Monday, July 1, 2013

Sermon by Rev. Cheryl Foulk (June 30) - "Next in Line"



 
Who has influenced your life in a positive way?

Who has  helped you to become the person that you are? 

If they had not taken time for you, would your life have been the same?

Fred Rogers, of  the children's television  program, “Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood “, was giving a speech at the White House and he asked the audience a similar question. He had the people assembled there to spend  a minute  in silence. He invited them to remember someone who had made a difference in the person that each of them had become.

After wards a young military guard that was present thanked Mr. Rogers.  He explained that he hadn't thought about his  grandpa's brother in years, but he is the one who gave him his favorite fishing rod.  He realized that's why he liked  to fish so much now, and why he liked to show neighborhood kids how to fish. He was grateful to Mr. Rogers for affirming that memory in his heart.

Have you thought of someone?  In my life, there have been many people

Who have mentored  me along the way. I would like to share with you about two of them. When I was eight years old my grandmother died and I missed her very much. There was a woman in our community ,Granny Scott , who had many grandchildren, and there were usually several grandchildren living with her .  She invited me to  come to her house and I would stop after school. Around her large kitchen table, we would sit with cake warm from the oven and there would be kids coming and going  and laughter and chaos and lots of love. I learned that she accepted everyone who sat at her table.

When I was in fourth grade , our pastor was Rev. George Smith and he was a reserved man who always wore a starched shirt and suit. He even mowed his lawn in his suit, minus his jacket! Even though there was a formality about him, he was accessible, and he listened to my questions. Most importantly he let me borrow books from his church study. He was an avid reader and had a full library. I especially liked the ones  about  Dr. Albert Schweitzer who was a medical missionary  to west Africa.. I would pour over the photos of the people of Gabon and the clinic that Dr. Schweitzer  operated. I learned there  are people in trouble in this world and God may call us to go and help them. God might even be calling me...

We are influencing people all the time. Your actions make an impression on someone else. It is not “whether” we will influence someone but “how.”  It has been estimated that we could influence 10,000 people in a lifetime  (which comes to  about three people a week.)

We are looking at Elijah again this morning. This is our fourth Sunday to study him and we'll do a quick review of his life. He is considered  one of the greatest Hebrew prophets. He spoke out against the wrongs that he saw in his society. He won a showdown against the prophets of Baal and then had them killed. Consequently, he was on the 'most wanted list' of the king/queen.  Elijah ran away depressed and afraid.  In the midst of a storm, Elijah sensed God's presence in the silence.  Whenever he was in danger or in need, God provided for him. His faith in God never wavered, and he wanted the people of Israel to trust  God as he did. Elijah is a person who could teach you about fear and courage.

He became a teacher and a mentor for a young man named Elisha.  Elisha was a farmer out in the field plowing and   Elijah invited him to  come and be his assistant, his servant.  Elisha watches and listens to Elijah as  Elijah lives out his faith .  He hears Elijah speak the truth even to the king. We have little details of their time together.  We have the story of how they met and the story of how their relationship ended (which was our O.T. reading for today).

Walking along together, the two come to Jordan river. Elijah touches the river with his cloak  (mantle)and the river parts so that they can cross. (Reminds us of Moses and the Red Sea )   The mantle symbolizes that Elijah has authority and power from God. 

Elisha realizes that his teacher's  mission is ending.  Elisha wants to be a man of God as Elijah has been.  He wants to have the presence and power of God with him as Elijah has had.   

The Scriptures describe a fantastic goodbye scene between the two.A chariot of fire and horses swoops down and Elijah is spirited away  to the heavens  Elisha cries out  to Elijah in sadness; he has been like a father to him!

As Elijah disappears, his mantle drifts to the ground.  Elisha picks it up , puts it on,and begins his ministry. The mantle has been passed on. He has learned and been encouraged from Elijah and now it is his turn to lead.

Elisha will  also have a long life of being  God's spokesperson . Even though he has dealings with kings and a military commander,  Elisha 's main focus is on helping people in his local community. The Scriptures record 18 encounters where he restores life in some way to his neighbors.  He has taken Elijah's place and does it in his own style.

A  mentor is an encourager, a motivator, a supporter, one who inspires. A mentor can be older or younger or a peer.

Tony Dungy, football coach and sports commentator, has written a book about  mentoring (The Mentor Leader) . In the book, he describes persons who influenced his life.  When he was a scrawny kid  of 13  there was a guy in his neighborhood who was 18,  Allen Truman.  Allen  had been his Little League coach.  He  would play basketball with him, took him to college basketball games, encouraged him to make good choices, hang out with wise people. Allen told him that he could do great things and that he believed in him.  Tony's teen years were greatly affected by Allen Truman, his hero. We see the the power of an eighteen year old's guidance!

It  amazed Tony that Allen  took the time to befriend  him. Many years later their friendship continues.

Where is your arena of influence?   Your neighborhood, at work,home, here at church?  What can you share with someone else?   It ias as simple as giving  yourself:  sharing your knowledge, your  wisdom, your values, your experiences,your faith in Christ.

 A key factor is our  willingness to  help develop people, to make it a priority.

Mom Burghur and her husband owned a restaurant in  Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. The grill was a place for good food, and  a place where  students were noticed, listened to, and their dreams were encouraged. The Burghur home was filled with photos of all the students they had befriended for over 50 years. Mom Burghur had great satisfaction in seeing someone grow and blossom. Besides cooking, to develop people was tops on her list.

Who are you passing the mantle to?  Who can you encourage to do what you are doing?   It is  exciting to know that you are making disciples for the kingdom, that the baton will be passed, that ministries will continue!

Old Elijah asks Elisha  “What can I do for you?”   That is a question that we can also ask. How can I support the people around me?  Do I need to write  a note, send a text, make a call, invite someone to meet for coffee where they can talk about their lives? Do I need to invite someone to join me in a ministry that I love?

What do we leave behind us?  Our greatest legacy is people.

People with gifts and talents and purpose who are prepared and will take our places.

James Earl Jones is known for the beautiful rich  bass tones of his voice.  He has used that voice in theater, movies, television,  voice overs.  ( The “this is CNN” guy) When he was a child, he stuttered to such a degree that he would not talk .  In high school, his English teacher, Mr. Crouch discovered that James Earl had a gift for writing poetry. He insisted that James Earl recite  a poem everyday in class.  When he recited his poems, he would not stutter.   His teacher helped him to find  his voice,  his life,  his vocation!

Who can you help find their voice?

What will you do with the influence that you have?

I'll close with these words from Coach Dungy:

“There is always someone whose life you can affect for good.

Do it! It's not about us, it's about everything that God can do through us for others.

At the end of it all, if even one life is better because we  lived, our lives have significance.”     The Mentor Leader   by  Tony Dungy,    p. 203.

 
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Resources on Mentoring:

The Person Who Changed My Life  ed. by Matilda Cuomo, 2012

The Difference You Make : Changing Your World Through the Impact of Your Influence by Pat Williams, 2013

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