Healing Love that Always Flows
“She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.”—1 Kings 17:15-16
This week we hear the miraculous story of the never-empty-meal-jar and the jug-of-oil-that-flowed-forever into the hands of the Widow of Zarephath. It is one of those wonderful stories from our Judeo-Christian tradition that reminds us that when we put ourselves in God hands we seem to have everything that we need. But the story does not end with abundant dough. It continues with the widow’s son dying and then being revived, with God’s help, by the Prophet Elijah. So the story also reminds us that God’s healing love is boundless.
Thank God we get these reminders through our faith practices, bible study and worship. Lord knows that sometimes we can forget that everyone is included. Similarly, sometimes we may feel as though we are beyond God’s love, or that we are unable to share it. But this story and the other readings for this week remind us that all are capable of both showing and receiving God’s love, even when faced with difficult odds—and that God’s compassion and grace are limitless and know no boundaries. Each and every one can both receive and share this wondrous power; each and every one is a worthy candidate of God’s grace and favor, each and every one is a minister of the same.
God the Creator feeds us when we are hungry. God the Compassionate Healer offers us new life in the midst of despair and hopelessness. God our Lover and Advocate eagerly shares God’s wonders and moves us beyond our dreams, beyond our plans, beyond our hopes, and beyond our imaginings. Right there, in the midst of us and beyond all—is God’s love and grace. May we be ready to receive and share. May we give with abundant love the healing touch of grace.
With Pentecostal fire and prayer that the Holy Spirit bless us, Rev. Wendy Miller Olapade—Email:revwdmiller@comcast.net/