Quite a Spectacle
I wanted to share the message I brought for the Sunday before Lent which just so happened to be the same day as the Super Bowl. Jump do the message by scrolling past the scriptures.
I didn’t know if you knew, but today is the Super Bowl. Last week as I was leaving, someone shared with me what a church sign down in Fort Scott said, “God doesn’t choose sides, but the sign guy does… Go Chiefs!” I will echo this: God doesn’t choose sides, but I do – Go, Chiefs! I have made a practice of sitting down and watching the Chiefs game my sabbath during the football season for the past 5 years. It doesn’t matter when they are playing; I plan my schedule around sitting and watching them. I’ve only missed one game in 5 years. I don’t do this in reverence to them but in acknowledgment that God understands that we humans love a spectacle. When I’m watching the Chiefs, I try to focus on how God understands that humans sometimes need frivolity and fun. In setting this time aside, I am more able to see God’s work in all the other parts of my life. If you are watching them game, I invite you to enjoy the spectacle and frivolity – understanding that the mantle of God we are called to live on our shoulders can be heavy. Remember that no matter what happens in one of our largest earthly spectacles. We worship a God who speaks out of whirlwinds, who understands our humanity, and who came to liberate us from the frivolous ways the world ties us down and distracts us from our identities as disciples and God’s children.
God understands that we humans appreciate a spectacle. God often does not disappoint in this, I’ve found my breath catching often at God’s creation, these spectacles of God’s presence and glory in our world… Mountains topped with glaciers that feed blooming meadows and valleys, valleys, and canyons so deep, the sun does shine on the soil of their foundation, that first cry of a baby announcing its arrival into humanity. This season of Epiphany is about noticing all the ways that God is with us, Today, let us appreciate the spectacle that is God in our world. Some days this is easier than others, this glory and presence we seek can be obscured by errands, chores, harsh words, illness…
This is a story from scripture about a faithful and great prophet of God, named Elijah. If you would like to follow along in your Bibles, this story will closely follow 2 Kings 2:1-12
Scripture: Mark 9:2-9
When God was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha had set out from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for God has sent me on to Bethel.”
“As God lives and as you live,” said Elisha, “I will not leave you.”
So they went down to Bethel. Disciples of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that God will take your master away from you today?”
He replied, “I know it, too; be silent.”
Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for God has sent me on to Jericho.”
“As God lives and as you live,” said Elisha, “I will not leave you.”
So they went on to Jericho. The disciples of the prophets who were at Jericho came over to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that God will take your master away from you today?”
He replied, “I know it, too; be silent.”
Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for God has sent me on to the Jordan.”
“As God lives and as you live, I will not leave you,” he said, and the two of them went on.
Fifty men of the disciples of the prophets followed and stood by at a distance from them as the two of them stopped at the Jordan.
Thereupon Elijah took his mantle and, rolling it up, he struck the water; it divided to the right and left so that the two of them crossed over on dry land. As they were crossing, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
Elisha answered, “Let a double portion of your spirit pass on to me.”
“You have asked a difficult thing,” he said. “If you see me as I am being taken from you, this will be granted to you; if not, it will not.”
As they kept on walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses suddenly appeared and separated one from the other; and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “Oh, father, father! Israel’s chariots and horsemen!” [for he viewed the departing Elijah as a protector of Israel, like a one-man army]. When he could no longer see him, he grasped his garments and ripped them in two.
He picked up Elijah’s mantle, which had dropped from him; and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Taking the mantle which had dropped from Elijah, he struck the water. It parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over. When the disciples of the prophets at Jericho saw him from a distance, they exclaimed, “The spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha!”
(from Stein, David E. S., Mortimer J. Cohen, and Jewish Publication Society. Pathways Through the Bible : Classic Selections From the Tanakh. Vol. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society, 2002.)
Scripture: Mark 9:2-9
2 Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain where they were alone.
He was transformed in front of them, 3, and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white.
4 Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good that we’re here. Let’s make three shrines—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He said this because he didn’t know how to respond, for the three of them were terrified.
7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice spoke from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Human One had risen from the dead.
Our first scripture today couldn’t get much more dramatic. The story begins with a bit of a spoiler. “When God was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind…” Wait what? God will take Elijah up in a whirlwind? I was immediately ready to dive into that story; that’s a page-turner right off the bat.
The story moves to insert us into this beautiful story of love and devotion that can be found among God’s disciples. Elisha refuses to comply with Elijah’s not-so-subtle requests for some space.
Elijah tells Elisha – Stay here and I’ll go to Bethel.
“I will not leave you.” So they both to to Bethel.
Elijah tells Elisha – Stay here and I’ll go to Jericho.
“I will not leave you.” So they both go to Jericho.
Elijah tells Elisha – Stay here and I’ll go to Jordan.
“I will not leave you.” So they both go to Jordan.
As they go to all these places, Elisha, who knows something is up, is told over and over again, “Do you know that God will take your master away from you today?”
Yes, he knows! Don’t remind him ok! He’s trying to be in denial about it - He replied, “I know it, too; be silent.”
These disciples of the prophet, these people of God, know that something is about to go down or up, in the case of Elijah. They’re not going to miss out on seeing what’s about to happen; they don’t know what it is, but they’re sure gonna be there to see it.
This very human behavior is evident, especially in traffic. There can be one person pulled over, with a flat tire, getting a speeding ticket, in a fender bender, it doesn’t matter – if there is someone pulled over where people will see, there will be traffic around that spot. Everyone is curious, they want to slow down to look and see what’s going on. They don’t know what it was but it could be exciting or interesting and they sure don’t want to miss it! Sometimes, even to their own endangerment in driving, they are now distracted by whatever is happening alongside the road.
Jesus is fully human and fully divine so he gets this human inclination when he is going to be transfigured, when he is taking on the mantle of authority from God to ordain the disciples to continue his work after he is no longer on earth. Jesus takes them up a mountain, where it is only Peter, James, John, and Jesus. Imagine walking along just chatting with your fellow church members and you get this feeling, feeling that something is about to happen – your Spidey senses tingle. You don’t know what is gonna happen but you aren’t going to miss it!
The disciples of the prophets in our story of Elisha and Elijah were right in following their human curiosity, something notable was about to happen – something notable – quite a spectacle.
Elijah gets to the Jordan and takes off his jacket, his mantle – this outer garment that had protected him and that was recognizable to others that he was Elijah – a powerful prophet and conduit for God’s work on earth. He takes this off, rolls it up, and strikes the water – the water parts – parts like it did for Moses – parts so that Elisha and Elijah cross the Jordan on dry land – like the Israelites did hundreds of years before them.
Elijah knows that he has the business of God to tend to and he needs Elisha to give him some space and let him do that work. Elijah sees that Elisha is scared but loyal and reluctant to let Elijah go – this isn’t just out of personal love for his friend – Elisha knows that Elijah has been acting as a protector for God’s people. He’s maybe afraid that he won’t be able to continue that work. He sees this rolled-up mantle that just parted the Jordan Sea and is realizing that it will be his to carry heavy on his shoulders. He asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and stands back to watch the spectacle of God’s work. God does not disappoint.
Out of the sky, clouds form and settle over the land. Imagine the sky starts to turn that eerie shade of green – you know what’s next? That’s right the clouds start to churn, and spin, and out of these clouds, comes the presence of God on a whirlwind. As if that were not enough, within this churning cloud and whipping wind, specks of embers gather into fire, and fire is fed by the wind, the fire comes closer and begins to divide into shapes. Shapes that become a chariot and two horses – a chariot and two horses made of fire, sweeping down through the churning winds and whipping water to scoop up Elijah. Elijah is taken up to be with God.
As Elijah disappears into the clouds, the winds start to calm, and the waters of the Jordan start to trickle back around Elisha’s feet. The clouds begin to clear, and Elisha and these other 50 disciples are left with a letdown that is only an ordinary, beautiful day.
Elijah is gone; this spectacle has left a massive hole in Elisha’s heart and life. He’s followed this one person and been a companion to them since childhood. The missing spectacle now leaves him with a heavy mantle. He screams out, making a spectacle of himself, and tears his own clothing. His own person and identity, he no longer needs them. He’s asked to and is assuming the spirit of Elijah along with putting on his mantle and continuing his work. Elisha is left after this spectacle with the monumental task that he and Elijah were doing together – speaking God’s work to God’s people.
Jesus, up on the mountain, trying to avoid such a public spectacle, assumes the mantle of God’s work on earth; he is transfigured, bringing forward this glowing divinity from the Godhead within him. This is not a human action; his human body acts in non-human ways; he is emanating this glory that manifests in non-earthly colors and radiance.
Punctuating this assumption of God’s work are those who have come before him, the most loyal and faithful of workers for God, Elijah, and Moses. These two prophets are who all believers and prophets who came after them are measured against, they are the holy of holiest men. Here with them, these men who have been immortalized into the presence of God now are the transfigured Jesus.
The disciples, James, John, and Peter – they are terrified. This is too much for them to handle. Peter, bless his heart, he grasps at the only way he knows how to worship, which is separating holiness from humanity – he offers to build them shrines – he offers to contain these Spirits – but from a wholesome, but lacking in understanding, place of genuine worship.
Still grasping for orientation in the overwhelming nature of this experience, they are not overshadowed. Clouds gather and they begin to churn, but here, from the clouds, comes not a whirlwind and chariot of fire but the very voice of God. “This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him!”
Unable to process any of what just happened, the disciples blink and all is back to normal, as if it never happened.
Elisha understood something that these disciples did not understand. Elisha knew who would be taking up this mantle left when Elijah was brought to the presence of God to do God’s work there – the disciples here in our Gospel of Mark. They don’t have any idea what they’ve gotten themselves into. They don’t yet grasp it. They don’t cry out and lament – they don’t tear their clothes. They simply walk back down the way they came up, whispering to each other questions about what would come next. Who is the human one? Why and how will they rise from the dead? What does their friend Jesus have to do with this? How do they fit into this?
As we head into this season of Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday, were are reminded that we are these disciples. We’ve been given witness to God’s glory in a million ways, we’ve been taught and instructed and have promised to carry on this mantle that Jesus will pass to his disciples in the spectacle of Easter. We don’t quite understand the consequences and heaviness of this work. We whisper to each other our questions because we aren’t quite sure what will come next.
This season of Lent is to transfigure us into a disciple like Elisha, who understands God’s mission and its monumental nature. Lent is to orient us to Christ’s mission and work on earth. This Lent, we will follow the footsteps of Peter, a faithful disciple, who is always eager to worship but who also seems a little late to truly grasp the magnitude and meaning of the spectacle. In following these footsteps of Peter, I pray that my heart and life mission will be aligned with God’s and that yours will as well.
