"Worthy Questions" June 26, 2016

2nd Kings 2:1-14 Luke 9:51-62 There is a story about a famed preacher, esteemed for his eloquence, his command of poetry, prose, philosophy, his knowledge of Scripture, Shakespeare, and even more the connection of ideas to underscore lessons of life. However, for many years he had employed a clerk who researched, cross referenced and wrote every word he uttered. Finally, the staffer became fed up with the lack of recognition for their work, his plagiarizing their words as his own. As the renowned preacher was speaking to thousands of believers who hung upon his words, at the bottom of Page Two were the stirring words: “This my friends leads us to our point and the very heart of the Scripture, which is...” only to turn to page three, and find the words “You are on your own.” Up until this moment in life, you have been taught, carefully schooled, educated for whatever question is asked. First, to know that you are loved unconditionally; second the meaning of “No;” then, to sit up straight, to stand, to walk, to talk, the taste of spinach, Brussel sprouts and beets; to sleep at bed time and rise in the morning; to wash your hands and behind your ears. All that, before you ever learned the alphabet in English, to conjugate verbs, numbers or advanced calculations. Today, you process through the park to the Gazebo and jump in the lake, to be recognized by all those who have had a part in preparing you, that you passed the test having learned all that is required for a New York State Regents diploma. Over these last eighteen years, you have acquired the answers to the curriculum, you have mastered every question everyone else has put before you. When suddenly, perhaps tonight, or at the first day of Freshman Orientation, or when you are sitting on the bed provided by your host family in another Country, or in Boot Camp, or when you receive a diagnosis of Cancer, or when you graduate from college, or when you get married, if you divorce, when you bring your own child home from the hospital, or you are fired, or your child graduates and moves away, when it will occur to you: “You are on your own!” It is unfathomable, but there will come a time, when you will wish you could again live in your room in your parents' house, sharing a bathroom with your siblings, where meals miraculously appeared on the table, dishes were sanitized and put away before every meal, there were an endless supply of clean socks in your drawer, and you neither have to worry about rent or taxes or insurance or gas for the car you did not pay to drive. “You are on your own.” That is when you begin to ask Worthy Questions. Not that the date of Constantine's Dream was not important; not that you did not need to know how to find the square root of Pi. But when you begin to ask questions of yourself, 321 AD or 1.77245 are not answers to the worthy questions you need. The Worthy questions are: Who are you? Where is the Lord God? What are you doing here? Can I cope without my nest? Do I need love? Am I able to love? How far can I push myself? How far am I willing to trust another person? How can I cope with anger or fear different from what I have known? What is life and death about? Elijah was the great prophet of Israel, who stood against King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and 450 Priests of Baal. Elijah was the prophet of the great contest between Gods, who poured water over his sacrifice but when he commanded fire to come down out of heaven, everything was incinerated to ash. Elijah was the one who stood up against Jezebel and killed all 450 of the Priests of Baal. Elijah was the Prophet of the Lord, who journeyed to the Mountain where Moses, wanting some sign from God, had seen the presence of God. And there was Earthquake, Fire and Flood and a Mighty Wind, but God was not in any of those things. When a voice came asking: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” in other words, “You are on your own.” Elijah was the one, whom God then commanded to anoint a new King over Israel, and anoint a new King over the Nation of Judah, and anoint a new Priest in each Country, and after all of that, to find Elisha who will continue as Prophet after you are gone. So what was the first thing that Elijah did when coming down the mountain? First thing, he went looking for Elisha to give the job to, so Elijah would not be on his own. Elijah found Elisha with 12 pair of yoked Oxen, plowing the fields, and he was with the last pair, meaning the plowing of the field was done. Elijah draped his mantle over the shoulder of Elisha as Elijah passed. Elisha responded, “I will go with you, but first let me kiss my Mother and Father goodbye.” But Elijah says “You are on your own, decide what is important.” Elisha does not go to kiss his parents goodbye, but takes the 24 Oxen and butchers and sacrifices them to the Lord. In other words, making this sacrifice Elisha can never again return home. In the intervening chapters, Elijah goes up a mountain, and the new king tries to appeal to the Prophet of God to bring God down, making the Nation of Israel Great Again. The King appeals to him by sending 50 men to Elijah. But Elijah responds “Is it because there is no God in Israel, that you search for me and for the prophets of Baal?” Then Elijah commanded fire to come down and consume the 50 men. The king sends 50 more, and Elijah commanded fire to come down. The king sent 50 more, and Elijah commanded fire to come down. Finally, the king sent 50 more men, who offered their lives to Elijah, asking that their lives would be of value. And an angel appeared to Elijah and he came down the mountain. This takes us to the passage we read today at the transition from 1st Kings to 2nd Kings, where everyone in all Israel knows that Elijah is about to die, and Elisha the Apprentice is going to be on his own as Prophet of the Lord. Before Elijah dies, he makes a pilgrimage a grand circle from Gilgal to all the sacred places of ancient Israel, before returning to Jericho to cross the Jordan River into the Wilderness. The people in each place do not ask Worthy Questions. Like reporters asking victims of a hurricane, fire or a mass shooting, “How do you feel?” they ask “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master, leaving you alone?” Elisha responds, “I know, leave me alone.” Like Israel before them, Elijah parts the Jordan River for he and Elisha to cross together. The vow of Elisha to Elijah is like the vow of Peter to Jesus at the Last Supper, “I will not leave you.” Except that Peter cannot, because Jesus' death is something only he could do for all humanity, and Peter was weak. But what Elisha was pledging to Elijah, was that Elijah would not Be Alone in death. What is not spelled out clearly here, is that in the Religion of the Canaanites, who had been in the land before Israel took possession, their God was described as riding the clouds in a Chariot of Fire with Horses of Fire. When Elisha witnesses Elijah being carried up by the Chariots and horses, he tore his clothes, meaning not only that he was filled with emotion but Elisha could never go back to putting those on again, the past is the past. Read this as his parents converted his bedroom into a guestroom. Read this as, His parents took Elisha off their Income Taxes as their dependent. Elisha recognized neither he nor Israel could ever go back. Instead, Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah and struck the water, just as Israel's Prophets had done, as Moses and Joshua and Elijah had done, asking The Worthy Question: “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Elisha had no intention of going alone, because wherever he goes Elisha trusted God will be with him. Jesus and his disciples did not suddenly appear without knowledge of the prophets and history of Israel before them. When Jesus had set his face toward Jerusalem, and the Samaritans rejected him because he would not come be their Prophet whenever they wanted him, James and John asked the Elijah Question of coping with fear & anger: “Do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven to rebuke them?” And when Jesus invited others to follow, and one replied “first let me first bury my dead,” and another “first let me say farewell to those at home” Jesus was describing Elisha at the plow. Probably few of us have ever driven a team of horses, or plowed a field with oxen, but the reality is you cannot drive straight or plow forward if you are forever turning to consider the past. The Worthy Question, which until now we often tried to ignore and sidestep, is the meaning of Life and Death, the purpose of Life. When Elisha was accompanying Elijah on this final pilgrimage, crossing the Jordan into the wilderness, everybody knew that Elijah was Going to die, everyone including Elisha knew this meant Elisha would be on his own as a Prophet of the Lord. So when Elisha asked for a double share, different from the Prodigal Son or the Elder Son he was not asking for his half of the inheritance, he was asking for Everything and this from a dying man who never wanted his responsibility. Years ago, I recall praying for a double portion of faith... within the next six months, I arrived here, I had to have my Gall Bladder removed and my parents were in a fatal Car Accident. Be careful what you wish for! When Elisha took up Elijah's mantle and struck the Jordan, Elisha was claiming his own command over life and death, because Moses and the Red Sea, Joshua and the Jordan, Baptism, and your leaping off the wall into the Lake, ALL are affirmations of the reality of life and death and that you choose as Elisha did: Responsibility. When Jesus “set his face toward Jerusalem” even the Samaritans knew that no longer would Jesus be a wandering Rabbi, a miracle healer and teacher, he was claiming his purpose and responsibility as going to the Cross to die for the sins of the world. Everything from this point forward comes with insight and conviction of that reality. Wherever you go from this place, you go knowing you are part of this Church, we love you unconditionally. You go as a Graduate of Skaneateles, having learned everything we thought we could teach you as a foundation for your asking the Worthy Questions. “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?”