Our Lord Jesus Christ says clearly to us that not only can we not serve God and mammon, but that we must hate our life in this world so that we may keep it for eternal life. Last week, the widow at Zarephath had lost all earthly help and was preparing to die with her son. It is hard to be brought into such desperate need that you have finally given up and fully expect to die, not only you but also your dear and only child. What parent could endure such heartache?! But God visited her in the prophet Elijah and provided her and her household a miraculous supply of food. But our life is far more than food. It is tempting to want nothing more from God as long as we have full bellies and mostly comfortable earthly lives. And the devil wants nothing more than for us to seek so little from God. The last thing he wants is for us to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Thus, before we enjoy the fullness of the true life that God has prepared for us in Christ Jesus, we must be confronted with death itself. There was no amount of oil or flour that would bring back the widow’s dead son. Only the true God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – can raise us from the death of eternal damnation and give eternal life to our dying souls. What great love God had for this dear widow and her son and you, that He gently allowed them to taste the bitterness of death so that He could fill them instead with eternal hope and joy. May God graciously grant that we lay aside all joy and hope in earthly things so that we may go up to our Father’s house this coming Lord’s Day and receive from Him the forgiveness of all our sins and the life-giving bread and wine of Jesus’ true Body and Blood. I look forward to seeing you all.
Pastor Ulmer