"72nd Hole"

First Lesson: 2 Kings 2: 1-2, 6-14
Responsive Reading: Psalm 77: 1-2, 11-20
Second Lesson: Galatians 5: 1-13, 25
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 9: 51-62

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
I was furious! I was in trouble at school and it wasn’t my fault.  I had a good friend named Ben; we had another friend that I’ll call Otis.  Ben and I knew that Otis was really easy to get worked up.  Our study hall would be across the hall from his; we’d make a funny faces and gestures than get Otis to run across the hall to our great amusement the whole 8th grade long. 
 
Well, one day, Ben, Otis, and I were walking back from the lunch room.  Ben and I get Otis worked up.  Otis gets mad and throws Ben into the waiting area of the Girls bathroom.  The counselor, Mr. Menard, was furious. 
 
He calls Ben and me to his office.  He sent Otis to class and was ready to suspend from school Ben and I.  We hadn’t even done anything.  Mr. Menard was mad because instead of failing to set good examples, we had continually provoked Otis’ mischief. While I was furious in 8th Grade, twenty-five plus years later, I must admit that Mr. Menard was 100% percent correct in his reaction.  Mr. Menard was wise enough to want to make the point that our legacy in this world is not defined just by our actions, but how our doings  effect  each and every person around us.
 
Thinking about our legacy leads us into our Old Testament Lesson for Today from 2 Kings 1[1].   There were few heroes of the faith like Elijah in the nation of Israel.  Elijah performed miracles like raising from the dead the widow from Zarapeth’s son.  Elijah called down “fire from heaven” on Mount Carmel in his showdown with the prophets of Baal[2].  Seemingly no one could replace Elijah if he retired from his ministry[3]. No one wanted to think about what life might look like if Elijah left the Earth. 
 
Elisha had been Elijah’s long-time sidekick.  Elijah’s work had been hard.  He was always running for his life from King Ahab and Jezebel with Elisha by his side.
 
Their last day together consisted of Elijah rolling up his robe, tapping the Jordan River so that Elijah and Elisha could walk on it together[4]. 
 
Elijah then asks Elisha: “What can I do for you before I leave this Earth[5]?” Elisha requested “A double portion of the Lord’s spirit[6]?” Elisha made this request because he felt so inadequate and unprepared to take over for Elijah.
 
Elijah had performed some of the mightiest acts of God within the scripture .  Replacing Elijah would be like replacing Babe Ruth on the New York Yankees, no mere mortal seemed capable of following in his footsteps[7].  Israel seemed destined to take a step backward as a nation without Elijah around.
 
So Elijah promised Elisha a dramatic sign about whether his double-blessing was actually going to take place.  Elisha must be a witness to his mentor being brought directly into heaven before him.  No grave, no death, Elijah was going to go up to heaven with Elisha watching[8].
 
Then as Elijah and Elisha kept walking.  A chariot of fire came out of the sky.  The Chariots of Fire don’t take Elijah into heaven.  They just come alongside the whirlwind that does take Elijah into heaven[9].
 
Elisha, as he bears witnesses to this scene, realizes that he is now Israel’s spiritual leader.  The Chariots symbolized something even more important.  Chariots were associated with the might of Kings within Elijah’s day.  Chariots symbolize God’s unseen forces that are going to be walking alongside Elisha in the future years of his ministry.  God is reassuring Elisha that the same forces that God had given Elijah to stand up and overcome the king’s armies would now be walking alongside him[10]. 
 
So what happened happened next?
 
Something incredible, took place after Elijah was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind.  Elisha, who believed himself to be inadequate actually expanded Elijah’s ministry.  Elisha cleansed the infected waters in the River of Jericho, saving many lives in the process.  Elisha healed the Syrian Military Commander Namaan of Leprosy[11].  Elisha performed twice as many miracles as Elijah before him.  No one would perform more miracles until Jesus[12]. 
 
Elijah left behind a legacy more valuable than even money.  Elijah sought to put Elisha in position to keep advancing God’s Kingdom beyond what Elijah ever could.
 
Elijah and Elisha lead us to a question this morning: “What do we want our legacy to be?” “How do we want people to remember us decades after we’re gone.”
 
The year was 1987.  I had just turned “8” years old; my parents announced that we were going to the hospital because my Great-Grandma Mabel was dying.  Mabel was exactly the same on her death bed, as she was throughout her life.  The first thing she noticed was my mismatched socks.  She proceeded to tell my Parents and me all about it.  Now thirty plus years after Mabel’s death, family members speak of her by describing her challenging nature.  We all have family members and friends that we admit that no one would ask for double portions of parts of their personality.   While I may have been dressed slovenly as a child, there are so many more important things that people can take from us than our criticisms.  
 
Yesterday, we celebrated the 100th Birthday of one of our own in Esther Olson.  Esther’s legacy can never be unnoticed.  Even at nearing 100, she would still stand tying quilts with Lorraine Nelson for multiple hours during Mission Circle. She works as hard as anyone in the church kitchen during Coffee Hour or funerals.  She helps out for projects with the Golden Agers.  When I go visit Esther every time, she’ll ask: “If she can cook for me?”  Esther’s legacy will be how she’s always seeking to give to others — always trying to make lives around her better, even if it costs her something.   
 
Tom Lehman is a golfer raised in Alexandria, Minnesota[13].  The U.S. Open is one of professional Golf’s Four Major Championships.   Lehman came close multiple times to winning the U.S. Open.  He led after 54 of 72 holes for three straight years.  He lost every single time.  No loss would be more painful than the 1996 U.S. Open.  Tom Lehman began the day with a one-shot lead over Steve Jones.  Lehman and Jones would play the next 18 holes together to determine the champion. 
 
Steve Jones was visibly anxious as he approached the first tee[14].  Tom Lehman notices this.  He walks up to his fellow competitor on the 1st Fairway, saying a prayer that the Lord would be lifted up no matter the outcome.  Jones was at peace and began to focus on his golf game.
 
 On the 16th hole with the championship hanging in the balance[15], Lehman quoted the scriptures from the Book of Joshua[16] to  his competitor Steve Jones: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
 
Lehman and Jones enter the 72nd and final hole tied.  Tom Lehman drives his tee shot into the bunker[17].  Lehman loses the championship by one shot.  Lehman came close to winning the U.S. Open the next two years playing in the final group on Sunday both years[18].  Tom Lehman’s legacy though will not be defined by failing to win a golf tournament; Tom Lehman’s legacy is much more significant as a man of faith encouraging a competitor heading into an uncertain future. 
 
Like Tom Lehman what do we want our legacy to be? Do we want to be known for bickering and complaining?  Or do we want to be known for building people up? Do we want to be remembered like Elijah for bringing faith to the Next Generation?
 
People will say to me, “What will the Church look like in five years” or even “three years?”  These are questions that keep me up at night. Similar questions were asked when Elisha stood alongside Elijah, worried about an uncertain future that only God could answer.  What I do have as the firmest of convictions is that I want every community member within the Silver Bay area whether they’re Lutheran, Christian, or a non-believer to see Sychar’s purpose for existing.  I want non-members to weep if this church ever had to think about closing its doors because of its reputation in the community.
 
Paul Robeson lived one of the most remarkable lives of the 20th Century.  Paul Robeson was an All-American Football player at Rutgers.  He played in the NFL but quit the game to finish Law School.  He left the law because of all the racism he experienced.  He then became a stage actor, movie actor, and singer.  He would end his career as a prominent civil-rights activist[19].  Paul Robeson left behind an incredible legacy. Robeson did one of the best-known renditions of the song: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot[20].”    
 
The song describes our lesson for Today where a Chariot of Fire comes from out of heaven to pick up God’s people.  The song was a favorite spiritual sung by those who celebrated death not as a source of suffering but rather Resurrection hope[21].  It’s a reminder that God is sending a chariot for every one of us, just like Elijah.  How will this be the brightest day since Jesus took away your sins? How our life of trouble will be over when Jesus comes to bring us home?
 
The question for all of “us” is, how do we want to be remembered on the day when our chariot arrives? Do we want to live in the world where our legacy merely ceases at our death?   Do we want to merely wait for the undertaker to show up[22]?  Or do we want to go out like Elijah in a whirlwind? Do we want to empower those who come after us in the faith? Do we want people to weep like Elisha at our passing? Do we want a double portion of success for those who come after us?  We can’t stop the chariots that are coming, though we can steer the chariots towards a brighter ministry than our congregation has ever known.  Amen


[1] 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14. 
[2] “Elijah.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 27.May.2019. Web. June.13.2019. 
[3] Bratt, Doug. “2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14.” Center for Excellence in Preaching. Calvin Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI. 20.June.2016. Web. June.13.2019. 
[4] 2 Kings 2:8.
[5] 2 Kings 2:9. 
[6] 2 Kings 2:9.
[7] Hanson, Pastor Clifton. “New Ventures.” Faith Lutheran Church. Isanti, MN. 12.Feb.2019. Web. June.13.2019
[8] 2 Kings 2:10.
[9] Bratt, Doug. “2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[10] Bratt, Doug. “2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14.” Center for Excellence in Preaching.
[11] “Elisha.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 22.May.2019. Web. June.13.2019. 
[12] Hanson, Pastor Clifton. “New Ventures.” Faith Lutheran Church.
[13] “Tom Lehman.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 28.May.2019. Web. June.13.2019. 
[14] Jones, Steve. Everything Just Fell Into Place.” Links Letters. December 1996. Web. June.13.2019. 
[15] Jones, Steve. Everything Just Fell Into Place.” Links Letters.
[16] Joshua 1:9. 
[17] Jones, Steve. Everything Just Fell Into Place.” Links Letters.
[18] “Tom Lehman.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation
[19] “Paul Robeson.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 25.May.2019. Web. June.13.2019. 
[20] Stier, Leon. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Email Mediatations. 8.June.2016. Web. June.13.2019. 
[21] Stier, Leon. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Email Mediatations.
[22] Stier, Leon. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Email Mediatations.