February 23

1 Kings 19:1 – 8

Link to Bible Verses: 1 Kings 19

Hospitality: Giving space to others without demands or expectations.

This passage screams hospitality! Elijah isolates himself and prays for death. He wants to die because of the fallout of his actions. And it almost seems as though he expects God to comply, that Elijah does not expect to wake up, ever.

Instead, in the midst of the desert, food and drink appear. Not once, but twice. And with their appearance comes an invitation (ok, an order, which is questionably hospitable) to eat and drink.

The story suggests an angel brought the food, as an angel is the one awakening him and ordering him about. What do you picture when you read about the angel in this story? Do you picture a marginally human figure that flits about, coming and going like wind? Or do you picture a kind stranger who happened upon an exhausted and distraught soul amidst the perils of the desert? The latter seems to put a bit of a twist on hospitality, doesn’t it? Through genuine hospitality, we are able to be angels on Earth. Through hospitality, we are able to offer space without demands or expectations, making Christ’s presence alive among us.

Thank you to Linda Land-Closson for writing our 2026 Lenten Devotions.