Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat… Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. The English expression “passing the mantle” flows directly out of this Biblical scene. Elijah wanted to ensure that the work he had done to restore faith in Israel would continue. He designated Elisha as his successor, “passing the mantle.” As the current political scene in the US demonstrates dramatically this is really hard to do. How readily do we imagine that if I don’t do it, it won’t get done or at least won’t be done as well as I could do it. (Think of your Aunt Maud’s unwillingness to share her pecan pie receipe.) Charles DeGaulle commented on this phenomenon: “The cemeteries of France are filled with indispensible men.” Since we are mortal, letting go and passing the baton (another great metaphor) are an essential part of family life, church life, human life. We all have to do it — the only question is will we do it gracefully or kicking and screaming?
JUNE152024
By Church Staff
