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2 Kings 2:1-12
Psalm 50:1-6
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Mark 9:2-9
The Collect of the Day
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. (Mark 9:2-9)
The Mantle of Transfiguration
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop, Rector
Did you see the super bowl? The competition between the Steelers and the Cardinals was more than intense, and despite calls that will be disputed in barber shops for months to come, no one can dispute the artistry of Santonio Holmes’ catch of the critical throw by Steeler quarterback Ben Roethisberger in the last minutes of the game.
And if you are into watching Spectacular-Spectacular pomp and pageantry, this is the season for you. Two weeks ago musical artisans stepped our of the studio and into the spotlight for the 51 st annual Grammy Awards, where we watched Robert Plant and Alison Krauss receive the Record of the Year for “Please Read the Letter” and the Album of the Year for “Raising Sand.” And tonight we will be treated to that annual extravaganza, the Academy Awards. This year’s line up will provide enough glitz and glamour as Kate Winslet and Angelina Jolie compete for their work in The Reader and Changeling, respectively. And what about the almost true to life performance of Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler? My bet for best picture is with the sleeper Slumdog Millionaire.
Like the super bowl, the Academy Awards have become one of the big events of the year. Millions of us will tune in to watch our stars and starlet’s line up to receive their statues of Oscar from a couture-draped presenter. We love this stuff, perhaps because through this kind of acceptable voyeurism we surreptitiously imagine ourselves in a fabulously different place than we are now.
Oscar night clearly reminds us of the culture gap between those who make their living on the silver screen and the rest of us. Did you know that up until a couple of years ago, the stars and presenters receive a thank-you gift just for showing up? If you and I received a thank you gift for helping out, we might think along the lines of a fruit basket or a gift certificate to a local restaurant. But these are Hollywood stars! The last year the Academy handed out gift bags they contained items worth more than $100,000, including things like a $500 pair of cashmere pajamas, cosmetics including mink eyelashes, and a weekend retreat to California (including one’s own surf butler).
Sound a wee bit ostentatious? We, members of the great unwashed, don’t usually get pampered with expensive gifts when we show up at our job and do our work. The IRS thought the practice was a bit too lucrative, since celebrities weren’t always forthcoming about declaring their booty, so the Academy quietly put an end to this advertiser’s extravaganza.
One of the great celebrities of the Old Testament was Elijah. Elijah was a prophet who lived during the times of two of the most notorious kings, Ahab and Ahaziah. Elijah set the standards for all the prophets who would come after him – even Jesus was compared to him. The reason he is remembered is because he staged the spectacular defeat of the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (2 Kings 18). Elijah was so familiar and popular with the people of Israel, that generations later the disciples of Jesus recognized and compared Elijah to Moses and Jesus at the transfiguration about which we heard in today’s gospel reading.
Although Elijah had his moments of weakness, he was clearly someone who boldly and passionately proclaimed the sovereignty of Yahweh. The writers of the Old Testament, wanted very much to make clear to future generations their admiration of this man who made known God’s incarnational presence among the Israelites. To make it clear that Elijah was someone to be remembered with at least as much reverence as Moses, the writers had Elijah part the waters of the Jordan with his rolled up mantle. And at the end of Elijah’s life, the writers have him go out in Hollywood style: picked up by a chariot drawn by a horse of fire and carried up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah was personally chauffeured into God’s presence, ensuring his position as The Prophet of all time. No red carpet entrance or exit, or Jason Woo dress, could match that.
Just after Elijah crossed the dry river bed of the Jordan, and just before he was carried to heaven, he turned toward his apprentice, Elisha, and asked him what he could do for him. Elijah wasn’t content to simply take his celebrity gift bag and leave the theatre; he wanted to do something for his understudy.
Elisha’s response was to ask for a double share of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha could have asked for some cashmere pajamas, but instead he wanted something else. “Double share” is estate language meaning that he wanted two-thirds of an inheritance. And what he wanted to inherit was the charisma and leadership ability of his mentor. He also wanted to inherit the role of Elijah’s successor as a prophet. And Elijah honored that request by leaving behind his mantle. After Elijah and the fiery chariot had galloped off into the heavens, Elisha picked up the mantle. Elisha got what he asked for: the blessing of his mentor and the ability to move God’s agenda forward in the tradition of Elijah.
This is not a simple inheritance, because it is not a toaster, a Krup’s kitchen set, or a weekend get away to the beach. It is an active inheritance. It is something that Elisha will work at and live into for the rest of his life. That was the gift he wanted, and that was the gift Elijah left for him.
The lesson for us in this story is that our reward is best received in seeking that which will outlive us in the lives of other people. It is an investment in others. The gift of love we can give to each other, the gifts of honesty and authenticity we can offer to one another – these are the mantles we can pass along. The spiritual gifts and rewards we receive from God all through our lives have enduring value when we offer them along to others. It is a way of spreading our spiritual wealth around.
Many of us here today are here because of those who were here before us. They instilled in us something of their spirit. They gave of themselves in a way that transformed our lives. There really is no greater gift that one can give another human being than the gift of our love and our spirit. But the giving of a gift does not always mean it is accepted. In the story of Elijah and Elisha, Elijah left the gift of his mantle for Elisha. But Elisha needed to accept it. Elijah didn’t put the mantle on Elisha, but rather, Elisha had to reach down and pick it up. That’s an important lesson too.
Sometimes the gifts we offer to those we care about are not accepted; not picked up. Sometimes they are rejected outright. Sometimes our children do not want the gift of the spirit we offer. Sometimes they don’t want our wisdom. Sometimes those we love cannot accept what we offer them. But that does not mean we should give up offering. When Jesus instructed his disciples, he told them if they were not received in a particular place, they were to just move on to another place. We cannot be responsible for the reception of the gifts we offer. All we can do is offer them. If they are accepted, great. If they are not, we just need to move on.
Most of us will never be famous – at least not as famous as the glitterati who will walk down the carpet to the Academy Awards, or the Steelers who wear those gargantuan diamond-festooned championship rings. But we can experience the awesome wonder of offering ourselves and our gifts. And occasionally, someone will accept our gifts and in so doing our life and theirs will be transformed. That is the power of the Spirit at work through change.
I pray that we may all become instruments of God’s change in each other’s lives by giving ourselves and recognizing the gifts others offer to us.
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Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “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. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.” Elijah said to him, “Elisha, 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. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.” Then Elijah said to him, “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. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then 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. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 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 kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
A leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
[1] Timothy F. Merrill. “Bling Bling.” Homiletics. 18(1):68-72, 2006.
[2] Kathleen Day. “ IRS Targets Award Show Goody Bags.” The Washington Post, August 2006. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081700844.html. Accessed 19 February 2008.
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Copyright © 2009, William G. Stroop - All Rights Reserved.
23 February 2009
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