There was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces…but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.  – 1 Kings 19:11b-13

Beloved of God,

For many of us, living through the pandemic has meant letting go of life rhythms we’ve known and counted on—people, places, and habits that once grounded us.  This letting go, for some, has led to significant isolation; while for others it’s led to the rediscovery of walkable neighborhoods and creative ways of staying connected.  Our family has particularly enjoyed brief camping forays to Lutherwood and elsewhere, and physically distanced backyard dinners with friends.  The safety calculus—avoiding the virus—has become the dominant lens for all of us.  And while there are many things we miss—for me in-person Sunday worship is first among many; even at its best, live stream worship is no substitute for being with the physically gathered community!—we have grown accustomed to our forced flexibility.  And perhaps are less apt to take things for granted.

Where do we expect to find God these days?  How do we expect God to show up for us? 

The Scriptures record many stories of how, through the ages, people and prophets have had to come to terms with new ways of understanding who God is and how God might show up among us.  The quote above comes from the story of the prophet Elijah, whose battle against Israel’s worst king on record—King Ahab—and his evil wife Jezebel had taken its toll.  Even after pitching a shutout against the 450 priests of Baal in one of the most celebrated contests recorded in the Hebrew scriptures, (check it out—1 Kings 18:20-40) Elijah was feeling more vulnerable than confident.  So when, in the aftermath of that encounter, Queen Jezebel puts a bounty on his head, Elijah flees for his life, journeying 40 days and 40 nights to the holy mountain of God – Horeb. Elijah arrives there feeling depressed, defeated, fearful and alone.  He wonders whether all his efforts for God’s sake have been for naught.  Exhausted, he crawls into this cave and he waits for a sign.[1]

There’s a lot packed into this story, into what precedes it and what comes after it, but three verses captured my attention this week.  Elijah is commanded: “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”  And so Elijah, bone weary, looks toward the mouth of the cave.  This is what happens next:

There was a great wind, so strong it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind;

and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire;

and after the fire, a sound of sheer silence…

It’s when Elijah hears that SILENCE—so deep, so pervasive that it tugs at his ears—that he wraps his mantle around his head, crawls to the mouth of the cave, and he stands up before the LORD. Elijah has been around God long enough to learn that God may just show up in ways we least expect—not through outsized events or huge natural phenomenon or feats of strength, but in the form of sheer silence (RSV: “still small voice”).

The answer to the question: WHERE WILL GOD SHOW UP FOR US DURING THE PANDEMIC? may surprise us.  The story of Elijah invites us to not come to conclusions too quickly about where we can find God, but to remain open to how and where we see God manifested during this vulnerable time. To listen for that “still small voice” which can only be heard when we learn to filter out all the other loud, boisterous, public, competing voices which vie for our attention.

With you, on the Way.

Pastor Erik

[1] Sidebar: Some of the ancient manuscripts, in verse 9, call it “a cave” where Elijah found refuge. That’s how it’s translated in the NRSV.  But others name it “the cave”; definite article  What’s the difference?  The first version suggests it was any old cave.  Version two suggests that this could be the very cave where Moses hid when we saw the backside of God.  See Exodus 33:17-23.