Luke 6: 17-19, 27-38

He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. . .

Jesus said,  ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.^* Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’

Pressed Down and Overflowing

Have you ever had one of those days?  When home and relaxation shimmer like an elusive, end-of-the-day mirage?  Well, it had been one of those days – a hot El Paso one.  A busy one that had involved a lot of driving.  I could hardly wait to get home, turn on the TV, put up my feet and veg out. But that little scenario never materialized.  No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang. ‘They’ve arrested my mother-in-law.’ Luz was crying.  ‘We don’t know where they’ve taken her.  Can you help?’

Well, I really wasn’t so sure that I could but I did know that this was one of those situations that could not be put off.  I had to go and so off I went – from east El Paso to Sunland Park, New Mexico, and then on to Las Cruces – the county seat.  (By the way, this had nothing to do with immigration – it involved a small town sheriff who thought that our Presbyterian-funded day care – directed by Luz’ mother-in-law -- would be easy pickings to advance his own political agenda.  Suffice it to say, he was very wrong). 

That proved to be the first day of a crisis that went on for several weeks before it was finally, successfully resolved.  Among other things,  I learned that hospital emergency rooms and county jails share some common traits – a lot of waiting around with very little information.  I learned that respectability often has more to do with coloring inside the lines than anything else.  Challenge the local powers-that-be and you will not only find yourself being treated disrespectfully, you might just find yourself being threatened with jail.  In fact, before it all got sorted out, the local sheriff had threatened to incarcerate the rest of the day care staff, and me as well, for asking too many questions.

Finally, I learned that God doesn’t give passes -- we are never so much at the end of our rope that God will not call us into even more service. 

The situation facing the widow of Zarephath was far more dire than my lost evening – or even that of Luz’ mother in law --  and our month long struggle, but there was one similarity.  No passes for the weary. You may think you have nothing left to give, but someone else thinks that you do. 

Share your food with me, Elijah says.  More than that. Fix something for me to eat first.  Before you and your starving son partake of your last skimpy meal.        

I wonder if the widow just stared at him for a minute.  What? Was she too worn down to argue?  Too bemused?  Or had his four words to her – before the “cook me dinner” request – fanned a small flame still deep within her:  “Do not be afraid.” 

Do not be afraid.  What a humanizing phrase.  What transformative words.  You are more than your fear.  I am here with you.  I believe in you.  Do not be afraid.  Easier said than done, but so crucial.  Because fear drives us to do things we shouldn’t and prevents us from doing what we should.  It destroys hope.  It paralyzes us and keeps us stuck in bad situations.  It keeps us quiet when we should speak.  It narrows our future down to a pitiful last meal before we turn our faces to the wall and die.   

While on the face of it, Elijah’s words to this woman confronting imminent starvation not to be afraid, might seem callous, or out of touch with her situation (can’t he see she’s starving and in despair?), he is actually doing something quite wonderful.  He is calling her back to her better self.  Reminding her of a time in her life when she was not defined by necessity.  Reminding her that she still has something to give.  Even in the midst of desperate scarcity.  The ability to look beyond one’s self to the needs of another, can be a first step towards recovery and a new life.  It takes us out of our present misery and reinserts us into the broader flow of life where renewal takes place.

Remember the book, “All I ever needed to know I learned in kindergarten”?  Well, this passage tells us everything we need to know about what it takes to walk with God on a daily basis.  Let go of all those what if’s.  Be willing to give even when we don’t think we have anything of value to give.  God will do the rest.        

Jesus says it differently but makes the same point:  “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  It’s not rocket science, simply God’s rule of abundance flowing from emptiness.       

It’s a notion that threads itself through Hebrew and Christian scripture and serves as a pillar of the recovery movement.  Let go of that heavy anchor you seem to think is a life preserver.  Let God carry you.  Don’t hang on to grudges and constantly try to justify yourself to others -- pray for those who persecute you and repeat falsehoods about you  As difficult as this might be to believe, you yourself have a few problem issues and you’re going to be judged on them in the same way that you have judged others.  So you might want to temper your remarks about “those people.”    

And, consistent with what I call God’s minimalism – from nothing to something --  we don’t have to leap from our current cramped state into full blown engagement with the universe.  All it really takes is a first small step of willingness – to open our hands and release whatever it is we’ve been clutching.  That’s it.  Until we do that, we will not be capable of receiving the abundance that is waiting for us. 

I’m not talking about the kind of prosperity gospel abundance that TV preachers  promise us with its formulaic approach to life and giving that links spiritual health with material wealth.  While there’s just enough truth in the prosperity gospel to hook vulnerable people into false religion, we’re talking about a deeper abundance.  A more profound abundance.  An abundance that is not contingent on external forces. The abundance experienced by the widow of Zarephath with her daily replenishment of meal and oil.  The abundance of sufficiency rather than excess. 

Notice that Elijah doesn’t promise her free food for the rest of her life as the result of her compliance with his request for a meal.  Just until the drought ends, when she will presumably be capable of finding food for herself again.  Until her son is of an age that he can provide for her.

The abundance of sufficiency.  Enough rather than excess.  It’s the principle behind the request in the Lord’s prayer as well:  give us this day our daily bread.  Not tomorrow’s bread.  Or next week’s bread.  Today’s bread.  It’s the principle behind the manna that the Israelites gathered while they were out in the wilderness – just gather enough for today (except when you gather in anticipation of the Sabbath as well). 

It so goes against our human instincts.  We frame abundance as excess:  multiple guarantees, a substantial financial cushion and fourteen hours straight of sleep.  But that’s not what we need and that’s not how God operates.  God operates at the margins, at our points of weakness and vulnerability, in all of those places that we’d rather avoid in ourselves and condemn in others. 

What it really comes down to is this:  if you want to reestablish control in a life run amok,  relinquish your control over it.  If you want lasting security, let go of those things that our culture tells us are essential to being secure.  If you want to be rich, make sure that your definition of wealth is consistent with God’s understanding of wealth.  If you want to live, be willing to let go of the life that you have built and turn the entire endeavor over to God.  You have nothing to lose – and everything to gain.  Ask the widow of Zarephath.  Amen.