Twice as Much as what you Got

2 Kings 2:1-14 Luke 9:51-62 June 30, 2013 6th Sunday after Pentecost Twice as Much as you Got Year C Introduction Step on a Crack Do you remember the saying when you were little, Or maybe I should say that I remember when I was little, we would play this game - Step on a crack, you break your mother’s back. And we would walk down the sidewalk, trying to avoid all of the cracks in the sidewalk. We lived in a brand new subdivision, with brand new sidewalks. So it was pretty easy to walk without stepping on a crack. The only cracks that really existed were those neat creases that sectioned off the sidewalk. But as time went on and the sidewalk became a little more worn more cracks started to pop up in the sidewalk. And as I got a little bit older and I in a bit more of a hurry to get where I was going, I stopped taking the time to watch out for the cracks in the sidewalk as I walked down the street. I probably missed a lot about life, when I stopped paying attention to the cracks in the sidewalk. Because the cracks in the sidewalk can tell a lot about life, about the path that sidewalk is leading to and the journey of the people who walk that pathway. Cracks in the sidewalk are a lot like the times of transition and change in our lives. On one side of the crack is the place that you have just come from, and on the other side of the crack is where you need to be to continue on your journey. Some cracks are expected and manufactured like the creases that mark the squares in a sidewalk. But most cracks, just sort of appear out the wear and tear of life, creating their own pathway. Some crack are so small that there is not way that you can avoid stepping on them, and others are so big that it takes some effort to jump over them. Some are filled with dirt and debris. And there are others that you can look in and get a glimpse of God’s progress growing in the most unexpected place. It could be a blade of grass growing in the crack, a weed, or even a pretty flower making it’s way in the world – setting its roots, and creating it’s home in a place where you wouldn’t expect, but God has made full use of. Yes, a crack in the sidewalk is a lot like the transitions and changes in our lives. This is a time of transition Transitions are the times in our lives where we take account of where we have been, and we strive to go forward to where we need to go. It is also a time to witness the unexpected growth and beauty in our lives. Some transitions we know and expect, birthdays, graduations, most weddings. And then there are those that develop with the wear and tear of life. You can’t prepare for. All transitions bring with them a mix of emotions – fear, grief, hope, celebration, sadness, joy. And all transitions in our lives are a special time for us to get a glimpse of the unexpected beauty of God. They are time for us to witness the kingdom of God growing right before our eyes in a way that we may have been too busy to notice on our journey through life. Beginning of scriptural lesson The end for Elijah, the beginning for Elisha We are going through a transitional time in the life of our church. A time to look at our life, and to separate what happened in the past with what will happen in the future. It is a good time for us to hear the story of Elijah and Elisha. This week Elijah is facing a – the end of his ministry- the time when he must really say goodbye and pass on his work to allow those he anointed to continue into the future. I love Elijah, he is one of my biblical heroes. And I love this story of how he passes his ministry onto his protégé Elisha. I can relate to Elisha’s passion to learn, as he tells Elijah that he wants twice as much power to serve God. Elisha probably doesn’t realize it, but Elijah is testing him all of the time to see if he is worthy. To see if he is able to handle the power that he is asking for. Is he asking for this power for himself or to be able to serve God? Elijah tells Elisha that if he is aware and present when God comes to take Elijah away, then he will indeed inherit his double portion. Elisha does indeed get to witness the heavenly horses and chariot arrive out of the sky and take Elijah away. In the midst of the transition of power from the old to the new- Elisha gets the chance to see an amazing glimpse of the heavenly power of God. It is a picture that he probably holds in his mind forever. It is not everyday that we get to see the glory of God in our lives at work. Elijah remembers to leave the mantle which protects and empowers a prophet for Elisha to use in the future. Elisha goes on to continue to work of God and to help the people of his time. Having witnessed god at work for himself, he know that Elijah is not dead, and what he did has not disappeared- it is the inspiration behind all future work. Transitions are chances for us to take account of our lives. They are times for us to witness for ourselves the wonder of God’s presence in our lives. They are times to look for the mantle – the new responsibility that we have been given to carry on the work of others. Transitions are times for us to realize that the past is never dead and gone, but it has gone to a place to inspire us to move forward. When we are able to be present and aware for transitions, we are changed by the event. We are given the power that we need to bring the future into being. Is this story just about passing on the mantle When we hear the story, we think that the obvious lesson for us is the importance of passing on the mantle of responsibility. Our church is much like many churches, we have an older congregation. We have many who have been faithful to the church for years. Many who want to pass on the mantle- but find that there are not many behind them to pass the mantle to. Sometimes like Elijah, they feel all alone in their mission. Elijah always struggled with feeling isolated and alone in ministry. He had to search for God’s presence in his work. We have to be in constant prayer for our mission and for God to raise up a new generation. Elisha’s double portion But today I don’t want to focus on Elijah – but on Elisha. Elisha asked for twice as much power as Elijah had. 1 kings is the story of Elijah, 2 Kings is the story of Elisha. If you read the two, you will find that Elisha really did twice as many miracles as Elijah. He got his double portion. Elijah struggled always with being alone, even to the very end, he wanted to be alone when God came to get him. Elisha was a people person. He lived in the city, he had not just one protégé, but many, he was connected to a seminary and everything that he did – he did in community. Today I want to talk to the Elisha’s of the church. We have to remember that sometimes life is not so much about wanting to be a good leader, but it is about wanting to be a good follower. Elisha was the type of person that Jesus calls all of us to be. The people who strive to live and do what it best not for ourselves, but what is best for all of the children of God. We are called to live as a community of faithful followers of Jesus. Hide and Seek Do you remember playing "Hide & Seek" when you were a child? You would close your eyes and count to a hundred if you were "it" while all the other kids would run and hide. And then when you reached a hundred, you would yell, "Ready or not, here I come!" Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem whether they were ready or not. For thousands of years, the Jewish people had been counting the passing days thinking they were ready for his coming, and then when he came they ran to hide and never really came out to welcome him. Rosemary Brown, Hide and Seek Jesus enters into a new ministry – that as we look at luke for the rest of the year we have to remember. Jesus realizes that it is time for him to follow his destiny. Scripture says that he sets his face upon Jerusalem. As he prepares to follow God to the cross, he also prepares his disciples – things are not going to be easy. There will be sacrifice and pain in following. But that you have to have the passion of Elisha in order to serve. Sometimes I struggle with having to put Christ first in everything in life. Deithrich Bonhoffer said that salvation is free, but discipleship – choosing to follow jesus with all of your life can be costly. We are called to follow Jesus in all that we do – there is no such thing as living a Christian life, without Christian service. We have to place God’s kingdom first. My final story – is a different kind of Elijah story. It is a story about his inspiration. The inheritance story Hyrkanus was a happy man. Every morning, he awoke with joy in his heart and he said his prayers every day. He has everything, a wonderful house, lots of land, plenty of food. The greatest gift that God could give a man he had. He had lots of sons. And he was thankful that all of his sons were on the farm with him working with him. Well after they had all grown and had families of their own, they all worked on the farm with them. He was happy because they were farmers just like their dad. Hyrkanus would keep watch over is sons. One day he noticed that his youngest son Eliazer was not working. When he talked with his son, Eliezer confessed that he did not enjoy working on the land. Hyrkanus asked his son what he would do if he could do anything else, the son confessed that he wanted to study the bible and get to know more about God. He wanted to devote his whole life to studying God. The father dismissed the young man’s dream and reminded him that is place was with his family and with the land. But Eliezer could not dismiss his dream. He could not eat, drink, and he certainly couldn’t be productive tilling the land. One day Elijah came to him in a dream and asked what he desired. He told Elijah his dream. He told Eliezer that if he really wanted that more than anything that he should go to Jerusalem without delay. Eliezer left the very next day without even saying goodbye to is family. He studied under the best teacher. When the father found out that the son deserted his family, he vowed to take away his inheritance and to disown him. But in order to do that – he had to go to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem he was invited to the house of the greatest rabbi. He sat next to his son, who was a student, but he did not even recognize him. The son was invited to teach from the torah. All were amazed at is teaching, even the father. It was not until the rabbi point out that he recognized his son. He needed to confess that he came to Jerusalem to disinherit him, but instead he would disinherit his other sons for encouraging him. Eliezer said no, that the work that each did was of value. If had had desired to be a great farmer and he prayed, god would have granted him that. If he had desired riches, he could have prayed and god would have granted him that, instead he prayed to serve god with all of his heart – god granted him that – and he was indeed blessed. And we too are indeed blessed that god listens to the prayers of the faithful. This is a true story – not a fable of someone who desired to be a great follower of a great leader. When we follow – Jesus leads us- blesses us and hears the prayers of our hearts. Amen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Discipleship Occurs Only In Community Very few people are expert in anything all by themselves. They need a supporting community. Do you know a good musician who was not trained, nurtured and sustained by the music community? Show me an athlete who achieves excellence all alone, apart from the athletic community. Very few wise men become so without the accumulated wisdom of the centuries as expressed in colleges and universities and libraries. Medical people are more like ensembles and symphonies than soloists. What business tycoon does it all on his own without dedicated experts in finance, engineering, personnel, and marketing? Excellence requires participation in, and support of, a community of like-minded people. Likewise in the church -- a forerunner of the new kingdom. Very few achieve Christian maturity all by themselves. Seldom is the Bible studied diligently without the aid of scholars and teachers. Rarely are people led to generosity by their own impulses. Maurice A. Fetty, The Divine Advocacy, CSS Publishing Company Don’t Look Back Frankly, none of us are going to make the cut to follow Jesus. Our desires for soft pillows and comfortable beds, for fulfilling family and social obligations, will frequently have higher priorities than following Jesus -- especially following Jesus all the way to the cross. We might be willing to give up some evils in our lives to follow Jesus, but to give up all these good things -- to put them as a lower priority than Jesus? That is radical discipleship, but Paul writes about doing this in Phil 3:4-11. He considers all his past, good, religious deeds as "rubbish". Perhaps the image of putting one's hand to the plow and not looking back (or driving forward in a car while not looking out the back window) refers to looking back both at all the very good things in our lives (and in a congregation's life), like family and friends, comforts and satisfactions, "successful" programs; but also all the sins in our lives, which have been forgiven by Christ. We can neither wallow in our past sins nor boast of our past successes if we are to be fit for the kingdom of God. Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes __________________________