June 26: Taking up the Mantle

Pentecost 6: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Psalm 77: 1-2, 11-20; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62

So, how many of you have ever hitched up the workhorse or the mule or the oxen to your plow and set out to create a field of straight furrows for planting?  Raise your hands.

Yes, not most of us, so Jesus’ one-line parable may seem a bit strange or meaningless to us: No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

And it sounds a bit harsh too; after all, if someone is putting a hand to the plow at least they are prepared to do the work.  But Jesus seems to be declaring that in order to do this work—God’s work and mission for us, God’s people---then there are certain ways we are to go about being agents of God’s Kingdom.  And first and foremost, Jesus says, don’t look back to the past.

But, can’t we learn from the past?  Well, yes, we can, but in this instance---when one is plowing a new path forward for the purpose of new growth---then looking back is a problem.  While plowing forward, if one looks back to what has already been done, the looking back causes the next bit to become crooked.  It can also cause one to lose control of the plow.  While planting and growing God’s Kingdom, Jesus warns us to look forward, not backward. 

We hear another warning as well: Let the dead bury the dead. Again, this is rather harsh sounding.

Sidenote here: We come across these bits and pieces of Scripture—especially bits and pieces that are meant to come straight from Jesus---that are sometimes really hard to deal with.  They don’t sound like the sweet Jesus we know and love; they sound harsh and unmanageable.  You know what I mean: these pieces of Scripture that “pinch” us.  These are the bits that we really must take the time and effort to wrestle with and chew on.  We cannot just set them aside or ignore them.  They too have truth for us to know; even when they challenge us and stretch us. Especially when they challenge and stretch us. End of sidenote.

So, back to let the dead bury the dead.  At the time of Jesus, burying one’s father was a sacred, holy duty.  Why is Jesus so easily dismissive of it?

Because if we, Jesus’s disciples and apostles, mean to follow Jesus, then following Jesus is to be our top priority---nothing else, not even the sacred and holy duty of burying one’s father, should cause us to swerve off path.  Jesus asks us to have an undivided and loyal heart for the revelation and manifestation of God’s Kingdom.  Nothing else can be number one: not even our family, our passions, our work, our hobbies, our sports, our homes, our nations, or our desires. 

The freedom we receive in Jesus---the freedom from fear, anxiety, hopelessness and uncertainty----this freedom that comes from knowing we come from the Father and we are going to the Father---the freedom that comes from believing with our whole heart that we are bound for resurrection, for new life springing from life’s end---this freedom comes with a responsibility. 

The responsibility we see in Elisha’s actions.  Like Jesus, the prophet Elijah knows he is on his final journey.  Elijah gives Elisha several opportunities to step off the path; to change his mind about following Elijah.  But again and again, Elisha chooses to follow, to stay on the path, to remain with Elijah. And then, when the prophet Elijah’s mantle falls away as Elijah leaves this life, Elisha picks it up---we are told Elisha takes up the mantle two separate times---the storyteller wants to make certain we don’t miss this point.

The mantle, the adderet, is a sign of the prophet—a symbol of being a spokesperson of God—a person who points toward –and works to reveal--- God’s Kingdom.  Elisha chooses to follow Elijah, and eventually picks up Elijah’s mantle, and by doing so, insures that Elijah’s work of pointing to and revealing God’s Kingdom will continue, even in the absence of Elijah.

Friends, we are called to this same responsibility. As the living members of the Body of Christ, we need to choose to follow Jesus again and again, and eventually, to pick up the mantle of Jesus.  As the prayer of the day tells us: God’s church is built upon the prophets and apostles, Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone.  We are the church, built upon the work of the prophets and apostles.  And we, and those who have gone before us, are the prophets and apostles.  We are the ones who point to and reveal God’s Kingdom here on earth; we are those who are sent out to insure that Jesus’ redeeming, healing, and reconciling ministry continues to go on---in our community, in our neighborhoods, at our workplaces, in our homes, and in our world.

Today a draft of a 3-year vision, presented by our leadership, is being made available for us to consider.  It is a way forward, a way for us here at Intercession to continue our work as prophets and apostles, insuring that God’s mission for all people to be restored to unity with God and each other in Christ continues to unfold in the here and now.  We ask you to become familiar with this draft of a vision. It is a draft because it needs the input of our community.  There is a one-page paper summary available in the parish hall, and today a link has been emailed to everyone on our parish email list.  This link will connect you to an online, more detailed version of the Vision. It is available in Power Point, and also a narrated video version of the Power Point.  It is available on our webpage as well.

Please make yourself familiar with the draft, and then sign up for one of the opportunities to talk about the Vision in a small group during the months of July and August.  Vestry leaders will be hosting each small group discussion. We ask that in these discussions you share your hopes and excitement about the Vision, your concerns, your ongoing questions, so that at the end of the summer, we can finalize our Vision and begin plowing the furrow that is our path forward to new life and growth.

Beloved, we can honor the past; we can learn from the past, but, Jesus tells us, we cannot keep looking back to the past to know our way forward.

Let us be steadfast, as Jesus is steadfast in his love and faithfulness.  Let us set our face forward.  Like Jesus’ journey, there will be hardship, pain, suffering, loss and rejection.  But as we walk in the freedom we gain from the reconciling and restoring love of God, we can walk without fear---knowing resurrection is our promise, knowing new life comes from death, knowing we are equipped by those who went before us and empowered by the Holy Spirit herself.

And as we walk in the Spirit, let us take up the mantle of Jesus and continue the healing, the forgiveness, the compassionate acts of drawing others to God’s love. As we follow Jesus, the fruits of the Spirit will flourish within and around us----creating God’s banquet table for others to take their place and join in the feast.

Have you heard that saying: Standing in a garage doesn’t make you a car? Truth.

J

ust as much truth as the mark of an effective church isn’t how many people worship in the buildings on Sundays. No, the mark of an effective church is how many lives are improved, restored, and reconnected because of the existence of that faith community. The mark of an effective church is seen when those who are connected to the faith community worship God in their everyday lives---as a living sacrifice---by loving and serving all others.  That’s Gospel.