Old Testament: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 5:6-17
Hello everyone. Hopefully you all had a good Sunday. Today was
Father’s Day if you were unaware. I am
always aware that days like this are filled with celebration as well as
pain. A friend my age lost his dad just
3 months ago. Yet, our hope is in Christ,
in the future and today. In the midst of
pain, hurt, and even death, our hope is in Christ.
Our reading
from 1 Samuel is the anointing of David by Samuel. God directs Samuel to the house Jesse where
God has chosen the new King of Israel. If we remember last week, Saul was
appointed by God as king even though God knew that it was a bad idea to have a
king. Saul failed to follow the Lord and
thus lost his divine right to lead. When
Samuel is introduced to Jesse’s family, none of his sons are the Lord’s anointed. Samuel asks if this is all the sons and Jesse
replies that David is in the field tending the sheep. David, the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd,
is to be the next king of Israel. He seems
to be the least likely of any candidate…he wasn’t even invited to the
dinner! Yet, the writer makes it clear
why David was so successful as a king. He says, “and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” Samuel actually gives the motivation for why
Saul was rejected and David was chosen.
Samuel said
to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you
have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He
commanded you, for now the Lord would have
established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall
not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not
kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Sam 13:13-14)
Of course, the theme of obedience is a major theme running
through the Old and the New Testament.
However, our Gospel and Epistle readings explore the idea of anointing
or living a Spirit-filled life more than just a life of obedience. The verses in Mark 4 are two parables about
the Kingdom of God. The first one
compares the Kingdom of God to a seed; it is planted, sprouts and finally is
harvested. The second parable retells
and intensifies the first. It is the
classic parable of the tiny mustard seed which grows into a large tree. Both of these parables tell of small
unassuming things which grow into something beautiful and useful. A seed fulfills its purpose when it becomes a
plant. The Kingdom of God is also often
small and unassuming. It often seems
like the Kingdom faces huge obstacles, yet like the mustard seed it will grow
into a tree and fulfill its divine anointed purpose.
How does this fit in with David and the Spirit’s anointing? Paul points us in the right direction. The Kingdom of God includes and is partially
built up by the followers of Jesus. Paul
calls us “ambassadors for Christ” and says we have been given the work of reconciliation.
In the Old Testament, the work of the
king was to provide justice and lead the people in worship to God. Today, all Christians have been given this
task. I’m trying to avoid calling us “kings”
since obviously Christ is King. Yet, we
are Christ’s regents if you will. We
represent Christ to the world. In John
17, the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus makes this very point. He says that he has sent us into the world
and prays that we would be sanctified and unified with the Father and the Son.
Like David, however, we are not left to this task
alone. Like David, God is with us. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things
passed away; behold, new things have come.” (v 17) We don’t build God’s kingdom on our own
skills or wisdom. We participate with Christ through his Spirit in the work God
calls us to. At least part of that work
involves reconciliation. If I might add
an aside, I wonder when Christianity lost the desire to be peacemakers. We ought to be known as reconcilers, or
peacemakers, as the Sermon on the Mount says.
This is both a corporate task as the body of Christ as well as an
individual matter. At work or at school
let this be our goal. As churches, denominations,
and as the Church Catholic let this also be our aim. May we strive to be known as peacemakers
instead of revenge- seekers or warmongers.
May our primary aim be one of love and reconciliation
above all else. I have a shirt with a
quote from Dorothy Day on it which reads, “the only solution is love.” I know this rubs people the wrong way. It seems too simple in this complex
world. Yet is the answer we find in Jesus. The best and only solution is love. If we want to be ambassadors for Christ then
our task is nothing less than to love as Christ loved!
May we be filled and equipped by his Spirit
to do the task we are called to.
Grace and Peace.
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