Be Ready to Dance

~~~ Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~1 KGS 17:17-24 ~~~ Psalm 30 ~~~

~~~ Galatians 1:11-14A, 15AC, 16A, 17, 19 ~~~ Luke 7:11-17 ~~~

You changed my mourning into dancing;

O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

On the surface the readings today seem to be about death.

The widow's son dies while she is hosting

 the prophet Elijah.

Even Elijah is scratching his head; 

questioning God's timing.

We know that God's plan is bigger than ours.

We know that sometimes we do not understand 

God's plan to take a loved one. 

We struggle so many times with the death of a loved one.

The loss of her son for this widow was devastating.

He was literally her last hope.

She was dependent on her only son 

for her future.

For this widow it is literally life and death.

Elijah feels her pain.

Elijah has great compassion for his hostess.

He takes it upon himself to plead 

on her behalf to God.

God responded to Elijah...

he turned the widow's mourning into dancing.

 I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

God worked through Elijah...

God breathed life back into the child.

Miracle? Yes. God is the one who gets the credit.

Elijah surrendered himself to God.

God used Elijah as his representative.

God worked through Elijah.

 I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Jesus, followed by a great crowd, 

encounters another widow mourning the loss of her son.

Both Jesus and the widow come face to face, 

along with their respective crowds.

The two crowds had no idea what they 

were about to witness.

The funeral procession is halted 

through the compassion of Jesus.

Jesus touches the coffin and calls for 

the young man to rise.

Then Jesus carries him, 

as he was talking, to his mother.

These two crowds witnessed the power 

of God over death.

Yes, they were all filled with fear.

Even in their fear they were compelled to glorify God.

“A great prophet has arisen in our midst, “

and “God has visited his people.”

We know God is with us.

God is with us in our darkest times.

God is with us when it seems our mourning will 

never turn to dancing.

We have been promised that on the last day 

we will be raised from the dead.

We will have eternal life in heaven.

Our mourning will be turned into dancing.

We too can experience the joy of the two widows.

Blessing as God teaches us to dance.

~~~Peace~~~

When Less is More

~~~ Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ 1 Kings 17:10-16 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ 

~~~ Hebrews 9:24-28 ~~~ Mark 12:38-44 ~~~

You always have something to contribute.

It may be a small handful of flour...a little cake...two small coins.

Nothing is insignificant for God.

I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar

and a little oil in my jug. 

In Kings and in Mark today

the widow is used as an example.

These two women become teaching opportunities.

A woman had a very low place at that time,

but to be a widow was an even lower place.

The death a woman's husband left her abandoned and helpless.

She was often looked upon with pity.

She had no husband to offer protection.

She was most vulnerable.

Widows were often taken advantage of,

because they had no one to tend to their financial affairs.

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.

God consistently turns less into more without fail.

In the time of Jesus, to be a widow was to be in jeopardy.

The widow literally had no source of income.

For these two women to give from their meager means

was worth drawing our attention.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The women today gave from their poverty.

They could have chosen to carefully guard what they had,

but instead they chose to give.

What about you?

How do view what you have in comparison

 to what you are willing to give?

For some this may be a difficult question.

When have you given enough?

Can you give too much?

Who should be the recipient of what you give?

These are all legitimate questions.

The examples today confirm that no matter

 what you have to give 

God will bless you with abundance.

In what we give to God there is always abundance.

God has no limits...he sees all gifts in context of your means.

The widows had little...

The scribes, who had much, expected to be given more.

They often found ways, legal or otherwise, to get more. 

They made a mockery

 of those who gave from their poverty.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you have God will make it more than sufficient.

God does turn less into more every day.

He blesses you with enough.

~~~Peace~~~