“Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha picked up Elijah’s mantle, which had fallen off him, and went back to the shore of the Jordan. He took the mantle that had fallen off Elijah, hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.” 2 Kings 2:8-14

What does it mean to “pass on a mantle to someone else?” It means to hand the leadership to a new leader. Elijah was on a “farewell tour” of sorts as he came to the end of his earthly life. Along with him is Elisha – the one to whom Elijah was about to “pass the mantle”. In being able to see Elijah ascend into heaven, Elisha is rewarded with his “double portion”, and the mantle of Elijah drops at his feet.

Did you ever pick up the mantle from someone? Was leadership ever passed along to you? Just before Jesus leaves his disciples to ascend into heaven, he tells them to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to teach them to obey all that Jesus had taught them.” (Matthew 28:19ff) This was Jesus’ way of passing on the mantle of leadership to his disciples, so that they would go forward and continue his ministry, and to grow the church. The Gospel of Mark finishes with the disciples returning home and not saying anything to anyone. We know intrinsically this did not happen. They did eventually go forward and share the good news that the kingdom of G-d had come near in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and that something new was now to be taught concerning G-d’s mysterious ways. And the disciples handed on the mantle to others, and so it continues to today.

You and I have received the mantle from the great cloud of witnesses that have gone on before us, but who passed along the faith to us before they left. We need to pick it up – strike out on our way to share the good news – and eventually pass along the mantle of faith to others.  Jesus is depending on us.

Pastor Dave

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on.” Matthew 6:25

“It is impossible for us to solve the riddles of life. Neither can we attain by a perspicacious solution of all the problems of the universe the proof that the reins of government are in the hands of God, who guides all things well; nor have we in our religious faith the means of solving these problems. The will of God suffers no question. But we can win the strength to bear the burden of these mysteries, if we do not allow ourselves to be mastered by tormenting fears about the material side of life, but rather seek with all our hearts and minds the kingdom of God…” (Rudolf Bultmann (1884 – 1976) “For All The Saints” volume I)

“Seek with all our hearts and minds the kingdom of God…” Fear. Anxiety. Welcome to 2020 and the year of the pandemic. What are you most afraid of? Are you afraid of failing? Are you afraid of flying? Are you afraid of spiders, the dark, snakes, hearses, or being alone? Are you afraid of catching Covid-19? There are many things that can make us anxious or afraid. When I was younger, I used to be afraid to walk into hospitals. Every time I entered a hospital to visit a family member or friend, my throat would tighten, my heart would race, and I would break out into a sweat. Today, I spend some weeks going to the hospital every day. My fear subsided once I recognized that my fears were something I needed to face – and with G-d’s help, and time, the fear went away.

The text from Matthew is dealing with a different kind of fear – the fear of material things – or better said, a lack of material things. There are a lot of people who lack in our society and in our world – and 2020 has brought that to our attention like no other recent year. These people lack material necessities for a variety of reasons: a lack of money, the lack of available resources, societal greed and hoarding, etc. It is in these moments where we need to look to our abundance and seek ways to help those in need. In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, Jesus said: 

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.” Luke 6:20-21

It is one thing to be without – it is another to be without but to trust that G-d will provide. But G-d cannot do it alone – we need to be the hands and feet that feed the hungry and clothe the naked. “Do not be anxious about your life.” This is easier said than done – but so goes the way of the cross. I have found in my life that of all of the worrying and concern about running out of stuff, or not having enough stuff has never come to fruition — G-d has always provided.

Pastor Dave