1.14.24 "Samuel" - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 First reading: 1 Samuel 3.1-10;Second reading: 1 Samuel 3.11-20

You’ve heard me say it before,

and I say it again …

The Bible holds infinite value for at least two reasons …

1. it’s grounded in sorrow and loss … 
2. it holds fast to the ideals …

As for the sorrow and loss, the Bible is the real McCoy … 

the real deal … 

nothing artificial about it … 

no one is pretending anything …

the stories, prayers, and hymns of the Bible are forged in the fires of loss and death …

the reality of the human condition.

As for holding fast to the ideals - you bet … 

a God of mercy and love, a creator who calls this world into being … life abundant … a world brimming over with energy and hope … and a creature to care for it all … a strange creature, part dirt, part divinity, feet on the ground; head in the heavens … aka - you and me.

The Bible takes seriously the human condition … but nowhere does the Bible give up hope.

When all seems lost, 

God creates a way through the sea … 

In the wilderness, God is present … 

a pillar of cloud by day to shield us from the sun and lead the way … 

a column of fire at night to warm our hearts and ward off the demons … 

when we’re hungry, manna in the morning … 

when we’re thirsty, water from a rock … 

and always ahead of us, somewhere out there, the Promised Land … we’ll get there, we’ll make it … when war is no more, and the tears are gone, and all of creation made new.

The story of Samuel is just such a story …

It begins so simply, with a family, and a woman’s heartache:

There was a man, Elkanah … from the hill country of Ephraim … he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Every year, this family journeyed to the shrine at Shiloh to offer sacrifices to the LORD of hosts … after the reasonable portions were offered to the priests, and consumed in the fires of the altar, the rest was divided up between Peninnah and her children, each with a share, and a double share for Hannah, because, as the story goes, Elkanah loves Hannah.

Hannah grieves for the children she doesn’t have … and to make matters worse: Peninnah provoked her, to irritate her … to add insult to injury.

The Bible says: Hannah was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

Hannah bargains with God … which opens up a can of worms for us …

If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

If you invite me to your home, I’ll invite you to mine.

If you’re nice to me, I’ll be nice to you.

More to the point … can we bargain with God?

If you heal me, I’ll become a missionary or a minister.

If you give me riches and power, I’ll use them only to make this a better world.

How many soldiers in how many foxholes have promised God the moon if only God would save them from the jaws of death.

Yes, we all bargain with God, we bargain with life, we bargain with the world.

I can’t tell you that it’s wrong to make a bargain with God … nor can I tell you bargaining is how it works …

This much I can say: God hears our prayers, our laments … God feels our losses and our sorrows … God knows our heartache!

The Psalmist writes: You have kept count of my tossing; put my tears in your bottle.

Every prayer is answered … 

God says Yes - more often than not …

God says No - from time-to-time …

God says Maybe - we’ll see how it plays out …

None of us know fully the mind of God … but this we know for sure: God is trustworthy … 

I am with you always … to deliver and defend … 

I am with you in your joys and pleasures; 

I am with you in your despair and loss … 

I am with you when your faith is strong; 

I am with you when your faith falters and fails … 

I am with you when you love me; 

I am with you when you deny me … 

I am with you when you make your vows; 

I am with you when you break them … 

I am with you in your conception and birth … 

I am with you in the days of your life, as the world turns … 

I am with you at the end … when the last mortal breath is taken, there I am.

In due course, Hannah conceives and bears a son … Samuel … which means: “God heard” … or … “I have asked/borrowed him from the LORD” … 

Hannah stands by her vow … 

She brings Samuel to the Shrine of Shiloh … there to learn, work and grow, in the things of God, under the tutelage of Eli, a good and decent man, with two lousy sons who are priests in the shrine … they’re guilty of crimes against God and the people - they skim the coffers, fleece the flock, fatten themselves …  

But Samuel is there as well …

He grows in wisdom and stature … his mother stands by him!

As the story goes, so poignantly,

His mother used to make for him a little robe 

and take it to him each year, 

when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

Then, one evening, three times the call, a voice  … at first Samuel thinks Eli has called him … after the third time, Eli says: Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’

So Samuel went and lay down in his place, and the voice called him again … with a commission, a purpose, a plan:

No longer to serve the LORD in Shiloh, but to be a prophet to the people … to the nation, to the world.

Who would have known, at the time, what was afoot in the heart of God? 

Throughout history, those rare and gifted persons who actually turn the wheels of government and church, who make a lasting difference …

Who would have known?

February 12, 1809, a log cabin, rural Kentucky … a boy is born to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, and they name him Abe.

April 10, 1880, Boston, Massachusetts, Francis Perkins, who would play a pivotal role in the Roosevelt administration, shaping post-Depression policy, including Social Security and minimum wage laws.

January 15, 1929, Atlanta Georgia … the son of a preacher man, Martin Luther King, Jr. whose birthday we celebrate tomorrow.

Who would have known?

And who knows where and how the future is already being shaped by God … a child is born … here in Altadena, Lisbon, Mexico City, Tokyo, London … who can see the future?

Samuel grows up to become a major player in Israel’s story … and one day, born of Mary, in Bethlehem, another little boy, who grows up to become the Savior of the world.

To God be the glory. Amen and Amen!

July 22, 2012, "Promises and Prayers"

2 Samuel 7.4-9

How do the Ten Commandments begin?

Be careful.

Trick question.

Most folks think of a commandment … no other gods … don’t lie, cheat or steal … 

Which reminds me:

A religion teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.

After explaining the commandment to "honor your father and your mother," she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"

Without missing a beat one little boy answered, "You shall not kill?"

How do the Commandments begin?

The Commandments begin with a declaration:

I am the LORD your God who brought you of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage … 

The Commandments begin with grace.

The bedrock of the Bible.

The cornerstone of faith.

The heartbeat of Calvinism.

We’re Calvinists … we belong to the Reformed Tradition; the Swiss Reformation in particular: Zwingli, Bucer and Calvin … we’re Presbyterians, because our spiritual forebears in Great Britain used the term, “Presbyterian” to describe our form of government - we’re governed by Presbyters, or Elders … I’m a teaching Elder; Lucy Ann Bristol is a Ruling Elder.

Grace is the heartbeat of Presbyterian life.

It is by grace that we are saved!

I went to a Christian High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan … Dutch Reformed high school, Calvinist to the core, steeped in the language and life of grace.

Kids from other traditions attended, as well, and one day, in Bible class, a discussion between an Anabaptist student and the teacher. 

Anabaptist means rebaptism … infant baptism not good enough; baptism allowed for adults who confess their faith in Christ.

Calvin fought the Anabaptists.

Why?

Because believer’s baptism shifts the focus to the believer and compromises the glory of God.

Churches that practice “believer’s baptism” are Anabaptists. If we were to join an Anabaptist congregation, they would rebaptize us, because our infant baptism isn’t good enough.

Anyway, the student advocated “believer’s baptism.” 

The teacher said to the student - I’ll never forget it: Salvation is too important to be left in human hands.

Only a Calvinist can say that!

Salvation is from God, from the first inkling of faith, to the full blown faith of worship and love.

God builds the house - all of it, from the foundation to the roof, basement, living room and attic … all of it, built by God!

By grace alone we are saved! 

Dear People of God: We are people of grace!

Grace is the heartbeat of our hymns.

Grace is the theme of our preaching.

Grace is the strength of our prayers.

Grace alone.

God alone.

Pure gift - all the time.

A child in her mother’s arms, clings to mama’s dress with tight little fists … in the child’s mind, she hangs on to her mama; but we know the truth - mama holds the child.

Were mama to let go, what would happen?

The child would fall.

The child isn’t strong enough to hang on; it’s mama’s strength that holds the child.

That’s the story morning glory.

The story of grace.

Amazing Grace.

How sweet the sound.

That saved a wretch like me.

Once I was lost, but now am found.

Was blind, but now I see.

Grace is the hope we have for life in the midst of all the craziness … God doesn’t wait for a perfect world, or perfect people … God is on the move, here and now, in the world just as it is … 

Sorrow and violence.

Terrible things.

Jeremiah thrown into the well.

Jesus crucified.

Paul arrested and sent to Rome.

The crusades and the Inquisition.

Wars and rumors of war.

There is evil in the world.

The shocking events in Aurora, Colorado leave us bewildered and frightened.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death …

Shadows of death, deep, dark and cold.

But the darkness isn’t dark enough to blind God … darkness is the same as light to God.

Where there is sin, there is grace all the more. 

For every killer, there is a visionary who sees a better world.

For every inhuman moment, there is a Mother Teresa wrapping the wounds of a dying child.

For all the powers of hatred, there is a Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Dag Hammarskjold, Albert Schweitzer.

A TV movie about nuclear war - my son was but 7 or 8, and it frightened him … that night in bed, we talked about it … he was upset and worried … and then I said to him, “Josh, don’t worry. For everyone who wants to make war, there are many more who work for peace.”

God sees to it there are people who love.

Who forgive.

Who work for peace.

Who make the room brighter when they enter it.

Who make life easier for all the rest of us.

People of Grace.

Gracious People.

Who chose the best, lift up hope, speak kindly, affirm and welcome, open doors, and love with the love of Christ.

We find grace on every page of the Bible.

Our passage this morning is filled with grace:

David, you got here only because I cleared the way for you.

David, I took you from the pasture to be the leader of my people.

David, I’ve been with you wherever you’ve gone.

Then come the promises … promises to David … promises for David’s family … David’s future … the people … the long haul … the whole world … you and me, here and now! 

It’s God who builds the house!

THEN David prays!

After the promises - comes the prayer.

Before we do anything, comes the grace.

The sequence is important.

How many times have I heard people say, “If only I could pray better. If only I had more faith. If only I knew what to say.”

But thank God we don’t have to think like that.

It’s not the words we use, or even the faith we have.

It’s always God, and God’s promises … God’s grace.

Prayer is a response to grace.

A response to the promises of God.

Listen to how David prays:

Who am I LORD to have such grace in my life?

You have me brought me this far, and that would have been enough, but it wasn’t enough for you … you have established a future for my family and the generations to come.

What more can I say, O LORD?

You are honorable and faithful … you are great.

And with your greatness, O God, we’ll be great, too.

LORD God, you are truly God. Your words are trustworthy!

John writes centuries later:

This is love: it is not that we loved God

But that God loved us and sent his son

As the sacrifice that deals with our sins.

That we might love - not first, because we can’t.

But at last, because God has loved us first.

When a friend started ministry, an associate pastor … every time he did something - preached, taught a class, took some kids on a mission trip - he would receive a hand-written note of thanks from a retired doctor, Fritz Schwartz.

My friend soon had a stack of notes.

Took them to a staff meeting one day, and they all nodded knowingly.

The staff had been getting these notes for years.

They all had stacks of them.

The pastor said, “You know why he does this?”

My friend said, “Because he knows the value of encouragement and gratitude.”

Then my friend heard the full story.

For more than 50 years, Fritz’s wife had written the notes.

When she died, he decided to continue her legacy.

To honor her and stay in touch with her love.

He took up doing what she had done all those years.

She loved first that Fritz might love at last.

God loves first that we might love at last!

To God be the glory.

Amen and Amen!

July 15, 2012 "Uzzah Dies for David's Pride"

2 Samuel 6.1-8

Finding good titles are a chore for me.

I’ve never been very good with titles.

So I have to work at it.

I’ve worked to find a title for today’s message.

When I first looked at the text several months ago, I titled today’s message, “Haste Makes Waste.”

We all know that to be true.

As the carpenter puts it, Measure once, cut twice; measure twice, cut once.

Haste makes waste.

But haste is not David’s problem.

To the contrary.

As I looked at the text, David works hard to make this day glorious.

To bring the ark to Jerusalem.

A new cart for the Ark.

Procession mapped out.

30 thousand soldiers.

Musicians marching and making a joyful noise.

Everything planned out.

To maximize the day.

David’s day.

His victory.

His glory.

His pride.

His way.

Begin to see a problem?

It’s David’s day, all right.

But Uzzah pays the price.

We’re all connected, are we not?

Every life impinges on every other life.

Students pay a price when teachers fail to teach.

A political leader makes self-serving decisions and thousands, even millions, suffer from hunger, unemployment or civil war.

A corporate executive decides that bottom-line stock performance is the only thing that counts - Wall Street cheers - while employees lose their pensions, benefits, jobs and homes.

Believers pay a price when pastors proclaim another gospel, as Paul notes in his letter to the Galatians [1.6].

Children pay a price when parents get it wrong.

With good reason, the commandment spells it out: if parents bow down and worship false gods, children pay the price.

These days, false gods are likely to be money, power, career, fun and games, or even severe strictness … I’ve seen children abused and hit because parents demand too much, give too little, and maybe those parents were abused when they were little, and the junk gets passed on, generation to generation.

Yet the Commandment makes grace clear: dysfunction goes through the third and fourth generation, because God puts a stop to it; and those who love the LORD and keep God’s commandments sow the seeds of faith that go on for a thousand generations.

A thousand generations.

The connections are huge.

We’re all connected to one another.

The greater our responsibility, the more lives we touch.

Great or small, a corporate executive or a parent, we all touch someone’s life.

I wonder if David knew Uzzah.

Uzzah was recruited to accompany the Ark … he was a priest, from a family of priests.

When the oxen stumbled, the cart tipped, Uzzah reaches out to steady the Ark, lest it fall.

The LORD is angry with Uzzah … God strikes Uzzah down.

Whoa!

What’s going on here?

Wouldn’t anyone have reached out a hand to steady the Ark?

Perhaps a wiser man might have said: “What will be will be … who am I to straighten things out? I will not touch the Ark of the LORD; that’s God’s business.”

Maybe we just have to let things fall, sometimes … can’t rescue everything that might fall down.

All of us can count moments when we should have kept our mouth shut … deleted the email instead of sending it … when we should have stayed home, stayed out of it, rather than interfering.

Police officers learn this with domestic problems - husband and wife fighting like cats and dogs .. the police show up, husband and wife turn on the police.

The police don’t always have a choice, but we all know those moments when it would been better if we had stayed home, kept our mouth shut, and did nothing.

Sometimes, we need to let things fall where they may, if fall they must.

Perhaps the Ark wouldn’t have fallen … and even if it had, so what? The earth is the LORD’S … the dirt of the roadway as well as the sky above.

God takes care of God’s things just fine.

Uzzah should have keep his hands to himself.

But there’s more to the story.

If David had done it right in the first place, Uzzah wouldn’t have died as he did.

Ultimately, Uzzah’s death is David’s fault.

David is the man with the greater responsibility, and David acted irresponsibly. 

David disregarded the LORD’S Word about the Ark.

Spelled out in Exodus 25. 

Four gold rings on each leg of the Ark; four acacia-wood poles, covered in gold, never to be removed - the Ark carried by the poles … hefted by Levites.

Only Levites can carry the Ark of the Covenant.

David should have known that. Someone should have reminded David … but no one wanted to rain on David’s parade … to Uzzah pays the price of David’s folly.

David get angry at God when Uzzah dies - that’s what we do when we flub and get into trouble; we blame God … or anyone else, for that matter … anyone but ourselves.

And then David got frightened … an important step in the right direction … the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

David learns a painful lesson - Uzzah’s death is David’s fault. 

It takes three months for David to recover.

And then David does it right!

In 1 Chronicles 15, David says to the priests, Because you did not carry the Ark the first time, the LORD our God burst out against us, because we did not give it proper care.

Three months later, David does it right.

The Ark is carried by the Levites, not trundled around on a cart.

Within six steps, the procession stops. 

Ox and fatling sacrificed.

This day belongs to the LORD.

What we learn from all of this is simple and profound.

Uzzah reminds us to be patient and thoughtful - never be the proverbial fool who rushes in where angels fear to tread.

The next time we see something teetering, perhaps we might just think of Uzzah and hold back … trust God to take care of God’s things.

And from David:

To learn - we’re all connected … every decision we make … rear our children, behave at work, live our private lives, what we do in public - everything is connected to everything else.

David learns a hard lesson … to ignore the LORD always brings disaster.

Which is why David writes some years later, I’ve sinned against you, O LORD - you alone! When David disregards the LORD, people around him pay the price.

Live and learn.

We learn what Jesus says so eloquently: those to whom much is given, much is required.

If David is going to be the king, the king of God’s People, David has some mighty big lessons to learn … 

Much has been given to David.

Much is required.

So it is for all of us.

To God be the glory!

Amen and Amen!