Normalizing Failure (Guest Speaker: Jazmin Miller-Price)

2 Kings 2:1-13

Welcome today’s guest speaker, our own Jazmin Miller-Price. Jazmin (she/her/hers) is chaplain with Brighton Hospice, the presiding clerk at Camas Friends Church, and a member of the SCYMF’s People Care committee. As an Oregon native, she likes walking in both the sunshine and the rain and especially likes when both happen at once. She lives in Washington now with her husband Jerry and their cat, Pearl.

2 Kings 2:1-13 (NRSV):
1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

6 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. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and the two of them crossed on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 He responded, “You have asked a hard thing, yet if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.

Queries:

What are you connecting with in the stories of Elijah, Elisha, Naomi, and Ruth? What emotions do those connections bring up?

If you were to understand failure as a normal experience, what relief might it bring? What resistance do you feel towards seeing failure in a normalized way?

Have you been present with someone else in their time of failure, or has someone been present with you? What did you experience or learn there?