1 Kings 19:1-15a & Luke 8:26-39
There are similarities between this week’s two stories—the story of Elijah and the story of Jesus. During the reign of King Ahab, Elijah demonstrated to the Israelites who the true God was—the Lord, not Baal. Fire came down from heaven, confirming God’s power, and rain finally ended the severe famine in the land. Yet even after this great victory, Elijah felt alone and believed the whole nation was against him. He fled in fear from Queen Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab.
In a similar way, Jesus healed a Gentile man possessed by demons. But instead of rejoicing, the people of the town asked Jesus to leave. During the healing, a large herd of pigs was lost, and the townspeople were more afraid of losing their livelihood than they were amazed by the miracle. The whole town turned against Jesus—even though he had freed a soul from deep torment. God cared for Elijah in his fear, exhaustion, and despair. And Jesus cared for a man who had suffered for years under the control of evil spirits. Join us as we go deeper into what God wants to say through these powerful stories. All are welcome!

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