1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 34
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.
35 Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved
over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. NRS
1 Samuel 16:1 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." 2 Samuel 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.' 3 Invite 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." 4 Samuel 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?" 5 He 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." 7 But 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." 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made
him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."
9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen
this one." 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel
said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." 11 Samuel 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."
12 He 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."
13 Then 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.
2 Corinthians 5:6-10,(11-13),14-17
6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home
in the body we are away from the Lord-- 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and
at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim
to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether
good or evil. 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade
others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also
well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again,
but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to
answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if
we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for
you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one
has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those
who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised
for them. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of
view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him
no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation:
everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
Mark 4:26-34 26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would
scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the
seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself,
first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when
the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has
come." 30 He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God,
or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when
sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when
it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth
large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear
it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything
in private to his disciples.
The sermon today could be titled, Bad News for Bully Leaders, or subtitled,
“Servants: the Surprise of Power!” The Old Testament story of the
prophet Samuel anointing the young shepherd boy, David, is the precursor of
the image of Jesus being the servant Christ, who washes feet and directs that
disciples to wash one another’s feet and to serve each other in love in
the same manner. This is radical stuff in a world that thrives on images of
power and control from the leaders of corporations and governments. Secrecy
of and insulation of decision makers are the main stream models of power governance
today.
The Gospel parables serve to upset these power tables further suggesting that
the Kingdom of God comes to us in a most surprising way, embedded in the tiniest
of seeds, the very small package that carries a hugely surprising punch. Scattered
about, the seeds of God’s Kingdom take hold and grow in the mystery of
grace.
Remember again that Jesus’ words in the very first chapter of the book
of Mark set the tone for the entire Gospel. Arising from John’s baptizing
of him and before Jesus does one single act of ministry, he publicly declares
his earthly mission, coming to Galilee, “proclaiming the good news of
God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has
come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ “(Mark 1:14-15)
What is this good news? The Lord prefers a humble servant leader. Our Lord God,
it seems, is always full of surprises! He anoints David, king, while he is the
unknown, forgotten youngest son of Jesse and a shepherd boy. It is a delightful
and storybook tale of God’s seeking a replacement for King Saul, the failed
ruler of God’s people. Foolishly, the people of God wanted to be like
the neighboring countries, and have an earthly ruler-king. So, why not have
a king like them and become powerful too? Reluctantly, the prophet Samuel, anointed
Saul and immediately Saul became a disappointing first king. Saul is disobedient
to God’s commands.
Note this statement for God to Samuel in our reading. 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." (NRS
1 Samuel 16:1) In other words, get me a more worthy leader. Don’t let
the grass grow under your feet. Get going. We need a new kind of leader.
It begs the question, “who should we trust and of what qualities are we
looking for in leadership?” What will the selection of the second monarch
be like? What has been learned from the failure of the first selection? You
might think that the Almighty God, Lord of lords, would now pick someone with
a proven track record to reflect the spirit of power, obedience and might that
God’s people saw in God’s ability to use servants like Moses and
Joshua to conquer Pharaohs and kings of Canaan. You think? But, look again at
the story line and see what an odd selection process is presented. How would
that work today in our Lay Leadership Committee? What are the qualities that
we should be looking for in our leaders of the body of Christ?
One by one, Samuel investigates the possibilities of leadership in all of Jesse’s
sons, beginning with the eldest and the one first in line of birth order. But,
Samuel’s assumptions of what God wants in a leader are consistently rejected.
The stunned prophet hears the same refrain over and over as first Eliab, and
then Abinadab are presented to the Lord, then Shammah, until seven sons of Jesse
are brought before the prophet Samuel for consideration. The Lord says 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."
Who is left to consider? Are all options gone? No, not quite, but surprisingly
the one son that remains for consideration, even in the father’s judgment,
is not ready to be anointed for anything, except abiding with the sheep. 11
Samuel 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." Jesse is surely confused at this reverse selection process. And,
Samuel is surely unclear what the Lord God Almighty has in mind for the selection
criteria for the CEO and Commander-in-Chief of Israel.
The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." 13 Then
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. (1
Samuel 16)
This shepherd boy, David, is selected and anointed, though oddly in secret,
for the time is not yet right to reveal him to Israel. We will yet have glimpses
of the hidden qualities of this boy, anointed to become king. He will slay a
giant Philistine warrior with a sling shot, drive away fierce predators from
his sheep, and conquer the enemies of Saul and Israel. He will soothe the king’s
madness with music and write poetry to comfort the world’s fears and anxieties
saying, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
So, it might be best if we take off our glasses, lay aside our current perceptions
of how we see and judge leaders. We are in a different realm of decision making.
We are in a process of discernment that bears the mark of a spiritual realm
governed by our relationship to Christ. Isn’t that part of what St. Paul
is suggesting to the people of Corinth long ago and to us today? 16 From now
on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once
knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed
away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:16, 17) Can we really
believe and trust this radical way of things? Is everything really new? The
love of Christ urges us, invites us to see and to act selflessly, abandoning
self-centeredness. This love of Christ calls us to turn to being Christ-like
in our interactions with one another and in our decision making.
Our confidence in results must be surrendered. Even failure from a human point
of view must be embraced. The Kingdom of God, as the Gospel proclaims, is beyond
our imagination. The Kingdom of God is going to grow independent of anything
we do, maybe even in spite of our worst or best efforts.
Our confidence in what results compares to a mustard seed. We are not given
anything huge to work with, merely the smallest potential, a mustard seed. Yet
we know it will grow into a large bush that will provide shelter for birds.
The kingdom will grow into a realm, where Christ will rule in justice and mercy
for all. Here everyone will know the Lord in their heart and believe. This Kingdom
begins its growth from Jesus, rejected and crucified, from a few illiterate
followers, and others who are outcasts in society. This kingdom will grow larger
and more powerful than any kingdom on earth than we can imagine.
These passages set the tone for being the church today. These God-stories are
full of surprises. They set the tone our human-stories and the stage for a new
kind of leader. God is always shaking us up with a surprise! Life is full of
examples of these God-surprises. At the annual conference this week, I went
to lunch with Wes and Virginia Fergusson, Kip and Nancy Robinson and bringing
along my friend, Doug Smith, who is the Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith
Center for Public Policy. Unbeknownst to us, Nancy, Doug and Kip shared some
powerful common life experiences. All three of them have had many ties to Nancy’s
home of Zimbabwe. As it turned out, Doug had worked for a year and a half to
bring about a conference in Zimbabwe for the World Council of Churches. It was
really amazing to hear these connections to a land that is torn apart by a bully
leader. I had innocently just asked Nancy to tell Doug about her experience
in Africa. Then, the surprises began to unfold. Incredible, isn’t it?
These are God-surprises.
The God-surprise that Jesus brings to us today is Good News for a potential
new wave of leaders and “Bad News for Bullies” of these older world
views of national and church leadership. What is also a shocking God-surprise
is that this is the theme of an article in the U.S. News & World Report
(June 18, 2006). The article by David Gergen is entitled, Bad News for Bullies.
(P. 54)
Gergen asks, “Have you ever worked for a tyrant? If not, count yourself
lucky because most people have at one time or another – no less than 4
out of 5 employees, according to a study by Wayne State University. Surveys
also find that of all the complaints people have about their work … the
biggest single one is that of the bully boss.” Robert K. Greenleaf argues
that too many leaders in the past have been driven by a need for power or authority…Today,
however, people no longer grant automatic deference to a leader and seek instead
less coercive, more creative relationships. ‘A new moral principle is
emerging,’…in which followers will respond only to individuals who
are chosen as leaders because they are proven and trusted as servants.”
(P. 54)
In the 1980’s you may remember how leaders focused relentlessly on the
bottom line. We may have been convinced that the way to make it to the executive
suites of a Fortune 500 company was to climb the pole of politics. This required
ruthless drive and a streak of toughness combined with a fierce ambition. (P.
54)
This is not the kingdom of God model of leadership for the body of Christ. Power
in the body of Christ is radically different. Power in the body of Christ derives
from bending down low to serve in compassion, listening with love, and building
up the fellowship for the work of God in our midst. We must learn to serve one
another, giving up our presumptions of power and control, ambition and success
for the sacrificial self-giving service to the Lord. Jesus is the model of the
Servant-Redeemer Lord. Christ teaches us this basic principle of servant leadership,
which is Bad News to Bullies and Good News to the ordinary person, seeking a
relationship with Jesus in the body of Christ. We want leaders in this mold
of the servant Jesus. We need leaders who do not put their self-serving agenda
first above that of the will of God. We need people who love first the Lord
and each other as a neighbor and friend, a brother and sister in faith.
In the weeks ahead, we will be making decisions in the church that will affect
our life as the body of Christ in this community. I ask you simply to discern
God’s way and will, not as ones who will dominate with power, but as those
who will yield in self-sacrifice to a more humble servant service seen in Jesus,
our Savior. We must trust that it will work and grow a transforming witness
in our community. It all begins with the smallest seed of faith, a mustard seed
that will grow miracles in the servants to be the surprises of divine power.
All the Jesus DNA is there. Now claim who you are as a baptized follower of
Jesus. Amen.
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