Expanding Horizons of the Spirit

1 Kings 17:8-24: Then the Lord said to Elijah, "Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you." So Elijah went to Zarephath, and as he came to the gate of the town,he saw a widow gathering firewood. "Please bring me a drink of water," he said to her. And as she as going to get it, he called out, "And please bring me some bread, too."

She answered, "By the living Lord your God I swear that I haven't got any bread. All I have is a handful of flour in a bowl and a drop of olive-oil in a jar. I came here to gather some firewood to take back home and prepare what little I have for my son and me. That will be our last meal, and then we will starve to death."

"Don't worry." Elijah said to her. "Go ahead and prepare your meal. But first make a small loaf from what you have and bring it to me, and then prepare the rest for you and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: :The bowl will not run out of flour or the jar run out of oil before the day that I, the Lord, send rain.'"

The widow went and did as Elijah had told her, and all of them had enough food for many days. As the Lord had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil:

Some time later the widow's son fell ill; he got worse and worse, and finally he died. She said to Elijah, "Man of God, why did you do this to me? Did you come here to remind God of my sins and so cause my son's death?"

"Give the boy to me, " Elijah said. He took the boy from her arms, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying, and laid him on the bed. Then he prayed aloud, "O Lord my God, why have you done such a terrible thing to this widow? She has been kind enough to take care of me, and now you kill her son!" Then Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times and prayed. "O Lord my God, restore this child to life!"
The Lord answered Elijah's prayer; the child started breathing again and revived.

Elijah took the boy back downstairs to his mother and said to her, "Look, your son is alive!"

She answered, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the Lord really speaks through you!"

Luke 7:11-17: Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd. Just as he arrived at the gate of the town, a funeral procession was coming out. The dead man was the only son of a woman who was a widow, and a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart was filled with pity for her, and he said to her, "Don't cry." Then he walked over and touched her coffin, and the men carrying it stopped. Jesus said, "Young man!Get up, I tell you! The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They all were filled with fear and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us!" they said; "God has come to save his people!"

This news about Jesus went out through all the country and the surrounding territory.

Rev Dr Hermen Shastri

6 June 2010

*We are in the season of Pentecost
*Without the Holy Spirit, the church is nothing
*The Holy Spirit moves, lightens, inspires the people to the truth of the gospel
*Christ Redeemer and Holy Spirit- the unity of them
*God preserves and protects life
*Whenever we are under threat, we can be sure the Holy Spirit is at work
*What comes from God, created by God, loved by God cannot be destroyed
*Reflected by Paul sending the letter to the Romans
*Gandhi- "So may poor people in the world that God cannot appear to them except in the form of a man."
*There are many people because of poverty, power that faces danger
*What they need is a word and act that gives an assured life

*Matthew 25:37-40: "The righteous will then answer him, 'When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you? The King will reply, ' I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me!'

-The Spirit is instrumental, open's opportunities in caring and sharing

*Called to be a blessing not only to others but ourselves as well
*When there is description of pentecost

Acts 2:44-45: They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed.

*Transformation and boldness in living the gospel
*True appreciation of living a simple life of sharing and caring
*How they have been blessed by generosity to the poor and non-believers

2 stories
Elijah and Jesus
*Both handling a widow
*Widows in society of those days-very vulnerable and for sure they were poor and there were restrictions that they could not enjoy a good life
*All these widow's names were not revealed
*They were non-believers and foreigners

Elijah
*Elijah was against false prophets that were brought by Queen Jezebel
*Strange journey for Elijah
-ravens brought food for him
-He will lead with encouragement and strength
-sharing the little the widow has- a bit of flour and water

*It looked like their last meal-but the widow agreed to let Elijah share her food

Jesus
*Very hard for the Jews- for the prophet to defile himself as he was in close proximity with a none believer
*encounter with a santuarian (non believer)
*He said that kind of faith I can't even see in my own people
*She was dressed, wailing and Jesus touched the coffin- defiled as he cannot come in contact with the dead
*Son will be her security for the rest of her life

*These two stories help us appreciate and see where the spirit is working where homes will open for us
*Communion that break down boundaries
*There were exchange with High Priest and the Rabbi

*Luke 4:17: and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written.
-The Rabbi unrolled the scroll and spoke from the book of Isaiah

*Luke 4:26: Yet Elijah was not sent to anyone in Israel, but only to a widow living in Zarephath in the territory of Sidon.
-The Rabbi spoke about Elijah and the widow

Expanding Horizons of the Spirit- makes our living so beautiful
*God is here and everywhere. We will see his love at work into an exciting Christian life.


**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**