Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: And I have a reading from two kings, chapter eight, verses one through six. Will you pray with me?
Oh, God, tell us what we need to hear, and show us what we need to do to obey Jesus Christ. Amen.
Now, Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, arise and depart from your household and sojourn wherever you can. For the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come to the land for seven years.
So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines for seven years. And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned to the land, returned from the land of the Philistines, she went forth to appeal to the king for her house and her land.
Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.
And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life had appealed to the king for her house and her land.
And Gehazi said, my lord, o king, here is the woman, and here is the son whom Elisha restored to life.
And when the king asked the woman, she told him so. The king appointed an official for her, saying, restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left until now.
Amen. This is the word of the lord.
[00:02:03] Speaker B: Good to be back with you all, and thank you for your prayers as my family and I got to take a rare and wonderful trip to Greece. We had never been there. May well never be able to go again. But, lord, is it beautiful. The island of Hydra and other sections. I'll be delighted to show you photos. There were times I remember, especially traveling over the mediterranean sea by boat and on calm days and thinking, lord, have mercy, it's beautiful today. But in the midst of a storm, I wonder what that would be like.
Well, since coming back, of course, like many of you, I've been very worried about people who were in the path of a very powerful hurricane and storm in Helena, Jill's side of the family. My mother and sister, or my mother and father in law, both live in Athens, Georgia, which is not far from Atlanta. And so this past week, worried for them. I was delighted to hear from them that their house and they were okay. But as I'm sure many of you saw in the news, there were plenty in Atlanta and in other regions who did not fare so well, or at least whose houses did not fare so well. This is a picture of Atlanta with people traveling by canoe through the streets. This is Florida, and this is a picture of North Carolina. I suspect people in all of those regions will take some time before they're able to return home, at least people in homes like this. Some of you might remember David Huntzinger, who was a part of this church before being ordained and now serves at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Florida. He showed photos of how their church was impacted by flood damage. And this, for a bibliophile, this was tragic. It destroyed the lower section of his library.
Hard to see, but that church is really rallying together and they're able to have worship today, even though their Sunday school rooms, nursery rooms, live stream has all been damaged because of the flood. They're hoping to be able to rebuild, and they have sensed God's care and presence in the care for one another. So do keep the churches and people in those regions in your prayers.
So this is a time when many of us are living in the wake of that disaster and mindful of threats and challenges to our world, to our country, and to other parts of the world as well. And one of the many forces that can prove cataclysmic, that can pull people out of their homes, even send them to entire new lands for years, maybe even for a lifetime, is, of course, that force we read about in today's text. Famine. Famine. Some of you are into history. Know that around 1200 bce, historians think there was a collapse of a host of mediterranean civilizations, the Mycenaeans, the Hittites, and others. And a major cause for that collective collapse was widespread famine. The fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century is attributed to many things, but one of those is famine. Famine can quickly dislocate a people, and in my own family's story, there is one of dislocation caused by famine. Back in the 1840s, my father's great great grandfather, Edward Caldwell, was living in Ireland, and that was the decade, as you'll recall, when the from history, when the great potato famine hit and it hit hard. Of slightly more than 8 million people living in Ireland, you may know a million died of hunger over the decade of that great famine. And another 2 million, a quarter of the population, got on boats or in some ways fled in exile to other lands. My dad's great great grandfather, Edward Caldwell, got on a boat to Canada, where he and his kids would later reside. Eventually, their descendants would immigrate to the United States and to flint, where my father grew up. Famine can force people to leave their home and head to foreign shores. And that's exactly what we see happening in today's passage from two kings. It happens to a shunammite woman. She is going about her business, and then she gets word that a famine is coming. And you might recall that this was the very woman who had made a space in her house, created a guest room just for that traveling prophet Elisha. She had seen in that prophet a holy man of God. And so together with her husband, they carved out a portion of their house designated just for him. When he came to through town. She had seen firsthand God's wondrous, miraculous, life giving work as her own son died. And thanks to God's work, through Elisha, he was given new life again.
And then in today's passage, she gets word that a famine is on its way.
Now, we aren't sure why the famine hits this woman, why it hits this particular region of Shunem in the broader territory, that northern kingdom of Israel back in the time of two kings. We do know from reading scripture that sometimes famines are sent as a kind of judgment or consequence of sin, a way that God tries to get people's attention and direct them away from paths that lead to death and towards paths that lead to life and thriving. But other times, we read of famine simply occurring, part of the vulnerability of the natural world or of humanity. Military conflicts that then can foster or create periods of hunger and famine. And then we read of how biblical figures have to simply deal with famine, like Abram and Sarai, who enter a time like that. In today's passage, we read that God sent this famine, but we're not told why. Might it have been because of the sin of the king of Israel at that time? And if that's the case, it would make this woman of Shunem one of so many in our world who are impacted by the terrible decisions of rulers.
We aren't told why, but we are told that she's given word the famine is coming, and she has to face it. She has to face the hard decisions times of famine can foist upon us. And in that time, we see her relying on something powerful that she is given right in that time of famine. She leans hard on God's word as it comes to her through the prophet Elisha. And as she does this, as we see her story play out with even the backdrop of famine behind it, we see so vividly what Ashley shared with our children today, that great news that God provides even in times of famine, God provides.
And in fact, it's often, isn't it, times of storm and need and famine, when God's provision is placed on stark display? I don't know. But I suspect right now, as people are worshiping at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Florida, they are acutely aware of the manifold gifts of God that were given to them. Breath that God first gave us and that now flows through our lungs, community one another, those moments when we know safety and provision. There's nothing like times of storm and famine to awaken us, to alert us to all that God has provided. And we can lean anew on what God has given. In direction, in presence, in word.
This woman of Shunem leans on God's word, given her through the prophet Elisha, as if it was the gift of life itself, which it is. You'll notice how Elisha not only alerts her of the coming famine at the start of today's passage, but Elisha also directs her go to another area, head out from this region for the seven years of this famine. This instruction, like the commandments and ordinances of God given to the hebrew people on Mount Sinai, it's presented like a gift from God, a gift of direction and guidance. Yes, God doesn't take away the famine, but at the same time, God gives her direction, guidance, and the very presence of God to accompany her and lead her through it. I love how the painter Rembrandt depicts this moment that we read about in verse one, when Elisha tells this woman of Shunem not only that a famine is coming, but to head out in this painting, we see the woman illumined. And you can almost make out over here, though it's largely in darkness, the prophet Elisha speaking to her. And as he does, as those words greet her ears, it's like there is a light from heaven coming down that is hitting her and her son. It's a dark portrait. It takes place, the story does, in that dark backdrop of famine and of having to leave home, of being dislocated. But in the midst of that dark backdrop, that canvas we see on stark display, that illumination of God, showing her, God is with you, God's directing you. There will be future.
And then, as we read on, we find God's provision for this woman of Shunem doesn't just stop there. You notice how she finds a new home for a period of time. And it's in the land of the Philistines, that historic enemy of the ancient people of God. That is where she finds she's given a new home, and it's like God is providing a space for that time.
Then, when the seven years of famine have ended, this woman is able to return. But when she does, she encounters what so many exiles and migrants face when they have left their home for years and return. She finds her house and her land have been seized. As if she hasn't struggled enough, now she faces the fact that her land and house have been taken. We're not told why. Maybe it was by the crown or government, maybe it was by a neighbor or an extended family member, but it is no longer in her possession. And so we read of how she does what people in scripture so often do when they face some unjust situation. She cries out to God, like the hebrew people did when they were held in bondage in Egypt. She cries out like the prophets do so often when they see how the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, need someone to defend them, need God's support. She cries out, and we see God answer. She cries out for justice, for the return of her house and land. And this is the story we then read. Right at the moment, right at the moment, she's going to the king to plead her case. We read that the king just happens to be talking to Gehazi, that is the servant of Elisha. And the king is asking Gehazi, hey, tell me more about the wonderful things Elisha had done. And Gehazi says, well, you won't believe this. There was this woman who had a son, and the son had died. And then, thanks to Elisha's work, his healing hand, God's power. Through him, this son was given new life again. And the king says, wow, that's amazing. And then Gehazi says, oh, look, here is that very woman. She's coming before us right now. Talk about providential timing, right?
Well, then the king asks this woman's questions. He tries to get a sense of her case and situation and convince she does have a sense case that she is deserving of justice. He says to his official, not only give this woman back her land and her house, but return to her all the proceeds she would have earned from that land and home for the past seven years.
It's like God had stepped right into a time of loss and deprivation and dislocation and said, here I am. Here I am. I'm doing precisely what you've seen me do time and again. Here I am, hearing your cries for justice. Here I am guiding you on the journey, showing a light for your path. Here I am, providing that home and support that you've longed for. All this might not have come as quickly as you had wished, and your life may not have been free of suffering and want and loss, nor will it be free of suffering, want and loss. But I am with you, God, saying, I have been accompanying and guiding your every step.
Sometimes it takes a hard time to remind us of that blessed provision of God.
It's a hard world. Today's passage depicts one with that backdrop of famine and land seizure. But it's also a world full of care, provision, and the blessed accompaniment of God. And it's that same world, of course, that kind of world that you and I occupy today.
As Francis Namumu reminded us last Sunday, people from all the way from Fiji to Florida not only face the ravages of storm and drought, but are seeing these forces grow all the more acute as a result of climate change. We're aware more than ever our condition as human beings on this planet is precarious and vulnerable. The afflictions of disease and drought, war and want, the want that war can often create, are very much with us. If you don't believe me, read the news.
And yet, in that world, our world, God is powerfully at work if we have eyes to see it. Eyes open to that light. Rembrandt song falling on that woman of Shunem God is at work, as God was for that shunammite woman, lightening our darkness and showing us each day the step forward.
Well, friends, as christians, we hold this truth as well, this good news for our broken and hurting world. We proclaim that the gracious provision of God that we read about in two kings came near in a new way, in the one we call Lord and savior in Jesus Christ. We have in the flesh that grand illumination that came to the woman of Shunem, the light of God's presence and love and word to a people. And we have it in the flesh in him, the gift of new life, the kind we see given through the prophet Elisha to this woman of Shunem's son. It's given to us in our baptism as we die with Christ to sin and rise with him to new life. We have life, life with God, life with one another, life in right relationship with God's glorious creation.
It doesn't take away the suffering, the hardship, the famines, the storms, but it gives us light in the midst of our journey to uphold us, strengthen us, and direct us forward.
In preparing this sermon, I wondered what a person facing famine today might have to say to us about that experience.
Where would they find God's provision? Would they find God's provision today in an area hit by famine? And then I found a recent article from Christianity Today, where a modern day shunammite woman was interviewed, a person who had been dislocated and sent far from home to foreign shores as a result of famine.
You all may well be aware that the UN estimates one third of Sudan's 49 million people suffer from acute food insecurity, and more than 8 million people have fled. It's like Ireland in the late 1840s. If you ask the United nations today or look up areas particularly in danger of hunger and food insecurity, they will often lift up sedans and Gaza.
Rafid Sameer is a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Bahri, a village in the city of Khartoum, Sudan. And he shared with Christianity today about his recent journey. Back in April of 2023, he was living in his neighborhood of Bahri in the city of Khartoum when the violence erupted. There were guns firing right outside his bedroom window, and electricity and water services were cut. When he went out to get groceries, a bullet missed him by centimeters. Right then, he wanted to flee with his family, but his brother pleaded with him to wait a little longer. His brother had a wife and two daughters, and they hoped they might make it through the weeks to come. But then when that brother's neighbor's home was bombed, his brother said, 15 days after that first conversation, we've got to go. And so they did what so many people have done through history in such situations. They found some way to get out. My father's great great grandfather hopped on a boat that went to Canada.
Samir speaks of trying to get hold of a car and having to pay an exorbitant sum to get a ride of just 1.2 miles to get out of that community. Then he joined with some 40 others to get a bus that would then take them to the egyptian border. And then at the border, they had to wait multiple days. Those of you who are aware of challenges refugees and immigrants today face, you know, the challenge that can arise for people at the border. And then after three days, after making this trek so many other people in Sudan have made, he was able to meet a former acquaintance in Egypt. And when that acquaintance greeted Samir with open arms, greeted his family as well, it was like the lavish provision of God was right there for him. He found he had not only an acquaintance, but a friend and a family member, and that's currently Samir's home. During this period of time when the famine and the violence have forced him to leave, and he hopes and prays he'll be able to return.
He talked about how, of the some hundred members of that particular presbyterian church in Bofri, almost all of them have had to flee to foreign shores. And they all hope desperately that they'll be able to return one day when the violence and the famine eases. Samir was asked this question that I would have for him. Do you have hope in God? Do you see, Goddesse, in this horrific situation that you and this church have faced? And Samir said, we never lose hope. We never lose faith. We know God is good. We might be like Abraham, aliens and strangers living in tents. We may be waiting on God, but we know, he says, from deuteronomy, God can change a curse into a blessing. We know from Isaiah, God can change mourning into laughter. We know the situation now is not the end. God is working. We are safe, and we manage to have enough to eat. This is all a blessing from God.
That is, from Samir, right in the midst of a time of famine. And time and again, we see this in the story of God's people. God's provision. It's not absent in times of famine and hardship and dislocation. If anything, such times place that provision front and center. We see it on stark display. And if we dare, we learn to lean on that provision and God's word as if our life depended on them, which it does.
So how do we respond in the face of God's grand and gracious provision that comes to us powerfully in even the hardest of times? What do you do when your eyes are illumined and you see how God is at work? Well, we get one great example in the woman of Shunem. When she saw how God was powerfully at work and this prophet, Elisha, in her time, she dedicated a portion of her resources to support Gods work through Elisha. She saw it to be a reflection of that light in her generous actions since she had been given so much by God. Samir will talk about how his church is generously trying to provide for one another and to others who are facing exile and to that community because they believe this is such an important time, this hard time, to be generous, to care for others, to reflect the light that has been shown to them.
Now, you and I are not facing famine here in Pasadena as the shunammite woman and as Samir faced. But there's no question that these are challenging times, aren't they? For the church, for our community, for our state, our nation and our world.
So, as christians, the invitation of our savior in precisely such times as these is to reflect that light we have known from God out to the world.
Well, today begins a month each year when we here at Knox direct our attention to what resources we have and how we might put those in powerful ways to God's disposal. How we might, like the shunammite woman, might dedicate a portion of what we have to express to reflect God's generosity.
If you are a on our mailing list, you'll be receiving a pledge card in the mail, and you'll also find pledge cards in the pew racks in front of you. You can also pledge from Knox's website by going to the homepage and clicking the tab marked give. This is not for those of you who are first visiting or new to Knox, but if you're part of this community, if you call it home, if you're looking to set down roots here, we hope that you'll participate in this great invitation we have each and every year to give of our time, talent, and treasure, to pledge that as a way to reflect that lavish generosity God has shown us. And I'll tell you, having been through this process for 17 years now with all of you, each time that we sit down as session to try and look at what can we do as a church, what kind of budget can we set, how can we support staff, how can we support the ministries, the mission, partnerships we have from here all the way to Kenya and India? Each dollar that is pledged, each minute of time that people have committed to volunteer, we see it as a precious gift from God, a way God's provision shows up for us today. We try not to take that for granted and instead receive it as the gift it is and then reflect that light in our life and ministry together. Friends, I invite you to take this season, this opportunity that comes for a month each year, to reflect on all God has given us and reflect, too, on what it means to pass on that light, to dedicate ourselves to God's work today. May the light of God's provision, that light that shone on the woman of shunem that shines as far away as Sudan, shine on us and through us.
In the name of the Father, son, and Holy Ghost, amen.
I.
