The word that defines this relationship for me is "mentor." Elijah mentors Elisha in the faith. Traveling with Elijah, Elisha learns by example. He experiences the life of the prophet together with Elijah, and there is no "book learning" that can compare. The Bible is filled with stories of "mantles" that are passed. Moses brings the Israelites out of Egypt, but it is Joshua who leads them into the Promised Land. Abraham is the Father of the faith, but the faith is carried on through his children and their descendants. Life on this earth is finite, and the Bible continually reminds us that we are called to share our faith with others. We are called by God to carry the faith from one generation to the next.
So, how are we doing at this? In the Bible, the faith of our forefathers is often mentioned, as biblical characters remember "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" as a touchstone. In the 21st century, however, it appears that young people are less likely to claim the same faith as their ancestors. Rev. Kenda Creasy Dean has done much work to help us understand the faith of young adults in our society. Her research shows that many young adults who were raised in the Christian faith have a faith that she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism." They believe God is a divine therapist whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem. The goal of religion becomes reduced to an attempt to teach us to be nice, good people.
Is this the faith we are called to pass on? Or is there more to Christianity than just being a nice, good person? What is the faith that we are handing on to the next generation? And what are we doing to hand it on?
The Monday Connection: Who have served as faith mentors in my life? Who have I mentored in the faith? Who am I called to mentor now? If a young person were to ask me for my "elevator speech" about what it means to be a Christian, what would I say?
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p.s. In my sermon, I referenced a recent Volkswagen commercial as an illustration of what it might have felt like for Elisha to take Elijah's mantle and hit the waters of the Jordan river. Did he really expect the waters to part for him as they did for Elijah? Maybe he did. Or maybe, he was as astonished as this boy:
Click here for video if image does not show.
Young people today are less worried about what makes us different and more focused on finding common ground. Over the years my own empathy has become tempered by the demands of everyday living but I certainly recall identifying with a large number of persons and their troubles. I was always more excited about the openness expressed in Jesus invitation to follow him than in defining myself via doctrinal restrictions. It's difficult to admit that I have not followed the exact path of faith that was handed down to me by my parents but in my heart I feel that I am trying to be true to the spirit of that upbringing. The side effect of faith is that it challenges us in our day to day life. It's not all feel good advice and pithy sayings but it is there with us even when we are not feeling especially encouraging or well mannered. Challenging us "to become by Grace what Christ is by nature" (I don't recall exactly where I read that but I like it and am quoting someone). Finding a mentor as Elisha did can go a long way toward developing a well rounded and healthier view of our personal faith and faith in general. With a mentor like Elijah he experienced the good and the bad, ups and downs. I think of the parable of the sower that we just reviewed in our Sunday school class and the topic of what constitutes fertile soil. How sometimes when you till the ground it unearths less than desirable soil but over time as we work it into the more 'faith' rich ground it becomes workable itself. Negatives can become fertile for the fulfillment of God's will. As a US citizen I have been brought up to be a more self reliant, DIY kind of guy. I'm only just beginning to appreciate the wisdom of the 'mentor' figure (Maxwell's latest book Mastery offers some great insight into the mentor/apprentice dynamic historically and today) and am thinking to find someone that can help me grow into the faith I hope to leave for my daughter and anyone that will listen. We need to be those types of people for our younger brothers and sisters.
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