II KINGS 2:1-12

2:1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.

2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.

5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.

8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”

10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”

11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.

There’s a bookcase in my office with all kinds of books that were written by some of the greatest theologians the world has ever known.   St. Anselm and St. Augustine, Paul Tillich, John Calvin, Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonheoffer and then there’s “The Gospel According to Peanuts.”   That’s right.   “The Gospel According to Peanuts.”

Over the years Charles Schultz produced some deep theological cartoons.  One that I saw recently has to do with the future.  Lucy is talking to Charlie Brown and she makes the observation that life is like a deck chair on a cruise ship.  Some people like to place their chairs so they face the back of the ship.  That way the can see where they’ve been.  Others like to place their chairs so they face the front of the ship.  That way they can see where they’re going.  Charlie Brown ponders the observation and then says, “I’ve never been able to get one unfolded.”

Which way is your deck chair facing these days? Is your deck chair facing the back of ship t because you’re a person who longs for the good old days? Or is your deck chair facing the front of the ship because you’re a person who believes that tomorrow will be even better than today?  A lot of people will tell you that the future scares them.  They look at the future and it’s full of gloom and doom.  They see a future where the ice caps are melting and Social Security is about to go bankrupt.  They see a future where white people will soon be a minority in this country and it’s only a matter of time before a new super virus kills millions of people around the world.

It’s enough to make you want to turn your deck chair around and long for the good old days.  That’s the way Elisha felt when he learned that Elijah was going to be taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.  Elisha was didn’t want to be left behind to face this cold cruel world on his own.  That’s why Elisha refuses to let Elijah go on without him. When Elijah tells him to stay behind while he travels on to Bethel, Elisha refuses and says, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”  Then when Elijah tells him to stay while he travels on to Jericho Elisha again refuses and says, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”  Then when Elijah tells him to stay behind while he travels on to the Jordan River Elisha says the same thing again. “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”

Elisha is terrified by the prospect of a future without Elijah there by his side.   You can also see it in the words that he utters when the sons of the prophets ask him that question.  They say to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?”  When Elisha hears that he gets angry and says to them, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

Which way is your deck chair facing these days?  Does the future scare you or excite you?   When you wake up in the morning do you say, “Good morning Lord” or do you say “Good Lord it’s morning?”

When it comes to the future I am reminded of the “Charge” that is shared with a bride and groom on their wedding day. There’s a sentence that goes like this:  “The future is unknown to any of us.  Yet your love for each other and trust in the goodness of God’s will make possible the act of faith you now make in our midst.”

That’s the key right there.  It’s your faith in God and the goodness of God’s will that makes all the difference in the world when it comes to the future.  Elisha knew that. That’s why Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.  Elisha makes that request because he wants to face the future with the spirit of the living God resting on him just as it had come to rest upon his master.

Elijah understands that which is why he makes that promise to his spiritual progeny and protégé.  Elijah says, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”

That promise is the reason why Elisha cries out, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”  Elisha is excited because he now knows that the spirit of the living God is also going to rest on him now.  Suddenly the future isn’t so fearsome and foreboding for him.

You can see that when you continue on with the story.  So what happens after Elijah disappears in that whirlwind and those chariots of fire? Elisha picks up his master’s mantle and heads back to the Jordan River.  When he gets there he strikes the water with the mantle and lo and behold the river parts from side to side just as it had done for Elijah.  Elisha then goes on to perform other miracles.  He goes on to boldly speak the word of the LORD and to face down sinful kings who have dared to defy God’s wisdom and ways.

When your faith is strong you know that you never face the future alone.  Come what may, you know that the LORD is going to be there with you.  “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me

Our own Statement of Faith also proclaims that the LORD is with us.  “In Jesus Christ the man of Nazareth our crucified and risen Savior you have come to us and shared our common lot conquering sin and death and reconciling the world to Yourself.  You promise to all who trust you forgiveness of sin and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, Your presence in trial and rejoicing and eternal life in Your kingdom which has no end.”

I don’t fear the future because I know that the God who was in Christ is with us.  Many years ago, Rev. Jeremiah Wright shared a story about a little girl who showed tremendous faith at a time when the future was looking pretty bleak.

The little girl was with her father in a boat on Lake Michigan.  When the boat sank the two of them found themselves floundering in the water.  The little girl couldn’t swim and because the father had a bad heart there was no way that he could help his daughter swim the quarter mile or so to shore with him.  So, he turned to the little girl and said, “Baby, do you remember how I taught you to float?”  The little girl said “yes” and promptly turned on her back.  The father then assured her, “Daddy is going to get help, and I’m coming back for you.”  By the time he got back with the Coast Guard though an hour had gone by and there was no sign of the little girl.  So, the Coast Guard boat began to circle the area.  The circles got wider and wider until they were four miles out in the middle of Lake Michigan with the sun beginning to go down.   The father urged them to make one final circle and it was then that they saw a red dress bobbing in the water.  The Coast Guard crew held the father back figuring that the little girl was dead.  Instead of finding a dead body though they found the little girl floating on her back and singing, “Be not dismayed what-e’re betide, God will take care of you.”  When they got back to shore they asked the little girl how she was able to last so long.  She told them it was easy.  She said, “My daddy said he was coming back for me, and my daddy never breaks his promises.”

The God who was in Christ Jesus is with you and it is a promise that will never be broken.  So this morning I invite you to turn your deck chair to the front of the ship and join me in embracing the future.  Bill and Gloria Gaither were right when they wrote the words to that wonderful song of praise!

Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because he lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know he hold the future,

And life is worth the living just because he lives.   Amen

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes                                                                          

June 30, 2013