God chooses you

I Sam 15:34-16;13, 2 Cor 5:14-17

Preached Canberra Baptist Preached 18 June 2006

Last weekend I was in Albury and I attended church at Albury Baptist with my parents-in-law. The person leading the service spoke a little about his background, his life’s experiences and in particular his call to ministry after retirement in his mid 60s. I’ve never heard a call described quite so graphically – he said he felt like a fox nailed up to shed wall by its ears! And he also described the life of ministry as holding on to a tiger’s tail – there is a lot of exciting action, you don’t know where you are going, and yet you can’t let go. I can’t say it resonated particularly with my own story, but that’s ok – we are all different and God comes to us in different ways!

But the message I want to give today is that each one of us in the church community IS called, gifted, and expected to engage in ministry in the church which represents God’s kingdom here and now. And that call cannot be denied or ignored if our community is going to function in a healthy way and in a way that makes a difference to the world around us.

We heard one of the narratives of the Old Testament read to us just now. It is the story describing how the young David was called into service in Yahweh’s kingdom.

There is a bit of background to the story though. Yahweh had been proclaimed Israel’s king from the time he had led them out of Egypt in the Exodus story. But after they had finished their wandering in the desert and settled down and started to become a nation they decided they wanted a human king so they could be like those around them. The bible indicates that there were different views about this from early on in Israel’s history. On the one hand they were told they shouldn’t need a king – Yahweh was their ruler. They were warned that they’d be heading down the road to a stratified society, where there would be some who are privileged and some who had to serve. Some would grow rich and comfortable, others would struggle to make ends meet and pay their taxes. Some would sit in palaces and command armies and the ordinary people would have to be the army, risking their lives for their king. (I Sam 8)

But there’s another view that is written down in the bible too – that if they did indeed put a king over them it would be ok if that king was one of their own brothers who wouldn’t lord it over the others and who would be a follower of Yahweh, meditating on the law and following it every day. (Deut 17) If they had a king like the nations around them, but if their king didn’t act like the kings of the nations around them, it might work out ok.

And Saul was the person chosen to be the first king. He was one of them – part of the tribe of Benjamin. He was an ordinary man – do you know what he was doing when God called him into this important role? He was looking for donkeys! And he was an impressive looking man we are told – tall and handsome. He ruled Israel for many years but was not ultimately a good king for the people of Yahweh. Kingship wasn’t well enough established for dynastic rule so another king had to be chosen. Samuel the prophet went to the home of David’s father Jesse, because God had told him that he would find Israel’s next king there. We read that Samuel had seven of Jesse’s sons appear before him one at a time, a bit like a beauty pageant, except that Samuel was praying and asking God to show him who the new King was to be. It was GOD who reminded SAMUEL that the human tendency is to look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the inner person when they are being called into service. So amongst Jesse’s family it wasn’t the oldest, or the strongest, or the biggest or the most experienced that was chosen, but the youngest – a boy so insignificant that he hadn’t even been invited to the event but instead had been sent to the fields to mind the sheep.

It is quite difficult to come to terms with the fact that our sacred scriptures – the record of God’s dealings with human beings from the beginning of the world – are also in fact very human books themselves. The story of David, while being on one level a theological story, is also a very political story. Did you notice the fear in the story? Samuel was afraid that if it were known he was going to anoint a new king he would be killed. The elders of Benjamin were afraid – would danger come to their town if this became known? It was a dangerous move politically. And as the story continues it is clear it was the account of David’s rise to power written down by his own supporters - the pro-David party! Although the nation did become a lot more stratified under David’s rule, those who wrote his story also took pains to show that it fitted with the positive view of kingship I mentioned earlier – that David WAS a king who followed God, and who meditated on God’s law. And it was that king in particular in the whole of Israel’s history who became the link to the model of messianic king fulfilled in Jesus. With this sort of bias in mind in the telling of David’s story, how do we discern the voice of God amongst it?

And yet despite the bias there are undercurrents that make a difference to the story so it isn’t just one of many historical novels. There is the affirmation of God’s mysterious ways which go against human expectation, such as choosing the youngest to be the carrier of the promise – a clear pattern in Israel’s faith history and yet completely against the social mores of a patriarchal world. There is the honesty in the narrative where despite its bias towards David we hear of his failings, his falls from grace, his need for humility before God and humans. It’s a human story, but it is told and preserved for us because it tells us something about how we as humans can relate to our God. Now we know quite a lot about David’s character – there is perhaps more of the bible devoted to him than any other character in the bible, except for Jesus. We know that he was a loyal friend, that he was disciplined and courageous, that he was sensitive and spiritual. But we also know that he had severe failings – adultery and murder among them. And yet God chose him. Even though this IS the story of David being called into service in God’s kingdom the important lesson is not so much about the person God chose, but about the God who does the choosing. What is important to God? Not appearance, not ability, but heart. “The Lord does not see as mortals see, they look on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart.” One of the messages about God is that God will choose you if your heart is willing – and will empower you for service.

At the end of the section we read we are told that when David was anointed for service “the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.” This is another of the messages of the story and it is reiterated in the New Testament several times – in the Pentecost story where the believers are anointed by the Holy Spirit and empowered to be witnesses; in Paul’s writings where he stresses that the Spirit gives gifts and fruits to all believers, and in the epistles of John where all believers are told “You have been anointed by the Holy One” (I Jn 2:20). Just like the story of David’s calling, each of us are chosen, given gifts, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to build up the kingdom of God. The human point of view is not what matters in the church – it is the viewpoint of God, the God who sees our hearts, and who has a place and a gift and a calling for each of us. God who chooses US to be involved in his work. In some church traditions when a person or child is baptized they are anointed with oil. The early church took the Old Testament practice of anointing kings and applied it to every believer who was baptized, so that each understands they are being called into God’s service. There IS a different perspective when we see each other as valuable in God’s sight, as new creations. And as we sang earlier, creations that are still in the process of being perfected – when we are called to service we have to just make a start, not wait until we have all the right skills, or are perfect already.

This is a significant time in our church’s life. We have been reviewing our mission and goals, thinking again about our direction and where we as a community are especially committed. Not only that, in our recent church meeting we committed ourselves to a challenging budget for the new financial year.
In the inserts you have in your bulletin there are questions for you to consider: how much should I give to the church’s ministry? What are my gifts? Where do I have energy to commit to the life and mission of the church? There is an assumption behind those questions that we all DO have something to offer. If David the shepherd boy could be chosen then none of us are too young. If that minister in Albury could be called into service after retirement then none of us are too old. I read about one of the seminary teachers of Martin Luther back in the 16th century: apparently he always doffed his hat when he entered a room full of students out of respect for the potential that was in them. If we all have potential then none of us are too inexperienced. If Jesus could affirm the giving of a destitute widow then none of us have too few resources.

But perhaps the question is not one of being willing but rather one of discerning where we can be used. Maybe you have obvious skills. But maybe it is a question of what you are drawn to. Maybe it is found in what other people say about you. Maybe it isn’t any obvious talent but a willingness to grow in a particular area. All of these issues come into play when we try to find where it is that God’s spirit has particularly called and gifted and empowered us.

You may not have had time yet to read Jim’s letter in today’s bulletin, but I commend it to you. He speaks of a friend who was an acclaimed artist, and asks each of us to consider what gifts and talents we might have. The letter reminded me of a lovely banner I saw hanging in a church once, with the quotation from Max Lucardo that says  – each of us is a divine work of art signed by God. If God has put thought and commitment into the creation of each one of us then each of us can be a gift to one another. And what a wonderful gift being part of a community is, where we are able to build up each other and be affirmed in our turn. I was surprised and delighted on Friday afternoon to be given a gift by the Crafty Fingers ladies – the reason given was just to let me know they appreciate me. It gave me a real lift. But smiles and kind words and a willingness to listen are gifts too. When you think about what it is you can offer to the Kingdom of God manifest in this place, don’t forget, prayer, visits, notes, texts and phone calls are as important in building up the community as being the church treasurer, a deacon, Sunday school teacher or on one of the rosters that keep everything running smoothly.

My talk today is even a little shorter than usual because I’d like to invite you now to take some time to look at the mission statement and goals in the booklet you’ve been given and think about where you feel called and gifted for service. If you’d like to there will also be an opportunity after the service to write your name on a list under one of these goals, so that we can find a way for everyone in the church to be involved in our mission. I’m just going to give you a couple of minutes now for quiet reflection.(pause)

And now would you talk briefly to a person near you – if you know them, tell them something you appreciate that they do for our community – if you don’t – tell each other what you are already doing in our church or where you think you may have gifts and energy that you’d like to commit yourself to. (pause)

As Jim has said at the conclusion of his letter: “there are many among us whose lives are a work of art equal to any of the great masterpieces of Australian painting. In our conversation, in the notes and letters we share, in our words of encouragement and appreciation to each other, may we recognise, celebrate and continue to foster the wonderful gifts that have been given in the members of our community!”