Text: 1 Kings 19: 3-6, 9-12, 15-16, 19; 2 Kings 2:1, 7-12
Today as we wrap up the season of Epiphany, we focus on the prophet Elijah and his protégé, Elisha.
A new king had arisen in the land – Ahab and his wife Jezebel – and instead of following the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they worshipped the gods Baal and Asherah.
So God raised up Elijah and some other prophets to speak a word of judgment.
Naturally, these leaders didn’t take kindly to people criticizing their actions and sought to destroy the prophets.
Nearly a hundred went into hiding and the rest were executed.
All except for Elijah.
He continued to be faithful to his calling and publicly challenged the prophets of these other gods to a contest.
God’s power wins the day and Ahab and Jezebel’s prophets are put to shame and killed.
But now, Elijah’s life is really in danger.
Furious with defeat, Jezebel vows to hunt him down and kill him.
God’s
prophet is terrified and alone and sinks into despair.
Sitting under a bush in the middle of the desert, he wants nothing more than
death.
Here is a faithful servant of God, who intimately knows God’s power, and yet he cannot find the strength to keep going.
Wallowing
in grief and exhaustion, Elijah has faith, yet can’t take another step.
“It’s more than enough, Lord!” he cries out.
Does
God tell him to get over it?
Is God embarrassed by the weary state of his servant?
Or resent that this so-called prophet just can’t do it right now?
No.
God accepts Elijah right where he is and accompanies him through this time.
God gives him the space he needs to take care of himself and his needs.
Elijah lies down under a bush and God lets him sleep.
God sends a messenger with food.
Bread, baking on a stone.
A jar of cool water.
Elijah eats and then sleeps again.
And God is there, watching over him and caring for him.
Then, God speaks to him… not through earthquake and wind and fire – not through
judgment or anger or force… but in the thin and quiet God speaks.
God recognizes that this good and faithful servant can no longer do it alone.
So one of the ways that God cares for us is by raising up others to come alongside us.
Elisha is lifted up to follow in Elijah’s footsteps.
Throughout this season of Epiphany we have been trying to follow the star of discipleship.
We’ve seen how God is revealed and who we are.
We have heard the invitation to follow and repent.
We have talked about putting ourselves under God’s authority and what it means to wait upon the Lord in service and worship.
This is what discipleship looks like.
We start out with questions, seeking, curious, ready to dip our toes in the water.
And then we find our footing and begin to make some changes in our lives.
We grow as disciples and learn how to put more and more of our lives into God’s control.
But there also come days when the work is hard.
When we are worn out or burnt out or are overwhelmed.
There comes a time when our discipleship, our work of faith needs to take a back seat to other personal needs.
Sometimes we push ourselves too far.
Sometimes illness arrives unexpectedly.
Sometimes the task is too much.
Sometimes we need to remember that we are not Jesus.
And so I want to end our series on following the star with one final star word: mantle.
You see, the mantle, the cloak, is the object that Elijah places upon the shoulders of his apprentice Elisha.
It is a way that he passes the torch to the young prophet.
And it is a reminder that our journey of discipleship is also about the others who travel with us and our call to raise up the people who will come behind us.
You see, you can’t save the world by yourself.
You can make all the right choices and be faithful and read the bible every day, and your actions might feel like they are having very little impact on the world around you.
And that is because it isn’t all up to you!
That’s why Jesus brought us together as the body of Christ.
That’s why we have the church.
And that’s why a big part of our discipleship is paying attention to who we are raising up to follow in our footsteps.
Here at Immanuel, we have really embraced this concept of mentoring and passing the mantle in a few different ways.
Think about our third grade bible buddies or our confirmation mentors.
We invite adults to work with our young people and they come along side them sharing wisdom and insight and support and love.
So many of you can point to how those mentors have been so important in your own lives!
And those of you who have been mentors can say the same.
Your buddies have given you new energy and life for your own discipleship.
We find the same kinds of things happen when we go out and serve.
I’ve watched on mission trips or various outings to CFUM or Joppa how someone with more experience takes someone who is new under their wing.
In fact, I got to witness this first hand when Wendell and Ron showed Justin Wright and I how to install siding, and how to make sure that the seams didn’t show.
I swear, every time I drive by a house now, I can tell if someone put the siding on correctly.
It happens in worship whenever we have young people serving as ushers or invite new people into our musical groups. When someone who has never rung a bell or lit a candle or read scripture before is welcomed and encouraged and given a chance to succeed, we are placing our mantle around them.
And it happens as well in places where we connect. Our Wednesday Night Ladies have added a few helpers to their ranks in the last few years and stepped aside from heavy lifting to let others take on the work. Faithful folks who have so often taken care of others now find themselves the recipients of love and support from others through our Elder Care partners.
This is discipleship and it takes all of us working together.
You see, some of us are brand new and starting this journey. We are kind of like Elisha when Elijah first calls him out of his father’s fields. We are unsure, we are learning what it means and it is going to take us some time to find our footing. But thank God there are people who are there to call us and encourage us!
Some of us are growing, eager to learn and not quite ready to let go and try it on our own. As we heard about in our scripture today, Elisha wanted to stay close by his master, Elijah’s side right up until the very end. He wanted to soak up as much wisdom and grace and knowledge as he could. And even when Elijah was being taken up into the heavens, Elisha wanted to know more – he wanted a double portion of Elijah’s spirit!
There are other times in our journey of discipleship where we get burnt out, and need the encouragement of others to keep going. Think of Elijah, weary from his battles and from fighting as he collapses under the bush. In those times of our journey, we need the ability to say no, and to trust and believe that others are with us, can care for us and keep the ministry going until we can pick it back up again.
And there comes a time when we will pass the mantle and take on the task of mentoring and lifting up the people who come after us. Where we take on the role of a teacher or leader or guide who makes sure that others have the chance to take these kinds of steps, too. And what a joy it is when we see the people who come after us succeed and grow and do even better than we ever could.
Whether we are worshipping together, connecting with one another, growing in community, or going out together to the world, we are not alone.
We are following the star together.
We are becoming disciples together.
And together, we are making new disciples for Jesus Christ.
Wherever you are on this journey… there is a place for you and we are so glad you are here.
Amen.