Sunday November 1, 2015 | Greg Boyd
At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that 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. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
In this installment of our Formed series, Greg Boyd explores the importance of the Practice of No in the life of Christian discipleship. The story of Elijah and his experience with God on Mount Horeb are the foundation of this sermon as Greg examines how God lives in the quiet in the midst of a world that keeps getting louder and more sensational. The discipline of simplicity is an important tool to learn how to keep our gaze focused on Jesus rather than constantly looking for more.
The focus of this week in our Formed series is the story of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Prior to exploring this story Greg reminded us that spiritual formation is the continual movement of being formed in the image of Christ and that often this forming is about getting rid of something that is not consistent with the truth of who we are in Christ. The analogy of the sculptor Michaelangelo was specifically relevant as he believed that the sculpture was stuck in the block and his job was simply to remove what didn’t belong. This removal of what doesn’t belong is the process of the practices of No. Subsequent sermons will deal with the practices of Yes, but the focus of this sermon will be on those practices of No as we are formed in the image of Christ.
Greg told the story of running away from home after a severe beating. He had a specific place in the woods he would run to in order to be along. He recalled a specific time when he found this secret place and fell asleep in the midst of his weeping. He awoke to the sound of the wind blowing through the pine needles and heard the sound of his name in that moment. He experienced the presence of God in that lonely moment and it brought him incredible peace.
Greg’s story as a little boy in the woods was our invitation into the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah has just come off an incredible experience of God’s power in 1 Kings 18, but has quickly transitioned to feeling alone, negative and conveys symptoms of depression. We enter the story in 1 Kings 19 as Elijah is, most likely, having a vision in the midst of a cave at Mount Horeb. Elijah sees the mighty wind, earthquake and fire and realizes that God is not in those more sensational experiences. God shows up in the “dak” and “demama” (Hebrew for “gentle or soft” and “breeze or blowing”). God is revealed after all the religious hoopla is done. This is in stark contrast to Elijah’s recent experience on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18 and acts as a reminder to Elijah that God can show up in the sensational experiences, but that he lives in the quiet and gentle breeze.
Greg notes that twice in this passage (1 Kings 19:9 and 13) God asks Elijah the same questions, “what are you doing here, Elijah?”. God is aware that true transformation happens as we sit in the quiet with God and let him speak our own name to us. God needs to continually remind Elijah that while God is capable of the fireworks and the wow factor, he doesn’t live in those moments. Elijah had to learn how to really encounter God in the quiet and not in the hoopla.
Elijah’s experience on Mount Horeb and Greg’s experience as a boy alone in the woods remind us that true life with God is not found in the sensational and wow factor of religious pizzazz. We often have a predisposition from the Garden of Eden to seek out the sensational rather than simply walking with God in the garden. This can play itself out in our pursuits for more profound spiritual experiences, a better job, more money, more respect, new sexual encounters and often is a result of our immense fear of boredom. Most of our life with God ends up looking like trying to hear the sound of whisper during a rock concert.
The practices of No are all about freeing us from the whirlwind and noise in order to be able to listen and walk with God (for more specifics on these practices and disciplines, look into Dallas Willard’s book, Spirit of the Disciplines). One example of these practices of No is simplicity. Simplicity is about learning to be content with less (Philippians 4:12). This practice is a direct affront to the basis of advertisements that remind us that we never have enough and are always lacking. The practice of simplicity is based in the truth that the most important question in life is, “does Jesus want me to have it?”. We are called to live in simplicity so we have margin to serve others and experience the gentle breeze of God. We are called to say no to the constant gazing at more and to fix our eyes on Jesus who can provide all we need as we listen and let him speak our name to us