Sermon: Taking Up the Mantle (2 Kings 2) # Transition # Intercultural Ministry

Sermon: Taking Up the Mantle

Text: 2 Kings 2: 1-2, 6-14

Today’s story is about transition.

It begins by announcing that a transition in prophetic leadership is imminent: “God was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:1)

On the ground, Elijah must confer his power and position to his younger apprentice, ‘prophet-in-training’, Elisha.

Elijah is anxious about this transition; once we learn that Elijah’s chariot is about to arrive, we hear that Elijah intends to travel alone - from Gilgal to Bethel, on to Jericho, and then to the Jordan River. A strange journey. Elijah tells Elisha not to continue on with him. “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel”, “Jericho”, “to the Jordan.” Three times. Why does Elijah want to travel alone? He’s seeing the inevitable transition ahead. Transition is never easy for anyone.

But Elisha refuses to leave his master until the last possible moment, insisting upon traveling with him. Why?

Some scholars suggest that Elisha was unwilling  to let his beloved master go, but I think that there is more to it than affection and loyalty. We know that the pair operated outside the traditional system of prophetic leadership. Once Elijah is gone, he’s not just retired, he’s really “Gone.” If Elijah doesn’t care about the arrangement of his successor in leadership, then Elisha will be left without a clear path to succession. Will other prophets recognize his leadership, as the prophet among prophets, or will they bypass him, seeking the mantle of authority for themselves?

Imagine with me: what if Elisha were the most promising disciple but lacked the essential social/cultural capital that would win the approval of the other prophets.  Let’s imagine a situation, using contemporary terms: What if he were a transgender person, born poor and growing up in the marginalized downtown (or born in another country and raised there until his teens), from a mixed race marriage, (so he’s bi-racial), with an accent or some language limitation, with a disability. He’s still a visionary, intelligent, person, with unusual sensitivity and compassion (way more compassionate toward outcasts than his society would expect him to be), even in a society where social mobility and acceptance is very limited and he is so different.

I wonder what it really means that Elisha asks for “double the power” of Elijah’s spirit. What might his reason be for requesting a ‘double-portion’? Elisha doesn’t seem to be a power-obsessed person. Can ‘doubling’ the power just mean that Elisha needs more ‘empowerment’ because he has more social/cultural deficits than he has ‘capital’?

Why double the power? On his master’s departure, Elisha might take his master’s place, but not his master’s ministry. Elisha is given a double task: He needs to continue his master’s legacy, and he will also need to be true to his own prophetic vision. To illustrate, in the story, God removes Elijah from Israel in a ‘chariot of fire.’, pulled by horses of fire. “Chariot of fire” symbolizes the battle between God and Israel’s enemies; it also illustrates the nature of Elijah’s ministry. Elijah’s prophecies were deep and characterized by violence. He was the determined judge of his people. On the contrary, Elisha’s career is characterized as being more inclined to healings and miracles ‘for’ the people, not just as their judge. That Elisha picks up Elijah’s mantle and strikes the water and splits it into two means that he starts his ownership of prophecy, within the community that has been shaped under the leadership of his master. He will not just continue the character of his master’s ministry; that’s neither his calling or his gift.

Here, I see this story’s analogy for starting an expansion of new ministry inside the current structure. The person who taught me this interpretation is Cheryl Black.

In Toronto, two weeks ago, at the DUIM (Deepening Understanding of Intercultural Ministry) program, I met Cheryl. We had known about each other for several years but only through “reputation and stories” about each other, until one brief encounter in 2014. (A story)

Just before the DUIM week, I saw her email address on the list of participants, and I was quite delighted. Cheryl is an excellent minister with a really great reputation for church development and the successful ministries she has implemented wherever she’s been; I wanted to learn the secret of her success.

Although Cheryl and I met in 2014, the connection between us started 8 years ago when I was seeking a home congregation two years after my family landed in Canada. I was desperate. I needed a safe and welcoming place where I could be myself and pursue my career in ministry. At the time, West Point Grey United Church was exploring the path to become an intercultural church. The church hosted a forum on intercultural ministry, sending invitations to four pastoral charges nearby. I attended the forum, and found out that I was the only participant attending outside of  their own church members. They were very welcoming; I shared my stories. I told my perspective. The minister at the time was Valerie Taylor, and as I was about to leave, she talked to me, with her emerald green eyes looking at me with such genuineness, “ I wish we/I could ‘allure’ you.” (...Into attending our church) That lured me, indeed. I chose the congregation as my congregation (not the congregation my husband served..) and the amazing journey continued from that initial relationship with the minister and the church members. What I learned later was Cheryl Black was Valerie’s predecessor, and Cheryl was the catalyst for intercultural ministry there. Then Cheryl moved to Highlands United Church in North Vancouver, implementing intercultural ministry there, and after leading it to be a ‘transformed’ place, after 10 years, she’s now in St. Aidens, in Victoria. She shared with me in Toronto, wherever she goes, her goal is “Leading into transformation, and nothing else”.

One gift that the DUIM programme has given me is acknowledging that I was saved, 7 years ago, by intercultural ministry; my life was saved, 7 years ago, because there were these “Samaritans” - White Samaritans - who were inspired by intercultural ministry, planned intercultural ministry, and executed intercultural ministry in spite of the congregation’s reluctance, hesitation, indifference to the process - leading all to contemplate why intercultural ministry must inspire us all, and why it is an ‘opportunity’ to own so much more than we were given, why it’s no ordinary, run-of-the-mill mission statement! As I returned to Winnipeg I pondered upon what I learned ,and what transformation I had undergone during the programme, and for the first time in my life I acknowledged that if I was saved by intercultural ministry, shouldn’t I also save others with the same gift and ministry? A lot of Samaritans - of all ethnicities, of all paths, across Canada, in General Council, you - had been leading me here where I am now and now I live with the “hard-won” privilege of ministry (Jordan Cantwell, the moderator of UCC). How could I be anything but eager to inspire us all at UCiM to become, together, an intrepid and innovative community that is competent and confident in planning a new ministry?

The following is what I posted to my Facebook page, recently:

‘Intercultural Ministry’ shouldn’t be treated just as a desirable ‘perspective’ or just a mission statement that has no effect if no one really cares about implementing and strategizing business and ministry plans into real actions. I am interested in real action-based ministry. Intercultural ministry is an entrepreneurial opportunity that requires both good ministry/business plans, the execution of higher ministry performance, research, consultations, evaluations, strong staffing, leadership/partnership identification, with focus on and commitment to creating a community that saves and changes the lives of all who are involved, invited to participate and welcomed. In such a community, the newly welcomed should be able to see and experience the immediate benefits and gifts that are “for” them: hope, confidence, a supportive network, and the joy of participation. Not (just) English. If, in our thinking, we cannot think of anything else other than offering ESL classes as being equal to intercultural ministry, IM will never excite us. If we think of the great value in IM as the opportunity to lead us into transformation and a new vision and concept of who we are, Samaritans, it will give us a sense of purpose. If we also humbly acknowledge that IM is actually one of the few - but great - options we might have for ‘growing’ our church - we will never get bored with the idea, because it addresses the sense of urgency - when we see how fast our North American cities are becoming secularized.

We have plans. We have resources. We have great partnerships.

There are more stories and insights I would love to share, but I will not tell them all in one sermon. But I do want to share one amazing moment I had at the DUIM course on the third day. Cheryl and I became pretty intrigued with one another - I knew that she would be my Elijah. If you asked me, “Why you are so into Cheryl?”, I must tell you a love story - which is one way. But one amazing moment, at a window in the classroom of the Toronto School of Theology, we found a quick moment to chat, and I asked her, “So what are the secrets of your ministry, so successful, so transformative?” When I asked her that question, my expectations were just to hear some of her visions, insights, perspectives on what she thought was the most important part of ministry. 

She answered, “Two things. I always have a good ministry plan. I also always have a good business plan.”

“Oh - you are the CEO type. I would never be the one,  I just am not,” I said.

“Yes, and you can become a CEO, too.” Those words propelled me into a whole new world.

The Elijah and Elisha story is about transition. No ministries are the same. Yet they run like young rivers which will meet, in the end, in the ocean that is infinite. I trust that we can, like Elisha (and Elijah), pick up our mantle of ministry, and strike it and walk through.

Sermon on 1 Kings 19 - Uncovering Anger and Joy: We Must Not Be Alone. (July 19, 2016)

Sermon: 1 Kings 19

In today’s reading, Elijah was in a hard place, alone.

In the previous chapter, Elijah killed four hundred and fifty prophets of the Canaanite/Phoenician Storm God, Baal, right after he successfully led an ingenious demonstration of the power of Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, over Baal, proving that Yahweh is the true God.

Elijah ordered the Israelites to slaughter the defeated prophets of Baal, right at the scene, before they escaped.

Elijah intended to overthrow the corrupt regime of King Ahab, who was misled by his foreign queen, Jezebel. However, it became apparent that the job was too big for Elijah. The demonstration of Yahweh’s power might have been successful, but the following acts of killing, hatred and violence were not effective. Jezebel, the Phoenician princess, became furious, killed many prophets of Yahweh and now was seeking Elijah’s death. Elijah’s greatest success turned into his most profound failure. He fled southward, aided by God, to arrive at Mount Horeb, where Yahweh had given the law to Moses. There he found a cave, and entered it to spend the night.

I wonder what feelings Elijah must have had as he laid down in his rocky shelter for the night. Fearful, angry, resentful, lonely, tired, … With the adrenaline of the pursued still surging through him - this shelter is remote and comfortless, yet he could die without it.

In this very hard place, the Word of God comes and asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Last week I was in Toronto, attending the DUIM (Deepening Understanding of Intercultural Ministry) program, and “What are you doing, here, Ha Na?” was exactly the question I asked myself when I was walking among all the Torontonians on Bay street in downtown Toronto. The program, which lasted five days, was on the campus of the University of Toronto, a beautiful place! At the time, flowers were blooming in the gardens of antique, historic buildings. I absorbed downtown Toronto’s air, energy and environment like hikers breathe in the refreshing, pure air of a forest.

However, the question “What are you doing, Ha Na?” was not “What you are feeling, enjoying your reflection in the shop windows, walking like the business people on Bay Street?” As a different Bible translation offers an alternative way to ask the same question, my “What are you doing?” was really, “Why are you here?”

I had registered for the program and spent several hundred dollars to attend DUIM because I was aware that I faced some limitations in my ministry. I understood that I would have to know more in order to to lead a successful ministry and life in all intercultural contexts, and I was eager to accept whatever I must go through in order to experience the transformation I would need to truly be authentic, to be empowered (rather than to feel limited), and true to myself and all I serve.

I am very blessed to tell you that the Deepening Understanding of Intercultural Ministry (DUIM) program in Toronto was an enormously transformative experience for me, beyond my expectation, just as I wished it to be. I have so many things to share with you, but I will not hurry to tell them all in one sermon, except for one lesson that might be relevant to today’s reading, the one lesson that had made it possible for me to move to the next level of self-awareness. This lesson became obvious on the third day of the programme; I reached a point of self-awareness that I had not really acknowledged or embraced before. There was something that I had carried for a long time, unacknowledged: anger. I hadn’t had a chance to acknowledge it or to see that anger was a big portion of the spiritual and emotional journey that actually moved me forward. DUIM offered me a wonderful opportunity to let my anger surface to a conscious level so that I could begin to deal with it and think about how I could engage with it. My friend shared a reflection with me that he is concerned “About the intense effort to deal with being a Korean, woman, young and all those things in ministry. Certainly others can throw up barriers and in not such subtle ways let you know that they see you as “other”. True. That can hurt me badly.

My anger about Korean patriarchy and hierarchy. My anger about many disappointments I experience in Canada when I see that white privileges rule, even in a conference or context which claims that it strives to be intercultural, or progressive. My gender, my age, my ethnicity, all those factors that contributed to me being treated as “other”, that led to my being sidelined and excluded, in both Korea and Canada - worth getting angry about! However, I had always named these negative feelings and energies as “distressed, or frustrated, or unhappy” not “angry”, UNTIL the DUIM participants were introduced to the following quote from Brene Brown and invited to discuss “How can these works - difficult work of exploring issues -such as power, privilege, racism - be an act of joy?”

Here are Brene Brown’s beautiful words. They really are lovely reflection on joy.

“The Greek word for joy is chairo. Chairo was described by the ancient Greeks as the ‘culmination of being’ and ‘the good mood of the soul’. The ancient Greeks tell us that Chairo is something that is found only in God and comes with virtue and wisdom. It isn’t a beginner’s virtue, it comes as the culmination. They say its opposite is not sadness but fear.”

On reflection, I shared that for me, joy’s opposite is not fear (or being sad) but anger. How challenging a task it would be to live and work with joy, while the waves of hard situations keep coming in. Sometimes they get me in an angry place! I shared that I really should ask how we can be resilient enough to not be caught up or consumed by a negative energy like anger but wisely employ it to build a better world and creatively express it to lead to change. But also, can we truly give ourselves the compassion and patience and understanding needed to allow anger and joy to work together in companionship?

Beverley Harrison says, in The Power of Anger in the Work of Love, “Anger is not the opposite of love. It is better understood as a feeling-signal that all is not well in our relation to other persons or groups or to the world around us. Anger is a mode of connectedness to others and is always a vivid form of caring. The important point is that where feeling is evaded, where anger is hidden or goes unattended, masking itself, there the power of love, the power to act, to deepen relation, atrophies and dies.”

My father has now become a saint, but when I was young, he was an angry person, often, immersed in his business, with little time or patience for anything else. He was like a volcano sometimes, to my family, especially to my younger brother. We would never know when his lava would explode. The personality type which I least like to engage with is those who are easily angered, or those whose way of expressing any feeling inside is just one: getting angry. But I now embrace the truth that I have been angry, that I have been in many angry places, being unhappy about a lot of things especially the system, culture, relationships that have treated me or others unfairly because of our gender differences, and otherness.

I will accept God’s asking, “What are you doing, Elijah? What are you doing, Ha Na?” I will be ready to respond. In some relevant places, only when I am in the right and proper places, I would answer, “I am angry.”

I was thinking, I am one of the last persons to get angry. I hate being angry. I have built up a great deal of the sense and inner capacity of self-control. I am (pretty much) a gentle person. Polite. Highly self-aware. Reflective. I am! That’s how I have been or have trained myself to be! I can confidently say I have always tried not to misdirect any negative feeling inside of me toward anybody without purpose or clear self-awareness. I have not. However, how to harness the energy of anger guided by self-reflection and wisdom would be my next goal. As my wise friend told me, “You don’t need to defend your being - who you are with your great sensitivity to things in this world and in relationships. There are things which we suppress but about which we should be very angry - being sad is an escape. Anger is the proper response to many situations, but it must lead to change.” (At this point, I embrace and remember the victims - most of whom wereLlatino LGBT - and all whose hearts and whole beings were hit by the shooting at Pulse, the gay nightclub in Orlando).

In today’s reading, the word of God says, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” God is about to pass by. The church is young, and God is not in a hurry! But God will pass me, you, us, if not now, then soon! Again! Not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire - God speaks in the sound of sheer silence: when we cultivate true patience and compassion toward our failures; when we have no words left to defend our failure.

To Elijah who stands at the entrance of the cave, God asks, “Why are you here?” “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God’s meaning, Don’t be here. Don’t be in the angry place, alone. Don’t be in the fearful place alone. Don’t seek only for your life, your single life. Don’t be here, alone. We must not be alone, as God tells us and Elijah in the last verse of today’s reading: “Go back by way of the wilderness of Damascus, enter the city, and anoint” the people whom God calls.

God doesn’t tell Elijah not to be angry, not to feel the true burden of his situation - he tells Elijah to act, to return, to keep working, to keep turning others to justice, to anoint and bless.   

On Deepening Understanding of Intercultural Ministry (DUIM) program held on June 6-10, 2016 in Toronto

June 16, 2016

For any one who might be interested in reading how the last DUIM (Deepening Understanding of Intercultural Ministry) program in Toronto was a transformative one for me: 
(This is an excerpt from an email I sent to somebody, this afternoon.)

Just to add one more reflection on how the last week became a very transformative explorative journey for me. It was because on the third day, I learned and acknowledge that I had carried along and had had so much anger. Not only directed to Korean patriarchy and hierarchy, but also towards so many disappointments I experienced and witnessed in UCC and in Canada - centering around all things related to white privileges, etc. I also acknowledged how much pains I have had and most of times how I pretended that I have not had them. On the third day of the program, I articulated about the anger and why a certain quote from Brene Brown in the curriculum didn’t fully represent my experience. Just to sum up, I said, what is more relevant to me than fear is anger. 

That articulation that I made for the first time in public was greatly appreciated by many there, but especially affirmed by a resource person, Roni Beharry, right away, and since then I was so much encouraged every time I said something. (Of course, "I believe" I did make good contribution to the first and second days, too). As a response, Roni shared with us all that the ’anger’ was exactly what she had gone through and had to bring it up for her own transformation.

I just wanted to make a point more clear about how the last week could be transformative one for me: thanks to 1) meeting with Cheryl Black - who said, “you can become the CEO, too”, 2) affirmed by Roni Beharry about my anger and 3) my acknowledgement that I had so much anger through the past 8 + years, 4) fully realizing that I have grown to be who I am now thanks to the Intercultural ministry “I” received… (Valerie Taylor and her ministry saved my life) 5) in addition to allowing myself to accept my gender identity and live out the belief about who I really am meant to be if I refuse all the internalized and societal limitations that have been placed or that I have placed on me to conform.

RESPONSES

From P:

it would be wrong for me to comment on these self-revelations and self-affirmations, they are coming from inside you and perhaps in a jumbled way, not at all academic and organized.

what is wonderful is that you had an opportunity where these matters could surface to a conscious level where you can begin to deal with them.  I am concerned about the intense effort to deal with being a Korean, woman, young, and all those things in ministry.  Certainly others can throw up barriers and in not such subtle ways let you know that they see you as "other", after all you have chosen to minister in an organization that is patriarchal and misogynist to its roots - the church.  You don´t need to defend your being there.  

Years ago it was evident that you were a rare jewel being unwrapped, able to use your intelligence but also your great sensitivity to things in this world and relations.  I still believe that the Island church lost a great deal when you moved, both of you, but you have found a place where you and the "three" boys can grow and mature. 

There are things which we suppress but about which we should be very angry, being sad is an escape.  Anger is the proper response to many situations, but it must lead to change. My guess Ha Na is that before this great workshop you were already dealing with some of those situations that contributed to your anger.  You showed that you were willing to be authentic and not just polite, enabling yourself and others in the group to grow.  Well done!

hugs little sister,  apapachos (hugs from the heart), enjoy the journey!  You are truly marvelous!

From R:

Anger has much to teach us and in my case it was the catalyst for the justice - making work I now engage in. The important learning for me was working through anger in a constructive way DUIM and being involved in intercultural work helped greatly. The Hermeneutical Circle really works! It is important to not get negatively stuck in an angry place. So much of the hate and violence society is the result of anger left unexamined. I am humbled to be your companion on the journey. Whatever you do create a circle of supportive companions for the journey Joy will be realized in God's time. The church is young and God is not in a hurry (One of my professors shared this wisdom with me.).

June 13, 2016

A flash of thought came to me just ago that who I am now - especially in ministry within UCC - could be possible thanks to the past and present strong intercultural ministry movement, momentum and leaders and churches who have saved me, guided me, empowered me, and literally raised me up all the way on the past path. 

That's I can't deny. 

Today, (there's no special reason for me doing this...but) a sudden feeling came to me wishing to express my deepest thanks to all those who have lifted up and sustained me and many more in a direct way and indirectly through and under the UCC intercultural ministry. I sense that I am finally free of the strange feeling of a love-hate relationship with 'intercultural ministry' I have had. I feel that I must be and become the powerful agent that develops it and enliven it in my ministry context, rather than trying to make myself distant from the proud work. 

Just to name a few as my very first and most recent influences - I think I must say thank you to:

Canadian Church's Forum's DUIM programme (Deepening Understanding of Intercultural Ministry) - as the most recent support that made my transformation possible. Including Roni Beharry

West Point Grey United Church - Valerie Taylor Cheryl Black (Now in St. Aidan's, in Victoria, BC)

Also including Susan Howard whom I finally met in the past week in Toronto

I was very inspired and challenged to see that these people wholly embraced intercultural ministry as their core mission and identity of their ministry context and church leadership. They are certainly my heroes.

(I should say, as I was saved by intercultural ministry, I also must save the others with what I have greatly owed to for my 'hard' won privileges which I am now enjoying.)