Tag: elijah

Pondering for Saturday, September 20, 2025

Daily Office Readings or Saturday of Proper 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 75 and 76; Evening,  Psalms 23 and  27;
2nd  Kings 2:1 to 18; 1st Corinthians 4:1 to 7; Matthew 5:17 to 20:

“Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.  Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you:” (2nd Kings 2:1 and 2).

The need for every person to latch on to a good mentor cannot be overstated. We follow people in trades to learn how to earn a living. We follow people in professions to learn how to be doctors and lawyers and such. It is the natural course of the humanity to find and follow someone who has the skills or knowledge that we want, and to stick with them no matter what; at least until we are able to perform the same on our own.

We stick with them until we are self-sufficient in the area of concern wherein we too should welcome the company of an apprentice.  Whether its mentor and protégé; or master and apprentice; the point is that we need to work with those who are right-minded and decent in their relations with others. Elisha found in Elijah the power of the Spirit of God and would not leave him.

We too, as followers of our Lord Jesus, must look for the Jesus quality in those we admire. Personally, I am not going to dedicate myself to the service of someone who has the skills that I want if the gifted person is rude, unloving, and self-serving.  I don’t want the skills that bad. Trying to work with someone whose antisocial behavior is less than what it should be, with the idea that we will just copy the good parts of the person, doesn’t work.  We will begin to copy the undesirable parts as well, also, we mislead the mentor in thinking he or she is ok. No, it would be better to just not get involved in any capacity.

There are plenty of good believing people in every endeavor we want to pursue.  Also, today, we can start in one field of study with one good mentor, and also follow another good mentor in a little different field of study or skill. The key, at least for me, is to make sure my leaders, my mentors, my masters, are good, loving and faithful people.  This is the kind of person I strive to be every day.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light:” (Matthew 11:28-30).  Our Lord Jesus was, and is, the perfect mentor master, leader and teacher. He did, and continues to do, all his teaching through love for us. Let us do the same and for the same reasons.

Today we remember John Coleridge Patteson, Bishop of Melanesia, and his companions, Martyrs (September 20, 1871) and his information may be found at: John Coleridge Patteson.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Let us pray: (BCP p. 824)

O Eternal God, bless all schools, colleges, and universities and especially our mentors, that they may be lively centers for sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom; and grant that those who teach and those who learn may find you to be the source of all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pondering for Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 18:Year 1

Psalm 119:49 to 72; Evening, Psalm 49;
1st Kings 17:1 to 24; Philippians  2:1to 11; Matthew 2:1 to 12:

“Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you:” (1st Kings 17:9)

As we read this passage, we will see that the widow didn’t get the memo.  Ravens had just fed Elijah and when the famine hit, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath in Sidon where, God says “I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”  But upon arrival, Elijah encounters a widow who  seems to know nothing about feeding him. She is caught up in her own misery. She is on her last parcel of food.  She has a son. She is preparing for her and her son to have their last meal and die. Maybe this is God’s divine way of answering prayer with prayer.

I do believe that when God sends us to people, God creates a place in that person to receive us. Albeit it is sometimes hard to get to, or to have the person realize it.  There are many “sent to” stories in the Bible. Most fulfill God’s plan.  Some have to become a hard lesson such as Moses going to Pharaoh in Exodus. But in the end, God always wins.

In the same way, when God sends someone to us, God creates a place in us to receive that person. But we might be like the widow in our passage for today. We might be so burdened with our own personal problems that we don’t see God’s bigger plan. We don’t see how God is working within humanity for the benefit of humanity.  These are times of just letting go and letting God.

The widow finally felt the love that Elijah had for her and her household.  So she relented and included him in what she thought was their last meal.  It was a meal that was multiplied over and over again.  Our Lord Jesus will do the same thing at the feeding of the multitude with only two fish and five loaves. These feeding stories are about listening to the Holy Spirit and discerning the will of God in our lives. God love us and wants the best for us.

Today we remember Alexander Crummell, Priest, Missionary, and Educator (September 10, 1898) and his information may be found at: Alexander Crummell.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Let us pray:

O God Almighty, You made us social creatures who need one another. Send us to where we need to be, and keep us open to receive those whom You send to us, all for Your love’s sake. Amen.