Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity (16 Sept. 2018)

Even A God Over Death

After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.  And she said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!"  And he said to her, "Give me your son." And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.  And he cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?"  Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again."  And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.  And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives."  And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."  1 Kings 17:17-24

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple. I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.  O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.  Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.  For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.  As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."  By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.  To you, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?  Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!"  You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!  Psalm 30

So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  Ephesians 3:13-21

Soon afterward He went to a town called Nain, and His disciples and a great crowd went with Him.  As He drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.  And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!"  And this report about Him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.  Luke 7:11-17

The church year is starting to wind down, though there is still a ways to go before All Saints Day.  But the readings for today have an eschatological slant, thanks to being focused on death.

In the Psalm, David asserts his understanding that, no matter where he may be, God is there.  Even in the depths of Hell, Sheol, God is still God.  Not even Hell could separate us from God.

How, if it wasn't for God being a God over death, and if He had not sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us, the statement that "not even Hell could separate us from God" is be a terrifying thought.  The almighty morally perfect creator God is judging you while you are in the grips of all the tortures of Hell is sobering.

Its the sort of emotions a parent has when their child dies, or is near death.  Despair, plain and simple.  The mothers in both the Old Testament and the Gospel reading are without doubt feeling despair.  And for similar reasons.

Both are widows.  Both had only a single son.

The first widow confronts Elijah, likely out of fear and frustration more than anything else.  Here is a powerful man of God, a prophet who had humbled kings and worked wonders.  A guest in her house who now repaid her generosity by allowing her only son to die.

The second widow does not even have the chance to confront the Son of David.  She is already on the path to bury her only son.  He is dead, and there is nothing left but the grief and despair.  The whole town of Nain mourns with her while the Christ watches the procession.

God the Father, the almighty creator of the universe, knows that pain first hand.  Not just because He is omniscient, but because He sent His Only Son to die in our stead.  And for the Son of God to watch this procession, where and only son has died, has got to be an especially emotional moment.

Through Elijah, God raised the widow's only son back to life.

Christ Himself brings the widow of Nain's only son back to life.

Because He is the God over both life and death.  There is nothing beyond His reach.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."