Text: 1 Kings 19: 3-6, 9-12, 15-16, 19; 2\nKings 2:1, 7-12<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today\nas we wrap up the season of Epiphany, we focus on the prophet Elijah and his\nprot\u00e9g\u00e9, Elisha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\nnew king had arisen in the land – Ahab and his wife Jezebel – and instead of\nfollowing the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they worshipped the gods Baal\nand Asherah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nSo God raised up Elijah and some other prophets to speak a word of judgment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naturally,\nthese leaders didn\u2019t take kindly to people criticizing their actions and sought\nto destroy the prophets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nearly\na hundred went into hiding and the rest were executed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All\nexcept for Elijah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\ncontinued to be faithful to his calling and publicly challenged the prophets of\nthese other gods to a contest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s\npower wins the day and Ahab and Jezebel\u2019s prophets are put to shame and killed.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But\nnow, Elijah\u2019s life is really in danger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furious\nwith defeat, Jezebel vows to hunt him down and kill him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s\nprophet is terrified and alone and sinks into despair.
\nSitting under a bush in the middle of the desert, he wants nothing more than\ndeath.
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\nis a faithful servant of God, who intimately knows God\u2019s power, and yet he\ncannot find the strength to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wallowing\nin grief and exhaustion, Elijah has faith, yet can\u2019t take another step.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s more than enough, Lord!\u201d he cries out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does\nGod tell him to get over it?
\nIs God embarrassed by the weary state of his servant?
\nOr resent that this so-called prophet just can\u2019t do it right now?
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No.
\nGod accepts Elijah right where he is and accompanies him through this time.
\nGod gives him the space he needs to take care of himself and his needs.
\nElijah lies down under a bush and God lets him sleep.
\nGod sends a messenger with food.
\nBread, baking on a stone.
\nA jar of cool water.
\nElijah eats and then sleeps again.
\nAnd God is there, watching over him and caring for him.
\nThen, God speaks to him\u2026 not through earthquake and wind and fire \u2013 not through\njudgment or anger or force\u2026 but in the thin and quiet God speaks.
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\nrecognizes that this good and faithful servant can no longer do it alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So\none of the ways that God cares for us is by raising up others to come alongside\nus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elisha\nis lifted up to follow in Elijah\u2019s footsteps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout\nthis season of Epiphany we have been trying to follow the star of discipleship.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve\nseen how God is revealed and who we are. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\nhave heard the invitation to follow and repent. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\nhave talked about putting ourselves under God\u2019s authority and what it means to\nwait upon the Lord in service and worship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This\nis what discipleship looks like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\nstart out with questions, seeking, curious, ready to dip our toes in the water.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\nthen we find our footing and begin to make some changes in our lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\ngrow as disciples and learn how to put more and more of our lives into God\u2019s\ncontrol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But\nthere also come days when the work is hard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When\nwe are worn out or burnt out or are overwhelmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\ncomes a time when our discipleship, our work of faith needs to take a back seat\nto other personal needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes\nwe push ourselves too far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes\nillness arrives unexpectedly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes\nthe task is too much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes\nwe need to remember that we are not Jesus. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\nso I want to end our series on following the star with one final star word: mantle. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\nsee, the mantle, the cloak, is the object that Elijah places upon the shoulders\nof his apprentice Elisha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\nis a way that he passes the torch to the young prophet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\nit is a reminder that our journey of discipleship is also about the others who\ntravel with us and our call to raise up the people who will come behind us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\nsee, you can\u2019t save the world by yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\ncan make all the right choices and be faithful and read the bible every day,\nand your actions might feel like they are having very little impact on the\nworld around you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\nthat is because it isn\u2019t all up to you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s\nwhy Jesus brought us together as the body of Christ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s\nwhy we have the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\nthat\u2019s why a big part of our discipleship is paying attention to who we are\nraising up to follow in our footsteps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\nat Immanuel, we have really embraced this concept of mentoring and passing the\nmantle in a few different ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think\nabout our third grade bible buddies or our confirmation mentors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\ninvite adults to work with our young people and they come along side them\nsharing wisdom and insight and support and love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So\nmany of you can point to how those mentors have been so important in your own\nlives! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\nthose of you who have been mentors can say the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your\nbuddies have given you new energy and life for your own discipleship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\nfind the same kinds of things happen when we go out and serve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve\nwatched on mission trips or various outings to CFUM or Joppa how someone with\nmore experience takes someone who is new under their wing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\nfact, I got to witness this first hand when Wendell and Ron showed Justin\nWright and I how to install siding, and how to make sure that the seams didn\u2019t\nshow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\nswear, every time I drive by a house now, I can tell if someone put the siding\non correctly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\nhappens in worship whenever we have young people serving as ushers or invite new\npeople into our musical groups. When\nsomeone who has never rung a bell or lit a candle or read scripture before is\nwelcomed and encouraged and given a chance to succeed, we are placing our\nmantle around them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\nit happens as well in places where we connect. \nOur Wednesday Night Ladies have added a few helpers to their ranks in\nthe last few years and stepped aside from heavy lifting to let others take on\nthe work. Faithful folks who have so\noften taken care of others now find themselves the recipients of love and\nsupport from others through our Elder Care partners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This\nis discipleship and it takes all of us working together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\nsee, some of us are brand new and starting this journey. We are kind of like Elisha when Elijah first\ncalls him out of his father\u2019s fields. We\nare unsure, we are learning what it means and it is going to take us some time\nto find our footing. But thank God there\nare people who are there to call us and encourage us! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some\nof us are growing, eager to learn and not quite ready to let go and try it on\nour own. As we heard about in our\nscripture today, Elisha wanted to stay close by his master, Elijah\u2019s side right\nup until the very end. He wanted to soak\nup as much wisdom and grace and knowledge as he could. And even when Elijah was being taken up into\nthe heavens, Elisha wanted to know more \u2013 he wanted a double portion of\nElijah\u2019s spirit! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\nare other times in our journey of discipleship where we get burnt out, and need\nthe encouragement of others to keep going. Think of Elijah, weary from his\nbattles and from fighting as he collapses under the bush. In those times of our journey, we need the\nability to say no, and to trust and believe that others are with us, can care\nfor us and keep the ministry going until we can pick it back up again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\nthere comes a time when we will pass the mantle and take on the task of\nmentoring and lifting up the people who come after us. Where we take on the role of a teacher or\nleader or guide who makes sure that others have the chance to take these kinds\nof steps, too. And what a joy it is when\nwe see the people who come after us succeed and grow and do even better than we\never could. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether\nwe are worshipping together, connecting with one another, growing in community,\nor going out together to the world, we are not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\nare following the star together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\nare becoming disciples together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\ntogether, we are making new disciples for Jesus Christ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wherever\nyou are on this journey\u2026 there is a place for you and we are so glad you are\nhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 prot\u00e9g\u00e9, Elisha. A new king had arisen in the land – Ahab and his wife Jezebel – and instead of following the God of Abraham, Isaac,…<\/span><\/p>\n