Chariots of Fire

"THE PASSING OF THE MANTLE"
Text: 2 Kings 2:1-15
Faith United
February 22, 2009


People generally have a hard time talking about
two things: death and sex
now, don't get nervous, I'm not going to talk about sex
But I find this really strange
We are inundated all the time, by images of death
We see it on the news
most of our entertainment involves death
and pretty violent death at that
People are blown up all the time
we hear daily about earthquakes, tornadoes
floods, and of course bombs set off on the side of the road
bombs dropped from the sky
or shot from far away
Our sense are assaulted by news images
that play over and over again
just in case we forget what we saw yesterday
Like the Twin Towers, we see death played out over and over again
until it doesn't seem real
Of course we become numb to it, otherwise we've be overloaded
and overwhelmed emotionally

But I find it weird that in a world where death is in our faces
all the time
we still have a hard time talking about it
We're painfully aware that it's not at all like it is on TV
Where the person who is dying gets to say those final words
gets to tell someone that she is proud of them
or offers words of wisdom
or forgives them for some wrong
and grants a blessing
Then she simply closes her eyes and … well, dies
And it's peaceful and ok
The person in the bed doesn’t look bad at all
in fact, she looks like she's just asleep
and it's all neatly wrapped up
Well, we know it doesn't work that way
death is not that neat and pretty
maybe we'd all handle it better if it was
Sometimes we don't get to say goodbye
sometimes death takes us by surprise
and there's no time to put things in order
to make those amends
More often than not, death feels like a thief
that robs us of someone we love dearly
and aren't ready to let go of
It doesn't matter that we know that we're all going to die
It still feels unfair most of the time…

Elijah was training Elisha to take over after he was gone
in those last days, death followed them like that elephant in the room
that no one wants to talk about
but it's presence was felt
Maybe Elijah was trying to spare Elisha
by constantly telling him, "wait here. I'll go on ahead…"
maybe Elijah is trying to spare himself the pain of goodbye
but whatever his motives, Elisha refused to let Elijah go on alone
whatever happened down the road
he wanted to be there
"do you know that your master is leaving you today?"
Elijah's followers said to Elisha..
"yes, I know," Elisha said, "don't talk about it…"
and he went on, knowing the pain that lay ahead
but he just wanted to keep on walking…

Have you ever loved someone that much?
It doesn't have to be a spouse or partner
it can be that treasured friend
who is so much a part of you
that you can't imagine life without them
Elisha did well, he was a good learner
and he would do fine once Elijah was gone
but he didn't want to be without him
They kept walking, in silence, perhaps because they were men
I imagine women would have talked about it
how they felt, what lay ahead
what would happen
They were followed by others that had learned under Elijah
others that came to say goodbye to their teacher and mentor
When they came to the Jordan,
Elijah removed his mantle
which was an outer cloak, worn over his clothes
but was also a symbol of authority
He took it off, rolled it up,
and struck the water of the Jordan with it
and the waters of the river parted for them
They walked silently across the river to the other side
When they had gotten across,
Elijah turned to Elisha
perhaps he sighed heavily,
"what can I do for you before I go?
What can I give you?"
Elisha, feeling the drama of the moment, perhaps,
said, "Please let me inherit a double portion of your spirit."
In other words, Elisha felt like he was half the man that Elijah was
and would need a double portion just to break even
Elijah sighed, perhaps put his hand on Elisha's shoulder
and said, "You're asking a hard thing, it's not up to me to give that.
But if you see me being taken from you, it will be granted you,
if not, it will not."
And I think maybe Elijah was saying that only God could grant Elisha's wish
to inherit the tremendous gifts of the great Elijah
only God could determine what Elisha's ministry would be
what he would carry on
and only God could give Elisha the vision
And that's what God did
As they were walking, Elijah was taken up into the whirlwind
and Elisha saw a chariot of fire and horses
that came between the men
Elisha yelled out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel
and the horsemen!"
It was a powerful, frightening vision,
and when it was over, Elijah was gone
Elisha was alone
and when he realized this, he fell to his knees
and tore his clothes in two
as an expression of his grief and loss
When he recovered a bit,
he got up, picking up the mantle that Elijah had left behind
It was the same mantle that Elijah and thrown onto Elisha's shoulders
back when they first met,
back when Elijah chose Elisha to be his protégé

Perhaps with tears in his eyes,
Elijah took the mantle of his friend
rolled it up, and struck the waters,
and sure enough, they parted for him
I bet he gasped, even though he wasn't necessarily surprised
As he struck the water, he said out loud
"where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?"
and when the waters parted, he knew that God was right there
God had not left him when Elijah left
When the other followers saw Elisha coming,
they sensed the difference in him
"The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha," they said
And so Elisha wore the mantle of Elijah, his mentor, his teacher
he carried on the ministry that Elijah and started
and in fact, he performed twice as many miracles
as his teacher did
and so it would seem that God granted his request
that Elisha inherit a double portion of Elijah's spirit

I imagine that wearing the mantle gave Elisha strength
It probably still had Elijah's smell on it
and so he felt close all the time
Someone suggested to me that the mantle carried the dust
of all the places where Elijah had traveled
all the places that he'd performed miracles
faced off with his enemies
and spoken the words of God
And so Elisha carried those memories with him
gaining strength from the reminder of his master's presence

It makes me think of when we lose someone
at funerals, we gather THINGS that were important to that person
that represent that person's life
and we put them on display
Sometimes it's as common as a pair of their favorite shoes
or a belt buckle or a jacket
I remember when Viola Livingston or Edith Johnston died
and there were sales at their houses
I know members of our congregation bought things
at both of them just to have something of theirs
something to remember them by

In my wallet I carry a poem
that you can hardly read anymore
it's so worn
but it's a poem that my friend Sandie hand-copied for me
and put inside a box that she had made for me one Christmas
The poem is about the little things in life
that mean the most
and it's signed by Sandie, with a reminder from her
to always cherish the little things
like the many blessings that she and I shared in friendship
I've been carrying that in my wallet for over 25 years

I wear a turquoise ring that belonged to my sister in law Barbara
who died two years ago
and who left me some of her jewelry
because, she said before she died,
that she wasn't bothered by the idea that my brother
might marry again after she was gone
but she didn't want the new wife to get her jewelry!
So the ring reminds me of Barbara's courage and humor
in the face of her own death

We don't talk well about death
because it frightens us, I think
And isn't it true that some realities are just too big
to name?
Too overwhelming, too confusing and frightening
to speak of?
But I've gained courage from the brave ones
who have talked to me about death as it loomed for them
I was nervous, I didn't want to say the wrong things
but I've found that people who face death with courage
and have accepted it
have a way of being honest
because what do they have to lose?

Death is real, we're all going to die
It's not depressing, really, if you think about it
all of God's creation dies, and all of it regenerated
and made new again
I love the story of Elisha and Elijah
even though at first it seems so other-worldly
Few of us expect to ever get a vision of the chariots of fire
and horsemen in the sky
Few of us expect to leave this earth as dramatically as Elijah did
He was spared some of the indignities of death
that perhaps many of us dread
But what I love about the story is the reminder
that it is a beautiful reminder of the intimacy
of two spiritual friends
and their trust in God's ongoing work of love in the world
That we can trust that our loved ones
are resurrected with God in another place
and while we're still here
we can carry on the gifts that those persons gave us
I still think of Edith when I see that little black table in the entryway
and her faithfulness to her church
that inspired others to do the same
I can still hear Karen and Lee's laughter at the table
during fellowship time
when others are visiting across the tables
I still remember Viola's faithfulness in giving me a hug at the door
when she left church
and told me of her latest aches and pains
Their spirits are still here,
because their lives are intricately woven with ours
I believe I'm a better mother because of my relationship with Sandie
I relate to Sarah the way Sandie related to me
and I have no doubt that I've inherited a portion of her spirit
that gives me the strength and ability to love,
to create beautiful things
and most of all, to laugh
even when life can be hard
That doesn't take away the sting of death
Elisha stood in the middle of the field
and tore his clothes, probably let out a grievious wail
at the deep, deep pain of separation from his mentor
And through his tears, he turned around
he saw the others far off
who looked at him expectantly
People who needed him
who needed what he had to give
who needed what he did inherit from the great Elijah

When Jesus was saying his farewells to his disciples
he told them about the gift of the Holy Spirit
and he told these very ordinary people
that they would do many more things than he did
that they would multiply the miracles that he had done
because they had the power that he gave them
power that they gained from knowing him and trusting him
that until they all got to be together again
feasting at the heavenly banquet
until then,
it was up to the disciples to carry on
even if sometimes they had to carry on
in the midst of tears and that persistent ache of loss
but to carry on the love, the grace, the passion
the vision and the power
of Jesus Christ
Perhaps when we wear a cross
or the Greek symbol of the fish
that is our way of bearing the mantle of Christ
the mantle that he put on our shoulders when we were born
and baptized into God's fellowship
Symbols like that;
or a piece of clothing or jewelry or a Bible
that belonged to someone we love
but can't see anymore…
maybe all of those are reminders
that as long we're still here, we are to carry on the gifts
that God has given us through those precious people
that God put in our lives to love and to cherish
until we meet again…