1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11...
Illustration
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49
Why do Sunday school teachers glory in this incident, blithely making spiritual points about armor that doesn’t fit? Would they say the same about a street fight today? Perhaps the fascination with David and Goliath is because we want heroes and we don’t think about what bloody business they may be involved in. We are much aided by a statement of the WWII officer (a WWI veteran) who wrote home, “I wish the people at home, instead of thinking of their boys in terms of football stars, would think of them in terms of miners trapped underground or suffocating to death in a tenth-story fire.”
Christians are better served by the whole truth about a person than about their military (or athletic) prowess. What if we approached the story, “This is how life often is, but did our Lord Jesus do such things?” People consider lots of behaviors Jesus (and people at his time) never dreamed of by saying, “What would Jesus do?” How about applying “What would Jesus do?” to this story. Here’s a place where the question definitely pushes to a Christian answer.
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49
Marsha’s college friends had set her up for a date, and now they fluttered around her, helping her with her clothes, her makeup, her hair — all the very time-consuming things women do to get ready to go out. Finally, they squeezed her into a pair of jeans — two sizes too small, but “totally cute” in the consensus of her friends — and cocooned her into three shirts; after all, the layering look was in. She had three-inch heels, courtesy of her roommate, and stylish bangle earrings that felt like they were going to rip her ears off. “I can’t wear all this!” she exclaimed. “I can’t even walk!” Her friends ignored her complaints and shoved her out the door. Luckily, Marsha had thought ahead. In her car, she pulled out her own blue jeans and a plain blouse. Her friends would have called it boring and out of style, but Marsha reveled in the comfort as she changed in the restaurant bathroom. Besides, if she felt awkward and uncomfortable, neither she nor her date would have fun. While actions can make up for an unglamorous appearance, good clothing can rarely make up for poor personalities or poor performance.
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49
Picture with me David putting on King Saul’s armor and then trying in vain to walk. I can imagine David tripping all over himself, waddling, clanking, and squeaking, trying to get his body to support the armor so that he could at least walk.
David proclaims a central truth for the entire gospel: “The Lord does not save by sword or spear,” or by armor, for that matter. David cast aside the armor and took the weapons with which he was most familiar: his shepherd’s staff, five smooth stones, and his sling. Following a verbal confrontation with Goliath, David killed the giant by striking him on the forehead with a stone hurled from his sling.
What armor are we wearing in life to protect us or to hide behind? We may find it to be much more of a burden than a shield from our troubles. Can we recognize and remove the armor that impedes us, and use instead the gifts and guidance that God gives us? This is God’s saving grace.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
The Greek word for the deepest, most meaningful experience of time is xairos. Xairos is what we experience in fleeting moments of our lives, never to be re-created, save in memories. Xairos is what a young man feels, as he stands at the head of a church aisle, and awaits his beaming bride. Xairos is the way the clock on the hospital delivery-room wall seems to stand still, as a new mother and father eagerly wait to see if it’s a boy or a girl. Xairos is that simple and austere moment of beauty and of grace, when a family gathers round a deathbed and watches a well-loved life slip away, on that journey from this world to the next.
When Paul writes, “Now is the acceptable time ... now is the day of salvation,” the word he’s using for time is xairos, not the more familiar chronos, or clock-time. Paul’s not so much trying to say that, on a certain day at a certain time, God accomplished the work of salvation — although we know that did happen, with Jesus’ death on the cross. What he’s trying to say, rather, is that here and now, in the present, we are capable of realizing -- by God’s grace -- what good news really means. When that happens, time itself seems to stand still. It takes on a different quality.
In such a moment, we know the experience of xairos. Time becomes so rich and so full that its savor overflows our consciousness; “our cup runneth over,” as the psalmist says.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Linda and Peter have moved ten times in 36 years of marriage. The reason they moved was job related. Moving to a new city and a new home can be stressful but Linda claims that she does not dislike upheaval. “With the exception of one of our moves, my restlessness fed on the chance for new opportunities.” So Peter and Linda forged ahead, made new friends from different parts of the country and became active with a community of believers.
With all of their moves they discovered that God had not deserted them. With each new move they grew and were challenged in their faith. They found themselves in ministries that they never dreamed of being involved in. They visit people in the hospital and pray with them. “Never in a million years,” Linda says, “did I think I would ever visit people in the hospital.”
The apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians reminds them of being servants. “As servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities....” As Paul and countless other believers have discovered it is not always easy living out our faith, there are times of discouragement, and setbacks, but through it all God remains present with us. Our lives are changed by such encounters of grace.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
A college psychology professor indicated that she would only accept her students’ midterm papers from Monday through Thursday of a certain week; she would not accept them prior to, nor after, the stated days. She was very clear: All papers delivered outside the specified times would not be accepted; the students would receive a zero.
To her surprise, although the majority of students turned in their papers in the proper time period, there was still a substantial number who were either early or late.
Paul says that at the acceptable time God listened to and helped us. Thankfully, God has a broad leeway in the acceptable time, for God continues to help us. I suppose the acceptable time dies when we do.
Mark 4:35-41
Novelist Harry Brown shared an Oscar as a screenwriter. His first novel, A Walk in the Sun, came out of his serving as an enlisted man in WWII. In it, one soldier says to another, “There are qualities and grades of fear.” One can hear the voice of experience in those words.
Across the Mediterranean from Italy, where A Walk in the Sun was set, Jesus in his time slept in a boat beset by storm. The quality and grade of the disciples’ fear was top of the scale. They knew the lake. They recognized the power of storms. They understood the limitations of their abilities.
Whether in warfare or in natural disasters Jesus knows our particular kind of fear. No matter how one might define or describe the horror of our own fears, one thing is constant across the world and over time: Jesus is in this boat with us.
Mark 4:35-41
Storms on the water are frightening to watch, much less be in. First the sky turns an eerie yellow-grey as the clouds roll in across the sun. The water turns dark, a mixture of bruise-purple and sickly green and grey that simply looks dangerous. A wind picks up, and the dangerous water begins to ripple into choppy waves. Some of those waves get large enough to show white foam at the top, like rabid creatures. The waves crash on the shore or seawall. Lily pads and reeds sway violently as the water and wind buffet them from above and below. It starts to rain, sheeting down into the whitecaps. Thunder echoes. Lightning cuts the sky in two. The only smart place to be is inside, tucked safely away from it all.
Mark 4:35-41
The Sea of Galilee was one of the fishing hot spots of the ancient world. It was the habitat of over forty different species of fish. Returning from a hard day’s work, the fishermen brought their catch ashore and smoked the fish to prevent spoiling, since there weren’t any refrigerators in those days. Then the fish were shipped to distant parts of the Roman empire.
Jesus and some of the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when they got caught in a fierce storm. Since they were experienced fishermen, they might have had enough common sense not to set sail when a storm was obviously brewing on the horizon.
The Sea of Galilee presented some special concerns. Hills as high as 1,500 feet surrounded this body of water. Fierce winds whipped around the hills, speeding in whirlwind fashion, causing gusts that churned the water and threatened watercraft.
The disciples did all they could but were powerless without Jesus. Because we, too, are helpless by ourselves, we need not wait until we are in trouble before calling on Jesus. Let’s get into the habit of making Jesus part of everything we do, not just our problems. He will not disappoint us.
Why do Sunday school teachers glory in this incident, blithely making spiritual points about armor that doesn’t fit? Would they say the same about a street fight today? Perhaps the fascination with David and Goliath is because we want heroes and we don’t think about what bloody business they may be involved in. We are much aided by a statement of the WWII officer (a WWI veteran) who wrote home, “I wish the people at home, instead of thinking of their boys in terms of football stars, would think of them in terms of miners trapped underground or suffocating to death in a tenth-story fire.”
Christians are better served by the whole truth about a person than about their military (or athletic) prowess. What if we approached the story, “This is how life often is, but did our Lord Jesus do such things?” People consider lots of behaviors Jesus (and people at his time) never dreamed of by saying, “What would Jesus do?” How about applying “What would Jesus do?” to this story. Here’s a place where the question definitely pushes to a Christian answer.
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49
Marsha’s college friends had set her up for a date, and now they fluttered around her, helping her with her clothes, her makeup, her hair — all the very time-consuming things women do to get ready to go out. Finally, they squeezed her into a pair of jeans — two sizes too small, but “totally cute” in the consensus of her friends — and cocooned her into three shirts; after all, the layering look was in. She had three-inch heels, courtesy of her roommate, and stylish bangle earrings that felt like they were going to rip her ears off. “I can’t wear all this!” she exclaimed. “I can’t even walk!” Her friends ignored her complaints and shoved her out the door. Luckily, Marsha had thought ahead. In her car, she pulled out her own blue jeans and a plain blouse. Her friends would have called it boring and out of style, but Marsha reveled in the comfort as she changed in the restaurant bathroom. Besides, if she felt awkward and uncomfortable, neither she nor her date would have fun. While actions can make up for an unglamorous appearance, good clothing can rarely make up for poor personalities or poor performance.
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49
Picture with me David putting on King Saul’s armor and then trying in vain to walk. I can imagine David tripping all over himself, waddling, clanking, and squeaking, trying to get his body to support the armor so that he could at least walk.
David proclaims a central truth for the entire gospel: “The Lord does not save by sword or spear,” or by armor, for that matter. David cast aside the armor and took the weapons with which he was most familiar: his shepherd’s staff, five smooth stones, and his sling. Following a verbal confrontation with Goliath, David killed the giant by striking him on the forehead with a stone hurled from his sling.
What armor are we wearing in life to protect us or to hide behind? We may find it to be much more of a burden than a shield from our troubles. Can we recognize and remove the armor that impedes us, and use instead the gifts and guidance that God gives us? This is God’s saving grace.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
The Greek word for the deepest, most meaningful experience of time is xairos. Xairos is what we experience in fleeting moments of our lives, never to be re-created, save in memories. Xairos is what a young man feels, as he stands at the head of a church aisle, and awaits his beaming bride. Xairos is the way the clock on the hospital delivery-room wall seems to stand still, as a new mother and father eagerly wait to see if it’s a boy or a girl. Xairos is that simple and austere moment of beauty and of grace, when a family gathers round a deathbed and watches a well-loved life slip away, on that journey from this world to the next.
When Paul writes, “Now is the acceptable time ... now is the day of salvation,” the word he’s using for time is xairos, not the more familiar chronos, or clock-time. Paul’s not so much trying to say that, on a certain day at a certain time, God accomplished the work of salvation — although we know that did happen, with Jesus’ death on the cross. What he’s trying to say, rather, is that here and now, in the present, we are capable of realizing -- by God’s grace -- what good news really means. When that happens, time itself seems to stand still. It takes on a different quality.
In such a moment, we know the experience of xairos. Time becomes so rich and so full that its savor overflows our consciousness; “our cup runneth over,” as the psalmist says.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Linda and Peter have moved ten times in 36 years of marriage. The reason they moved was job related. Moving to a new city and a new home can be stressful but Linda claims that she does not dislike upheaval. “With the exception of one of our moves, my restlessness fed on the chance for new opportunities.” So Peter and Linda forged ahead, made new friends from different parts of the country and became active with a community of believers.
With all of their moves they discovered that God had not deserted them. With each new move they grew and were challenged in their faith. They found themselves in ministries that they never dreamed of being involved in. They visit people in the hospital and pray with them. “Never in a million years,” Linda says, “did I think I would ever visit people in the hospital.”
The apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians reminds them of being servants. “As servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities....” As Paul and countless other believers have discovered it is not always easy living out our faith, there are times of discouragement, and setbacks, but through it all God remains present with us. Our lives are changed by such encounters of grace.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
A college psychology professor indicated that she would only accept her students’ midterm papers from Monday through Thursday of a certain week; she would not accept them prior to, nor after, the stated days. She was very clear: All papers delivered outside the specified times would not be accepted; the students would receive a zero.
To her surprise, although the majority of students turned in their papers in the proper time period, there was still a substantial number who were either early or late.
Paul says that at the acceptable time God listened to and helped us. Thankfully, God has a broad leeway in the acceptable time, for God continues to help us. I suppose the acceptable time dies when we do.
Mark 4:35-41
Novelist Harry Brown shared an Oscar as a screenwriter. His first novel, A Walk in the Sun, came out of his serving as an enlisted man in WWII. In it, one soldier says to another, “There are qualities and grades of fear.” One can hear the voice of experience in those words.
Across the Mediterranean from Italy, where A Walk in the Sun was set, Jesus in his time slept in a boat beset by storm. The quality and grade of the disciples’ fear was top of the scale. They knew the lake. They recognized the power of storms. They understood the limitations of their abilities.
Whether in warfare or in natural disasters Jesus knows our particular kind of fear. No matter how one might define or describe the horror of our own fears, one thing is constant across the world and over time: Jesus is in this boat with us.
Mark 4:35-41
Storms on the water are frightening to watch, much less be in. First the sky turns an eerie yellow-grey as the clouds roll in across the sun. The water turns dark, a mixture of bruise-purple and sickly green and grey that simply looks dangerous. A wind picks up, and the dangerous water begins to ripple into choppy waves. Some of those waves get large enough to show white foam at the top, like rabid creatures. The waves crash on the shore or seawall. Lily pads and reeds sway violently as the water and wind buffet them from above and below. It starts to rain, sheeting down into the whitecaps. Thunder echoes. Lightning cuts the sky in two. The only smart place to be is inside, tucked safely away from it all.
Mark 4:35-41
The Sea of Galilee was one of the fishing hot spots of the ancient world. It was the habitat of over forty different species of fish. Returning from a hard day’s work, the fishermen brought their catch ashore and smoked the fish to prevent spoiling, since there weren’t any refrigerators in those days. Then the fish were shipped to distant parts of the Roman empire.
Jesus and some of the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when they got caught in a fierce storm. Since they were experienced fishermen, they might have had enough common sense not to set sail when a storm was obviously brewing on the horizon.
The Sea of Galilee presented some special concerns. Hills as high as 1,500 feet surrounded this body of water. Fierce winds whipped around the hills, speeding in whirlwind fashion, causing gusts that churned the water and threatened watercraft.
The disciples did all they could but were powerless without Jesus. Because we, too, are helpless by ourselves, we need not wait until we are in trouble before calling on Jesus. Let’s get into the habit of making Jesus part of everything we do, not just our problems. He will not disappoint us.
