Worship & Prayer
Ministry of the Word 2 Kings 2:1-14 Sermon
28/06/10
Ministry of the Word 2 Kings 2:1-14 SermonMay the words of my mouth and the thoughts and meditations of our hearts be now and always acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
Those of you who were at the Circuit Meeting on Monday night will have heard Julia speak about this passage of Scripture in relation to the challenge of moving to a larger Circuit. It’s a link I’d already made in preparation for today. There seemed to me to be many parallels to be drawn between Elijah and Elisha’s final moments together and the step of faith that we took at the Circuit Meeting on Monday night to become part of the new enlarged Circuit for Birmingham.
The image of Elijah being transported away from this earth in a chariot of fire, by horses of fire, in a whirlwind is a famous one. This almost mythical description of his departure from this world has captured both the imagination of artists and the faithful through the ages; but it’s precisely because of the way which Elijah was taken up to heaven which explains why Elijah continues to be significant and why he’s associated in the New Testament with Jesus and John the Baptist. Because he didn’t die, he was expected to return.
But although the means of Elijah’s departure is the focus of children’s Bibles, I want us to consider the story as a whole which falls neatly into three stages.
We begin with a journey and this part of the story is about holding on.
Elijah and Elisha are travelling together from Gilgal.
Three times Elijah tells Elisha to wait behind; first at Bethel, then at Jericho and then at the Jordan. Each time Elisha replies, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you”.
At each resting place, a company of prophets tells Elisha that the Lord is going to take his master from him that day. Elisha knows this but doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s almost as if Elisha is in denial. He knows what’s coming, but he doesn’t want to face up to it. Maybe the thought of life without Elijah is too much for him to bear. Perhaps he’d rather bury his head in the sand, and pretend it isn’t going to happen. Maybe he doesn’t feel ready to go out on his own, without Elijah.
Elisha wants to spend every last moment with Elijah. He continues to follow even though he’s told to stay behind. Maybe he feels that he still has more to learn from Elijah.
I remember when Esther went into reception; she had such good memories of her nursery year and an exceptional teacher, that she was unable to enjoy the new teacher, the new friends and the new possibilities of a new school year. And even the following year, she was still wishing she could return to her nursery year. Being unable to let go of the past, spoiled the joy of the present.
It can be hard for us too to let go of people, places, possessions, or even jobs that we need to relinquish, particularly if it’s someone or something which we have felt called to follow or do.
Sometimes our grief for what has been holds us back.
Following the vote at the meeting on Monday night where it was decided that we should become part of a larger Birmingham Circuit, some of us may, like Elisha, be feeling that we want to keep holding on, holding on to the Elmdon Circuit. Maybe we remember with fondness what has been and what is the Elmdon Circuit and we’re not yet ready to let go.
Change can be difficult for all of us. We know life will be different but we can’t quite see what things will be like and how we’ll be affected. It’s not just the fear of the unknown, but the fear of what might be. We may want to cling on to the old, to what we know and trust, because it’s been good, it’s worked for us and we don’t want to start something new.
But Elisha’s desire to hold on to Elijah has another message for us.
Elisha was aware that Elijah’s ministry was almost finished and that his departure was near. He was determined to accompany him until the moment the Lord took him. His commitment to Elijah and his ministry was unfailing.
How committed are we to following our Master, Jesus, to learning all that we can from him?
Elisha’s true vocation could only be realised by continuing to follow. The warnings of the other prophets could have put him off; there were quite a few giving him advice, warning him that “the end was nigh”. And, to a certain extent, they were right, Elijah was soon to depart. But Elisha was right to continue to follow Elijah to the last, eager to learn all that he could from this great man, showing the depth of his commitment to Elijah and to God’s plan for his life.
Vocation is not always easy and whole companies of people, like the prophets in 2 Kings 2 may try to turn someone away from their calling, whatever that might be. As Christians, we need to listen carefully with wisdom to discern what is of God and what is from us or of the world; and that’s not always easy. 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 19-21 advises: “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”
In those last few moments together, Elijah asks Elisha if there’s anything he can do for him.
Elisha replies; “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit”. He doesn’t ask for a ministry which is twice as great, but for Elijah’s spirit, that is the spirit of God working within him.
In those days, inheritance law assigned a double portion of a father’s possessions to the first born son, and so with this request for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha is expressing his desire to continue Elijah’s ministry.
Elijah’s reply that it is “a difficult thing”, illustrates that although Elijah has been told by God that Elisha will be his successor, it is God who will have the final say. If Elisha sees Elijah go, then he will receive the double portion of Elijah’s spirit.
Having witnessed Elijah’s departure, we come to the second stage of the story – grief.
Elisha tears his clothes in grief; grief as he bids farewell to Elijah and grief for the old Elisha who is no more. Now he must take up Elijah’s mantle and continue his ministry.
In this story the description of Elisha’s grief is brief, but that is not so for all of us. Grief is a subjective and personal state which affects us all in different ways. Some will want the support and comfort of friends and family, while others will prefer to be left alone with their private thoughts.
In any new venture we need to allow ourselves time and space to reflect on what has been, perhaps to grieve for the past, before we can move on to embrace the new.
We do need to grieve, but there will come a time when it is right and proper to move on.
As the Elmdon Circuit seeks new ways of working we’ll need to be sensitive to a wide range of differing reactions and emotions from those who are excited at the prospect of a new way of being circuit to those who cannot see the way forward because what has gone before has been so precious to them. There will also be those for whom circuit has very little relevance.
And so we come to the third part of the story which is about moving on.
Although Elisha cannot bear to let Elijah go on unaccompanied, once he is gone, Elisha is ready to move on. He picks up Elijah’s cloak, which symbolises Elisha’s succession to Elijah’s ministry, and returns to the River Jordan.
Here Elisha asks, “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?”
He wants to make sure that God is with him and so he tests out the cloak and strikes the river, to see whether the waters will part as they did for Elijah, to see whether the divine power which accompanied Elijah’s ministry is now with Elisha.
At times we too need to ensure that what we think is from God is of God.
It’s not about testing God’s power but about testing our understanding of what we think God is saying to us. It’s about checking if we’ve heard him correctly. It’s about having the confidence to go forward in faith, in the knowledge that God goes with us. I’m sure members of the Circuit Meeting have spent much time over the past weeks and months trying to discern God’s will for the Elmdon Circuit through prayer, reading scripture and talking things through with trusted Christian friends.
Elisha’s heart was set on inheriting the firstborn son’s birthright – a double share of the Father’s spirit. He picks up Elijah’s mantle and uses it to perform miracles. Elisha is seen to be the true heir as he uses the cloak for the same purpose as Elijah. As the waters part, we are reminded of Moses at the Red Sea or Joshua at the River Jordan and so Elisha is associated with these other figures in Israel’s history. He’s passed the great test. The company of prophets recognise that “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha” and they bow to the ground. The transition has been made.
And so too as we step out in faith, as we seek God’s way for this Circuit and for the part that this church and we, as members of it, will play, as we move on to new things, as we take on new challenges, possibly accepting new roles and responsibilities, there will come a moment when we acknowledge that the mantle has truly been passed on, when we realise that we feel settled and comfortable in our new setting, that God is with us and it is good.
Ministry of the Word Luke 9:51-62
Sermon Part 2
This passage from Luke’s gospel challenges us to pick up the mantle of being a follower of Jesus.
It offers further insight into that third stage of the story of Elisha, moving on.
There are many parallels to be seen between today’s Old and New Testament readings.
Here, Jesus and his disciples, like Elijah and Elisha are also on a journey. Jesus’ time “to be taken up to heaven” is also drawing near. Unlike Elijah’s geographical journey, Jesus’ journey is a theological one. Jesus is moving towards suffering, rejection and death. Jesus is on a mission and there’s no time to waste. He’s asking for absolute commitment from his disciples and from those who seek to join him.
Jesus’ journey through Samaria starts with rejection. Samaritans were hostile to pilgrims travelling through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate festivals. Often pilgrims were refused overnight shelter. When Jesus and his disciples are not welcomed in the Samaritan village, James and John, ask for a miraculous sign like in 2 Kings 1 where fire consumes those who questioned the sovereignty of God. Jesus refuses to bring judgement on those who reject him simply because he’s a Jew. He will not retaliate because he has come to save. Jesus rebukes the disciples for failing to see the difference between the issue at stake in Elijah’s day and the unbelief of the Samaritans in their day. Jesus’ disciples, unlike Elisha, still have a lot to learn. Jesus is focused on his destination and doesn’t want to waste time looking back.
I’ve always found the second half of this passage difficult to read.
Why is my kind, compassionate Jesus portrayed as being so harsh to those that seek to follow him? In my study for today’s service, I learned what’s behind these comments and Jesus’ replies and so I want to share that insight in order for us all to have a better understanding of what the writer of Luke’s gospel has to say to us about following Jesus.
When Elijah calls Elisha he’s given time to set his affairs in order before leaving. When following Jesus, no excuse for delay is allowed. The excuses given by those who want to follow Jesus is in sharp contrast to Elisha’s determination to remain with his master.
All three of Jesus’ sayings express the idea of absolute commitment to him.
Many people are willing to follow Jesus until they find out what’s involved. Jesus speaks of the homelessness of the Son of Man and hence his followers. We know that many friends provided for Jesus’ material needs, and so this is probably more about Jesus being rejected by the people.
In New Testament times, burial duties were regarded as prior to all other obligations. However if the father in these verses were already dead, the son would already be involved in the burial. So the son’s reply seems to imply that he wanted to wait until after his father had died before following Jesus and that may have been some years away. Jesus’ reply, “Let the dead bury their own dead” could mean “Leave that duty to look after itself” or that the spiritually dead could bury the physically dead. Those who are spiritually alive should be busy proclaiming the kingdom of God.
To the person who wants to bid farewell to his family, Jesus’ reply is equally sharp. There can be no turning back in the service of Jesus, any more than a backward looking ploughman can expect to plough a straight furrow.
And so from Luke’s gospel we learn that Jesus’ call to discipleship is not set against weak and flimsy excuses, but against important personal and family obligations - attending to physical needs, family duty and family love. Loyalty to Jesus demands more than Elijah asked of Elisha (1 Kings 19:19-21), taking precedence over the best, not the worst, of human priorities.
Following Jesus is costly. We are called to make sacrifices, not just personally, but in our families, within the church family and as a circuit. Often God calls us out of our comfortable existence, to step out in faith, to get out of the boat and dare to try to walk on the water. If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we will not sink.
Elijah disappeared in a whirlwind and later in Acts we’re told of how Jesus disappears heavenward. Just as Elisha receives a double portion of Spirit, so too, the disciples receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to enable them to carry out their work.
We too can be filled with the Holy Spirit, which will equip us for any task to which God calls us, be that practical or spiritual. It may mean offering prayers or words of encouragement to those actively involved. Working through us the Holy Spirit will give us wisdom, perfect timing, the right words, the right time for silence and the gifts and graces that are required to further God’s kingdom. Even when we stumble over our words and actions, if we have committed ourselves in prayer to him, the Holy Spirit works through our weaknesses so that the right message is received.
So whatever the task ahead, whatever God is calling us to next, whatever is in store for the life of this Circuit as part of the enlarged new Circuit; we can go forward in faith, assured that through God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.