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2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 June 26, 2016

 A Parting Gift

I enjoyed running relay races when I was in High School for seeral reasons! "eason#o! 1 was that you could neer $e $la%ed &ersonally for losing a relay race' there were alwaysat least three other &ersons to share the defeat alongside of you! (ut %ost of all, I enjoyed the

&rocess of handing off the $aton $etween runners! )ou needed to %a*e a s%ooth transitionwhile $oth of you were running alongside of each other! After the $aton was fir%ly gras&ed, itwas the ne+t runners race to run!

Its great to $e $ac* for %y eleenth year as &astor of -rinity .nited /ethodist hurch!hile it would $e nice to assu%e that I% too old to $egin sering a new church, there were&astors a$out %y age that were %oed $y the $isho& this year! ther &astors were gien asecond church to sere in addition to the one they were currently sering! So%e church$uildings are in the &rocess of closing, with their congregations $eing %oed to unite with asister church! So%e &astors retired and were rea&&ointed at less than full ti%e to the e+actsa%e church! In all, there were oer 200 new a&&oint%ents of one *ind or another at thisyears Annual onference!

-his got %e thin*ing not only a$out church %inistry $ut also a$out eery jo$ that I haeeer had throughout %y lifeti%e! I had a lot of &art ti%e jo$s while I was attending school and afull3ti%e jo$ the year $etween college and se%inary! In each case, I *new that %y jo$&erfor%ance was going to $e co%&ared to the &erson who had held the &osition $efore %e!-he one e+ce&tion was &ro$a$ly the two %onths that I wor*ed at /c4onalds! #ot once did Ihear a %anager tal* a$out a for%er e%&loyee who really *new how to &ut a (ig /ac together right or so%eone who could really %o& u& a s&ill $y the sha*e %achine! -hey were si%&ly gladto see that you showed u& to wor* at all5 (ut there is a line of succession in eery wor*&lace'no one does anything foreer! -he jo$ gets handed off to another!

4r! (o$ Schwen* was ery intentional in &re&aring this church for the ti%e of %y arrialten years ago, and that was a $ig hel&! I wanted to honor his acco%&lish%ents and $uild u&on

his %inistry when I ca%e to Port linton! It was a &retty s%ooth hand3off!

-he &ro&het lijah had a long and actie %inistry, $ut was getting close to the end of hisrace! lijah chose lisha to $e his disci&le in an interesting fashion! lisha was out in the field&lowing with his o+en when lijah wal*ed $y and tossed his %antle 7or cloa*8 oer hisshoulders' this was his way of choosing lisha as his &rot9g9! lisha &ic*ed u& on this callingand see%ed o*ay with it, $ut he as*ed lijah if he could say good$ye to his %o% and dad first!

 After this was done, lisha *illed his o+en and used his far% e:ui&%ent to $uild the fire for his$ar$e:ue! He also $urned the $ridges that would ta*e hi% $ac* to the far%! It was ti%e for lisha to follow lijah into %inistry!

Interestingly, the (i$le neer shows us these &ro&hets wor*ing alongside of one another 

eer! e can &ro$a$ly assu%e that lisha was &aying attention and ta*ing notes!hen we &ic* u& the story this %orning in 2 ;ings, lijah is getting ready to ascend into

heaen! ery &ro&het in town see%s to *now that this is going to $e ha&&ening! And lijahsee%s deter%ined to leae Planet arth without lisha $y his side! He tells lisha that has ana&&oint%ent in (ethel and that lisha should stay $ac* in Gilgal! (ut lisha said, <As the="4 lies, and as you yourself lie, I will not leae you!> -hey go down to (ethel and it is areal eent that attracts all of the other &ro&hets in town! -hey co%e u& to lisha and say? <4oyou *now that today the ="4 will ta*e your %aster away fro% you@> And he said, <)es, I*now' *ee& silent!>

7/25/2019 A Parting Gift

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-hey wal* a $it %ore and lijah says that he is going to Jericho' once again he tries toget lisha to hang $ac*! lisha refuses to leae lijahs side! .& co%e the other &ro&hets whoas* again? <<4o you *now that today the ="4 will ta*e your %aster away fro% you@> And heanswered, <)es, I *now' $e silent!> Shut u&5

 A third ti%e lijah tries to get lisha to stay $ac*! <)ou can stay here! I% going to theJordan "ier!> lisha starts wal*ing and loo*s oer his shoulder! )e&, lishas there! ifty of theother &ro&hets are now standing at a distance getting ready for the $ig show in which lijah will

ascend fro% the earth! At the "ier Jordan, lijah ta*es his cloa*, rolls it u& and stri*es thewater! It &arts to %a*e dry land and the two wal* across! -his is clearly %eant to eo*e%e%ories of the ti%e /oses led the He$rew slaes across the "ed Sea!

<*ay, $efore I go, lisha, what do you want %e to do for you@>lisha says? <=et %e inherit a dou$le &ortion of your s&irit!> r, si%&ly, let %e $e as your 

first3$orn son! =et %e $e a %ighty &ro&het! lijah says that this is not for hi% to gie' it is onlyGod who can choose a &ro&het! (ut if lisha sees lijah ascend into heaen, he will *now thatGod has granted hi% his wish! Sure enough, lijah is swe&t u& in a chariot of fire and lishashouts out loud enough for God to hear? <<ather, father5 -he chariots of Israel and itshorse%en5> lisha tears his clothes in half 7&utting his &ast $ehind hi%8 and gra$s lijahscloa*, coneniently left $ehind! Just for the hec* of it, he rolls u& the cloa* and gies the rier a

good whac*! He wal*s across the rier and ta*es a $ow! -he other &ro&hets s&end three daystrying to find lijah, $ut hes gone for good! lisha is now in the &ro&het $usiness!

hen I started in %inistry, I wanted an o&&ortunity to learn a$out the church fro% a%inister who had $een sering the church for a while! So I as*ed to $e &ut on a staff as anassociate &astor' I was sent to anton, hio and est$roo* Par* ./ to wor* with A$raha%(randy$erry! A$e was well *nown in the conference and I learned %uch fro% hi%! He alsoallowed %e to &reach at least once a %onth and seeral other ti%es throughout the year! I hadother friends who were associate &astors who were neer gien the chance to &reach andwor*ed with a senior %inister who si%&ly told the% what to do!

I $eliee that one of the greatest :ualities of the church is its intergenerational character!

hildren, youth, and adults of all ages are gathered together as the (ody of hrist! (ut if thechurch is to grow in itality, it %ust not only encourage $ut also &roide o&&ortunities for all togrow in disci&leshi& and serice! -hat %eans &assing the $aton on to other runners, *nowingthat together we can win the race!

-hat is also the reason that I alue ecu%enical %inistry with other churches! God has so%uch wor* for all of us to do there is no reason to co%&ete against one another when we canwor* alongside of each other! Sunday %orning worshi& is no longer what %ost &eo&le do, sothe church needs to i%agine other ways to reach fol*s with the good news of Jesus! If youread the Gos&els closely, you will see that $oth Jesus and Paul had a ery difficult ti%e doinggood on the Sa$$ath day! So they s&ent eery day doing good! Perha&s God is telling thechurch that at a ti%e li*e this, we need to attend eery funeral holding on to the %e%ories and

e+a%&les of others to $uild u& our character for %inistry! e need to attend eery $a&tis% andchoose to care for these children and nurture the% in the faith!

-he $est way to grow as a hristian is to wal* alongside others! If you hae neer attended a (i$le Study grou&, neer $een a &art of a %ission tea%, neer sung in a choir,neer ushered or greeted or wor*ed with others to &re&are the altar, neer taught children inSunday School, or $een a &art of a grou& of $elieers who held one another accounta$le, youhae yet to realiBe your &art in the church! hrist died for all of us so that we could all wor*together as the (ody of hrist! -he church is his &arting gift to us! =ets use it for His glory!