March 22, 2020 – Sermon by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Lighting the Opportunities
Introduction
Good Evening! I hope that you are all doing well in your homes. In this last week, we have found ourselves suddenly thrust into a new way of living and doing things. We are all still trying to adapt to working from home, doing church from home, teaching our kids school at home, and so on. With any change, there is an adjustment period. We just aren’t usually ALL adjusting our entire lives ALL at the same time. So, it may seem a bit overwhelming. But it’s okay, because we are all in it together. As I posted earlier this week, just take it a day at a time. Sometimes, you may have to take it just an hour at a time or a moment at a time. However, just keep moving forward, we will get through this. Life may look a bit different afterwards, but not all change is bad change. And, quite frankly, Church, we have been needing a bit of a shake up and some changes. One thing, I think we will all come out of this with is a renewed appreciation and understanding of what it means to be a community and the value of community. As a Society, we had really lost the idea of true community. We need each other.
Today, though, I want to talk about change, and the new “normal” that we are all facing. If you would, please open your Bibles to one of our lectionary texts from today, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, and read along with me. I will be reading from the ESV translation.
1 Samuel 16:1-13 ESV
David Anointed King
1The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare 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?” 5And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 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 sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And 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.” 10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest,a but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Letting Go
As I read over this passage, I could not get past those first few words, “How long will you grieve over Saul?” I read them over and over. And it really just stood out to me this week as almost an answer to those who posted about all the changes we were facing, how life would never be normal again, how people were going “to do church” this week, etc. Now, if you know me, you know, that I can be a bit blunt and straightforward and give a bit of tough love. So, let me ask you, “How long will you grieve over how we used to do Church…or _____(fill in the blank)?”
I am not saying there is a timeline on grief. As you know, grief and I are old friends. But at some point, you do need to keep living life and keep moving forward. Your grief may be a traveling companion, but don’t let it ensnare you to one spot, unable to move or act. Let’s return to our passage in 1 Samuel. Why is Samuel grieving Saul?
Here is a bit of the backstory. Basically, God had led the people. At some point, the people had demanded a human king. So, God finally gave them what they wanted. God’s prophet Samuel, at God’s direction, had anointed Saul to be king of God’s people. And at first, Saul followed God, but somewhere along the way, Saul lost his way. Or rather he followed his own way rather than following God. Samuel tried to warn him, tried to talk him into turning back to God. However, Saul was lost. So, God rejected Saul and had a plan to replace him with a new king for His people. This was why Samuel was grieving. Samuel is upset over Saul’s choices. He is upset over how things turned out. And in a word, Saul is stuck. He is stuck in his grief.
Getting Unstuck
Some of you may feel stuck right now. Or maybe you are just simply overwhelmed with trying to figure everything out. Maybe the bombardment of suggestions of how to work from home, how to teach your kids at home, how to social distance, how to combat the coronavirus, and on and on the list goes is just all too much right now. JUST STOP. EVERYBODY, JUST STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. I know that you are multitasking. JUST STOP FOR ONE MOMENT. CLOSE YOUR EYES, AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH IN AND BREATHE OUT. If you need to, do it again. Deep breath in and out.
Now open your eyes and let’s look at how Saul got unstuck. The Lord immediately gave him a simple task. “Fill a horn with oil.” He then tells him to go and see Jesse. But let’s look at the simple task: fill a horn with oil. It is tactile. It doesn’t take a lot of brain power. For me, when I feel overwhelmed but I feel the need to act, to do something, this is exactly the kind of task I seek: something that uses my hands but not my brain. Around my house, it could be doing the dishes or the laundry or sweeping the floor. The other day, I deep-cleaned both bathrooms. These are tasks that need to be done, that keep my hands busy, but allows my mind to either rest or work out a problem.
The Lord then gives Samuel further instructions as well as a purpose. He tells him to take a heifer to sacrifice for the Lord and to invite Jesse to do it with him. When Samuel gets there, he is confronted, but he has a purpose from the Lord, so he is a bit bolder. He doesn’t just invite Jesse to the sacrifice, but he also invites the elders of the city. And Samuel assures them that he is there for peaceful reasons. Verses 4-5 state: 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?” 5And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
The sacrifice was really just to establish common ground and to open the door for further discussion. Samuel’s real purpose for being there was to anoint God’s next chosen king from amongst Jesse’s sons. God chose the youngest, David. David was not the one Samuel would have chosen. And from that group of brothers, he probably would not have been the first choice of the elders of the city, of Jesse himself, or even us if we had gotten to vote. As the Lord reminds Saul in verse 7: “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Samuel obeyed the Lord in all of these things, and David ended up becoming the next king, eventually. David was the ancestor of Jesus Christ. God’s plans supersede our own, and we do not see what He sees.
What Can We Learn?
When you feel stuck or overwhelmed in your fear or grief, force yourself to act in a productive way. It may be a simple action. For example, get up off the couch, turn off the news, and do the dishes. Do something that uses your hands, that is productive, but does not require a lot of thinking. Then go and spend some time with God and family. Look for the opportunities. We are in some unique situations, so we get to think outside the box and be creative. We can’t have coffee with a friend, so how can we show them encouragement? What intentional acts of kindness or service can we do from our homes for people isolated in their homes? This is your chance to be creative and let your talents and abilities shine!
Opportunities
I will be honest throughout this last week, I have been at peace. I have not felt the fear and panic that I have seen on television and social media. I have seen opportunities. There are opportunities to support churches and nonprofits that are directly reaching out to people during this time. There are opportunities to support healthcare workers, first responders, and small, local businesses. There are opportunities to support friends and family. There are opportunities to support your neighbors.
Do you know why I was able to have such peace in the midst of such chaos?
First, everyone is upset, because we are afraid of what is going to happen next. There is the fear of the unknown. But guess what?! The future is always unknown. We may make our plans, and in good times, we are pretty good at masking the uncertainty of the future, even to ourselves. But we always live with an unknown future. It is just a little more in our face right now.
Second, as crazy as the world is right now, these are not the worst days of my life. Now, this is not a competition! For some people, this is the worst thing that they have ever experienced, and it is big and scary and the implications of this will change everything about life as we know it, much as life was altered by 9/11. In our collective memories, we have life before 9/11 and life after 9/11. This will have the same (probably even more) type of impact. Life will be measured by life before and life after this particular turning point. But for me, personally, this is not the worst thing that has happened to me.
Third, it is about perspective. How do you see things? If you are overwhelmed by worry and fear, that may be all you can see. If you can fight through that, to see the opportunities, you can make progress towards finding that inner peace. How are you viewing this? Whenever major tragedy or stressful events occur, a verse comes to my mind, Romans 8:18 ESV: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. I have hope in God. That hope sustains me and keeps me moving forward even on the darkest of days. There are better things yet to come. We have lived in uncertain times before, and God has seen us through. And God will see us through again.
Fourth, this time of year, the Church is preparing to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus defeated death and rose again. Satan, the prince of this world, does not hold sway over Jesus Christ. Death does not hold sway over Jesus Christ. Church, we are the body of Jesus Christ, and He is our Head. We are under His protection. Jesus is over us and in us, and we belong to Him. Satan wants you to feel afraid. He wants you to feel alone. And the way things are right now, it would be very easy to feel both. But you are not alone, and Jesus has authority over all things. So, now more than ever is the time to trust and have hope, because we have assurance of that hope and protection.
We also have an opportunity. We have the opportunity to be the light in the darkness; the calm in the panic. My prayers are with you as you navigate these crazy days ahead. Feel free to contact me via phone, email, or Facebook this week.
Closing
May almighty God bless you in His kindness and pour out saving wisdom upon you. May God nourish you always with the teachings of the faith and make you persevere in holy deeds. May God turn your steps towards Himself and show you the path of charity and peace. And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, ✠ and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever
Click on the Button to watch the sermon on the Agnus Dei Facebook page.
Lighting the Opportunities
Introduction
Good Evening! I hope that you are all doing well in your homes. In this last week, we have found ourselves suddenly thrust into a new way of living and doing things. We are all still trying to adapt to working from home, doing church from home, teaching our kids school at home, and so on. With any change, there is an adjustment period. We just aren’t usually ALL adjusting our entire lives ALL at the same time. So, it may seem a bit overwhelming. But it’s okay, because we are all in it together. As I posted earlier this week, just take it a day at a time. Sometimes, you may have to take it just an hour at a time or a moment at a time. However, just keep moving forward, we will get through this. Life may look a bit different afterwards, but not all change is bad change. And, quite frankly, Church, we have been needing a bit of a shake up and some changes. One thing, I think we will all come out of this with is a renewed appreciation and understanding of what it means to be a community and the value of community. As a Society, we had really lost the idea of true community. We need each other.
Today, though, I want to talk about change, and the new “normal” that we are all facing. If you would, please open your Bibles to one of our lectionary texts from today, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, and read along with me. I will be reading from the ESV translation.
1 Samuel 16:1-13 ESV
David Anointed King
1The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare 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?” 5And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 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 sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And 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.” 10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest,a but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Letting Go
As I read over this passage, I could not get past those first few words, “How long will you grieve over Saul?” I read them over and over. And it really just stood out to me this week as almost an answer to those who posted about all the changes we were facing, how life would never be normal again, how people were going “to do church” this week, etc. Now, if you know me, you know, that I can be a bit blunt and straightforward and give a bit of tough love. So, let me ask you, “How long will you grieve over how we used to do Church…or _____(fill in the blank)?”
I am not saying there is a timeline on grief. As you know, grief and I are old friends. But at some point, you do need to keep living life and keep moving forward. Your grief may be a traveling companion, but don’t let it ensnare you to one spot, unable to move or act. Let’s return to our passage in 1 Samuel. Why is Samuel grieving Saul?
Here is a bit of the backstory. Basically, God had led the people. At some point, the people had demanded a human king. So, God finally gave them what they wanted. God’s prophet Samuel, at God’s direction, had anointed Saul to be king of God’s people. And at first, Saul followed God, but somewhere along the way, Saul lost his way. Or rather he followed his own way rather than following God. Samuel tried to warn him, tried to talk him into turning back to God. However, Saul was lost. So, God rejected Saul and had a plan to replace him with a new king for His people. This was why Samuel was grieving. Samuel is upset over Saul’s choices. He is upset over how things turned out. And in a word, Saul is stuck. He is stuck in his grief.
Getting Unstuck
Some of you may feel stuck right now. Or maybe you are just simply overwhelmed with trying to figure everything out. Maybe the bombardment of suggestions of how to work from home, how to teach your kids at home, how to social distance, how to combat the coronavirus, and on and on the list goes is just all too much right now. JUST STOP. EVERYBODY, JUST STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. I know that you are multitasking. JUST STOP FOR ONE MOMENT. CLOSE YOUR EYES, AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH IN AND BREATHE OUT. If you need to, do it again. Deep breath in and out.
Now open your eyes and let’s look at how Saul got unstuck. The Lord immediately gave him a simple task. “Fill a horn with oil.” He then tells him to go and see Jesse. But let’s look at the simple task: fill a horn with oil. It is tactile. It doesn’t take a lot of brain power. For me, when I feel overwhelmed but I feel the need to act, to do something, this is exactly the kind of task I seek: something that uses my hands but not my brain. Around my house, it could be doing the dishes or the laundry or sweeping the floor. The other day, I deep-cleaned both bathrooms. These are tasks that need to be done, that keep my hands busy, but allows my mind to either rest or work out a problem.
The Lord then gives Samuel further instructions as well as a purpose. He tells him to take a heifer to sacrifice for the Lord and to invite Jesse to do it with him. When Samuel gets there, he is confronted, but he has a purpose from the Lord, so he is a bit bolder. He doesn’t just invite Jesse to the sacrifice, but he also invites the elders of the city. And Samuel assures them that he is there for peaceful reasons. Verses 4-5 state: 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?” 5And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
The sacrifice was really just to establish common ground and to open the door for further discussion. Samuel’s real purpose for being there was to anoint God’s next chosen king from amongst Jesse’s sons. God chose the youngest, David. David was not the one Samuel would have chosen. And from that group of brothers, he probably would not have been the first choice of the elders of the city, of Jesse himself, or even us if we had gotten to vote. As the Lord reminds Saul in verse 7: “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Samuel obeyed the Lord in all of these things, and David ended up becoming the next king, eventually. David was the ancestor of Jesus Christ. God’s plans supersede our own, and we do not see what He sees.
What Can We Learn?
When you feel stuck or overwhelmed in your fear or grief, force yourself to act in a productive way. It may be a simple action. For example, get up off the couch, turn off the news, and do the dishes. Do something that uses your hands, that is productive, but does not require a lot of thinking. Then go and spend some time with God and family. Look for the opportunities. We are in some unique situations, so we get to think outside the box and be creative. We can’t have coffee with a friend, so how can we show them encouragement? What intentional acts of kindness or service can we do from our homes for people isolated in their homes? This is your chance to be creative and let your talents and abilities shine!
- Do a simple, productive task.
- Spend time with God and family.
- Try to see the situation from a different perspective. Look for the opportunities.
- Make a plan, pray about it, and then act on some of those opportunities.
- Set priorities.
Opportunities
I will be honest throughout this last week, I have been at peace. I have not felt the fear and panic that I have seen on television and social media. I have seen opportunities. There are opportunities to support churches and nonprofits that are directly reaching out to people during this time. There are opportunities to support healthcare workers, first responders, and small, local businesses. There are opportunities to support friends and family. There are opportunities to support your neighbors.
Do you know why I was able to have such peace in the midst of such chaos?
First, everyone is upset, because we are afraid of what is going to happen next. There is the fear of the unknown. But guess what?! The future is always unknown. We may make our plans, and in good times, we are pretty good at masking the uncertainty of the future, even to ourselves. But we always live with an unknown future. It is just a little more in our face right now.
Second, as crazy as the world is right now, these are not the worst days of my life. Now, this is not a competition! For some people, this is the worst thing that they have ever experienced, and it is big and scary and the implications of this will change everything about life as we know it, much as life was altered by 9/11. In our collective memories, we have life before 9/11 and life after 9/11. This will have the same (probably even more) type of impact. Life will be measured by life before and life after this particular turning point. But for me, personally, this is not the worst thing that has happened to me.
Third, it is about perspective. How do you see things? If you are overwhelmed by worry and fear, that may be all you can see. If you can fight through that, to see the opportunities, you can make progress towards finding that inner peace. How are you viewing this? Whenever major tragedy or stressful events occur, a verse comes to my mind, Romans 8:18 ESV: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. I have hope in God. That hope sustains me and keeps me moving forward even on the darkest of days. There are better things yet to come. We have lived in uncertain times before, and God has seen us through. And God will see us through again.
Fourth, this time of year, the Church is preparing to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus defeated death and rose again. Satan, the prince of this world, does not hold sway over Jesus Christ. Death does not hold sway over Jesus Christ. Church, we are the body of Jesus Christ, and He is our Head. We are under His protection. Jesus is over us and in us, and we belong to Him. Satan wants you to feel afraid. He wants you to feel alone. And the way things are right now, it would be very easy to feel both. But you are not alone, and Jesus has authority over all things. So, now more than ever is the time to trust and have hope, because we have assurance of that hope and protection.
We also have an opportunity. We have the opportunity to be the light in the darkness; the calm in the panic. My prayers are with you as you navigate these crazy days ahead. Feel free to contact me via phone, email, or Facebook this week.
Closing
May almighty God bless you in His kindness and pour out saving wisdom upon you. May God nourish you always with the teachings of the faith and make you persevere in holy deeds. May God turn your steps towards Himself and show you the path of charity and peace. And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, ✠ and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever
Click on the Button to watch the sermon on the Agnus Dei Facebook page.
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