May 29, 2022 Memorial Day St. Andrew Church Rev. Anne McAnelly
First Lesson: 2 Kings 2:1-15
1Now 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; keep 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, and 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.
13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water. He said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? Where is he?” He struck the water again, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha crossed over.
15 When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Second Lesson: John 17:20-26
20 “I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.”
In real estate it is location, location, location. In John’s gospel it is love, love, love. Two weeks ago, I talked about love is your ID badge, love is universal, and love even when it’s hard. Then Myles also talked about love last week. And here we are on Memorial Day weekend talking about love for a third time. This is also the end of Eastertide, because next week is Pentecost, (wear your red) so you could say that the resurrection of Christ is about love! Before I read our gospel passage, I need to let you know this is the closing discourse from Jesus. For several chapters he was teaching the disciples, but now Jesus is praying for them. Is that cool or what? Which would you rather have Jesus teaching you or Jesus praying for you? In this prayer Jesus offers his disciples his presence, protection, joy and to sanctify with truth – all given to Jesus by God and then shared with his disciples (17:1-19). Then Jesus prays for those who will believe in the future. Jesus prays for us, for you and for me, for the ones who came to faith by the words of those before us. Ponder that for a moment. Jesus is praying for you. Jesus is at the end of his ministry, and he will soon be crucified, and he takes the time to pray for you. Elijah is at the end of his ministry just before he ascends. So let us listen to Jesus pray about love in transition. Read John 17:20-26
I heard on NPR about an article in the Atlantic that makes the case that people are now leaving churches because of their political beliefs. Tim Alberta in an article entitled HOW POLITICS POISONED THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH discussed how Evangelical Christians are becoming more political to the point that long standing members leave their congregations because of differing political views. He writes, “To many evangelicals today, the enemy is no longer secular America, but their fellow Christians, people who hold the same faith but different beliefs. It’s the story of millions of American Christians who, after a lifetime spent considering their political affiliations in the context of their faith, are now considering their faith affiliations in the context of their politics.” Said another way, politics trump religion. That startled me, but also helped me to understand how politics and religion have become so intertwined in our country. One evangelical pastor went from a 100 people in church to 1,500 during COVID. During worship, he shares Headline News mirroring topics from FOX for 15 mins. sandwiched between praise music and the sermon. Two cited pastors agree we are in a war for the soul of the American Church, much like liberals are in a fight for the soul of America. I share this with a great deal of compassion because it reminds us that we are in a transition in American religion. Not only is faith becoming more politicized, but our country is becoming less religious. Another article states, from 1937 to 1998, church membership remained relatively constant, hovering at about 70 percent. Then something happened. Over the past two decades, that number has dropped to less than 50 percent, the sharpest recorded decline in American history…Without Christianity, Americans no longer have a common culture upon which to fall back.” (Shadi Hamid The Atlantic, America Without God). This speaks to the willingness to fight over politics much like past zeal to fight and die for faith. We are in a transition in American culture, politics and religion.
The prophets were in the middle of transition as well. Elijah the great prophet was nearing the end of this life and Elisha was waiting in the wings. He faithfully follows his mentor, then asks to receive double his spirit and is granted that request taking up his mantle and parting the water. The prophets seamlessly follow. That is a smooth transition of power. The focus remains on God, not on the different prophets, not on who was their leader, but rather on the God who brought them through the waters of the Red Sea and who is now the God who transferred the mantel at this moment of transition. Oh, how I pray we could be focused on our heavenly father rather than on our differing political and religious views. So many things unite us in God especially the love God has for the people of this world. The love we know through our relationship with Jesus.
One commentator writes, “Five times within these six verses, Jesus names love as the key descriptor of divine relationships. Love is the bond within the Godhead (23-24). Love is the divine gift to the disciples (23). Love is the magnetic grace through which God seeks to attract the world (25-26). Love is the ingredient that the Lord prays will be within his followers (26) (Feasting on the Word, F. Belton Joyner Jr. p. 545).
This love is expressed in the oneness between God and Jesus and Jesus and his followers. “Oneness abides in the indwelling of Jesus within God. (This dwelling is the incarnational reality of Christ in our lives.) Earlier in John Jesus promised us dwelling places in the house of God (14:2) and promised that he and God will make dwelling places in us (14:23). This bond between Father and Son calls us to unity with each other” (Working Preacher, Meda Stamper). The text says, “so that we may become completely one” meaning we are to be made perfect in our oneness.” Perfect in unity.
We all know the adage; it is not what you know, but who you know. That became real when Cooper helped Milan, my new tenant, get an interview where he works. Cooper knowing Milan made all the difference in him getting that interview. Hopefully that connection will bear the fruit of employment. So far it is looking good. Yes, Jesus speaks about what we know, what we believe, but it is the who we know, the knowing of Jesus that makes all the difference. Here Jesus reminds us that we know who God is, because we know Jesus, we have been known by Jesus and Jesus knows us.
As you know I just got back from my Princeton Seminary reunion. It was great to be on campus, to worship together, to hear Kate Bowler in person. I also got to spend time with my dear friend Linda. We arrived early and her friends graciously gifted us the use of their beautiful home on the Jersey shore. I had never met Bill and Cathy before, but because they know Linda, it felt like they knew me. I got to benefit from their relationship and enjoy a few days on the beach. Their relationship with Linda extended to me grace and hospitality. That is what Jesus is teaching. We do not know God the way Jesus does, but we do know Jesus and Jesus knows God. So we are extended grace and hospitality, love and forgiveness because of our relationship with Jesus. That is the oneness Jesus is calling us to.
One commentator writes, “Jesus’ prayer reminds us that our unity, our “oneness” is to be a sign to the world of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Oneness and unity is about love. And if you have been a part of a family, a member of a church, or a community, you know that within that love there can be disagreements and squabbling. We are human. But the mystery of the incarnation is that God desired unity with us SO MUCH God became one of us. And in that moment, we were drawn into the oneness of God, the Creator/Father/Mother, the Son, and the Spirit. It is with God’s help that we can live into that oneness” (Working Preacher, Lucy Lind Hogan).
This Memorial Day weekend we honor, we stand in solidarity with those who have fought and died for this country. Unfortunately, there are people who want to fight for political beliefs with the zeal of their Christian faith. I pray, right along with Jesus, that we can stand in unity, in oneness, with all Christians with love prevailing over politics. That we can focus on our redeeming God, God’s redeeming love, and our unity in oneness and not on our differences. Remember Jesus is praying for us. “Jesus’ prayer hangs in the space between earth and heaven, between time past and time present and time yet to come. Jesus is praying that we will remain faithful and trust in the presence of the Holy Spirit” (Working Preacher, Barbara, Lundblad). May we abide in Jesus’ prayer and live in oneness and love. Amen.
