"Are We Ever Alone?" - II Kings 2:1-12 - March 2, 2003

In recent weeks the media has been sharing scenes where military personnel are preparing to go overseas as the build up for a potential conflict with Iraq increases. They often show couples, hugging and crying, as either the husband or wife is in uniform, ready to board a ship or plane. The scenes are emotional and you can sense their fear and uncertainty. They aren’t crossing the Jordan, like Elijah and Elisha, but they are crossing the sea. One of the things they all have in common is the reality that their separation will cause them to be alone. Hopefully it will be only temporary but the possibility exists that the one who leaves might not return.

I believe that being alone is one of our greatest fears. On the one hand it means that we must live without a person who we love. On the other hand it means we must make decisions and survive in a complex and sometimes difficult world without the help of our significant others. I remember being on a ship during the Vietnam War. Although there were 5,000 other men on board life was still very lonely at times. There was that feeling of aloneness because of the great distance from home and the separation from family, not to mention the dangers of war.

Throughout my ministry I have visited hundreds of people who live alone. Many of them live in fear. Consequently they tend to live in a time warp, keeping things just like they always were. Living in the past prevents them from living in the present. Some even keep all the blinds drawn because it makes them feel safe and secure. Some are afraid to answer the door. Many withdraw from the world because they can’t face the changes that surround them.

Aloneness can affect us in other ways too. Perhaps we are charged with some responsibility where we must make a decision. Our decision could affect the lives of others and it can feel very lonely when no one else can make it for us. Perhaps we live in a family where no one shares our dreams or ideas thus making us feel like an outsdider. Maybe it is our role to provide for our family and no one appreciates the personal energy it takes to make ends meet. Or perhaps we are faced with some unique problem for which no one seems to have an answer and the only person that can solve it is ourselves. Aloneness can consume us to the point where we can’t function. Instead of being free to live our lives we feel like a prisoner, locked up, with no visible escape. When that happens life can seem dark and very lonely.

In our story there are two characters, Elijah and Elisha. The fact the names are similar makes it a little difficult to follow the story line. Elijah was the one leaving and Elisha was the one who stayed behind. A simple way to remember who is who is to remember that "j" comes before "s" in the alphabet. Elisha is the one who will be left alone and the story describes his sense of desperation and how he overcomes it.

Since Elisha is the one who will be left alone, he stays close to Elijah who is making his journey to the land beyond, or to "heaven." Although Elijah tells him to stay behind, Elisha refuses. He doesn’t want to be left alone. He wants to be with Elijah all the way to the end of his journey. When Elijah leaves, Elisha is filled with grief as he calls out, "Father, father!" He also tears apart his clothes, symbolic of the loss he experiences when Elijah finally vanishes from sight.

That becomes the moment when Elisha is truly alone. Elijah has departed and gone to heaven and Elisha is still on earth. But is he really alone? In the story Elisha asks Elijah if he could receive a "double spirit." This was an allusion to the legal right of the firstborn (see Deut. 21:15-17) Elisha is asking to be treated as Elijah’s principle heir. A double portion would represent two-thirds of an inheritance. His request was granted and now the spirit of Elijah lives on in Elisha. Elisha is no longer alone. Just as he walked with Elijah, Elijah continues to walk with him. This is symbolic of the fact that the people of God are never abandoned. God is always with us.

God’s people will not be left without a leader in their midst. Or, said another way, God’s presence continues. It is as though the baton has been passed from one to the other. Elisha follows Elijah as the spokesperson for God in the midst of God’s people. There was a journey, just as there was grief. Nevertheless, the spirit of God is not diminished.

Living our lives with the loss of loved ones can be very difficult. Trying to move on after failing, experiencing a crisis or financial setback can be very scary. Having received the spirit of God, Elisha moved on. For that to happen there had to be some "letting go." It wasn’t easy for Elisha to let go. Three times he refused to stay behind. He vowed to hold on to the bitter end but eventually he gives in.

Letting go is never easy. A man said to me the other day, "getting old is really tough." Yes, he’s right, losing our youthfulness and experiencing the deterioration of our body is a real struggle. With all this snow many middle aged men have suffered heart attacks. They shovel as if they were still in their twenties. But, their bodies are a few decades older and they can’t withstand the workload so they end up in the hospital.

God knows that letting go is a struggle. This is evidenced by our story as Elisha attempts to hang on. It might appear that Elisha is in denial that Elijah will soon be leaving. That may have been true at first but there is a point where Elisha comes to the realization that it must be so. I believe he finally accepts Elijah’s departure when he requests Elijah’s spirit. This becomes the pivotal moment when Elisha can forge ahead with his own life.

The good news is that God gives Elisha what he needs to continue on his own journey. Just as Elijah was able to part the Jordan River with his mantle, Elisha is able to do a repeat performance on his return trip. The same powerful presence of God who was there on the first journey is still there on the second. The presence of God is never-ending.

One evening last weekend my wife and I were returning from Columbus. There was a point in our journey where we could have turned and drove to Urbana to visit our new granddaughter. I called our daughter on my cell phone but no one was home. Since a snow storm was fast approaching we decided it would be better to continue on to our home in Sidney. We had to let go of the opportunity to hold our precious little granddaughter and continue toward home. By the time we arrived home the roads were getting dangerous and continued to deteriorate through the rest of the night. Had we gone to Urbana it might have been impossible to get home. We didn’t have a mantle but we did have a cell phone and it became the tool that made our pathway home.

Now I realize this was not a major crisis since we could have stayed with my daughter, providing she had come home by the time we arrived. Be that as it may, I have to believe that God was with us. It was much safer for us to continue our journey home although we were uncertain as to how bad the road conditions would become.

We all face daily obstacles which determine the direction of our lives. When we do we can be assured that God is with us. To continue our journeys we must be willing to do some letting go. To be certain, some loss may be involved just like Elisha experienced with the loss of Elijah. But with his spirit he moved forward trusting in the presence of God to be with him.

For both Elijah and Elisha the Jordan River was a symbol of the barriers that stood in the way of their life’s journey. With the power of God they crossed it never walking alone.

Two ships were once seen near land. One of them was leaving the harbor, and the other was coming into it. Everyone was cheering the outgoing ship, but the incoming ship was scarcely noticed. A wise man standing nearby explained the people’s reaction. "rejoice not," he said, "over the ship that is setting out to sea, for you know not what destiny awaits it, what storms it may encounter, what dangers lurk before it. Rejoice rather over the ship that has reached port safely and brought back all its passengers in peace."

It is the way of the world, that when a human being is born, all rejoice; but when he dies, all sorrow. It should be the other way around. No one can tell what troubles await the developing child on its journey through life. But when a man has lived well and dies in peace, all should rejoice, for he has completed his journey successfully, and he is departing from this world with the imperishable crown. (Midrash)

Such was the case with Elijah who completed his journey and departed. Elisha was the developing child whose journey was in front of him. No one can change the steps they have made in the past. We can only forge ahead, yet with the assurance that the spirit of God is with us.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio