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.

Power In An Upside-Down World

Read 1 Peter 5:1-5 (NRSV)
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you 2to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. 5In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ 

²³⁴⁵

Questions for Personal Reflection from Kathy Sizer
When have you seen leadership in which the cost of success was too high?

Who has modeled the shepherding, humble use of power in your life?
 

Does pride grow in your life? Here are some signs.

• Do you need to be right?…Can you admit a mistake?
• Do you think of yourself as the only one who can see things clearly? . . . How do you talk about people who disagree with you?
• Do you talk about yourself a lot? . . . Are you more invested in being heard than in hearing?
• As you read this list—did you think of other people it applies to……not yourself?

Ponder C.S.Lewis 's test as to whether one is prideful:    

If you want to find out how proud you are, ask,
“How much do I dislike it when other people snub me,
or refuse to take any notice of me, or patronize me or show off?”

How do you need to "tie on" the "humility garment" today?

Prayer

by Walter Brueggemann 

We imagine ourselves self-sufficient and then we run short. . .

short of time, short of life, short of stamina, short of newness.

We find our future closed off and at risk

and we with varying degrees of resolve and determination

and panic and despair,

find ourselves—surprisingly—back in your presence,

waiting, receiving, invited to gratitude.

We wait and we receive and we thank…

because you are the only Lord of the Future,

you are the one who births at the eleventh hour,

you are the one who comes to barrenness and makes new,

you promise like the stars for number

while we count according to the old math.

You are out beyond us.

We are staggered, stunned, awed.

And so we come to worship you.

Mercies in Disguise

Read James 1:2-4 (NRSV)
2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.


Read 1 Peter 4:12-16 (NRSV)
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief-maker. 16 Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name.


Questions for Personal Reflection from Kathy Sizer
In the face of hard times or suffering, how do you respond?


Which of the following scenarios describes your reaction to hard times or suffering?

• I forget, deny, or don't talk about the pain. 
• I use pain to win sympathy or to get attention.
• I use pain as an excuse for failure.
• I use pain as an excuse for behaving badly--for not continuing to "do good."
• I allow pain to make me embittered and trapped by the bitterness or revenge.

As you look through "the hole in the canvas" caused by suffering, what "gifts" have you experienced in pain or trouble? Here are some examples from the sermon:

• endurance and/or patience
• compassion for the pain of other people
• thankfulness for all you DO have
• antidote to pride and control
• awareness of God’s power to pull you through

What are your experiences when you look through the "hole in the canvas?"


When has your response to pain been extending forgiveness?


Consider how this has been a sharing in the suffering of Christ?


At the end of each day, look back through the "hole in the canvas" of life, ask God to show you the gifts of the day and where he was in the day. Even on the days when you can't see any gifts, give thanks anyway that God was with you with grace and mercy beyond your seeing.


Prayer Through Song
Blessings
by Laura Story


Click on the image to hear the story behind the song


We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things


Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise


We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe


Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise


When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home


Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching(s) of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Just Around the Corner

Read 1 Peter 4:7-11 (NRSV)
7 The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Steve Sweet 

What is a life lesson memory that frequently comes to your mind?

What does the world need most of all right now?

What helps keep you on track, keeps you strong on the “highway of life and faith”?

Who are the people that God has placed in your life, that help remind you of the goodness of God and give you confidence as you follow Christ?

What goal did Peter want his readers to reach for with all that they did?

In what way could you show hospitality this week?

Song of Prayer
Hymn #262 (verses 1 & 2)

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee:
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
Which wert and art and evermore shalt be.

With Whom Do You Run?

Read Peter 4:1-7 (NRSV)
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), 2so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. 3You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. 5But they will have to give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does. 7The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers.

Additional biblical texts: Ephesians 6:12 and Hebrew 12.  Please click on the verses to read the entire text.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley
Do you remember your childhood friends with whom you ran? What comes to mind? The sermon subject is: With Whom Do You Run?

Ever thought about the influence you friends had upon you? Was it positive or negative?

Peter was aware that the Christians of Asia were living their faith in a world that sought to press them into its own mold. That included sexual immorality, drunkenness, and lawless idolatry. To be patriotic citizens they needed to eat, drink, and play with the culture. Peter’s concern was that they would be lost to the sins of sensuality and pride. The party scene meant drugs, sex, and rock n roll. The cultural gods and goddesses were money, sex, and power. Ever see the TV program on AMC entitled Mad Men. It was that kind of world, our world.
 
How difficult is it to be a Christian with these pressures?
 
If you were to arm yourself with Christ’s intentions, what would your armament look like?

Spiritual warfare is a major subject in the New Testament. What spiritual power is behind the forces with which we struggle? When you imagine evil what do you see? When you are being tempted how do you resist? Are there spiritual disciplines that help you? What are they? 

Prayer
For the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation to all,
training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions,
and in the present age
to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,
while we wait for the blessed hope
and the manifestation of the glory
of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us
that he might redeem us from all iniquity
and purify for himself a people of his own
who are zealous for good deeds.