Feeling Alone (Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost)

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I was raised to be an honest person.  I was taught not to lie or take advantage of people.  And I was also raised with the impression that, while there were people who would lie and take advantage of you, most people were honest, especially if you were honest with them.

But lately, every time my phone dings – or I open my email – I get messages from people who I know are lying to me.  They’re trying to phish for information, even if it’s just my name or contact info so they can sell it to others.  Sometimes, they even pretend to be people who I know so that I’ll trust them. And some of the spoofers have become even better at making the texts and emails look like they’re coming from legitimate addresses.

I know many of you can relate, especially because many of you have received text messages or emails claiming to be from “Pastor Steve.”  And what “Pastor Steve” asks you for is a gift card.  Remember when you get those, that this is NOT from real me!  Or, they tell you that “Pastor Steve” really needs a favor, but is too busy to talk to you, so don’t call.  That is NEVER the real “Pastor Steve.” 

And as I get more and more of these things, I start ask myself whether I’m in the minority of people who don’t do stuff like this.  I know it’s not true, but it’s easy to feel very alone.

And then, even though it can be depressing, I do read the news. And I can’t help seeing a lot of political commentary on Facebook. And I have always been the kind of person who realizes that all of the big problems we face in our world and in our county are complex and defy simple solutions. 

But as I read the news, I’m bombarded with voices from the extremes of both sides who offer solutions I can easily see big problems with.  Yet especially during primary season, the voices on the extremes tend to dominate the news, so that it can feel like everybody in my country is on one extreme or the other.   And I feel very alone. Maybe it’s like this for you, too.

And I also remember when I was growing up, and when I was in high school and college that many – even most – of my friends and neighbors who weren’t part of my church community were nevertheless part of some kind of faith community.  And we could share and compare our various faiths and beliefs.  But in my life today, very few of my friends and neighbors outside of my church are involved in any kind of faith practice.  And the number seems to shrink all the time.  And even though I know it’s not true, it’s easy to feel like I alone am left as a practicing Christian of my friends and neighbors from long ago.  Maybe you’ve had this experience, too.

And in today’s first reading, this is how the prophet Elijah feels.  He’s hiding out in a cave, and when God asks him what he’s doing there, he responds (twice!) “I alone am left” of all your faithful people!  He feels utterly alone.

He feels this way in spite of the fact that he knows it’s not actually true.  Just before this part of the story, he had defeated the false prophets of Baal by calling down fire from heaven.  It was such an impressive event that all the people watching bowed down and worshiped God and declared the LORD to be God!  Elijah had won, and lots of people were convinced! Yet Elijah still felt alone.

Perhaps that was because the king and queen of Israel were NOT impressed and wanted him dead.  So Elijah fled.  And along the way he got tired and lay down and fell asleep.  But an angel showed up out of nowhere and gave him hot bread and water and told him to eat and drink so that the journey wouldn’t be too much for him.  This happened twice.  And so Elijah knew that God was with him.  But Elijah still feels alone.

And finally, when God tells Elijah about all these other people he’s to go and anoint as prophets and kings, Elijah knows them, too.  And he knows they’re still part of God’s team. He also seems unsurprised that, oh yeah, there are these other 7000 people who have remained faithful as well.  Yet, Elijah still feels alone.

And so God gives Elijah some instructions.  And really, those instructions are about helping Elijah to live into the future and not feel so alone.  And maybe they can help us as well, when we feel like we’re facing the world alone, even and maybe especially, when we know that’s not really the case.

So, it seems to me that there are at least three instructions God gives Elijah to help him move forward and not feel so alone anymore:

• Get out of the cave – the question from God to Elijah both times is, “what are you doing here, Elijah?”  Why are you sitting alone in the cave and whining about stuff?  That’s not helping and it’s just making you feel worse.  And indeed, sometimes when I feel alone, it’s because I’ve been spending too much time in the “cave” of social media or the newsfeed, or I just keep replaying bad news I heard in the cave of my head over and over again…. Maybe this is the way it is for you, too, sometimes.  And often, the first step in not feeling so alone is to find the ways – physically, emotionally and intellectually – to get ourselves out of whatever cave we’ve been holed up in lately…

• Get on with the work you’re supposed to be doing – remember that Elijah was supposed to be on a journey?  He had his regular work that God wanted him to do. Involving himself in that mission was one of the keys to not feeling so alone.  And often for us, getting on with the regular stuff we know is important in our lives – especially if it’s the basic tasks we feel God wants us to do in the lives of our neighbors, families and friends – is an important antidote to both getting out of the cave and not feeling so alone.  When we involve ourselves in meaningful activities and relationships, it reminds us that we’re not alone and that we’re valued and needed in the lives of others…

• Remember that while we’re called to do the work that God calls us to do, the fate of the world does NOT depend on us – here’s one of the ironies of this story: Elijah is concerned that people have forsaken God.  And often, “forsaking God” doesn’t necessarily mean worshipping an idol.  Instead, it often simply means that you consider yourself more important and powerful than God. Yet, this is what Elijah is in danger of doing himself. Elijah has convinced himself that if he can’t fix things, it’s all over.  It all depends upon him.  (He even thinks he can outdo God with the drama …!)

But God tells him that there are all these other people through whom God will work besides him.  In fact, God has already found a replacement for him (Elisha!) who will continue on after him.  And (also perhaps ironically) being told that you’re not as mission critical as you think you are can also be freeing.  When everything doesn’t all depend upon you, you’re more likely to live boldly and freely, because you know that both God and others are out there to also, and so you really aren’t alone.  And that’s important for all of us to remember, whether we’re a famous person like Elijah or not…

You know, God never tells Elijah that he’s wrong about all the problems in the world.  He doesn’t even tell him that he’s not in the minority.  And God doesn’t tell him, “don’t worry, be happy”!  Things are bad and God understands why Elijah feels the way he does.

But God also points out to Elijah, and to us, that hiding in our caves and whining about the problems doesn’t help us and it doesn’t help the world around us.

So instead, like Elijah we’re called to be people who work to get ourselves out of the physical, emotional and intellectual caves we sometimes find ourselves in.  Like Elijah, we’re called to be people who invest ourselves in meaningful relationships and activities that can be a counterbalance to the mess in the world.  And most of all, like Elijah we’re called to be people who trust in God promises and God’s future especially when we’re feeling alone.

Amen.