Elijah (July 20)

Elijah Taken Up in  a Chariot of Fire Giuseppi Angeli 1740-55

 Other paintings of Elijah can be found here.

From Treasury of Daily Prayer and lcms.org:

The prophet Elijah, whose name means, “My God is Yahweh, the Lord,” prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel, mostly during the reign of Ahab (874–853 B.C.). Ahab, under the influence of his pagan wife Jezebel, had encouraged the worship of Baal throughout his kingdom, even as Jezebel sought to get rid of the worship of Yahweh. Elijah was called by God to denounce this idolatry and to call the people of Israel back to the worship Yahweh as the only true God (as he did in 1 Kgs 18:20–40). Elijahwas a rugged and imposing figure, living in the wilderness and dressing in a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt (2 Kgs 1:8). He was a prophet mighty in word and deed. Many miracles were done through Elijah, including the raising of the dead (1 Kgs 17:17–24), and the effecting of a long drought in Israel (1 Kgs 17:1). At the end of his ministry, he was taken up into heaven as Elisha, his successor, looked on (2 Kgs 2:11). Later on the prophet Malachi proclaimed that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah (Mal 4:5–6), a prophecy that was fulfilled in the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist (Mt 11:14).

Activities 

• Build an altar with caramel squares (get it?  Mt. Carmel?) and red hots on top to represent God's fire.

• Make a simple flat bread recipe, remembering how the widow's oil and flour never ran out during the drought (I Kings 17).  Here is an example, although there are many ethnic varieties to choose from if you browse the web!
• Make a list of how Elijah is a type of Christ.
• Coloring page