Come to the Waters |
St. Mary's Episcopal Church Green Cove Springs, Florida Second Sunday After Pentecost (Pr 6) , Year B June 14, 2009 Go to St. Mary's Home Page |
 |
Come to the Waters |
St. Mary's Episcopal Church Green Cove Springs, Florida Second Sunday After Pentecost (Pr 6) , Year B June 14, 2009 Go to St. Mary's Home Page |
|
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
Psalm 20
2 Corinthians 5:6-17
Mark 4:26-34
The Collect of the Day
Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, `I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. (1 Samuel 15:34-16:1)
Star Children of God
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop, Rector
As you know, I like to watch movies. In addition to things like plot, character development, emotional impact, imagination, cleverness, and transforming potential, I am also fascinated by the more technical aspects of movie making.
So I am one of those who sits in my seat like a contortionist to watch the credits, with my head bobbing and my body twisting to see them as people file by in front of me.
I like to know where the film was made, where it was edited, where the post production was done, and who composed that catchy little tune I can’t get out of my head. I have apparently been doing this since I was a little kid, when I would watch the credits roll by for TV shows. I still remember that Max Factor did Lucille Ball’s makeup for I Love Lucy, and that Florence Bush was the hair stylist for Gunsmoke and Leave it to Beaver among others.
One of the things I find amusing among the credits is the names that are given to supporting members of the cast; names like “Man on Stairs,” “Girl Number One,” or “Dead Man One.” How’d you like that on your resume? Was the role of “Dead Man One” challenging?
Many very good actors got their starts as extras like these. I remember watching a 12 episode Republic Serial called Zombies of the Stratosphere, in which a little known actor played the part of Narab. That actor’s name was Leonard Nimoy. Big name now, but until an actor achieves that kind of reputation and is labeled a “star,” he’ll remain “Man on Stairs” or “Dead Man One.”
This past TV season, there was an actor who had attained an international reputation. Like so many actors, he played a whole host of unnamed characters like “The Italian Designer” (in “The Lions” episode of Dirty, Sexy, Money), the “French Waiter” (on two episodes of “The Bold and the Beautiful”), and the “Photographer” (in the 2007 movie Stand Up). But it was a small, named part in a movie targeted to a special audience that really got him noticed. That movie was the Sex in the City: The Movie.
I had thought that only Trekkies, Star Wars fans, or devotees to The Rocky Horror Picture Show came to the theatre dressed up as their favorite character. Not so. People – mostly young women – dressed to the nines as their favorite character came to see Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte on the big screen. Although they came to see this foursome, they left remembering the man who played the bit part of Dante, the Casa Nova living in the beach house next door to Samantha.
The Sex in the CityMovie gave that actor international exposure, so it was no surprise that he was a huge draw when he appeared on this past season of Dancing with the Stars. That actor was, of course, Gille Marini.
The Old Testament text today reads almost like a casting call for a movie. At the beginning, we hear the producer issue a casting call for a new King of Israel. The producer needs a new leading man because “the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.” Uh, oh; Saul, the lead in the original would not be playing that part in the sequel!
Samuel, the casting director, set about looking for a new lead. He came upon Jesse, the patriarch of a family with eight sons. As they went before the altar of the Lord, to make sacrifice, Samuel began to look at Jesse’s boys.
All Samuel had to do was cast them in the role, and wait for God the producer to make the choice.
Eliab, the eldest, came first. He was apparently a handsome fellow, a sort of a Bethlehem Brad Pitt. He was tall – and height is a good thing for a leader. Indeed, modern research shows that the average height of a male CEO of Fortune 500 companies is six feet – three inches taller than the average man in the United States.[1]
Saul, David’s predecessor was also tall, standing “head and shoulders above everyone else” (1 Sam 9:2). But God said to Samuel the casting director, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
And so it went with seven of eight of the brothers, all of whom I imagine were hunks. The producer nixed them all.
Although likely exhausted by the auditions he finally asked Jesse if there was anyone else. “Well, yeah, I guess there is one more. The little one. The youngest. The one who’s with the sheep.”
Samuel must have expected the addled runt of the litter the way Jesse treated his youngest son. But when Samuel saw David, he was impressed. This son “ was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome.”
And the producer immediately made it known that this was the one. “Rise and anoint him.” And so little David became King. And as we read in the rest of the book of Samuel, the wisdom of the Producer’s choice was borne out. David, despite his flaws and weaknesses, turned out to be the greatest King Israel ever knew.
Smallness often correlates with greatness – especially in legendary stories. In the early 1700s, the French army had come close to taking the citadel in the city of Turin, Italy. But, the lend goes, a common Italian solider devised a clever plan. He armed a mine in a tunnel, lured the French army closer, and then blew himself up along with the army. This turned the tide of the battle, and eventually the war. One solider took out an entire army. When William of Orange and his wife Mary assumed the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1689, a group of loyalists called the Jacobites opposed them. One day, the story goes, a little mole licked up a clump of dirt which tripped William’s horse, causing the king to fall and break his collarbone. During his convalescence, William developed pneumonia and died. For years afterward, the Jacobites toasted the mole calling him the “Little Gentleman in Black Velvet.”
Legends aside, lone individuals can do very big things indeed, when they are motivated by God in service of God’s people. People like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Bishop Romero, and Nelson Mandela all worked to open the hearts and minds of their fellows to care about the least among them and to end injustice. They led us, and they continue to inspire us.
Small churches, like St. Mary’s, can do big things too. Although we are aware of our small size, there is no limitation to our confidence in God to lead us. We are in good company. About half of the churches in the United States contain fewer than 100 adult members, yet these churches are full of people with close personal bonds and high levels of commitment and affection for their churches. Small congregations like ours are exactly the kind of church people will be drawn to because we provide immediacy, a level of intimacy that cannot be found elsewhere, and a palpable sense of the nearness of God.
Like David, we know that the “Lord does not save by sword and spear or by big budgets and high tech gear in the worship space.” And so like David, we pick up our five smooth stones and face the Goliath of church growth with faith alone.
The power of small is the power of God. And what a force that is.
Compassion. Sacrifice. Justice. Love. These are the powerful forces at work that move outward from your wonderful spirits, your generosity, and your acceptance. All of these things will work together to allow us at St. Mary’s to become big players in that ultimate production: Ushering in the Kingdom of God.
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Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, `I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
1 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble, *
the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;
2 Send you help from his holy place *
and strengthen you out of Zion;
3 Remember all your offerings *
and accept your burnt sacrifice;
4 Grant you your heart's desire *
and prosper all your plans.
6 Now I know that the LORD gives victory to his anointed; *
he will answer him out of his holy heaven,
with the victorious strength of his right hand.
7 Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, *
but we will call upon the Name of the LORD our God.
8 They collapse and fall down, *
but we will arise and stand upright.
We are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord-- for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
[1] As reported in Timothy Merrill. “Character Actors.” Homiletics 18(3):53, May-June 2006.
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12 June 2009
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