February 5thElijah and the Ravens
- by Peter Haresnape
1 Kings 17:1-7: Elijah and the Ravens
A fellow intern went to visit her Presbyterian church’s Out of the Cold programme, welcoming people in need of shelter into their large, aging building. She was surprised to learn that almost all of the volunteers were young adults working in a nearby bank. This group took pains to let her know that they were not part of the church - her congregation.
We discussed her story in depth. Were ‘the bank kids’ afraid of the church, or their idea of church? Did she have a pastoral responsibility or opportunity toward them, or were the clients sheltering in the building the only ones she should be connecting with? Should ‘Out of the Cold’ be considered a program of the church if the congregation did not provide volunteers to staff it?
This provision of God comes from the strangest places - backwater towns and refugee slums, in decrees of foreign kings and gifts of wandering magi
The story of Elijah and the Ravens kept returning to my mind, and when the conversation turned to scripture I shared it. Elijah speaks against the king and proclaims a drought, and God leads him into the wilderness. While he is there, he is fed by ravens who bring meat and bread, day and night. Wilderness provision reminds me of the manna in the desert, and Jesus being tended by angels while he was ‘with the wild animals’.
Who are these raven-angels of God? As scavengers, perhaps it is best not to ask them what meat they bring for Elijah - no word is given on if it is clean, kosher, or cooked, only that it comes by God. This provision of God comes from the strangest places - backwater towns and refugee slums, in decrees of foreign kings and gifts of wandering magi, and apparently in the fertile fusion of a draughty church building and unchurched twenty-somethings from a nearby bank with a desire to serve.
Working in ecumenical spaces was a life-giving breath of fresh air - the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The church I attended in my twenties in Scotland was not keen on working with others. They never supported any programme except what they did themselves, and they did not invite others along. Working in ecumenical spaces was a life-giving breath of fresh air - the presence of the Holy Spirit.
There is no pure offering and no moment where a person becomes worthy to serve God. We simply begin as we are called, embodying the way of Jesus and meeting comrades along the way. This Holy Spirit cannot be captured in grant applications and it cannot be threatened by the whims of tyrant leaders or economic misfortune. It is something to celebrate. Thanks be to God!
- Peter Haresnape serves as part of the pastoral team of Toronto United Mennonite Church.