Dirty Bird

I love Halloween. I mean really love everything about it. I have always loved dressing up in costumes. I love decorating the house with fake cobwebs and spiders. I love carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds. And we love the tradition of booing our neighbors. For those of you who are uninitiated, when you boo someone you fill a bag or pumpkin with treats, candy, spider rings, anything small, then leave it on the doorstep while you ring the doorbell and run away. The family who has been booed puts a sign on their door and then boos someone else. It is a fun way to pass along the sugary holiday cheer. This year Halloween fell on our Wednesday chapel, and I felt that fact should not go unnoticed and with that thought into the box went a large black bird.

The Bible is the best storybook ever, and I have always loved what I call, the creepy Bible stories. Elijah was a prophet. He was one called by God to tell the people the truth, and since people don't often like to hear the truth, prophets were typically disliked. After the death of Solomon, God's chosen people had become so wicked Elijah foretold there would be a terrible drought, lasting many years. God then sent Elijah to live in the wilderness near a spring in secret. Elijah survived only because every morning and evening ravens appeared with bread and meat in their beaks for him.

I find this story disturbing and can't imagine eating meat that came from the beak of a bird. I don't even eat sushi. To the people of the Old Testament this would have been disturbing as well. Biblical law said that ravens were unclean and could not be sacrificed. In spite of this, God used ravens to feed Elijah. The most humble of creatures was used to further God's will. And while I'm sure poor Elijah thought the wilderness meals were as disgusting as I do, Elijah obeyed God and God provided for him.

Following the will of God is not always easy. No one likes the person who states the truth. Life in the wilderness is hard. The service is bad and the food is worse. But if we listen for and follow the call our Lord will provide for us.