Chariots of Fire

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Good morning, friends. Let's take a moment and pray. Holy and gracious God, give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that with our hearts enlightened, we may know the hope to which Christ has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance among us, and the greatness of his power for those who believe. Amen. So for those of you who tuned out during Josiah's children's sermon, I'll repeat the story from Elijah. This is from two kings, chapter six, verses eight through 23. You'll find it on page 294 of your pew Bible. If you want to read along, let's hear from God. Once when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he took counsel with his officers. He said, at such and such a place shall be my camp. But the man of God sent the word to the king of Israel. Take care not to pass this place, because the Aramaeans are going down there. The king of Israel sent word to the place of which the man of God spoke. More than once or twice. He warned such a place so that it was on the alert. The mind of the king of Aram was greatly perturbed. Because of this, he called his officers and said to them, now tell me, who among us sides with the king of Israel? Then one of his officers said, no one, my lord. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber. He said, go and find where he is. I will send and seize him. He was told he is in Dothan. So he sent horses and chariots there, and a great army. They came by night and surrounded the city. When an attendant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. His servant said, alas, master, what shall we do? He replied, do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them. Then Elisha prayed, o lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. When the Aramaeans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the lord and said, strike this people, please, with blindness. So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. Elisha said to them, this is not the way and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. And he led them to Samaria. As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, o lord, open the eyes of these men so that they may see. The lord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria. When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them? He answered, no. Did you capture with your sword and your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and let them go to their master. So he prepared for them a great feast. After they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. And the Aramaeans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel. This has been the word of the lord. [00:03:40] Speaker B: Today's story from two kings is all about sight and blindness. And I don't know about you, but I love stories of sight and blindness. I love stories where for a time, we see things and we think we're seeing what's real. But then a certain moment will come in the story where a revelation occurs and suddenly a character or character is in us with them. We'll see things we hadn't seen before. It'll be like we were blind in the first part of the story, but now we see. I remember as a child watching for the first time the movie wizard of Oz, and remember that time when a revelation, a moment of seeing, comes to Dorothy and the Tin man and the cowardly lion and the scarecrow. They all seeded something. They see the first time this as the great and mighty wizard of Oz. The first time they visit the Emerald City, they see this enormous ghostly face and fire and hear a booming voice declare, I'm Oz, the great and powerful. It was terrifying. The second time they visit the wizard, they see this ghostly head again and hear the booming voice. But this time they see something different that lets them realize how they were, in fact, blind before. You remember in the film that Toto, Dorothy's dog, pulls back a curtain, and they see behind that curtain is an old man who's running this elaborate illusion of sound and lights. It's a visual illusion. And in fact, the wizard of Oz is just this guy behind the curtain, not so terrifying. And there's this sense when you watch the movie of, oh, now I see. I see what's behind the curtain. I see reality. Now, sometimes there is a seer figure. There is somebody who sees reality, who sees what is true before the other character or characters in the film, before the audience sees it. And they alert people to the fact that there's a reality that they don't yet see. And yet it's hard to really believe that as these characters or as the viewer until we're shown it. You might remember the figure of the seer in the first Matrix movie a figure named Morpheus. He saw things that other people did not. And he explains to a computer programmer named Thomas Anderson who's also known by the hacker alias Neo that he's been living in a dream world all his life. Morpheus offers to show him truth if Neo wants his eyes to be open. And Neo chooses the path of seeing. Morpheus then explains to Neo and shows him that the life Neo had known up until that time working as a computer programmer, answering the phone going from his apartment in that urban city to his place of work looking outside and seeing a blue sky and clouds. All of that was a lie. In fact, intelligent machines held Neo's body and the bodies of other human beings in pods where their heat energy could be extracted. This is reality. And to make people docile and compliant in this captive state their brains were linked to a matrix. They were made to believe they were living a life like you and I live. But that was only a simulated reality. In the real world, humans are battling for liberation from machines seeking to free people like Neo from these pods. As Morpheus shows this to Neo we in the audience have our eyes opened and we see the whole story up to that point, differently. We realize we were blind, but now we see. I love how stories, how films, how books can do that bring you these aha, moments of seeing what's real and what's false what's right before your eyes that you just didn't see before. But then. And that's the kind of story we find in today's text from two kings, the story that Jim read for us today. The seer figure in this story goes not by the name of Morpheus. Rather, the seer is Elisha, the prophet. We learned back in one Samuel that another word for prophet is seer. Prophets saw what other people often didn't see. They're able to peer into the present, the past, the future and see things. And while they can't open the eyes of the blind only God has that power. The prophets we see in the hebrew scriptures are nevertheless often able to see visions and they can share those with other people. And then other people they can pray will have their eyes opened. Well, as today's story begins Elisha is using this ability to see in a way that enrages the king of Aram. He sees what the aramean army is going to do before they even do it. He can see where they're going to camp. And the king of Aram complains to his officers and says, who among you is the spy? Who's the traitor? Because it's like they're seeing what I'm going to do before I even do it. And one of the officers pipes up and says, none of us is a traitor or a spy. The army of ancient Israel, that is the northern kingdom, they have a prophet, a seer, and he can see right into your bedchamber. He can hear what you're saying in the night. Yikes. So the king of Aram says, okay, if this is the problem, let's seize this prophet. And he tells his officers, literally in Hebrew, go and see where this Prophet is. Go and see a phrase that reminds us of so many phrases in this text. Do that. This is a passage about seeing and blindness. So his officers see that, in fact, Elisha is in Dotham. And they send the army to surround that city of Dotham with chariots and with horses. So the next morning, a servant of Elisha wakes up, and he looks out and he sees all these horses and these chariots. And he says to Elisha, alas, master, what will we do? And Elisha replies, as you heard in the children's sermon, don't be afraid. There are more of us than there are of them. But I don't know about you. When I first heard that statement, I wondered, what does he mean? Is some army coming? Does he see something we don't? Because along with the servant, all we've seen up to this point is the horses and chariots of the enemy. They're right there. But this other people or army or whatever that's going to support him, we don't see that yet. And Elisha prays. He prays that God would open the eyes of the servant. And we read that the servant's eyes are, in fact opened. It's like a veil is lifted. And the servants and us as the readers along with them, see something that was there all the time. We just hadn't realized it. He looks out on the mountain and sees not only that it's full of horses and chariots, but the servant. And we see chariots of fire. Chariots of fire. That image, that phrase calls to mind that story earlier in two kings, doesn't it? When Elijah is getting set to leave this world. And before he does, Elisha asks him, master, mentor, please give me a double share of your spirit before you depart. And Elijah says, that's not really for me to give, but if you see me departing in glory. If you see me departing, then you will receive this spirit. If you don't see it, you won't. It's like a vision test. Does he have eyes to see? And then we read that Elijah, the mentor of Elisha, departs, heads up in a whirlwind to heaven, and we see a chariot of fire. And we read, elisha sees it, too. He sees it, too. And with that sight, he becomes a seer. He's one who has received that double portion of Elijah that he had sought. The chariot of fire was there, and Elisha saw it in the Bible so often, this reference to fire, it means you're seeing the glory or presence or work of God. Think of when Moses saw the burning bush and then heard God's voice speaking from it. Think of when the people of God were wandering through the wilderness. And what led them during the night was a pillar of fire, a sense God was leading them, directing them. Think of how in the book of deuteronomy, God's anger and God's jealous love for a people are so often described as fire. Seeing chariots of fire, it's like seeing the presence, protection, leading of God in a way you just hadn't seen before, as if a curtain was pulled back to reveal the real power behind everything. And it's not an old man running the show. Instead, it's the creator, redeemer, sustainer, the power behind all things. And you see it. You see the glory of God. You see chariots of fire. Well, after beholding those chariots on the mountain, suddenly the scene at Dothan that had looked so devastating is full of promise. As the battle unfolds, we know God's there to protect the people of Dothan. And Elisha prays, and I love it. Not for carnage, not for a military victory. Instead, Elisha prays to simply strike the aramean army when they descend on Israel with blindness, they go blind. And then we read of how Elisha, like Obi Wan Kenobi in the first Star wars movie, tells them, these are not the droids you're looking for. This is not the city you are looking for. Go with me, and I will take you to the real city of Dothan. And they do. They follow Elisha all the way to Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. And then Elisha prays again. God opened their eyes, and their eyes are open, and they see we are in a heap of trouble. We are right in the capital of enemy territory. So what then happens? The king of Israel asks Elisha, should I kill him? Should I kill them all? Elisha says, does this look like a military battle to you? These people are at your mercy. No, don't kill them. Serve them food. Give them water. Give them a feast. Show them lavish hospitality. And that is what they do. And I don't know about you, but when I see the army of Aram in the capital of ancient Israel, these enemies, when I see Aram feasting at the table of Israel, I catch just a glimpse of that commandment in the book of Leviticus, love your neighbor. Even more, I catch that commandment Jesus would lift up to his followers. Love your enemies. Love your enemies. I see a glimpse of that great vision from the prophet Isaiah, where Israel would be like a light that the other nations would be drawn to, that they would see God's love and presence and blessing, and it would bless them, too. I see a glimpse of that vision Jesus would lift up when he said many would come from east and west, north and south, and feast together at the kingdom of God in this feast that Aram enjoys right in the heart of Israel. And then as they depart in peace, no longer making war with Israel, I see a God who sets a feast for a people in the wilderness and a God who makes enemies into friends. I see a glimpse of that moment to come when God's presence and provision would arrive in a new way, in a prophet named Jesus, who could actually open the eyes of the blind. And for those with eyes to see it, the glory of God shone in this jesus. It shone in his presence, his teaching, his healing, his life given for us, resurrection for us. God's glory shines in Jesus. We read in scripture like chariots of fire. So a story like this one from two kings, it begs a question of you and me today. Do we see? Do we see or are we blind? Do we see the horses and chariots of the enemy's army? Do we see the harms and hazards and threats of our day? And if so, is that all we see? Or do we have eyes to see chariots of fire. I love how some contemporary artists will pose this question. Do you see, as they depict in art, the chariot of fire we read about in two kings and that today's passage looks back to as well. Here's a byzantine painting from centuries ago that depicts that scene of Elijah ascending to heaven with chariots of fire. And it's pretty easy to see. There's Elijah, there's the horses. There's fire all around. There's the chariot. Hard to miss, but in newer renderings, in more contemporary rendings, it's like the artist is posing the question, can you see it, the chariots of fire? Or are you blind to it? How about this one? This is entitled Chariot Fire. Do you see it? That if you look for a bit, you could probably make out the head of the horse over there, maybe the wheel of a chariot there, and perhaps the red and orange hues, you might say, that evokes fire with eyes to see, you might then say, oh, of course, there it is, the chariot of Fire. But how about this one? This is also called Chariot of Fire, an art piece in 2023. And in this one, I might see some clouds and blue sky. But as for a chariot, I don't know about you. Do you see? It begs the question, can we see? Can we see? Or this painting? This is called Chariots of Fire, and it's by an artist named Dragon Sacarek Shexdeh. Do you see the chariots? What I love about contemporary renderings like this is that they remind me it's not so easy in life sometimes to see. To see what may be right there, what the artist had in mind for us to see. One of the huge challenges that we face today, it seems to me, is the most basic task of seeing what's true, what's a lie, what's real, what's false. It's not so easy to see today with deep fakes and sophisticated misinformation campaigns and AI and conspiracy theories. I think of back when I read Michel Foucault, as he wrote on regimes of truth. He wrote about how things like knowledge and truth could be produced by regimes of power. We see that in two kings, how political leaders like the king of Aram or the king of Israel can try to create the truth they want. They think. They determine outcomes. They tell the people what is real. They think. But then we read time and again in two kings and throughout scripture that kings of this world aren't the ultimate authorities on goodness or truth or what is real. The author of truth, the creator of all that is real and good and just and right, is the true ruler if we just have eyes to see it. And that ruler came near to us, brought God's way near to us. And the prophet who opened the eyes of the blind, and we call Lord and savior, the one who spoke of a kingdom of God and asked his followers and the crowds, do you see? Do you see it? Two powerful ways that God invites us to see, based on today's passage. First, God invites us to see, as the servant of Elisha did, the genuine harms and hazards that face us today. There's a lot to be said for not putting your head in the sand and acknowledging what is right before your eyes, what you can take in by the powers God gave you and me of observation. Rather than making broad blanket statements like crime is exploding or non existence, homelessness is exploding or non existent, immigration is exploding or non existent, climate change is exploding or non existent, we can observe what is actually the case and note what others have carefully and accurately observed. We can take in what is real because we can observe it and measure it. I was so grateful to join a number of people at this church and around the Pasadena community and participating in the homeless count. You know, there's something powerful to going out at night and getting to meet people who are experiencing homelessness, to see them as people. But it was also so valuable to be a part of an effort that actually counted so we know what kind of problem we're facing. It's good to know how many chariots, how many horses are out there that pose a hazard. It's good to know the enemy, like homelessness, how great it is, and how best we might seek to address it. But to see only that. To see only what your eyes can observe and that you can quantify numerically. You know, we miss so much. Scientists will tell us the visible light spectrum, the light we can actually see, makes up less than 1% of the electromagnetic energy in our world. So much of the energy around us, more than 99%. We can't see. We can't see it. Does it mean it isn't real, that it isn't there? Even with the best commitment to observation, we can lose sight of invisible things we need to see, like the value of truth itself or goodness or justice, or I faith. We can lose sight of a God who's the author of all truth and goodness and is wondrously at work. Had we only the eyes to see it. I don't know about you, but one reason that I need weekly worship, that I need daily prayer and scripture reading and getting to hear from other thoughtful christian theologians and scientists and scholars and prophets today is I need help seeing. I do, and maybe you do as well. If I only read the newspapers, I might see what's happening in the world. And if the articles are good at citing sources, careful about observing what is actually the case, offering evidence, I can learn a kind of truth, to be sure, and that's important. I want to see that. I want to see the horses and the chariots that might be just outside the city and potentially coming down. But I need to see something else. Invisible things like the purpose of human life, our calling, and how the creative hand behind all things might wondrously be at work. Do you see the horses and chariots of the enemy today? Good. It's good to see that. But do you see something else, too? Do you see the chariots of fire? In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, amen. I.