Third-Last Sunday in the Church Year ~ November 12, 2006

Two similar stories from the Old Testament and the Gospel lesson. We see two widows in what seem, from an earthly perspective, hopeless situations. One is preparing a last meal for her and her son and one is putting in all the money she has, two copper coins. And yet there is more to the story here; more than what we can see with earthly eyes. We need the eyes of faith to truly see that God is at work in these situations. And by doing so, seeing beyond the earthly circumstances, we may also be able to see beyond our earthly situation and see God at work in our lives.

In the Old Testament story we see a widow that was living with her son at the time of a famine. They were nearing the end of their resources and the widow was preparing the final meal of bread out of what little she had left. Elijah comes to her and asks for something to eat. This seems almost ridiculous – this woman has almost nothing left and yet Elijah asks for bread. From an earthly perspective this seems hopeless. I am sure that the widow and her son have been in this situation a long time. She may have even lost her husband to the drought – we don’t know. Her resources seem to be gone and there is no hope, nothing left but to die.

But God has a bigger plan for this widow, her son and Elijah. We have to see beyond the situation and have the eyes of faith, a trust that God’s plan is bigger than what we see. And it is. God provides not only for Elijah but also for the widow and her son.

What I also like about this story is how God provides. He does miraculously build a “Wal-Mart” and they widow can get all that she wants. He provides just enough for each day – just what they need to survive.

In our culture today we get very fixated on our immediate resources. How often have we groaned about our financial situation and said, “If only I had more…” We worry about how to provide for all that our family wants. We worry about tomorrow and what will our earthly situations bring to us. And yet we soon forget – we have been taken care of by God. We are here today – right. We have been able to eat and have a place to stay. Even if were are in dire earthly situations God has still provides just what we need. That takes the eyes of faith to see beyond our circumstances in life and trust that God will provide for us and be with us.

The eyes of faith allow us to trust our whole lives to God. The widow in the Gospel lesson trust God with her whole life, not just a portion of it. We too, need the eyes of faith to trust in our Lord. And those eyes of faith are given to us through the Holy Spirit. He comes to us in Word and Sacrament. His Word reaches beyond our day to day situations and shows us that we have a God who is in control, even if we can’t see results yet, and who loves and cares for us, even if the world seems to show us the opposite.

One place that I believe the eyes of faith become very clear is at the final moments of death. I have had the opportunity to be at the bedside of several people who have been in their final moments of life. Their families have surrounded them and they know that the end is near. One thing I have learned is that this moment is out of everyone’s control. There is nothing anyone can do for this person. They are dying and the end is near. Even the miracle of modern medicine is at a loose at these moments. From an earthly perspective it may appear hopeless. But the eyes of faith, faith in Jesus Christ, lead us to a different conclusion. Death is not the end but the beginning of a much better existence with God. Faith tells us that not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. In the midst of the grief and the sorrow felt by the family in this difficult situation, for those who have the eyes of faith, there is a spark of joy and hope. Their loved one is going to be with the Lord. Only with the gift of faith from God can we truly see beyond death to life eternal.

And if we can see this in death then we can see this in life. God will provide. God does love and care for us. We can trust Him fully even if we can’t see what He is doing. The eyes of faith draw us more and more to give our whole lives to God in trust that He is always there for us. Even in the bleakest of earthly situation God has never left us. We need to only trust in Him that He will see us through.

The widow and her son were provided for. I imagine that the widow who gave her last two coins was taken care of as well. God will provide. God is merciful.

As we near the end of this year we are making plans for next year at Mount Olive. It is the time of year that we make a budget based on your pledges. We plan for 2007 in existing and new ministries. And we get stressed out about finances. It is only natural and happens in many churches. How are we going to make things happen with the money we have been pledged. And as much as we struggle to make a balanced budget, as much as we worry about making ends meet, as much as we struggle over what things will get funded – God is still involved. We have always worried about the budget year after year and yet we are still here. We still have worship services. We will have many ministries that happen all the time. We are still Mount Olive, no matter how much or little we have in the bank. God still provides. And that takes the eyes of faith to look beyond the dollars and limited resources and see how God provides and sustains His church.

What a loving and gracious God we have. Not matter what we face in life. No matter how hard life gets and how bleak it looks on an earthly side – God is still God and still is here with us. We can’t see the big picture but God can. Let us trust Him and know that He has our best interests at heart. He knows what is best, He knows what we need, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. Let the eyes of faith guide you as you think about the future and let us trust God with our whole lives.

Amen