St George's Cathedral, Cape Town

A sermon preached by the Very Reverend Rowan Smith in the Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr on 8 November 2009

“ for thus says the Lord the God of Israel. The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail…” 1 King 17 v 14

One of the Archbishop Desmond's favourite stories concerns a person who being chased by a lion falls over a ravine and who manages to grab a branch of a small tree growing at the side of the cliff. With the lion peering over him he cries out “Lord, save me” and a voice responds “Let go and I will catch you” – there is a pause and the man cries again “Is there anyone else up there?”

Both the Old Testament lesson and the Gospel for today point us toward trust in God – not as an attitude we may profess but an experience to be lived out. Last Sunday at the Baptism service we responded in the Creed “Yes, I believe and trust in God.” Trust is expressed when we are prepared to let go and entrust ourselves to the everlasting arms.

The prophet Elijah is sent by God to Sidon, at a time when the whole land was experiencing severe drought. He comes across a widow at Zarephath and asks her to prepare a morsel of bread for him. She in fact has just enough for one last meal for herself and her son before preparing to die. The prophet, however assures her:

“Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said.
For thus says the Lord the God of Israel.
The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail. ”

Her obedience to the word of the prophet is rewarded and she and her son, together with Elijah survived the drought. The Gospel for today again focuses on a widow – Jesus having spoken of the way in which often the scribes exploited the processions of the widows point to one who is poor, yet brings her tithe to the temple:

“... she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she has to live on.” Mark 12 v 44

Again the widow is shown to exercise trust in God because she gave all she had to live on. We all profess trust in God but often when we have to give expression to that but we find ourselves holding back. Somehow, it is as if we expect God to let us down or allow us to be humiliated. Can you remember how your mother taught you to walk – believing you could stand on your own feet, she let go of your hands and trusted you to walk? She believed you were capable of standing and walking. God not only believes in us but God loves us and no matter what the circumstances of our life, how often we may fail God will never leave us nor forsake us. That ultimate faith in us is revealed for us in Jesus Christ and he himself as the letter to the Hebrew notes walked the way of our humanity. Through his life on earth, Jesus lived in generous response to the Father's will as an act of love and now through his life in us he empowers us also to live generously fully, trusting in God. Such trust was experienced by Fr Neil Scott from the diocese of Christ the King, who travelled with three pains of donkeys from Gauteng to Cape Town, having started on 15July and ending here at our Cathedral yesterday. He had travelling companions, but sometimes was alone. The journey was not always easy and at times he was tempted to give up. Today he is here with those who supported him to give thanks to God to whom he had entrusted his mission of sharing the Gospel. In the course of this and the coming year, we will all be called to a deeper trust in God – trusting that despite the financial challenges, God will provide and despite the abuse of political power, our God reigns. But – and here lies the .... .. as both widows have shown, we must put God first for then:

“The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail.”

Live by faith in the Son of God and let the Son of God cause us to grow in love because of his life in us. e.g Entrust to God the financial challenges of our Cathedral and claim the blessing that God will never leave us nor forsake us. So in confidence we pray.

“Still let me prove thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat,
Till death thy endless mercies seal
And make the sacrifice complete.” (AMR 309)

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