Spirit Spirited Wednesday for June 1, 2016

The Rev. Dr. Maritza I. Angulo de GonzálezPastor, Manantial de Gracia “Spring of Grace” UCC
(860) 965-0635

Begin forwarded message:

From: Andrew Page <DrewP>
Date: June 2, 2016 at 10:31:28 AM EDT
To: Maritza <mdeg_pastor>
Subject: FW: [Spirit] Spirited Wednesday for June 1, 2016

June 1, 2016

Leaning On
A reflection by the Rev. Dr. Maritza Angulo de González.

Scripture: 1 KINGS 17:8-16 (GW)

Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: “Get up, go to Zarephath (which belongs to Sidon), and stay there. I’ve commanded a widow there to feed you.” He got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the town’s entrance, a widow was gathering wood. He called to her, “Please bring me a drink of water.” As she was going to get it, he called to her again, “Please bring me a piece of bread too.” She said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord your God lives, I didn’t bake any bread. I have one handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I’m gathering wood. I’m going to prepare something for myself and my son so that we can eat it and then die.” Then Elijah told her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home, and do as you’ve said. But first make a small loaf and bring it to me. Then prepare something for yourself and your son. This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Until the Lord sends rain on the land, the jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always contain oil.” She did what Elijah had told her. So she, Elijah, and her family had food for a long time. The jar of flour never became empty, and the jug always contained olive oil, as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

REFLECTION:

Have you ever felt like you are in that place were you are being refined, transformed, restored, and your trust in God gets wonderstruck?

Several years ago I spent time as a missionary in a place that some would consider a poverty stricken country, with a family that had very limited water, let alone food to feed their children or much less to feed an additional mouth. Every morning we would wake up and think about what we would be eating that day. And each morning the answer was the same, “Tortas a Tres Tiempos” –Tortillas at Three Times. Literally, this means that we would be mixing water and flour and preparing tortillas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The time used to prepare the flour was an excellent time to minister to the needs of the community. That was the commitment. Every morning: wake up, get up, bring down water from the cistern, find enough flour and prepare food for the day.

We learned to trust that each of us would do our part, and we leaned heavenly on our trust in God. I learned the blessing of shared passions and commitments. This family obeyed God’s command and so do I: we ministered to each other and we shared our meals, both the physical and the spiritual.

In this mostly comfortable country and in this mostly safe reality, how are you leaning on God and how are you sharing your meals? God asks it of each of us.

PRAYER:
Creator God, thank you for teaching me to survive. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. Maritza Angulo de González is Co-Pastor of Manantial de Gracia “Spring of Grace” in West Hartford. She is also a member of the United Church of Christ Board of Directors.

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