Passing the Mantle
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
June 30, 2013[1]
I didn’t mean to raise a ruckus with my sermon
title. But the very morning that David
Onimus posted the title for this morning’s sermon on the sign in front, I
received a text message from Steve Nichols, who saw the sign on his way to
work. His text message asked me, “”I
hope your Sunday sermon title does not reflect any impending change…” Sorry if I alarmed you. Last Sunday, my appointment to Cunningham was
confirmed for another year!
But there was a “passing of the mantle” of
sorts that I witnessed while at Annual Conference. We had five of the sixteen district
superintendents within the Virginia Conference took the stole they were wearing
and place it over the shoulders of new district superintendents. Our own Brenda Biler was one of them. She removed the stole that she was wearing
and placed it on the shoulders of The Rev. Danny Kesner. With that act, responsibility for supervising
the seventy-four churches in Charlottesville was transferred. Dr. Biler literally “passed the mantle.”
We see a passing of the mantle in our Old
Testament Lesson this morning.
It is hard for us to understand how significant
Elijah was to the Nation of Israel. He
was a man of God who stood up to a King and Queen who were sinful. Elijah was known, of course, for his
miraculous works, such as calling forth the drought that struck Israel, raising
the son of the widow of Nain, the famous show-down on Mt. Carmel with the
prophets of Baal. But these external
acts were possible only because Elijah was a man of extraordinary spiritual
awareness. Elijah talked with God.
Elijah had many followers, many disciples. In an age and place surrounded by polytheism,
these disciples were radical followers of the one true God, following the
teachings of His prophet. We read about
a “company of prophets” living in Bethʹel. But
despite this community, none of them seemed to have the devotion and the
dedication of Elisha. The Lord already
had given orders to Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor. This part of the story predates this
morning’s reading—the process is described in 1 Kings 19:19-21. The
process of anointing was very short and sweet—Elijah threw his mantle across
Elisha’s shoulders, and Elisha was expected to follow Elijah from that time
forward as Elijah’s understudy.
A “mantle” can be a cloak, a large, sleeveless
tunic, cloak or cape. It also can mean a
symbol of authority—sort of like the stole that I wear (although the origins of
the stole are quite different). In this
case, Elijah’s mantle was probably a cloak of some sort. And we see that cloak or mantle taking a
central part in today’s reading.
It’s clear that Elijah’s days on earth are at
an end. Elijah’s life has a whirlwind
finish—although his means of transportation are not so important to our theme
today. What is important is that he
asked Elisha, his understudy, what he could do for him. Elisha responded, “Please let me inherit a
double portion of your spirit” (2 King
2:9). Elijah responded that Elisha’s
request was a hard one; but it all boiled down to one thing—if Elisha stayed
with Elijah to the very end, his request would be granted. If not, it would not (2 Kings 2:10).
“A double portion of your Spirit.”These days,
we interpret Elisha’s request somewhat casually, just as we would ask for a
double serving of mashed potatoes. But a
“double portion” was a big deal in Ancient Israel. The “double portion” literally meant the
portion of an estate that would go to the first born son—two thirds of the
estate. Elisha was saying, “I want to be
your heir,” --- in other words, “I want to step into your shoes, I want to take
on your role and responsibilities. In
some respects, it might be loosely equivalent to going to the Bishop and saying
“I want your job when you are done.”
Something else interesting is taking
place. Elijah literally tries to
discourage Elisha. This is even more
challenging than anything the Board of Ordained Ministry put before me during
my candidacy process. Elijah tests
him. Three times in chapter 2, Elijah
tries to leave Elisha behind, but Elisha refuses. Each time, Elisha replies, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I
will not leave you” (vs. 2, 4 and 6).
Elijah is taken away in a chariot of fire, and
he drops his mantle on the ground. The
mantle—a garment, but also a symbol of authority. Elisha picks it up. Elisha passed Elijah’s test, but the question
remains—did it work? Did Elisha merely
pick up a piece of cloth, a garment? Or
has Elisha in some way been filled with the same Spirit that filled
Elijah?
There is only one way to find out. He has to test it. So Elisha takes that mantle that he had
picked up from the ground, rolled it up.
I can see and hear Elisha, crying out at the top of his voice, “Where is
the Lord, the God of Elijah?” What a gutsy question! Elisha then used that rolled-up mantle to
strike the Jordan River, just as he had seen Elijah do. And lo and behold, the waters parted. Elisha crossed on dry ground.
One lesson that jumps out at me from this story
is that the mantle is not something that we receive passively. It takes active effort on our part. It takes persistence. It takes a certain amount of hanging-on. It requires us to remain faithful. It requires us to surrender. It requires us to reach out and pick it up
off the ground. It requires us to be
gutsy enough to ask, “Where is the Lord? And it requires us to trust enough to strike
out, to move forward in faith.
We do not have a change in clergy for
Cunningham this year; but with the beginning of a new Conference Year, we still
are due for some inventory. Are we as a
church prepared to ask the challenging question, “Where is the Lord, the God of Cunningham?” Am I prepared to ask that question as your
pastor? Are we strong enough, trusting
enough to reach down for the mantle on the ground, pick it up, roll it up and
strike it on the water? And do we have
enough trust to march forward, walking on the dry ground of the riverbed?
We have come so far as a church. Think about it.
It seems like it was a long time in coming, but
we have at last formed a Committee to think about Building for our Future,
about our opportunities for ministry and the resources and facilities that we
have available to us. Are we ready to
step forward with recommendations for our Church Facility within the next
year?
Cunningham has made a tremendous investment in
our Youth. This year, we are sending 18 children
and youth to Summer Camp. We have
developed a wonderful fellowship of a dozen our so Middle School and High
School Age youth, in addition to our strong children’s program. Through the faithfulness of one of our
members, we were able to add The Potter’s Wheel, giving us much needed
space. But that is just a starting point
for the ministry opportunities. We are
exploring some exciting new ministry opportunities for the youth, but these
take time, supervision, and funding. Where
will we go from here in sharing God’s love with the youth of Fluvanna County?
We have been tremendously blessed by God this
year in our Worship Attendance and membership.
Attendance has been strong, we have received sixteen new members so far
this year, five by profession of faith.
What are going to do to help form these people in the Christian faith? This means Adult Christian Education. Our job is not to build attendance; it is to
make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. How will we go about this most important
task?
Buildings and programs are important, but they
are not the most important dimension to this story. At their best, they can be reflections of the
ways the spirit is moving in us and among us.
But that is the ultimate test. The
most important question I see facing us as a church is this: Are we as a church, are we as individuals, am
I as your pastor, ready to reach out and claim a double portion of the Spirit? Are we ready to let our lives be transformed
by God—not just on Sundays but on every day of the week? Are we ready to let the Spirit of God forgive
our sin, relieve our guilt, reconcile our broken relationships, change our
values, increase our vision? This is our
ministry. This is our vision—to be the
spirit-filled, spirit-led people of God.
And our God promises to us that “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
The mantle is there. We can let it lie on the ground. Or we can pick it up. We can ask “Where is the Lord, the God of Cunningham?” We can strike the water. And we can walk on dry ground as we seek first
the Kingdom of God.
May it be so!
Copyright © 2013 by Thomas E. Frost. All rights reserved.
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