1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 (NRSV)
Read 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Verse 16Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.
Verse 19So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. Verse 20He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then Elijah said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" Verse 21He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
Devotion
Summer is a time for recent graduates to begin new ventures. Some will leave family and friends behind in order to follow a call; one will cross the country to serve in a volunteer corps; another will cross an ocean to serve global missions.
Meanwhile, some graduates have already been away from their homeland for years, and won’t return until they have completed graduate research or medical school. As difficult as it is to be away so long, they know they need to persevere so they can ultimately be of service to their homelands. Like Elisha in today’s lesson, these graduates have to choose – at least for a time – between calling and family. They teach us that faith and trust in God frees us to let go of things we hold closely and they challenge us to take new risks to follow God’s call.
Prayer
O God, help us to hear Christ’s call today, and give us courage to respond, even when it means change and uncertainty. Amen.