February 15
2015 “Storms Under Construction” *2 Kings 2.1-2,11; Mark 9.2-9 Pastor Jacqueline Hines
The story of
the prophet Elijah and his student Elisha is one of the most dramatic in the
bible. [slide #1 Chariots of fire].The story was
written in the book of Kings 550 years before the birth of Jesus. In 1981 the
movie Chariots of Fire based on this
biblical story came out 3000 years later.
What an
image! When we talk about intensity and speed in many races, we might say “we
feel the burn.” On the road, we might say “we are leaving others in the dust”
or “we are burning rubber.” Intensity makes our heart race and our ears stand
up for the news of some dramatic win. [slide #2 racer on shoulders ]
Elijah and
his student Elisha had been running together for a long time. They were best
buds, close colleagues, and intensely spiritual. What a blessing it is to be
close to God, close to a mentor, close to a friend. One of my spiritual mentors
Bishop O.T. Jones was often heard to say in bible study, ‘You need to come to
church and stay close to the people of God because a rose cannot survive without
staying connecting to the vine.’
In every day
and age, it is important to stay close to God, a mentor, and a friend. When I
taught English at BCCC, I had students who had academic gifts and challenges; [ slide #3 classroom
] there were students who
had just come out of prison making major adjustments, [slide #4jail bars ]and
students who had bitter experiences and bad attitudes to match. [slide #5 t shirt “bad attitude” ]
In my
prayers, I asked God what I could possibly do with the students who very likely
would not pass the final exam. The answer I received while walking to the
school parking lot one day, the answer that seemed to float in a bubble
overhead and gently burst around me was both surprising and inspiring. I
expected to hear of a special teacher-tip such as give extra homework or send
them to the tutoring center. God said, “Be a friend to many.” So that is what I
did. I treated all like a very important friend, like they were a child of the
Living God, like they mattered! I treated them like I experienced God was
treating me every day. [ slide #6 Jesus and little girl ]
How
wonderful it is that Bethel is working to be a warm and friendly church and preparing
renovations and an elevator to put our money where our faith is. One family
came who visited Bethel when we were a rest stop in the Chester County
Historical House Tour a few months ago, said that they came because they were
very grateful for the hospitality and genuine welcome we shared that day. It
made a difference. [slide #7 happy to see you]
Last
Saturday I met a family from Nantmeal UMC. The welcome they gave me was was
intense and record-breaking. I am still basking in the warmth of that sunshine.
A warm welcome and genuine acceptance gladdens the heart, even heals the heart
in a world where hearts are constantly bruised and broken.
Who can
forget the testimony of a woman being assaulted by a very broken man; though a
stranger in the dark, she intuitively whispered in his ear the words that God
constantly whispers to us, “I love you. I love you.” The stranger was disarmed,
immediately and her life was spared. [ #8 You are loved]
Elijah and
Elisha were close friends walking and talking
about things that were deep and divine. [slide #9 Elijah and Elisha] They talked about
things that were out of this world – things like the fires of hell and the
glory of heaven. They talked about the things that brought new life. Theirs was
a once-in-a-life-time-love, a rare and precious connection that is a blessing
from God.
Their first
stop was Gilgal. [slide # 10 Gilgal… ] In Hebrew,
the word Gilgal means “roll” as in roll away a stone, or roll ourselves onto
the Lord who takes care of us. In the year 1400 BC, the Israelites rolled into Gilgal
after leaving Egypt on their way to the Promised Land. Do you remember a day
you rolled into the paths of right living, rolling your cares over to God? Do
you remember how it felt to be delivered from some burden of sorrow, sin, or
shame and have a new start? We may pass through Gilgal more than once in our
lifetime.
From Gilgal,
Elijah was on his way to Bethel. [slide #11 Bethel –
house of God] “Beth” means “house” and “el” means “of God.” Everywhere
we go as Christians, we should be on our way to a place where our Heavenly
father is at home, where the Holy Spirit is not grieved, where Jesus is
welcome. [slide #12 Jesus at the door]
Elisha
insisted on traveling the whole distance to Bethel with his mentor Elijah. He gladly
went the extra miles. From Gilgal to Bethel it was probably well over 10 miles.
As they walked and talked, they were suddenly separated by a wind storm, a
whirlwind, an intense experience with chariots of fire and horses ablaze. [slide #13 whirlwind of fire]
Separation
alone can be an intense experience. *A study was done from the University of
Missouri on separation from iphones. [ slide #14 phones
] Forty-one students were asked to work on puzzles while their blood
pressure and heart rate were being monitored. Researches told the students that
the phone was interfering with the monitor and asked that they place the phone
in a nearby cubicle. Then the researchers called their phones. When the
students heard their cell phones ring [slide #15 phone
ringing] and could not answer it, the student’s anxiety level, blood
pressure, and heart rate skyrocketed and their performance on the puzzles
plummeted. One of the researchers concluded, ‘the iphones can become an
extension of our selves and when separated we feel less of a self and take on a
negative physiological state.’ Storms change our lives and speak volumes.
The intense
experiences, the storms of life speak loudly to us in three ways. First, storms
speak to us of life and death. Storms put pressure on us to live as we know we
will one day die. Storms help us to die in peace as we see that God has always
faithfully taken care of us.
Secondly,
storms speak to us of Heaven and Hell. Just as we know nothing of life before
our birth, we know nothing of life after our birth. Life is full of unknown
factors. Life can be unpredictable. Storms push us into making life meaningful.
Storms present heavenly moments we want to foster and hellish moments we work
to avoid.
Thirdly,
storms speak to us of truth that sets us free and the lies that bind us. The
truth of most matters is that storms can shake us up and turn us around if we
have the courage to face the storm and ask God for help. The devil is a lie. We
can find freedom.
Family therapists
say that helping a family change for the better is as challenging as swimming
against the tide. Storms push us into change. Still, storms lead us to living
waters, but storms cannot make us drink.
Like Elijah
and Elisha we choose Sunday by Sunday to stay close together, united as one,
always on our way to Bethel – the house of God. As we journey we will always be
on fire for the Lord. We will be raising sand and kicking up dust for a good
cause. We are stirring up a storms against sexual assault and domestic violence
like what we heard about this week at Millersville University and that Laurel
Wynn reminded us about when she built a website. [slide
#16 www.tinyurl.com/ladies-self-defense.]
On our way
to the house of God, we leave a hot trail from our chariots of fire and horses
ablaze with power. [slide #17 firery trail ] Clearly
we have made fierce efforts to drive out demons of drug abuse, [ slide #18 public school
], sexism, racism, homophobia, promiscuity, and sex trafficking, [slide #19 help me], in our hearts, [slide
#20 sin in heart] our homes, [slide # 21 Jesus
at our door]and in our neighborhoods. Living our lives faithfully can be
very, very intense.
In my report
to Council I talked about us going to the next spiritual level. Wherever God is
leading, uniting together in new ways is the most important choice United
Methodists are making.
A few months
ago in typical Methodist fashion, I met with a group of clergy for conversation
on tough issues. We all have different views, different experiences, different
goals, and different emotions. Our common ground was the rules we had for
conversation: One person talks at a
time, no interruptions or clarifying questions, the speaker talked no more than
two minutes, continue until everyone has a chance to talk – if they choose to, everyone
is a child of God, listen carefully, strive to understand the other person’s
view, speak about issues without defaming persons, disagree without being
disagreeable, pray, strive to accurately reflect the views of others.
Together we
engaged in open, honest conversation in peace instead of in pieces, that the world will know we are Christians.
One of the
most inspiring signs I have seen in recent weeks of watching protests on television
was a middle school student carrying a sign that said, “Silence is violence.”
Doesn’t it remind us that God has sent us to speak up and stir up a storm, and
have conversations that lead to peace and justice in the church, that can be a
model for the whole word.
Let each of
us remember that if we are on the way to Bethel, the house of the Lord, we are
stirring up a spiritual storm. Go for the storm and watch God show up and fire
up our lives and free us to finish the race in victory. [ slide # 22 torch runner ] Amen.
+++
*Erin
Blakemore, "Separate people from their phones and they perform less
well," Smithsonian.com (1-12-15)
http://www.preachingtoday.com/search/?order=newest
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