Commentary on the readings for Sunday 6 July 2008 T R I N I T Y 8 OUR EXPLORING - 34 1 Kings 17 8 - 16 Elijah is a prophet who upholds Yahweh as the true God in opposition to Baal - he storm god - that King Ahab and the Hebrews were worshiping. 17 v,1 - Yahweh will send a drought - Elijah's legend is one of conflict - who's God is the 'best' god.? At first Elijah is 'fed by ravens until the 'wadi' dries up. Then comes the legend of the Widow of |Zarephath - a moving story of the widow striving to keep herself and her son alive - asked to give some of the little she has she shares with Elijah and then is blessed as her meagre provision does not run out. The next part of the story is about the death of her son and the prophet restoring him to life - this story of 'death and resurrection' leads the Widow to believe in Elijah's God - Yahweh. The struggle over whose god is the best god continues today and is what is happening in our Anglican Church as one part after another says 'we are the True Church'. Today we do not think of God as 'causing famine' but rather of our misuse of our world - those who suffer from famine are so often the 'widows' the helpless - ~Today we are causing famine for the poor by growing crops for fuel rather than food. Who is the 'true' god today? Is it the god who makes some rich at the expense of the many - or the god whose concern is for 'the widow and her son'? Is it the God who condemns some for there sexual 'orientation'? Is it the God who requires us to go out and 'convert' others? Is it the God who says we must only have male Bishops? Whom do you serve? Can it just possibly be the God of charity and Love?!   The Epistle Romans 6 19-end 'The free gift of God is Eternal life'. Paul echoes Elijah as he presents a scene of contest between 'sin' and 'righteousness'. The legend of the story about the widow given life is echoed in Paul as he contrasts sin and life presenting life as coming through 'Christ Jesus our Lord'. Realising the 'sin' is 'putting ourselves in the centre' and that 'believing in Christ our Lord' is discovering the power to be drawn out of ourselves as we are made aware of the suffering of others. It is this which frees us from 'sin', which is 'self centeredness', discovering Christ as our centre as He holds before us the pain of the world and the beauty of the world. O that our 'Synods' and 'Conferences' would make this their major concern!   The Gospel Mark 8 1 - 10a This story links with that of ~Elijah as Jesus is shown as making provision for the feeding of the 4 thousand (in John it is 5). The story emphasises the power of Jesus and his link by association with the prophets. Today we may understand this story in the constant 'feeding' that is ours through the Bread and Wine of Holy communion. In the 'deserts' of today we have that Provision of the Body and Blood of Christ - the holding before us the 'pain' of the world and the 'beauty' of the world - which is Holy Communion - in a way that can constantly 'feed' us by releasing us from attempts to satisfy appetite for ourselves and discovering that we are truly fed as we respond to the 'greater than ourselves'. Would that the different 'voices' of the Church today would be ready to discover the 'unity' that is ours in this 'Sacrament of Love'. Please feel free to comment: leslie.virgo@tiscali.co.uk Click to return to 'Home Page'