Passing of the mantle

In last Sunday’s Old Testament reading we witness the changing of the guard as Elijah is taken up into heaven as his devoted student and witness, Elisha, remains behind to carry out the work of his master.  The reading, as it is presented to us in our Lectionary, ends with the twelfth verse, which is a  shame, because the thirteenth sort of sums up the action pretty well: “He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.”

That mantle had played an important role in the story, Elijah used it to strike the Jordan allowing them to walk across it on dry land.  It fell from the older prophet as he was taken up into a fiery whirlwind into heaven, and came to rest the feet of the younger man.

Now a mantle was an important possession.  It was usually made of wool or goat’s hair tightly woven and waterproof.  It was a kind of  cross between a hooded cape and a blanket, and was used as such by the early inhabitants of the Middle East  In the time of the writing of the Book  Of Kings, travelers were shown hospitality by hosts who provided them with mats upon which to sleep, but without blankets.  Your mantle was your personal overcoat and blanket rolled into one; it was an important piece of personal couture.

Since Elijah and Elisha the “passing of the mantle”, has been repeated innumerable times and in great variations. It reinforces the basic truth of life that generations stand in line with each other, the older folk ready to relinquish, and the younger ones eager to step up and assume responsibilities.

I remember my first year of teaching full time when I was struggling to figure out successful classroom management strategies and lesson planning.  I would close my eyes and think of successful teachers I had seen in the past and would think about adapting things that worked for them.  I imagined myself putting on the mantle of the teacher, an image that stayed with me throughout my career.  And when I moved out of the classroom to become mentor to new teachers, I would use that image with them again and again in order to build confidence and grit in their teaching performance.

This process of “passing of the mantle” also happens in ministries. Before my ordination to  the Diaconate, my husband and I coordinated parish groups and clubs to cook and serve at the Soup Kitchen in Stapleton on a monthly basis  After I was ordained, I knew I had to give it up, and I had groomed a married couple to take over for us.  The surviving spouse still does, but she is now ready to pass mantle on to the next generation and has wisely groomed her successor Have seen this process happening in our midst.  Younger parishioners stepping up into leadership roles. I can remember two members of our Vestry as Sunday school students.  We send off our older acolytes to college and younger Intermediate school students step up to replace them. The infants who were baptized in what seems like yesterday, are today in Godly Play and Rite 13 classes. Where does the time go?

The “Passing of the Mantle” is as old as time, and will go on through time. And like Elijah and Elisha, we need to know ourselves when the time is ripe for us to pick up the mantle and put it on, and when to remove it from our shoulders and put it down.  People’s interests, time constraints, familial and work commitments change, and these turns of events can affect the time and talent we are able to give to our church, and putting down the mantle can be as rewarding as picking it up.  As Elijah, one needs to groom others in the task at hand and be ready to let go to see the work brought to fruition, and like Elisha, others need to be at the ready, prepared and watchful to move the work forward.

May the Lord grant us the wisdom and wherewithal to know when to do each.  Amen