Sunday,

Third Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 19:9b-21
Psalm 16
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62

You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.

Those who come from a different church background may wonder what I mean by “lectionary scriptures” in this devotion each Wednesday. A lectionary is a prescribed set of scripture readings which are organized to present an ordered story. In the Christian church, the lectionary follows the church year which begins with Advent, then follows with Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and finally Pentecost. The first half of the year focuses on God’s story, the second half (Pentecost) focuses on our story. The end of the year looks forward to the second coming of Christ and the end of the world.

There are different lectionaries, some are daily, one-year, narrative, Old Testament or New Testament focused. I follow a three-year lectionary, and though most of the three-year lectionaries are similar, there are some differences between the prescribed readings for each Sunday. The three-year lectionary includes an Old Testament lesson, a Psalm, a lesson from the New Testament, and one from one of the four Gospels. Each of the three years focuses on Matthew, Mark, or Luke, and the book of John is scattered throughout the three years. The four weekly texts are somehow connected to each other, sometimes loosely, and they are also connected to the season of the year. We are currently in the season of Pentecost, so the scriptures will teach us what it means to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Some of the texts are used more than once in the three years, especially the psalms. Psalm 16 appears multiple times: once at Easter, once early in the season of Pentecost, and once at the end of the season of Pentecost. This is interesting because we see that these words of the Psalmist fit different seasons of our lives. It celebrates God’s grace at Easter, sets us in the right mind as we begin our journey of faith in this world, and recalls God’s promises as we near the end times. Through all these seasons, we are to be filled with joy and peace so that we can trust in God. This is easy to do at Easter, after all we see God’s fulfilled promises in action with the resurrection of Jesus. It is not so hard at the beginning of our journey of faith and our life in God’s kingdom, because we are excited about the opportunities and passionate about Jesus. It is much harder as we face the eschatological questions of the end time. Can we trust that God is in control when we see so much going on in our world that seems to be in chaos?

David wrote in today’s Psalm, “In your presence is fullness of joy.” We all know what it is like to be happy. As Christians we even know what it is like to live in a joy that is beyond our understanding, content in the grace of God. Yet, there is something deeper about the joy and awe we will feel when we truly stand in the presence of our God. We get glimpses as we journey through this life, whether it is something in nature that takes our breath away or some revelation of God that silences us. He has done amazing things for us. He has blessed us in good times and bad, with gifts that have value beyond dollars. He has given His very Son for our sake.

We are not standing at the foot of the cross or at the empty tomb, but it is the awe we experience at Easter that gives us the courage and strength to face the beginnings and ends of our journeys of faith. As we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, knowing that His blood saves us so that one day we will joyfully dwell with Him in God’s presence forever, we will find that joy the psalmist experienced as He praised God for His amazing grace.

In today’s Old Testament lesson from 1 Kings, Elijah was near the end of his ministry as a prophet and Elisha was about to begin his. Elijah had just accomplished a miraculous thing: he made water burn. He challenged the prophets of Baal to call on the names of their gods to accept an offering of a bull by sending fire to burn it on their altar. Four hundred and fifty prophets tried but could not make their “gods” respond. Elijah set up his altar, laid the sacrifice upon it, and poured water three times over everything until it was drenched. The water even flooded a trench around the altar. When Elijah called upon the Lord God Almighty, He answered with a mighty sign, burning the sacrifice, the wood, and even the stones and soil. When the people praised God for this miraculous sign, Elijah ordered the slaughter of the prophets of Baal. In doing so, he upset the wife of King Ahab.

Jezebel threatened to kill him for slaughtering the prophets of Baal. She was a powerful woman and Elijah was afraid. He ran away toward Horeb and cried out to God, “It is enough. Now, O Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” He was ready to die because he did not think he was accomplishing anything. He knew that God would be more merciful in death than Jezebel.

Elijah was in a pretty bad place. He felt very alone.

Have you ever felt like you were alone in the world? Have you watched your social media and wondered if you were the only person left with any common sense? Have you seen the hot new reality show, heard the buzz around the watercooler, and wondered if you were the only one who thought it was the most ridiculous thing you’d ever seen? Have you read the hot new book put out by that prolific Christian author and wondered if you were the only one who still understands what the bible really means?

Have you faced an enemy and thought you were alone in the battle? Have you been lonely and thought you had no friends? Have you been challenged by a crisis and thought that there was no one to walk with you through it?

Have you ever said, “I, even I only, am left...”?

It is easy to think that we are alone in the world, especially when everyone else seems to have their paths paved so differently. After Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal, he ran away into the mountains out of fear for his life. He really thought he was all alone, that there were none who still believed God. He even felt abandoned by God. “I was so zealous for you!” he cried, “Why am I in such danger? Can’t they see that I was right about you?”

I doubt that any of us have defeated a multitude of pagan prophets, but I am sure that most of us have stood up for something we believe and experienced the rejection of those who don’t. Post something controversial on your social media and you are likely to get at least a few detractors. Even if there is only one, the disagreement will be the response that stands out. You can get twenty “amens” and one “you’ve got to be kidding me” and you’ll feel like you are all alone. We have a tendency to focus on the bad, making us blind to the reality that there are others standing with us. Including God.

It is easy to become exhausted when you feel the weight of the world is on your shoulders. It is also easy to run away when you think that what you are doing is not worth your time or energy. We think that we are the only ones who care. We think that we are the only ones willing to do anything. We think we are all alone. And that’s when we burn out. That is when we give up. That’s what happened to Elijah.

God doesn’t let His servants go so easily. Elijah still had work to do. The Lord gave him strength to make it to Horeb where He appeared to him. In one of my favorite passages, Elijah was hiding on the mountain when God asked him why he was there. Elijah answered, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” He sent Elijah to stand to wait for His presence. First a great wind came, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then an earthquake shook the earth, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then a great fire came, but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, there was a gentle whisper, and Elijah fell on his face knowing that it was the Lord. God asked again why Elijah was there, and Elijah repeated his complaint.

God assured Elijah of His presence and gave him the work he was still called to do. God told him to go back and anoint Hazael as king over Aram and Jehu as king of Israel. He was also to anoint his successor, Elisha. These three would be used by God to bring divine judgment on Israel so that they would turn back to Him. God had a plan and gave Elijah everything he needed to complete his work, including a promise that he was not alone.

God’s command would not have been easy to obey. I’m sure Elijah was not thrilled at the prospect of going back to where his life was threatened. As he was traveling through the Desert of Damascus, he came across Elisha plowing in the field. He walked up to him and put his cloak over his shoulder. The cloak, or mantle, was symbolic of Elijah’s position. This was his way of designating Elisha as his successor.

Elisha answered immediately, “Let me please kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Elijah’s response has always puzzled me, particularly in light of the Gospel lesson for today. When a man said the same thing to Jesus, He answered, “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Yet, Elijah told Elisha, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” Why would he answer this way? Turning over his ministry would free Elijah of his responsibilities and let him die in peace.

I suppose, if we think about Elijah’s state of mind, we might consider this the most logical answer he could give. After all, he was commanded to give away the hard and dangerous burden of his life as a prophet. Would you want to be the one to pass on such a heavy responsibility to another?

In the Gospel story, some men claimed to want to follow Jesus, but each made excuses. It might seem the same is true of Elisha, but he was not making an excuse to avoid the call from God. As a matter of fact, Elisha returned home to destroy everything of his old life so that he would be completely free to follow God’s calling. He slaughtered the oxen and used the plow to cook the meat for the people. He gave up his wealth, family, and livelihood to follow Elijah.

Elijah was having a pity party. His attitude seems selfish and self-centered, but don’t we all have our own moments of melancholy and hopelessness? We wonder what we are doing wrong. We get frustrated. We wonder if we are hearing God’s voice correctly. “Is this really what God intends?” We see no way of making things better. We think we might as well just hide in a cave and let the world end without us. It is easy to give up and give in. Why should we fight if it seems as though God isn’t fighting with us? If God were fighting, wouldn’t we be winning?

We can’t see as clearly as God. God was winning.

There’s a story about a man who felt God was calling him to push against a huge boulder in his yard. Day after day he pushed and shoved but the boulder never moved. People made fun of him. He eventually felt defeated. One day he asked God, “Why have you called me to this pointless task that I can’t accomplish? I have failed.” God answered, “Look how you have changed. You are stronger, wiser, and ready for whatever comes next. I didn’t call you to move the rock, but to push against it. You were faithful and obedient. Now that you have done this, I will move the rock.”

We become discouraged because we don’t see the outcome we expect, but we don’t know what outcome God intends. We feel alone because we doubt that God is working through us when we don’t see success. Elijah proved God was greater than the false gods, but still people didn’t believe. It is no wonder he ran off to the mountains and begged to be finished! We understand Elijah’s point of view. We might not be upset because enemies are trying to kill us, but our own little corner of the world can fall apart in so many ways like broken relationships, unsatisfying work, and ill health. We do not understand how God can abandon us when we are so passionate about following Him. We usually want to accomplish something we deem valuable. Like the man with the boulder, we expect an outcome that changes the world. Like Elijah, we expect everyone to believe because of what we have done. God reminds us in this week’s lessons that He is the one who accomplishes these things. He will move the rock. He will set things right. He will save those who are lost.

James and John wanted to prove God’s power, just as Elijah did. James and John, otherwise known as the “Sons of Thunder” for their quick tempers, asked Jesus if He wanted them to call fire down on the village. They were certainly zealous about the work they were doing with and for the Lord.

The Samaritans were enemies of the Jews, half-breeds because they had intermingled with Gentiles through marriage. They did not worship in Jerusalem. Yet, despite the animosity between Jews and Samaritans, Jesus had mercy on them. Jesus used the Samaritan as the example of the good neighbor. Jesus treated the woman at the well with compassion and revealed Himself to her. Yet, the Samaritans did not receive Jesus or His disciples because they were Jews. When the disciples were turned away from the village, they wanted to respond with power. There is power that comes from being a follower of Christ, but Jesus never gives us power to harm others. Instead, we are called to be merciful and treat even our enemies with grace.

Today’s lesson includes three call stories. In the first encounter, a man told Jesus that he would follow Him wherever He went. Jesus answered, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” We don’t know how the man received that answer, but in context it is probable that it disappointed him. What about the call of Christ makes us question whether or not we should follow Jesus?

Jesus said to the second man, “Follow me.” The man answered that he wanted to bury his father first. Now, this seems like a reasonable request to postpone following Jesus, but it is likely that the man’s father was not yet dead. In other words, the man was telling Jesus, “I’ll be glad to join you when my life circumstances change.” Unfortunately, we often put off following Jesus until a better time. Jesus answered, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead, but you go and announce God’s Kingdom.” How often do we push aside God’s kingdom work to do what we think is more vital or timely?

A third man told Jesus, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first...” In this case, the man just wanted to say good-bye to his family. Jesus says, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.” Are we willing to give up everything for the sake of the Gospel? Are we willing, like Elisha, to destroy everything of our old life so that we will be completely free to follow God’s will for our lives?

The cost of following Jesus is heavy. It means giving up everything including the family ties and the work we have think we have to do. It is easy to find excuses to put off the work of the kingdom, but Jesus is not willing to accept excuses. He was on His way to the cross, time was short, and there was too much left to do. Those who were not truly committed, faithful, and obedient would never survive the next test. They would be the ones to fall under the pressure of the crucifixion. They would not have the strength or courage to wait for His resurrection.

Faithfulness and obedience do not mean that we will accomplish what we think we are supposed to accomplish. Faithfulness and obedience mean doing what God calls us to do, even if it seems pointless. Faithless and obedience mean trusting God even when it seems like we have failed. The men in today's Gospel lesson may have wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus knew that the cost was too high for half-hearted commitment. Following Jesus requires the whole self. No one whose mind or heart is divided or whose flesh will quickly fall to selfish desires will be able to stand up against the pressure and persecution that comes against us because we serve God.

Imagine how Jesus’ followers must have felt at this point in His story. He was doing good work among them. For them, it was more than enough. After all, they were eating well, being healed, and hearing good stories. They knew that a trip to Jerusalem was dangerous for Jesus because they had heard the threats. They must have wondered why He would go to where they wanted to kill Him. Jesus, unlike Elijah, knew that His purpose led to Jerusalem. He would not turn left or right but would head straight into the hands of his enemies. The plan was right. His death was vital. He couldn’t stay hidden among friends when God sent Him to be slaughtered.

Yet the disciples, like Elijah and all the rest of us, wanted to take matters into their own hands. “Should we command fire to come down from the sky and destroy them, just as Elijah did?” we ask. No, this is not the work He is calling us to do. Jesus answered, “For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” James and John were focused on the deeds of the flesh, not the spirit.

The deeds of the flesh as listed by Paul in his letter to the Galatians are part of the old life that we must leave behind. At times these are easy to recognize and yet sometimes we do not even realize we are sinning against God with our works. It is easy to see idolatry when the god we worship is a stone figurine. It is not so easy when our idols are our philosophical points of view. We are just like those men on the road to Jerusalem with an easy excuse like “now is not the time,” or “let me take care of something first.”

The life God expects from us looks so much different, it is a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit. The works of the flesh destroy. The works of the Spirit shine God’s light. It is hard work, and we might have to do things we don’t want to do because they don’t make sense or seem worthwhile, but God fills us with enough faith to trust that He knows what He is doing.

Paul reminds us to stand firm in the Gospel so that we will not be burdened by our sinful flesh. That includes the self-centered and selfish pity parties we like to have when we feel like God is sending us into a mean and hurtful world. We seek the freedom to pursue our desires and yet it is our desires that keep us in bondage. James and John had the power to call down fire on the Samaritan village, but their desire to was keeping them in bondage to their anger and hatred. Standing firm in the Gospel means that we won’t give excuses when God calls us to His service. In Christ we are freed from this world to serve others in love and mercy.

The mantle of discipleship passed on to us by those who came before is heavy. We must let go of the past and put God first. We must continue on even when we think we have failed, trusting that God will accomplish His work in His way and in His time. Following Jesus means living in freedom from our flesh for the sake of others, loving as He loves us.

David knew that apart from God he had no good thing, that God alone was his refuge. He knew the joy and peace that comes from trusting in God rather than the things of this world. “You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.” This is the lesson that will keep us through the hard times. Our hope is found in God. Let us have faith in Him because He is faithful to all His promises and will help us endure to the end.

Today’s psalm was a song of lament written by David. It is a prophecy of Christ, a personal testimony, and a psalm about the end. It begins with a plea for help, but David knows that the Lord is our refuge. Our relationship with Him provides security. We are to distance ourselves from pagan practices and false gods because the LORD is a delightful inheritance. This psalm provides a basis for our confidence as Christians and the sure hope in God that life does not end in death. As we enter into this period of Pentecost, we are reminded that the greatest prize is to see Christ and to be like Him.

We may think we are all alone in this world, persecuted by those who hate us and rejected by those we have been called to serve. However, we are not alone for God is with us and He has promised that there are others called to do His work, too. God sees what we will never see, knows what we can never know, and He is faithful. That’s enough to give us the strength to go on and continue doing what He has called us to do. In the end, God will not fail; His purpose will be accomplished. He will always guide our way, and we will dwell in joy and peace in His grace.