The Ninth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Kings 17:7-24

In Christ Jesus, whose storehouse of grace and love is never exhausted, dear fellow redeemed:

The prophet Elijah was used to his food coming by unusual means. Before today’s account, we are told that God sent ravens to fly in with bread and meat each morning and evening as he lived in a remote place east of the Jordan River (1Ki. 17:6). But when his source of water there dried up, God commanded him to go to a town in the region of Sidon. This was a good 75 miles away from where he currently lived. When he arrived, God told him to expect food from a Gentile widow who lived in the town of Zarephath. So not only would Elijah be traveling out of Israelite territory, it would be a poor widow who would keep him alive!

The reason God sent Elijah all the way to the territory of Sidon for food is because the whole land of Israel suffered under a divinely-imposed drought. It was also to keep him safe from King Ahab who reigned over the kingdom of Israel at that time. He was one of Israel’s notoriously wicked kings who led the people to worship false gods. The drought at this time was symbolic of the spiritual condition of the people of Israel. Their hearts had dried up, and almost no one recognized the need for the living waters of the true God.

The spiritual situation was so bad that Jesus would comment many years later, “in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow” (Luk. 4:25-26). Elijah was sent to Gentile territory because of the Israelites’ lack of faith.

This was as surprising for the widow as it was for Elijah. How could she possibly be a good candidate to support an Israelite prophet? She was about to prepare the final meal for herself and her son. The last thing she expected in her desperate situation was for someone to ask her for food! What did she have to give? Couldn’t Elijah find someone else with greater means?

When we think about the topic of stewardship, similar thoughts may come to our minds. “What difference do I make? I can offer so little. Such significant needs require those who have more to spare and can afford to give a lot.” But that is not the way God talks about stewardship. He says that Christians should give offerings regularly in accord with their income (1Co. 16:2). He does not require a “tithe” today—or a tenth of all that one has—like He did in the Old Testament era. But He does want us to give eagerly and generously to support the work of the Gospel.

Some still find it useful to give a “tithe,” a tenth of whatever they earn, to the church. But we are free in this regard. We are free to give less than a tenth of what we have, and we are free to give more. St. Paul writes, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2Cor. 9:7). Did the widow of Zarephath give cheerfully? It’s hard to say. She only had enough flour and oil for one more meal for herself and her son.

But she did what Elijah asked. She prepared food first for him and then for her family. This is consistent with the LORD’s command in Old Testament times, that the people give their firstfruits for the work of the priests. First they should provide for the men who attended to their spiritual needs, and then they should take care of their other needs.

This is what the poor widow in the temple did when she gave her last two coins—“all she had to live on” (Luk. 21:4). She held nothing back. But we see the pile of bills—house payments, utilities, cell phone, internet—and perhaps a growing debt. We convince ourselves that we can’t get by without this or that. We like having nice things. We don’t want our kids to have less than their peers. So instead of our offerings coming as the firstfruits, we often give them as the leftovers.

But why should so much depend on our giving? It may seem to us that if God needs the money so bad, He could easily get it some other way. Couldn’t God fill the offering plate in the same miraculous way that He filled the widow’s jar of flour and jug of oil, with just the right amount appearing? He certainly could. But where would it end? God could preach, baptize, and give Communion without pastors. He could make food appear on tables without work. He could construct roads without highway crews. He could imprison people without the justice system. Instead God chooses to do His work through countless vocations. This includes the support of the preaching and teaching of the Word.

When we think we can’t afford to give offerings to God, it’s usually because we think of what we have as ours. The good things we have do belong to us in a certain respect, but ultimately they belong to God. He sends us abundant gifts—food and clothing, home and family, property and goods—and gives us the duty of managing those gifts. We faithfully give back in our offerings from what God has given us, just as the hymn says, “We give Thee but Thine own” (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #445).

Whenever we hand over what belongs to us, we expect to get something in return. Is that how offerings work? If we give generously to God, does God give greater gifts to us? The proverb seems to say this, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine” (3:9-10). But this is not a promise that only good things will come to those who are generous toward God. It is a promise that God will not forsake those who humbly put their trust in Him.

The widow of Zarephath learned this lesson. She faithfully fed Elijah, and the food kept coming. But then her son died. That doesn’t seem right at all. Hadn’t she proven herself? How could God do this to her? Was it because of her sins, the widow wondered? Thankfully, God does not operate by a payback system. He was not punishing the widow; He was teaching her to trust in Him.

The same goes for us. Our LORD does not give to us based on what we have given to Him. Even if we gave more offerings than everyone else, sharing what we have generously and regularly, God would still reject us on the basis of what we had done. We have not given the perfect amount with perfect motivations from a perfect heart. If the LORD gave according to what we have offered to Him, we would be absolutely, unquestionably doomed.

But God does not pay us back. He faithfully gives whether or not our giving back has been so faithful. The jar of His grace and the jug of His mercy are bottomless. There are times that we imagine we have exhausted the stores of His patience and goodness. We fear we will find His cupboards empty. But the Bread of Life and the living waters are there for our eating and drinking.

These gifts never run out or run dry because God rewards us on the basis of what Jesus has done. Jesus offered more than a tenth of Himself, more than half. He didn’t hold back even one percent of Himself. He offered His entire Person. The Son of God and Son of Man was crucified on the cross for all sinners. He made the full payment for our sin and covered our debt in full before His Father raised Him from the dead in glory.

We see a picture of His resurrection in the widow’s son. After her son died, Elijah stretched himself over the boy three times before God brought him back to life. Jesus the Son of God died and was stretched out in graveclothes for three days until God the Father raised Him from the dead. The boy’s resurrection had significance for his life and his mother’s life. Jesus’ resurrection has significance for the lives of all people.

Because of His resurrection, the Scriptures call Jesus “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1Cor. 15:20). The offering of His own life to the Father on your behalf was no insignificant amount. It is the guarantee that you are going to rise one day also. God will faithfully give you eternal life, because Jesus faithfully gave up His life for you. Your failure to be a perfect steward does not disqualify you like the manager in our Holy Gospel who was fired for his unethical behavior (Lk. 16:1-9). God forgives your mismanagement of His good gifts. And He sends you right back out on the job with more.

He knows what type of people He is working with and through. There were times that Elijah’s faithfulness wavered. The widow questioned God’s care for her when her son died. We are willing to give, but we hold back because we want to make sure we will really have what we need. We don’t fully trust that God will provide. Or sometimes we feel as though God asks more of us than we can give.

Despite our reluctance and selfishness and doubt, our LORD does not stop giving good things to us. He is faithful. He makes sure that we receive our daily bread in abundance, and most importantly, He fills our cup to overflowing with His gifts of forgiveness and salvation. He faithfully gives these things to us as He comes to us personally through His Word and Sacraments. “In [His] presence,” as the Psalm says, “there is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.

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(picture from “Parable of the Unjust Steward” by Jan Luyken, 1649-1712)