Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, November 3, 2020
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
When I was young, whenever people in the congregation hoarded responsibilities as though they were the only person in the congregation who could do what they did, my dad used to tell me this. He would say that we might be extremely important, like a fist in a bucket of water. If the fist is removed, the water in the bucket splashes and swirls and leaves quite a turmoil in the bucket. But eventually the water calms and fills in the space that was left when the fist was removed. It was my dad’s way of saying that people might be important, but nobody is irreplaceable.
As an adult, I have often found similar experiences in the church. As a minister (and many of my colleagues would agree), I was often left to pick up the pieces for ministries where the ball was dropped. I was counseled wisely. When certain ministries are falling apart, I can pick it up (and soon end up burned out), or I can let it fail. If the ministry is important to the congregation, someone will pick it up. If no one does, it’s not a ministry that’s vital to the functioning of the congregation. It’s ok to let it go. No one person can do it all.
All this to say that God makes sure that the most important things are done by someone somewhere. And when that someone is no longer able to do it, God will provide someone else somewhere else. When Elijah’s work was not finished, but Elijah’s part in the work was finished, God lifted up Elisha to carry on Elijah’s work. Even Elijah, one of God’s most important prophets ever, was not irreplaceable. God’s work will continue with or without us.
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