Go NOT Into the Dark February 22, 2009

II Kings 2: 1-16
Mark 9:2-9
This past week, a good friend lent to me her copy of a book by Daniel Friedman called Hot, Flat and Crowded. While the book is about the energy shortage, our political reliance on nations whose purpose is to tear down our nation, the advantages of a Green Revolution; Friedman's critical point, is that the World, America, We are at a transformative moment of decision making. GO NOT INTO THE DARK. Far greater than what we shall have for dinner, whether your favorite color is orange or blue, what you want to be when you grow up, the choice is between acting out of fear or resolute faith. What has made this Nation great is the interplay and tension between INNOVATION and INSPIRATION, between acting out of WEALTH development and MORAL Development. Whenever we have attempted the one without the other, we have been lesser; yet as we have attempted both we have been greater than the sum of all parts, we have exported dreams and hopes for freedom, for liberty, for self-determination, and with these we have received those with hopes and dreams of a bright glorious future.

Friedman's claim is that something pivotal happened on September 11th 2001. For the first time, at least in a generation, we were under attack; not on the shores of Normandy, not on an island in the South Pacific, in VietNam or Kuwait or Afghanistan, or Cuba but here at home. The decision one must face whenever a new and different reality is presented, good or bad, is whether you will respond in fear or faith. GO NOT INTO THE DARK. Prior to that time, American Embassies were always located in the most historic communities, at the cosmopolitan centers; following 9/11 we built new embassies apart, isolated and behind walls. There were valid reasons why, and the walls, barriers, and isolation have saved lives from further terrorist attacks, but doing so we have become isolated, defensive, alone.

There have been times throughout human history when we have entered into DARK AGES. Times when out of fear, in response to plague, or war, or power, humanity avoided LIGHT. How could any one person stand against the Caesars/the Roman Legion? How could any single person, village or colony hope to stand against the British Empire? How could any broker or financier have stood against the Market forces that reinforced acceptance of bonuses and graft? But no one need fight to eliminate all darkness, to be the Elliot Ness who takes on the corruptions of the world. All there need be is oportunity for light in the darkness. To choose that we will not act out of fear and desperation as individuals, but instead to share.

According to the Gospel of Mark, after Jesus had been baptized, had called his disciples, and begun preaching, teaching, healing, that all might be whole and one with God, Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do you think I AM?” After several failed attempts and faltering, Simon Peter responds, “You are the Messiah, the Son of God!” To Jesus and the disciples, this was a threatening realization, because if the Son of God, then also the Son of Man, who will be revealed through suffering for all the world. One of those moments, we have each had feeling like there is a spot light on you, recognizing we must be honest with ourselves, we cannot ever go back to where we have been; the can of worms can never contain all, once it has been opened. So instead, Jesus takes Peter and James and John up the mountain for a spiritual retreat, a place apart, nearer to heaven. It is now 6 days later, time for a fresh Sabbath.

Up on the mountain, instead of a place of acting in fear or acting in faith, all of the verbs are passive, Jesus did not act. Jesus did not Teach, or Heal, or Baptize or Preach, but instead that God worked through Jesus, God used him to fulfill God's purposes. There are times when we recognize the importance of our role is not so much to be heroes who change the world, to invent the cure for cancer, to be miracle workers; but that parenting a child, giving land to a trust for generations to come, alleviating suffering, being a role model, accompanying others in their praise these are vital roles in God's creation, these magnify God's light in the world.

Peter did not know quite what to say, and rather than keeping quiet, Peter calls out “Hey, it's great that we are here to see this, we could build booths so we could come back here and enjoy this another time, when ever we want, or other people could come. We could create restaurants, Johnny Angels, places for people to stay on the mountain, I understand we still need 14 places for college students next Friday night.” And again Jesus does not speak or act here, God does, saying “PEACE, BE STILL” as Jesus is revealed as being the fulfillment of the Law of Moses, and the Prophets of Old Testament Righteousness.

The Prophets of the Old Testament, Elijah and Elisha are a marvelous affirmation that the community of faith is never without leadership. But even more Elisha asks the impossible of Elijah. Recall that Elijah had had this Climactic Contest with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and all the Priests of the Idol Worship of Baal on one side as he stood alone with God on the other. And the 500 Priests of the Idol Baal, were afraid to lose before their Queen, to try to call out greater emotion, they whipped and beat themselves, but nothing happened. Then Elijah offered a simple prayer to God, that God's truth be seen. And lightning bolts came out of heaven to consume his offering. Being proven victorious, Elijah had killed all the 500 Priests of Baal, knocking down their altars and idols. Then seeing what he had done, Elijah was afraid. Afraid of his own power, afraid of retribution, afraid even of God. Elijah had run away to the mountains, to go to the place where Moses had spoken with God. But God did not reveal God's self in Light, or in Darkness, in Fire, or Flood, or Earthquake, or Wind, instead in a small voice from deep within, Elijah heard God questioning: “What are you doing here Elijah?” God instructs Elijah of all the things he must yet do. He must appoint new Kings and new Priests, and build new places for worship and palaces, then after all that is done find Elisha to pass on responsibility. SO first, Elijah finds Elisha.

There is a colloquialism, that a student can only be as learned as their teacher, but if anything, I believe our students have been building upon the foundation of knowledge handed down and have gone light years ahead.

Elisha makes a hard request, that he receive a double share of spirit. In the first place, it was the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which had so frightened Elijah, and to ask for twice as much? Yet, the wisdom of Elisha was in naming that what he would have was his own spirit and also the presence of Elijah in his life. For us to realize that we are not alone, but we build upon the witness of all who have gone before us. For Elijah, this was frightening as well, because the gift of the Spirit is not simply something you order up, the Spirit comes with hardship and struggle. No one would ever wish struggle and hardship on another, but the reality is that the Holy Spirit is borne out of testing. SO to request twice as much, is to request testing one's life.

Also this week, Someone "Facebooked" me with their "Bucket-list" of all the things they wanted to do before they died. Ride an Elephant. Ride a Hot air balloon, Travel to Africa. Each of which I realized I had done. Then lower was "Sit with someone as they died". I have been there many times. There is a holy moment when a person passes. Years ago, we had a member with advanced Cancer, who in the final days of her life, I had referred to Hospice Care. Then she called asking for friends to come and sit with her, that she not die alone. Miraculously, for five days and nights she was never alone. Families brought their babies. People she had not seen for years, all came. NOT to morbidly say she looks so real after she died, but to find closure and friendship and faith and love by lifting this one up before she died. I think in that week she taught the church more about life and death than any one had ever taught her.

Our Assurance of Pardon this morning came from Vaclav Havel. Do you recall who Vaclav Havel was? He was the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic. This was his guidance to our President on September 11th. That rather than acting in retaliation, out of vengeance, or to become more isolated, that we each would begin by questioning ourselves, how we have attacked and separated. And only beginning there, can we recognize we are not alone. Surely life might be easier if we were all alone. If there were no one to hold us accountable, no one to question our choices, our values and ethics. But doing so, we would stand on the shore alone, crying I, I, I rather than ever knowing what it is to offer a question, or a book, or a friendship that makes a difference in another person's life.