God. However, while Elijah has triumphed, he hasn’t managed to convince everyone. In particular, Ahab (one of the all-time worst kings of Israel) and his wife Jezebel, who stubbornly cling to their idols. So, when Jezebel learns that Elijah has ordered the execution of her prophets (the R rated part of Chapter 18), she, in turn, orders his execution. In fact, she brazenly promises to kill the prophet within twenty-four hours.

It may seem surprising to us—but here it is—the courage of Elijah the victorious, who triumphed over 850 pagan priests, deserts him. In fact, he seems to melt in the intense heat of the queen’s white-hot rage. Elijah, it seems, is so frightened that he races for his life into the desert. When he finally becomes so exhausted that he can (at the last) run no farther, he plops down under the broom tree. Broken and disappointed, he begs God to do what Ahab and Jezebel for so long have tried to do. “Take my life,” he says in dismay, “for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he falls asleep. Elijah, it seems, is done with his life as a prophet.

Only…God is not done with Elijah. The Lord sends an angel who touches Elijah and says “get up and eat.” The discouraged prophet looks—and there, at his head, is a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. Elijah eats and drinks—and lays down again. The angel comes a second time and encourages Elijah to eat saying “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.”

Here's what I love about this angel—and God—neither of them minimizes or dismiss the difficulties that brought Elijah to the broom tree. The angel doesn’t say: “Buck up, Elijah, your situation isn’t so bad.” Or “you’ve survived the worst—it’s all downhill from here.” Or “Your depression is making the rest of us in Heaven sad—a smile will make you and everyone around you feel better.” No. The angel says “Eat.” Eat because the journey before you is hard. Eat, because you need to be nourished.

Now, Elijah didn’t have to eat. He could have refused. He could have laid there and starved. Here (in this moment) he is being given a choice. And he eats. Me….I suspect the cake smelled divine.

Which in my mind, brings us to a moment of profound truth. When facing discouragement—in its many forms—never underestimate the power of a nap and a snack! Elijah eats, and in fact, he is able to endure for forty days and forty nights on the nourishment of that one meal. Amazing. God’s love is amazing.

Later, in the Gospel Jesus says “I am the bread of life. …. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” God’s love not only fed Elijah during that time of profound discouragement—God’s love feeds us as well. In this holy meal, we are fed, nourished—and, like Elijah, strengthened for the journey ahead. Because, while life can be joyful, it can also be hard. Like Elijah we are given bread for the road, bread for hope, bread for the long haul that is life.

This morning we have the pleasure of welcoming a new Christian into our Christian family—Sienna Blake Mastrilli. Now Sienna is young—all of five months old. She is surrounded by the love of her parents and siblings. Her world is good—but there will come a time, as it does for all of us, when Sienna will have a bad day. When whatever challenges she faces seem overwhelming—a day when the world seems mad at her, and she, in turn, is mad at the world. On this day, my hope is that Sienna’s parents will take her to her room—and point at the baptismal certificate which has been framed and hung on her wall—just waiting for a moment such as this. And they will remind her—Even though it has been a bad day. You’re mad at us, and the world seems mad as well—despite this, you will always be loved. You will never lose the love of God. Friendships may fail, we may fail a test, we may not get the job we want, we will lose many things in life including people close to us—but there is one thing you will never lose, and that is the love of God. There is nothing that you can do or become that will ever cause God to love you less that God did at the moment of your baptism. You will always be loved. S, on those days when discouragement seems to have the upper hand, take a nap, have a snack, and get up and get going.

God’s love is always with us, it is not something we can lose. By the end of the lessons for today, we find that Elijah is sent right back to his work as a prophet, in a way not unlike the way the resurrected Christ sends his disciples back to their work after Easter. God, in essence, calls Elijah back to himself. And God…well, God does the same for each of us, reminding us, through this sacrament of love, that the promise of a future doesn’t depend on personal strength and success—but only the love of God which carries us through all things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.