1 Samuel 15:34--16:13...
Illustration
Object:
1 Samuel 15:34--16:13
It was probably lost on most of the movie-going public, but there is an anointing in the animated film, The Lion King. At the beginning of the movie, after the king's son, Simba, is born, all the animals gather at Pride Rock. Rafiki, the baboon, serves in a sort of priestly role, applies oil to the baby lion's forehead, then lifts him up for all the animals to see. The elephants trumpet. The music swells. All the animals of the jungle bow down before the new crown prince. Then, Rafiki enters a cave and draws a picture of Simba on the wall. He makes sure to place the mark of anointing on his forehead.
This sign of Simba's royal identity is bestowed on him at birth, before he has anything to say about it. This was not the case with the anointing of David -- although God surely knew, from this shepherd lad's birth, that he was the one.
1 Samuel 15:34--16:13
When Don was growing up he had the reputation of always being in trouble. Somehow or other trouble always seemed to find him. It was not unusual for the principal to call his parents or upset neighbors to tell of some mean trick Don played on one of their children. When he was older it was the police who came to speak to his parents.
Upon graduation from high school Don left the small town he grew up in and headed out west. To be honest, the neighbors breathed a sigh of relief.
Fifteen years later Don returned to his hometown and began attending church. During the years that he was away he experienced a conversion and became active in church. There was even a time when Don was considering entering the ministry. He had a passion to help young people. He wanted them to avoid some of the pitfalls he fell into.
The people at his hometown church had a difficult time first believing that he had changed and later accepting him in leadership roles within the church. Sadly all many of them could remember was how misbehaving Don had been as a youth.
The prophet Samuel had the task of anointing the next king. He discovered that outward appearances do not reveal the person's true inner character. "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." Only God is able to see into a person's heart and change a person's life.
1 Samuel 15:34--16:13
We seem to be inundated with "Reality TV." Much of the fare deals with beauty, physical stamina, talent. Two programs that would fit right into the anointing of David story are America's Next Top Model and True Beauty. On the surface both appear to deal with outer beauty. But True Beauty is really concerned with examining the inner beauty of a person. With hidden cameras, contestants are put in situations in which they are judged on how they deal with people in need, with each other, and with such things as honesty and integrity. Often, those outwardly beautiful people are truly ugly on the inside.
It seems that Samuel, too, was caught up in outer beauty. When Jesse paraded his sons before Samuel, it was Eliab who caught Samuel's eye. But thankfully, God sees the true inner beauty of the person; little David was chosen.
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17
Because of a funeral, the pastor arrived Saturday night, a day late to the high school retreat, and just in time to lead evening worship. The retreat's theme was faith. The pastor decided she couldn't continue a Bible discussion after missing the first half. So, she grouped the students in twos. One person in each couple was blindfolded and the other led the blindfolded person around the building for ten minutes. Then they switched roles.
Twenty minutes later they gathered in the worship room. She asked students to share feelings and thoughts about the experience. Finally she said, "I'm sorry I couldn't be with you last night or today as you've studied faith. But I want you to know that whatever you studied and whatever our ideas about faith, faith means trusting God when you don't have a lot of evidence to go on. If I could give you one scripture to hang onto, it's Paul's: 'We walk by faith, not by sight.' "
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17
We like to be the home team. The home team knows the field. The home team fans usually get better bleachers. The home team can expect the roar of their crowd no matter what the weather; the band will play the fight song and put on a show. The home team knows how the sound echoes off nearby buildings and where the field dips just a little. Home field advantage couldn't be better. But then there is the other half of the season: away games. The cheering fans decrease in proportion to how far the game is from home. No one knows where the bathrooms are. The field is foreign. Despite their disadvantages, and despite a desire, perhaps, to be back home, the team has to be undeterred. Winning only home games isn't enough; after all, away games figure into the record, too! The team has to play just as hard -- perhaps harder -- at an away game. They're no quitters, and they know that being home or away doesn't really matter; after all, it's how you play the game.
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17
When Europeans first came to Australia, they found many new creatures that they had never seen before. Can you imagine the excitement when new settlers saw their first kangaroo? They also discovered the koala, the emu, the kiwi, and the duck-billed platypus. Australia was a continent filled with new creatures.
Christians, too, are new creatures, never encountered before the death and resurrection of Christ. When Christ lives within us, we, too, become new creatures. We look the same, but we don't think or act the same as before. We are not the person we used to be.
The Corinthians could easily have testified to the dramatic change that being in Christ could produce. We no longer see according to the flesh; we see according to the cross. The cross changes everything. For Paul, the resurrection signals God's inauguration of a new season, a cosmic springtime in Christ. Everything has truly become new.
Mark 4:26-34
Some biblical scholars think Jesus' mustard plant is what the botanists call "black mustard" -- more of a shrub, really, than a plant. It grows as large as six feet tall (Bruce J. Malina and Richard Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels [Fortress, 2003], p. 76). Black mustard is essentially a weed -- the sort of plant gardeners with a sense of humor refer to as a "volunteer." No self-respecting farmers let it grow up in their fields, if they could help it. Once established, it's extremely difficult to root out.
Curiously, in Jesus' parable, the farmer intentionally sows the mustard seeds. What strange behavior! It's kind of like Jesus is saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a bunch of dandelion seeds that someone sowed on the front lawn." Why would anyone go and do a crazy thing like that? We all know how rapidly they spread, and how persistent they are -- but maybe that's exactly what Jesus is trying to tell us about God's heavenly realm. The seeds of heaven may seem tiny and insignificant, but once they take root in the ground, there's no stopping them!
Mark 4:26-34
A beautiful maple tree is in Patty's backyard. During the summer she enjoys sitting in the shade of the tree for hours. She thinks about who might have planted the tree that she and her family enjoy. Did a young newlywed couple plant the tree when they first moved into their home? Or maybe the tree sprouted from a seed that blew into the yard at some point. Patty did not know but was appreciative for the tree.
In the fall the tree's leaves turn bright colors. She would rake the leaves and the next day the ground would be covered once again. Patty thought about the tree during the cold winters. Somehow the tree would survive the cold winter months and in spring new life would emerge.
Then she thought about our lives. We grow and mature in our faith. Difficult times make us wiser. In our autumns God picks up the pieces of our shattered lives and makes something beautiful. In our winters God gives us the strength to endure. And in our springs God breathes new life into us.
Patty realizes that God is with us during all the cycles of our lives -- the good and the bad. The spirit equips us to do our best. Even at those times when we stumble, God is there to gather us up, redirect our lives, and provide strength for us to continue.
In the parable of the mustard seed Jesus teaches that the mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds grows and "becomes the greatest of all shrubs." We do not understand how seeds grow -- we place our trust in God. Like the tree in Patty's backyard God will see us through all the seasons of life.
Mark 4:26-34
One would suspect that the seedlings used in the reforestation of the Douglas Fir would be relatively large. After all, the Douglas Fir is one of the tallest trees, attaining heights of well over 300 feet. (The tallest Douglas Fir ever was measured at 396 feet.) The size of the seedling used to reforest a Douglas Fir patch: four to seven inches!
Jesus used the tiny mustard seed that grew into a large bush as a metaphor for the kingdom of God. Maybe for North Americans, especially those in the Pacific Northwest, the Douglas Fir would be a more understandable contemporary example.
It was probably lost on most of the movie-going public, but there is an anointing in the animated film, The Lion King. At the beginning of the movie, after the king's son, Simba, is born, all the animals gather at Pride Rock. Rafiki, the baboon, serves in a sort of priestly role, applies oil to the baby lion's forehead, then lifts him up for all the animals to see. The elephants trumpet. The music swells. All the animals of the jungle bow down before the new crown prince. Then, Rafiki enters a cave and draws a picture of Simba on the wall. He makes sure to place the mark of anointing on his forehead.
This sign of Simba's royal identity is bestowed on him at birth, before he has anything to say about it. This was not the case with the anointing of David -- although God surely knew, from this shepherd lad's birth, that he was the one.
1 Samuel 15:34--16:13
When Don was growing up he had the reputation of always being in trouble. Somehow or other trouble always seemed to find him. It was not unusual for the principal to call his parents or upset neighbors to tell of some mean trick Don played on one of their children. When he was older it was the police who came to speak to his parents.
Upon graduation from high school Don left the small town he grew up in and headed out west. To be honest, the neighbors breathed a sigh of relief.
Fifteen years later Don returned to his hometown and began attending church. During the years that he was away he experienced a conversion and became active in church. There was even a time when Don was considering entering the ministry. He had a passion to help young people. He wanted them to avoid some of the pitfalls he fell into.
The people at his hometown church had a difficult time first believing that he had changed and later accepting him in leadership roles within the church. Sadly all many of them could remember was how misbehaving Don had been as a youth.
The prophet Samuel had the task of anointing the next king. He discovered that outward appearances do not reveal the person's true inner character. "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." Only God is able to see into a person's heart and change a person's life.
1 Samuel 15:34--16:13
We seem to be inundated with "Reality TV." Much of the fare deals with beauty, physical stamina, talent. Two programs that would fit right into the anointing of David story are America's Next Top Model and True Beauty. On the surface both appear to deal with outer beauty. But True Beauty is really concerned with examining the inner beauty of a person. With hidden cameras, contestants are put in situations in which they are judged on how they deal with people in need, with each other, and with such things as honesty and integrity. Often, those outwardly beautiful people are truly ugly on the inside.
It seems that Samuel, too, was caught up in outer beauty. When Jesse paraded his sons before Samuel, it was Eliab who caught Samuel's eye. But thankfully, God sees the true inner beauty of the person; little David was chosen.
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17
Because of a funeral, the pastor arrived Saturday night, a day late to the high school retreat, and just in time to lead evening worship. The retreat's theme was faith. The pastor decided she couldn't continue a Bible discussion after missing the first half. So, she grouped the students in twos. One person in each couple was blindfolded and the other led the blindfolded person around the building for ten minutes. Then they switched roles.
Twenty minutes later they gathered in the worship room. She asked students to share feelings and thoughts about the experience. Finally she said, "I'm sorry I couldn't be with you last night or today as you've studied faith. But I want you to know that whatever you studied and whatever our ideas about faith, faith means trusting God when you don't have a lot of evidence to go on. If I could give you one scripture to hang onto, it's Paul's: 'We walk by faith, not by sight.' "
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17
We like to be the home team. The home team knows the field. The home team fans usually get better bleachers. The home team can expect the roar of their crowd no matter what the weather; the band will play the fight song and put on a show. The home team knows how the sound echoes off nearby buildings and where the field dips just a little. Home field advantage couldn't be better. But then there is the other half of the season: away games. The cheering fans decrease in proportion to how far the game is from home. No one knows where the bathrooms are. The field is foreign. Despite their disadvantages, and despite a desire, perhaps, to be back home, the team has to be undeterred. Winning only home games isn't enough; after all, away games figure into the record, too! The team has to play just as hard -- perhaps harder -- at an away game. They're no quitters, and they know that being home or away doesn't really matter; after all, it's how you play the game.
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17
When Europeans first came to Australia, they found many new creatures that they had never seen before. Can you imagine the excitement when new settlers saw their first kangaroo? They also discovered the koala, the emu, the kiwi, and the duck-billed platypus. Australia was a continent filled with new creatures.
Christians, too, are new creatures, never encountered before the death and resurrection of Christ. When Christ lives within us, we, too, become new creatures. We look the same, but we don't think or act the same as before. We are not the person we used to be.
The Corinthians could easily have testified to the dramatic change that being in Christ could produce. We no longer see according to the flesh; we see according to the cross. The cross changes everything. For Paul, the resurrection signals God's inauguration of a new season, a cosmic springtime in Christ. Everything has truly become new.
Mark 4:26-34
Some biblical scholars think Jesus' mustard plant is what the botanists call "black mustard" -- more of a shrub, really, than a plant. It grows as large as six feet tall (Bruce J. Malina and Richard Rohrbaugh, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels [Fortress, 2003], p. 76). Black mustard is essentially a weed -- the sort of plant gardeners with a sense of humor refer to as a "volunteer." No self-respecting farmers let it grow up in their fields, if they could help it. Once established, it's extremely difficult to root out.
Curiously, in Jesus' parable, the farmer intentionally sows the mustard seeds. What strange behavior! It's kind of like Jesus is saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a bunch of dandelion seeds that someone sowed on the front lawn." Why would anyone go and do a crazy thing like that? We all know how rapidly they spread, and how persistent they are -- but maybe that's exactly what Jesus is trying to tell us about God's heavenly realm. The seeds of heaven may seem tiny and insignificant, but once they take root in the ground, there's no stopping them!
Mark 4:26-34
A beautiful maple tree is in Patty's backyard. During the summer she enjoys sitting in the shade of the tree for hours. She thinks about who might have planted the tree that she and her family enjoy. Did a young newlywed couple plant the tree when they first moved into their home? Or maybe the tree sprouted from a seed that blew into the yard at some point. Patty did not know but was appreciative for the tree.
In the fall the tree's leaves turn bright colors. She would rake the leaves and the next day the ground would be covered once again. Patty thought about the tree during the cold winters. Somehow the tree would survive the cold winter months and in spring new life would emerge.
Then she thought about our lives. We grow and mature in our faith. Difficult times make us wiser. In our autumns God picks up the pieces of our shattered lives and makes something beautiful. In our winters God gives us the strength to endure. And in our springs God breathes new life into us.
Patty realizes that God is with us during all the cycles of our lives -- the good and the bad. The spirit equips us to do our best. Even at those times when we stumble, God is there to gather us up, redirect our lives, and provide strength for us to continue.
In the parable of the mustard seed Jesus teaches that the mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds grows and "becomes the greatest of all shrubs." We do not understand how seeds grow -- we place our trust in God. Like the tree in Patty's backyard God will see us through all the seasons of life.
Mark 4:26-34
One would suspect that the seedlings used in the reforestation of the Douglas Fir would be relatively large. After all, the Douglas Fir is one of the tallest trees, attaining heights of well over 300 feet. (The tallest Douglas Fir ever was measured at 396 feet.) The size of the seedling used to reforest a Douglas Fir patch: four to seven inches!
Jesus used the tiny mustard seed that grew into a large bush as a metaphor for the kingdom of God. Maybe for North Americans, especially those in the Pacific Northwest, the Douglas Fir would be a more understandable contemporary example.
