When I met Clara, she was already 101. She had lived in her home for a good 77 of those years. She moved from her parents’ home, one filled with violence and exacting rules to her husband’s family farm, where she was never good enough, but her one son was the apple of everyone’s eye to finally a home of her own. And there lived Clara, her husband, and her son. For 70 years before her husband died, they lived in the center of town. Town was marked by a curve of 90 degrees in the road, a textile mill, a post office, and a community room where the Sunday School met.
Twelve years ago, the state came through and decided that the 90 degree curve in the road was too dangerous. Through eminent domain, they were taking Clara’s house to knock it down and make the curve more gentle. Now, Clara understood the challenge. At least three times in the last thirty years, she had her porch taken out by a semi-truck, who shouldn’t have come that way to begin with. But still, this was home. Clara was tough as nails. She made everyone who knew her blush with stories and language. She had taught Sunday School alongside raise up an auxiliary for the fire department. She had scooped ice cream for the social and put those pesky outsiders in their place when need be.
So, when the state came, Clara fought it as long as she could and finally had no choice but to sign the paperwork. They added a provision that they would wait until she died, after all, she was already 91 – how long could she live, they asked? Well, they waited patiently at first. But then, they stopped waiting patiently and they wanted what they wanted. At the young age of 103, Clara was removed from her home (they had waited 12 years) and moved to the county home. They never imagined she would live so long, and she got in the way of progress.
Don’t worry, greed and impatience will not have the end of this story. During this sermon series, we have been asking the question: Does God still move? Does God still work miracles among us? We have continued in 1st Kings with Elijah and God’s people. This story takes place in the Jezreel Valley. This image is from this week, a professor of mine is digging there now. King Ahab has his winter palace in Jezreel and is overcome with jealousy at the vineyard of his neighbor, Naboth. His jealousy first shows itself as bargaining to purchase the land, which Naboth is not selling. Naboth recalls that the Most High God has secured this land and it will not be sold. Naboth simply could not sell his vineyard to the king and still remain faithful to God.
Ahab’s temper tantrum begins. He is sure that he should get his own way and Naboth is in the wrong! He throws himself, tears and all into bed and feels sorry for himself. Walter Brueggemann, Old Testament professor writes, this story is about “a modest real estate deal. It is amazing how great enterprises of state often turn on small, inconspicuous transactions that of themselves amount to nothing, as in the cases of Watergate, Whitewater, and Enron.1” His greed and insatiable desire literally make him sick.
Enter Jezebel. Queen Jezebel. Ahab had drawn the ire of God with the marriage of Jezebel. Jezebel from Sidon, who worshipped the ba’als and whose marriage gave legitimacy to her theology as one who turned from the Most High God to gods of her ancestors. After taunting Ahab, she finds a plotting device to kill Naboth and release this sticky problem. She raises up two co-conspirators to accuse Naboth and get him stoned. Adding insult to injury, charge of death, Naboth is killed on trumped up charges. Elijah is not far behind when killing God’s people is on the table. Elijah minces no words in warning Ahab and Jezebel of the consequences of their dastardly actions. Elijah proclaims the way of God on the side of justice and mercy.
Lest we get too high and mighty in always finding ourselves on the side of righteous indignation, we are not always Naboth holding to the will and way of God, even in the face of death. Often we find ourselves with Simon in our Gospel lesson. We find ourselves trying to set the bar of who is in and who is out. We draw the miracle of freedom for ourselves; giving thanks to God for all that God has done for us and those who are like us in some way and drawing out the other.
Jesus was eating with the disciples at the house of a Pharisee. I can imagine that they were feeling like they had already included the outsider on that day. Accepting the invitation, allowing the Pharisee to host them, the disciples were feeling pretty good about themselves, when the woman showed up. She, full of sin, whatever kind of sin it was, poured her ointment on his feet and welcomed him warmly. She showed up the whole gathering with her extravagant gestures. She had experienced the grace and love of God and her life was forever changed – transformed. She could not help but praise God! But to the others, this was the last straw! How dare he? Simon bristled and responded.
The story is not just about forgiveness for one, but about the way in which others feel the need to intrude into the story and question the forgiveness of others. The one who showed up was not invited. Was not accounted for, did not have the proper credentials and certainly was ruining the plan! This story keep two halves of the same truth: the joyful truth of those who know that they need freedom through the life transforming power of God and live out of gratitude and love, and the tragic truth that those who believe themselves righteous or sufficient on their own never know the joy of receiving and so pursue truncated lives absent genuine gratitude or love.
For those who are seeking freedom from the oppressor, who know the eminent domain and unfair hand of power, there is ultimately hope in the morning. For each of us who have known powerlessness in the face of evil and prayed for God’s reign to come here and now! These are ultimately stories of caution and light that point us again to God’s grace and the miracle of freedom that we can experience in God’s grace. God’s grace is not merely a poetic device that calls us in hindsight to appreciate the jaunty steps of our journeys. Grace calls us to confession, grace calls us to change; grace calls us to grow. In the hymn Amazing Grace, John Newtown, slave boat captain writes, “T’was grace that taught my heart to fear.” Grace afforded to each of us is not a mere accessory for the crown of glory, but a well-worn badge of lived faith. Grace calls us to confess where we have held others back from their freedom in Christ and change our ways. Each and every one of us find ourselves like Simon imaging that we understand better than God how forgiveness ought to be meted out. Each and every one of us needs a reminder that our own freedom in God’s grace, means that it is never just limited to us.
Grace abounds for each us. From each of us who silently condemn our neighbors to those who actively stand in the way, our thoughts and actions matter to how we live out this Christian life. We must offer ourselves in confession and transformation, each and every time; we realize that we personally and corporately have limited God and God’s ways for others.
Clara still lives in Northampton County home. She turned 104 and continues on in health. You will notice that while the house has been knocked down, there is no change to the road. When the house was knocked down, there were endangered bog turtles discovered to be living on the property. With the endangerment of the bog turtles, the road cannot be changed until the habitat is secured. One of the youth in the church, environmentalist by passion, helped the officials discover the bog turtles, which lived there the whole time alongside Clara and her family. Clara is adjusting to her new home. She imagines that she will not be there for the next 77 years, but it will do just find. She finds the miracle of the bog turtles to be grace-filled when she did not feel gracious at all. The miracle of freedom in God’s grace.
God is always moving among us, always calling us to follow only God, always drawing wider the circle of those who are redeemed by God – miracles upon miracles!
This is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, thanks be to God, Amen.
1(The Word That Redescribes the World: The Bible and Discipleship).
Old Testament Lesson: 1 Kings 21:1-21a
Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.” Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.
His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?” He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it’; but he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” His wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him to death.” The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”
As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules[a] in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?” You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.”
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel;
Gospel Lesson: Luke 7:36, 8:3
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
Meditations For Your Week
Sunday, June 12 ~ Saturday, June 18
Sunday: “And Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.’” 1 Kings 21: 2. Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard. Chaos and death come from this coveting. Where is God calling you to repent from coveting something of someone else’s?
Monday: “Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, ‘I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.’ He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.” 1 King 21: 4. Being outside of the way of God can bring deep pain. Prayerfully ask God to show you where you might have missed the mark and are living outside of God’s way with resentment and brokenness.
Tuesday: “His wife Jezebel said to him, ‘Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’” 1 Kings 21: 7. Be wary of those who elevate themselves into the role of God.
Wednesday: “Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O my enemy?’ He answered, ‘I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord,” I Kings 21: 20. God is always seeking us. The prophet Elijah responded to God’s call to find Ahab and bring to him the word of God. Who is bringing you the word of God?
Thursday: “Simon answered, ‘I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’” Luke 7:43. Where can you give thanks to God for offering you incredible grace?
Friday: “Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.’” Luke 7:47. Our freedom in Christ grows exponentially when we offer to others the love, forgiveness, and grace that we have experienced. Where are showing great love?
Saturday: “Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.” Luke 8:1-3. Some of us follow Jesus because our lives have been changed, some of us feel called, others offer our resources to be used. Come and follow Jesus, the miraculous one!
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