1 Kings 18:20-39 - November 5, 2023 - All Saints Sunday
Elijah is traditionally held to be the greatest Hebrew prophet. Many of his stories are pretty famous - our lesson for today being one of them. Other famous episodes include hearing God in the “still small voice” and being taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. Due to his prophetic zeal and his miraculous acts, he is seen as the forerunner to Israel’s redemption - think John the Baptist coming ahead of Jesus. He is also seen as the representative of all the Old Testament prophets, as seen in the brief piece from the Transfiguration story we read today.
Elijah is devoted to the one true God, Yahweh, and wants the Israelites to stay devoted, too. It seems, however, that the Israelites have gotten confused. Their King, Ahab, has married a Phoenician woman, Jezebel, who worships other gods, namely Baal. Having a King and Queen who worship God and Baal and others seems to confuse and divide the loyalty of the Israelite people.
This is where we pick up in our lesson today.
Despite the confusing worship patterns of the King and Queen, Elijah stands resolute. He challenges the prophets of Baal to a godly duel of sorts. It’s a test to see which god will answer with fire from above. That god will prove to be, in fact, the real God.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Elijah has the deck stacked against him. It’s not really a fair fight. He is the ultimate underdog in this challenge, taking on these prophets of Baal. They've got every advantage on their side: their home turf of Mount Carmel. Baal, supposedly the god of rain, thunder, and lightning, has his weapon of choice in calling down fire.
The teams are uneven to say the least: 450 prophets of Baal versus one lone prophet of God. The Baal side gets to choose their sacrifice - a bull: mighty and strong, not like that puny calf used in sacrifice to the God of Israel.
It’s as lopsided as can be.
The prophets of Baal start their fervent ritual, calling on their god to send fire from the heavens. The tension in the air is palpable; the suspense builds! Will anything happen?
They cry out passionately, their voices echoing through the mountain… but there's nothing. They try stomping, dancing, cutting themselves, and still… nothing — no response, not even a whisper, not a flicker of flame.
Elijah, perhaps with a sly smile, starts talking trash. "Maybe Baal's on vacation," he taunts. "Or maybe he's lost in thought? Perhaps he's taking a little nap and needs a wake-up call?"
The crowd watches on, the impossible situation laying out before them. The prophets of Baal can't conjure a spark.
Then, it's Elijah's turn. He rebuilds the altar of the Lord using twelve stones and dumps water on it - drenches it! - not once, not twice, but three times, making the impossible seem even more so. The altar is surrounded by water. With the sun hanging low in the sky, he prays simple words, his voice steady and unwavering, "Lord, show them you're the real God."
And in that very moment, against all odds, defying the impossible, fire explodes from the heavens. It consumes the sacrifice, the altar, and even the water in the trench. The crowd gasps, their triumphant cheers shattering the silent suspense. The impossible has become possible. The God of Israel reigns supreme, and the people declare, "The Lord is the true God!"
What a story, right? And totally relatable to everyday life.
OK, not really. Which leaves us in quite the quandary about what to do with this type of Bible story. Of course, we’d all love to be able to say a prayer and have some miraculous thing happen, all to prove that God exists. Elijah did it, why not us?
We’d for sure like to have that type of confidence in God… that type of power… that type of control. We could fix things and fix people. We could easily convince disbelievers and agnostics and atheists - get more followers for God! We could do some really good - and cool - things!
But typically, those kinds of tricks are more about us and what we want rather than being about God and what God wants. Sometimes, it just isn’t about us. Oftentimes, it isn’t about us. But it is about God. And what this passage teaches us about God is that God prevails in any contest, no matter how the deck is stacked. Even in impossible situations, God works. God prevails.
And on All Saints’ Sunday, I can’t think of a better message to hear.
While we remember the saints each and every week in our prayers, today takes on a special emphasis. We particularly remember the saints in our lives and in this community of faith who have died this past year. We read their names aloud; we recognize how their lives impacted others. But we don’t just do it to remember them. We do it to remember them in light of God’s resurrection promise. In Jesus, God works. God prevails.
In his life, Jesus showed us what God was about: healing and restoring, welcoming and loving. But people thought they knew how to do God’s job better than Jesus, so they got rid of him. Killed him. Put him up on a cross and left him there to die. Talk about the deck being stacked; death is the ultimate trump card. Nothing can overcome death.
Except for God. Except for God, and for God’s love, and God’s persistence, and God’s life. God didn’t let death have the final say. God raised Jesus up from the grave. And then, God extended that promise of life to each and every one of us.
It’s the promise we proclaim at our baptism - that place where we are drenched with water - not once, not twice, but three times - in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are named and claimed forever; nothing will separate us from God’s love.
It’s the promise that we are renewed and refined through the Holy Spirit’s fire - fire that comes down and engulfs us in love and grace, sending us out in the name of the one true God.
It’s the promise we hold in our hands at communion. God shows up, ready to feed us, support us, give us grace. With simple words, we hear the steady and unwavering promise that this is Christ, “given for you. Shed for you.”
It’s the promise we hear all through scripture, that no matter what happens, no matter what is going on, no matter who we are… in life, in death, in diagnosis or disease… when we feel the deck is stacked against us… when we are in impossible situations… God has us. God is with us. And God prevails. God prevails.
This is what the story of Elijah tells us.
This is what the death and resurrection of Jesus shows us.
This is what the message of the Gospel has always been: God has prevailed. God will prevail. No matter what.
We have a God who shows up, a God who loves you, a God who prevails even when things are stacked against us, and it all seems impossible. We have a God who prevails.
And sometimes, we just need that reminder: in big ways, in small ways, and in all the ways. On this All Saints Sunday, we get those reminders: from Elijah, from the saints in our lives, from the promise and presence of Jesus Christ: God, the true God, prevails. And God always will.