Hear now the Word of God from 2 Kings 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 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. 3 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." 4 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. 5 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." 6 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. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 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. 9 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." 10 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." 11 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. 12 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.
If your first name starts with an E, like Eradio, you stand a better chance of going to Heaven without dying. The first was Enoch, who walked with the Lord and one day they just kept walking right from this life into glory. The second is Elijah about whom you have just read above. It is a fitting entry given all the old man suffered and did for God. It was not that long ago we read of Elijah's frustration and fear after having defeated the prophets of Baal and having been led into the wilderness to hear God's voice in the wilderness after experiencing a mighty wind, an earthquake and fire. After that encounter with God, Elijah's prophetic ministry continued and one of the highlights was finding a successor, Elisha, to take his place. Elisha was a farm boy who felt God's call upon his life when he met Elijah. He left farming to become a follower of God.
One of the things that is affecting the Christian church today is that members have not taken seriously the call to make other disciples. And as a result, upon their death, they leave a vacancy. As a pastor I have tried to share God's call to all who would hear it and see if indeed God is calling them, and I have been blessed by those who have said to me they felt a calling through my ministry. In the same way, you should be praying about making an impact on the lives of others so that one day they can take your place in ministry. The other day one of my key lay leaders in one of the churches of this district confessed, without my prompting, that he and others had not done a good job of finding people to take their place. He worried about his church and what would happen when all these wonderful leaders are called "home."
The day came when the Spirit let Elijah know that his day to return home had come. He started out on this final journey by traveling to several places. All along the way as they encounter prophets, the Spirit had revealed to them as well that today was the day of Elijah's departure. And they shared that with Elisha. "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" Thanks for reminding me! Elijah had tried to convince his protege to stay behind, but the young man insisted on being by his side when this happened. They finally reached the point where they came to the Jordan River and Elijah takes his mantle and strikes the water, the water parts and they cross over. Then the moment of goodbye occurs and the old man asks Elisha what he wants. Elisha responds that he wants a double portion of the prophetic spirit that had blessed Elijah's ministry. It was as if he was saying, "I want to be faithful like you but be able to do more!" Elijah says that he can if he happens to be able to witness his being taken up.
A chariot of fire comes to pick the old man up. Elisha is overcome with joy and emotion and cries, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" A witness to the power and glory of God and a recipient of what God had shared with his mentor.
You and I are called to continue to bless others with what we know about God. We are commanded to make new disciples and we have been given permission to reach others. In fact, we never travel alone and nor do we travel without the weapons of joy, love, and peace with which to share with those who do not yet know the love of God. It may come through a simple act of kindness of sharing a cup of coffee and time of conversation. Last night in a tiny church, I introduced their new pastor to them and they were sharing how this past Sunday, a young man who had drive by their church (and it's in the middle of nowhere!) saw the sign for Free Coffee, went in, had the coffee and the conversation and decided to worship with them, baptized his baby son, and then he and his wife joined the church. New believers and followers, through a simple act of sharing and caring.
PRAYER: Lord, help us to continue to find those who will take our places and even start new places of service and ministry with You and for You. Help us know we can do it, with Your power and presence. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
