What are you doing here?

Trinity 4c

1 Kings 19.1-15

Luke 8.26-3

I was looking out of my bedroom
window on Wednesday morning. Watching the sheep, in the field opposite, the rabbits running about, a few crows looking for lunch. The sheep are always a good reminder of the 23rd Psalm and that we should spend some time metaphorically lying down in green pastures and restoring our souls except that morning although most of the sheep were lying down, they weren’t all happy. One was lying on its back with its feet in the air. It was twitchiing now and again but certainly didn’t look at all comfortable, in fact I guessed it was very disconsolate and frightened. I duly phoned the owners but didn’t get a reply. Then I sent a text message – still nothing. So I decided  the best I could was just to keep an eye on the sheep.

There was someone doing quite a lot of lying down in the story from Kings this morning  – and that was the prophet Elijah. He was lying down under a broom tree disconsolate, frightened and depressed. How had he ended up there?

Well you probably know the story.

Israel at the time was being ruled by one of the kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord – King Ahab married to the infamous Jezebel.

For three years Jezebel had been encouraging the people to worship the Baals.

But there had been a long time of drought. The grass was withered, plants has died there was almost nothing left to eat. And into this scenario walks the prophet Elijah. He is one prophet against 450 prophets of Baal and he comes with a challenge- lets put the Baals to the test.

They set up two altars one to the Baals and one to the God of Israel. All day the prophets call on their gods to bring down fire on their altar but by evening nothing has happened. It is Elijah’s turn and in spite of dousing the whole thing in water God’s fire comes down and burns the sacrifice, the altar and even dries up the water. The drought is ended, the false prophets are slaughtered, a great victory.

When Jezebel hears about it all she hits the warpath, threatening Elijah with all sorts and he becomes so terrified of her he takes himself off, heading for Mt Horeb (Sinai ) after a days journey he sits down under a broom tree and prepares to die.. the great prophet who has just seen a huge miracle.

Wouldn’t you think that having experienced the power of God he would be full of courage, full of praise. Surely if God could bring down fire he could also protect Elijah.

But no maybe the little doubts had begun to creep in. Maybe it wasn’t a miracle maybe it was just a flash of lightening – after all it had been followed by rain, perhaps God wasn’t so powerful, perhaps God didn’t really care about him, perhaps God didn’t really love him or the people after all.

Some of us have probably been there too – had an amazing experience when our faith was so strong, we’ve seen God work, seen him provide for us then something happens, the doubts creep in, things don’t seem quite so good after all. We start to worry, we start to look around us at our situation gradually our faith fades away and we end up lying under our own broom tree. We’re a bit like the sheep, we’ve got ourselves stuck and we can’t put things right. We can’t roll over and get back on our feet again.

But just as I was keeping an eye on the sheep God is keeping his eye on us.

He might let us lie under our broom trees for a while, but he is watching.

Elijah has decided to travel to mount Horeb – God didn’t tell him to go but sometimes it seems God understands that we have to do what we have to do. He lets us go along a path we have chosen but stays close by. God provides food for him, cakes and some water.

When Elijah finally arrives after 40 days God  finally asks him, “What are you doing here?” What are you doing here?

Elijah had what may have been a well-rehearsed reply, if not an answer. “I’m the only one left to stand for you, the people are faithless, and the king’s people are hunting me down to kill me!”  It was an answer born of frustration, weariness, and fear. “I alone am left and they are seeking my life to take it away.”

God tells Elijah to stand on the mountain before the Lord.

Elijah appears not to move toward God at first. He stays put in his spot deep in the cave when winds and earthquakes and fires signaling God’s presence shake and light up the mountain. Then the drama ceases and there is the  “sound of sheer silence.” That’s when Elijah moves to the cave’s mouth wrapping his mantle about him.

And then the same question comes again, “What are you doing here Elijah?” Elijah gave exactly the same response as before.

But this time God says to him. “I have work for you to do and places to go. Go to Damascus, and anoint Hazael as king. Then come back to Israel, and anoint Jehu. Then find Elisha, and anoint him as your replacement.

Elijah is given space and time to come to God at his own pace.

God didn’t rush him he kept an eye on him he sustained him.

Sometimes like Elijah we need to have some time out.

Sometimes, we get overwhelmed. Sometimes life is just too hard for us.Things happen. This week the news of the murder of Jo Cox, coming after the massacre in Orlando made us sick to the stomach.

The poet John Donne wrote  “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind”.  I certainly felt diminished this week. This is not the kind of world I want.

And we cannot forget the thousand hidden tragedies of this week – refugees still dying in the Mediterranean, conflict in countries that never make the news, climate change squeezing the life from poor communities. All causes Jo fought for.

And we may feel absolutely ,  like giving up going to lie down under our broom tree, disconsolate, anxious, depressed. Where is God in all this?

Brendan Cox said of his wife: “Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life ….and what she would want is that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her. Hate doesn’t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous.”

We have to fight against the poison that isolates us, demonises others, and diminishes us all.

if we make decisions on the basis of what is best for me, if we say me first, if we use language which paints others as a threat or as lesser humans we are all weaker.  We fail to embrace God’s invitation to love and be loved, to celebrate our full potential as humans made in God’s image.

Desmond Tutu said “We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness.”

In our political decision-making we are called not to weigh up our own self interest, but to love our neighbour. The Good Samaritan took risks, his care for the injured man was costly to himself.  But he loved his neighbour, who might be seen by others to be his enemy.

Whichever way we vote this week it must be because we believe the outcome will be the best way to love our neighbour.

Our story from the gospel shows another deranged man.

It’s another scene of noise and chaos, blood and violence.

Jesus reaches into the heart of the agonised man who has no control over what is happening to him. He reaches inside him casting out all the turmoil all the exhaustion all the grief.

Jesus reached out to the madman in the confusion of his thoughts in the shouting, screaming and the drama.

God is still reaching out into our violent, chaotic,  world.

His question to us – What are you doing here? There is work to be done.

And what about the sheep what happened to her ? Well after a while I decided to do something, managed to get into the field and rolled her over. Sometimes we too just need a big shove.