I start most mornings with tea and morning prayer. Mudpie (cat) usually joins me. Some days a verse or story just needs to be shared. So those of you eager for news of baseball or recipes may occasionally have to encounter a few Bible verses and/or poetry. I’ll categorize these as appropriate so you can either find or ignore them.

Anyway, today included one of my favorite OT stories. Elijah on the mountain (from 1 Kings 19, NRSV):

9 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?” 10He 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.” 11He 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; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13When 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?”

As we recover from that busiest of times of year and move toward all our New Year’s Resolutions, may we all remember to wait through the wind, earthquakes, and fire for God in the silence, and be ready with an answer to “What are you doing here?”

The New Testament reading included a couple of pretty useful verses as well, from Ephesians 4 (NRSV):

31Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, 32and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

And with that I bid you Happy New Year, once again.