The lessons for each Sunday in the church year proclaim God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Also derived from a Sunday’s texts are lessons for the Christ-inspired and Christ-like life of God’s people. The comments here will help you find hunger-related threads –sermon starters – among the themes of this day’s texts. (We're presuming you have already done your exegetical work on the texts.) God bless your proclamation (and teaching) of what is most certainly true!

This word of the Lord comes to Elijah in the wilderness as he flees the wrath of Jezebel. In this passage God’s word of comfort challenges any fear that Elijah may be struggling with. So Elijah leaves the wilderness not in fear or uncertainty, but with a mission and confidence. At the heart of Elijah’s selection of Elisha is the issue of commitment. Elisha displays an initial willingness that comes with one (seemingly reasonable) request. But the severity of the issue expressed in Elijah’s question, “what have I done to you?” is not lost on Elisha, who may have heard something like, “wrong answer, think again.”

Elisha illustrates his commitment by making an economic sacrifice- killing the animals that he and his family depend on for their livelihood. Where Elisha stands is undeniably clear. This story invites us to reflect on how we memorialize our commitments. What actions have we taken in our personal or communal lives that show such an unreserved commitment to God? And what role does economic sacrifice have in our commitment to working with and for the poor and hungry?

Paul is trying to make it clear that the freedom he is proclaiming is of a different sort than the kind people wish for when they imagine a world without consequences. It would be too easy to view freedom as a license for self- indulgence, and perhaps this is what Paul hopes to communicate by setting the “flesh” and “Spirit” in opposition. Instead, Paul hopes to add some purpose to our freedom that is beyond self-indulgence. If we are freed from ourselves and our whims, then we are freed to live a new life, a life in the Spirit that by nature means a life turned toward others. By living in this freedom we are guided by the Spirit and thus we belong to Christ. A continuing challenge for us is regarding the visible difference—whether others can tell that we belong to Christ.

Once again the plow makes an appearance in a lesson about what it means to follow. The story of Elisha doesn’t need to be in the foreground to understand Jesus’ point. His insistence on commitment is hard to miss. This passage offers up a caution, lest we dilute discipleship or ignore the unswerving commitment that is required. It is within this commitment that we are called to do the work of God. The image of following Christ is quite appropriate here, because we do not enter this work alone or without guidance. And it is here where we find a Savior who is deeply committed to us.