Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the call of Elisha, the prophet, in the Old Testament. If you know the story, you may remember that when God summoned Elisha, he is plowing the fields of his farm with a team of oxen. Once Elisha agrees to follow God’s call, there is a dramatic point in the story when he slaughters the oxen for food, and burns his plow. He is symbolizing his decision to leave behind his former way of life, because he knows in his heart that God is calling him to do something entirely new.
The example of Elisha applies to our lives whenever we leave something behind in order to take on a new task or calling. For instance, when we move to a new town, when we start a new job, when we enroll in a new school, when we start a family or a new business, or when we simply join a new community. More often than not, we don’t burn a plow or slaughter oxen! But like Elisha, we do leave something behind. This is true about my own experience of leaving behind a parish where I had served for the past fourteen years. You leave a place and people you love behind. But then, you come to a new place, and it is also beautiful. And you begin to fall in love all over again. But always, there is a tinge of sadness and nostalgia, because, like Elisha, we know that nothing will ever be the same.
As we begin a new parish and discern whether or not to leave behind our plows, we can be sure we are not alone. The disciples in the Christ-story felt the same way we do. Perhaps this is why Jesus said to them, “No one who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)