Facing Down The Giant

Read I Samuel 17:38-54 (NRSV) 

David and Goliath

Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail.  David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them.  Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. 

Bernini's David Facing Goliath

The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.  When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.  The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.”  But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,  and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and he will give you into our hand.” 

When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.  David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. 

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David’s hand.  Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it.

When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.  The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.  The Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.  David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. 


Questions for personal reflection from Jerry Tankersley 
1.  Have you ever made a list of your fears? 
Someone said that 99% of what we fear never happens. 
But make a list of the top five things you fear.

2.  What if you could do anything you wanted to do if you were not afraid of failing. What would that be?
 
3.  We all have giants that trouble us.  Name your giants.
 
4.  Consider the David and Goliath story.  How was David able to face down Goliath?  What was there in his life experience that gave him confidence?  How did Israel’s story inspire him to act?
What role did the power of the Holy Spirit play in his life?
 
5.  Are you concerned about Laguna Presbyterian Church’s future?

6.  We have a seven year loan due to our building restoration with only a year and a half of cash reserves.  How can you make a difference? Consider whether you are a David, a champion to rally for the cause of Christ in Laguna Beach.


Prayer
Let the Church Rise by Israel Houghton/Jonathan Stockstill
We are alive, filled with your glorious life out of the dark into your marv’lous light.  We are waiting with expectation; Spirit raise us up with you! Let the church rise from the ashes; let the church fall to her knees; Let us be light in the darkness; let the church rise, let the church rise.

Seeing As God Sees

Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (NRSV)

Samuel Anoints David
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.’ 2Samuel 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.” 3Invite 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.’ 4Samuel 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?’ 5He 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.

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’ 7But 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.’ 8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ 10Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ 11Samuel 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.’ 12He 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.’ 13Then 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.

Questions for personal reflection from Jerry Tankersley
How important are appearances to you? We all like to look good. We all carry internalized images of ourselves. Often we are self-critical of the way we look; we are not tall enough, thin enough, young enough, or rich enough. How did Samuel see Saul? Was he surprised that it was the youngest son of Jesse that God chose to be the next king of Israel?
 
So how does God see you? If God looks right past your external appearance and sees into your heart, what does he see? Does God think you are physically attractive? Does you inside match your outside?
 
The sermon suggested that God sees through the eyes of a heavenly Father who sees us as his children created in his own image. God sees through the eyes of compassion. He knows we are made of dust. God’s compassion enables him to forgive, to be present with us, to heal us, to give us hope. God sees us through eyes of commitment. He has promised to give us new hearts filled with his own Spirit. How does God’s seeing transform the way you see yourself and others?
 
The sermon suggested that one of the results of God’s seeing us and loving us just as we are is that he sees his Spirit is present to create his own character. Therefore, Jesus can say, “Do not be afraid little flock for it is your father’s good pleasure to give to you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Give alms. Where your treasure is there your heart will be.” Luke 12.
When the Lord sees the pages of your check book or Quicken account, does he see anxiety, fear, greediness? Or does he see faith, hope, and love? Does he see generosity? “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich he became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich.”
If the Lord were to liberate your way of seeing, how would it change the priorities of your life, how you spend your money, how you use your time, and your other talents and gifts?

Prayer
Adapted from Walter Brueggemann

Faithful God, you see us as we truly are.
With Samuel and David
we confess, gladly and boldly, that all our times are in Your hands. We affirm with relief, that the NOW of the present time, present hour, present day, are in Your hands, and You preside with generous sovereignty.

We affirm gladly because we find our present “now”
overloaded with demand
fraught with too much bewilderment,
burdened with more fear than we can tolerate,
and more pain and more anxiety,
and more than enough of inhumanity.
And we gladly entrust the needs of our “now” over to You.

Even more boldly and more gladly,
We affirm that our futures are in Your hand.
We cannot see from here to there, but You can.

As we entrust these gifts to You,
We believe that You build and You plant futures
that we cannot even hope: And so we ask that You would use these gifts and use us for Your purposes.

Homeland Security

Read 1 Samuel 8 (NRSV) 

Israel Demands a King
When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3Yet his sons did not follow in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5and said to him, ‘You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.’6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’ Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7and the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’

10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11He said, ‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.’

Israel’s Request for a King Granted
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, ‘No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.’ 21When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to their voice and set a king over them.’ Samuel then said to the people of Israel, ‘Each of you return home.’

Questions for personal reflection from Jerry Tankersley
Where were you on 09/11/01?  What were your feelings as you listened and watched?


How do you think about the last decade?  Have anxiety or fear been an issue for you? 


Can you understand how the request from the elders of the tribes made sense?  Why were they feeling so insecure? 


Put yourself in Samuel’s shoes.  What did the Lord say to him about Israel’s rejection?


How did God answer their pleas for a king?  How was their prayer fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?


Consider Jesus as prophet, priest, and king.  Read John 18 and 19. 


In Philippians 2 the Apostle Paul challenged the church to have the mind of Christ.  How does the mind of Christ place us into conflict with the mind of the world?


What touched you the most about all the remembrances of 09/11/11?  Are you surprised by the memorials at the three ground zeroes?  What do you like or dislike the most about them? 

A Prayer

Rev. Joel Hunter

Lord, we remember the old hymn, "O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home."

In these days, help us return not only to our hurt but to Your help, and let us go on to help others because of what we have been through together.

O God of resurrection, from the destruction of precious lives and presumed security, bring forth faith, hope, and courage. From safety weapons cannot offer, let us find security in Your arms.

And let us follow You all the way Home.

The Story That Reveals

Read Acts 13:13:39 (NRSV)

Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem; 14but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading of the law and the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it.’ 16So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: ‘You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. 17The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18For about forty years he put up with* them in the wilderness. 19After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance 20for about four hundred and fifty years. After that he gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. 21Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. 22When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.” 23Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised; 24before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25And as John was finishing his work, he said, “What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet.”

26 ‘My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. 27Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. 28Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. 29When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead; 31and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. 32And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors 33he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” 34As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “I will give you the holy promises made to David.” 35Therefore he has also said in another psalm, “You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.” 36For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; 37but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. 38Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; 39by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Questions for personal reflection from Jerry Tankersley

Divide your own life story into parts:

• Where did you live between the ages of 7 and 11?
• How was your home heated?
• What was the warmest room in the house?  Whether physically or emotionally?
• During those years did you have maids that helped with the cleaning and cooking?
  

Have you seen the movie  THE HELP?

• Maybe you did not grow up in the decade of the 60s, but how has the issue of racial discrimination impacted you?
• When you see the pictures of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in our nation’s capital what does it say to you and how does it make you feel?
  

Why did the Apostle Paul tell the story of Israel in Acts 13 as he preached in the synagogue in Antioch?
 

What is the connection between the story of David and the story of Jesus?
 

What does the biblical story say about the human story?
What does it say about the relationship between the human and the divine in history?

The old gospel song  “It is well with my soul” (set forth below) interprets the death and resurrection of Jesus as the story where the human and divine story meet in a fulfilled way.  How is it that we can affirm that it is well with our soul?
 

Eugene Peterson’s book, Leap Over A Wall suggests that these words from 2 Samuel 22:30  and Psalm 18 could become an epitath upon David’s tomb.  “By my God I can leap over a wall”.  Do you need God’s power to jump over a wall in your life?

Song of Prayer

It Is Well with My Soul
Horatio G. Spafford, 1873 

 

Take a moment to read the story behind this hymn. Click HERE  The Spafford story reveals much!

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
   When sorrows like sea billows roll;
   Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well, with my soul.
   • Refrain:
     It is well, with my soul,
     It is well, it is well, with my soul.
2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
3. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
   My sin, not in part but the whole,
   Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
   If Jordan above me shall roll,
   No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
   Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
   The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
   Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
   Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
6. And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
   The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
   The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   Even so, it is well with my soul.