Truthfully, I was unsure where to go this
week for us as a parish. I feel like we
have spent enough time on our discussions of faith and the effects faith in God
through Christ should have on our lives, our outlooks, everything about us
really, these last couple weeks. Usually
people come in or call to talk about last week’s sermon. So far, in my short time at Advent, people
have wanted to chat about my sermon every other week but one. And just so y’all know, I’m not talking about
the “attaboys,” “good one, father’s,” or the “that’s the best one yet’s.” I am far more concerned with how you all
reflect on the sermons and the teaching even as you read Scripture and then
examine your lives. I think for us as a
parish and for us as individuals, those are far more important. So imagine my disappointment this week when
nary a comment came my way. I’m not
disappointed that there were no discussions, mind you. I’m disappointed that I am not sure where we
are this week. It makes the crafting of
a sermon that much more difficult, particularly when we as Episcopalians have
been stuck on a subject for a couple weeks.
Our lectionary is supposed to move us along, is it not?
Our choices for reading this week were
certainly interesting given that lack of dialogue. We could focus on Mark, and I could call you
to leave everything and follow God. But
that seems a bit premature. We could
focus on Paul’s mystical experience and leave ourselves wondering why we have
not had one ourselves. The reading from
Samuel is incredibly tough. I know some
of my colleagues who have been away these last couple weeks were even wondering
why the editors chose that passage from 2 Samuel in the first place. I even considered the psalm and its wonderful
image of God’s holy city, Jerusalem. But
I was not sure yet how to tie that image to our collective lives here in
Nashville. In the end, since it was the
4th and we are all about heritage this weekend, I decided to have us
look at the passage from 2 Samuel.
History is only so good for us if we use it to understand our present
and to shape our future. That certainly
seems to be a lesson included in today’s readings.
We have blown through the narratives of
Samuel rather quickly since the Feast of Pentecost. We have touched on the call of the prophet,
on the peoples’ desire for a king, the anointing of Saul, the rejection of Saul
and the anointing of David, and David’s battle with Goliath. It sounds like a lot to cover, and it is, but
we have skipped tons. As always, I encourage
you to pick up the books at home and read in between the selections of our
lectionary editors. For example, this
week we pick up at the end of a civil war.
Essentially one tribe is supporting David. Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth, has the support of most
of the others. More strange to our ears
is the fact that many of those fighting to keep Ish-Bosheth king realize they
are fighting God. The couple chapters
before us include David taking back Saul’s daughter, whose betrothal cost him a
hundred Philistine foreskins, the murder of Ish-Bosheth’s general and
king-maker, and finally the murder of Ish-Bosheth. To say that those men get an unexpected
reward is the height of euphemism!
Now, following this civil war and the
murder of the pretender, the tribes of all Israel come to David. They remind David that they are, like him,
descendants of Abraham and Jacob. They
may be very distant cousins at best, but they are still family. They acknowledge that God has anointed David
as king over all Israel, even though Saul was alive and still king. Better still, they acknowledge that David was
the one who led them to victories under Saul.
So they ask David to fulfill his role as shepherd and as king. It is an interesting request. God has different expectations of His kings
than do the people of Israel or the surrounding “ites.” God, in fact, warns
Israel that the king they choose will use them, will take their daughters as
wives and concubines, take their sons to fight his wars, take their wealth to
pay his sycophants, and take their produce to feed his aristocracy. Saul does precisely all that. He rejects God and, unlike David who sins
quite a bit, even refuses to repent.
Now, of course, everyone wants the
fighting to stop. So they ask David to
be God’s shepherd of them. And we are
told that the elders of the tribes make a covenant with David and that David
makes a covenant with them. Then we are
given this little bit of disjointed history.
David reigned over Israel for forty years, 7 years and six months at
Hebron and thirty-three years at Jerusalem.
The only problem with that, of course, is the fact that Jerusalem still
belongs to the Jebusites! So, and our
lectionary editors skip this part, David marches on Jerusalem and takes the
city via the water system. I suppose our
editors skip over the section because of the references to the “lame and the
blind” not being able to enter the palace.
But David takes the city and begins to improve on its defenses. From that time forward, the city becomes
known as the city of David.
Some of you may wonder why David takes the
city. It is ok. Scholars do from time to time. Is Jerusalem part of the Promised Land? No. It
was outside the land granted to the tribes of Israel as an inheritance. But people being people, how do we feel when
somebody famous or important is from our home town? Prophets and judges would routinely set up
their center in the lands of their family.
It gave to the tribe from which they were descended a special feeling of
privilege. It also made the other eleven
somewhat discontented. On the cosmic
scale, it’s like our brothers or sisters reminding us that they are/were
mommy’s or daddy’s favorite. It’s cosmic
because now that authority is “proof” of God’s favoritism, right?
No, Jerusalem is outside the covenant
lands. It is, in modern language, a
District of Columbia. It was not part of
Maryland or part of Virginia. It was
it’s own place, separate and apart.
David will not be seen so closely associated with the tribe of
Judah. His city is in a place outside
the Promised Land. His authority and his
power and his glory will be shared equally by all the tribes. There will be no tangible reminder that he
belonged to one tribe and that they, just by virtue of his birth, share in his
glory.
Those who have been engaging with me in
Bible studies are probably already sick of the reminder, but the purpose of
Samuel is not simply to give us a history lesson. To clarify that better, I should say that the
history lesson that the author of Samuel is wanting us to learn is not so much
concerned with those things that we teach and learn in history classes
today. Let’s face it, how many of us
know our ancient Israel geography well-enough to know the locations of all the
cities mentioned in Samuel? How well do
we understand the dates? Heck, how well
do we understand the names of the places and the people involved, many of which
give us insight as to the purpose of the book?
What is the purpose of this lesson? Look at our last verse. What does it say? Does David become great because of his
military genius? His trade acumen? His dogged determinedness to see Israel
elevated on the world’s stage? No. The author is clear that David becomes
greater and greater because the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him!
Think of that commentary for just a
second. There are a number of scholars
who like to point out that much of what we call the Old Testament was written
as propaganda to justify the rule of the Davidic line. There is a strongly accepted idea out there
that because David won, he got to write the history. We should feel sorry for Saul and his family
because David was an usurper. We should
feel sorry for all the “ites” and the Philistines because David stole their
land. But is that the testimony of
Scripture? Is David elevated because of
his power? His genius? His skills?
He goes from being a shepherd tending his father’s flocks to a king
tending the Father’s flocks because God has chosen him! If these “history” books are mere propaganda
of the winners, they are not very good.
We are reminded over and over of the sins of David. Repeatedly, we are shown that David’s
failures cost lives, lots of innocent lives.
Yet Scripture holds them up to us constantly. Why?
And David’s life simply mirrors the life
of Israel. Are Abraham and Sarah chosen
because they were young and beautiful?
Because they were star-crossed lovers?
Because they like to travel? What
elevates the standing of the matriarch and patriarch in the eyes of their
descendants? Their faith in God. When they had no reason yet to believe, still
they trusted the Lord. Like David, the
journey of their descendants was not what they likely expected. But they trusted that God would fulfill his
promises to them, even if her laughter had her changing diapers at age 100!
The modern equivalent of what is happening
in these history books would be as if someone did a history book on Reagan and
recounted the Iran Contra every few pages or did a history book on Clinton and
reminded us of the Lewinsky affair every couple paragraphs. Who does that? Who does that when one is interested in
propaganda rather than truth? No one! We hide the faults of those whom we want to
elevate by propaganda and put forward their successes. We “paint their actions in the best light.”
I suppose that the nudge to this sermon
began in Bible study on Monday. One of
the ladies commented that, for her, David’s story was a reminder of the
patience required when serving God. When
the group asked her to continue her thought, she explained that it always
helped her to remember that it took twenty-five years or so for David to
realize the fulfillment of God’s promises to him! She’s right, you know. David was anointed king by Samuel somewhere
around age thirteen. He is not made king
by the elders of Israel until he was thirty-three. David spent twenty years on this arduous path
to the throne. Many times, his
predecessor wanted to kill him. You and
I would say that David would have been within his rights to slay Saul. But David is obedient. David is so obedient that he even sings to
Saul, the king trying to kill him, when the evil spirit sent by God claims his
mind. David finds himself jerked around
by Saul, he finds himself on the run, he finds himself placed in impossible
situations. But he trusts God and God’s
promises. Today, we read of the
fulfillment of those promises.
All of this story, taken together, should
give us a bit of improved perspective as we face the day and the future steeped
in our faith. What do I mean by such as
a statement? First, we are given these
stories as a reminder of the fact that God keeps all His promises to His people
and to us. With the coronation of David
by the elders, Israel has truly become a nation. How long ago was that promise made to His
people Israel? Long before they were a
people. Back then, there was a husband
and a wife, Sarah and Abraham. Think of
the journey. When only seventy existed
in this family, they went to live in Egypt.
Eventually, they were enslaved.
Then came the events of the Exodus, then Joshua’s rule, then the rule of
the Judges. This fulfillment has been
years and generations in the making. Do
you think people along the way wondered if God was in control? If God was powerful enough to keep His
promises? If God even wanted to keep His
promises.
Tom reminded us in Bible study this
morning about the fulfillment of Jesus’ creation of His Bride, the Church. We happen to be reading the same passage from
Mark as our Gospel lesson this week. Tom
remarked about the ridiculous notion that fishermen and a few others could be
counted on to become the Church. Today,
of course, we see the beginning of that transformation. These fishermen and others go out preaching
the Gospel, healing the sick, and casting out demons. In many ways, they claim the benefits of His
coming passion far better than many of us in today’s Church. And we have the benefit of the Cross and
Empty Tomb to inspire us!
I know that events in the world sometimes
seem to be chaotic. In the last couple
weeks I have had long conversations with brothers and sisters who lament and
who cheer the decision of the courts, who lament and who cheer the developments
in our national church, who lament and who cheer the decision to tear down a
flag whose meaning has been co-opted by bigots, who are proud and who worry
about loved ones serving the cause of freedom in locations that seem so far
from our beloved shores. If anything,
our times resemble the times described in Scripture. The world is always in a process of rejecting
God. We read every Christmas Eve that He
came into what was His own and that His own rejected Him. And then we are shocked when something
happens in the world to proclaim that God does not care, that God is not able
to keep His promises, that God does not love us, that God is even real!
Stories such as David’s or the disciples
remind us that God really is in control.
Part of the reason these stories were retained is so that we could find
encouragement in them. If David is our
brother in his great-great-great-great (however many) grandson Jesus Christ,
then his story is part of our family’s story—The story of redemption. And just as our brother had to live in faith
as if God would make him king over Israel despite all the evidence to the
contrary, you and I are called to live a life as if we are sojourners in this
land, a people set apart and called to a Feast by the Father. In that way, all the stories of the saints
who have gone before us can serve to exhort us, to encourage us to keep living
in the sure and certain promises of God.
Nothing, no power of the Enemy no plotting by humans not even our deaths
can prevent Him from fulfilling His promise to each one of us! Nothing.
Of course, even as we look back and remind
ourselves of the stories of God’s faithfulness, we are given eyes to see the
present and understanding to not fret too much about the future. For all the fulfillment described in this
passage, is David’s construction of the city the sacred city described in the
Day of the Lord? Of course not. We still have not seen that city. In a couple
chapters, David will forget by whose hand his strength increased. David will sleep with Bathsheeba, murder her
husband, ask God to punish Israel for his sin in a census, and any number of
other sins. He will act like anyone
except one who knows that God put him on the throne. Unlike Saul, though, He will repent. When God reminds him that he has disobeyed,
David will repent. But he will still
have to live with the consequences of his sins.
Forgiveness, David will learn, as we all do, does not mean that we get a
pass on the consequences. We just get a
pass on the ultimate consequence, death and separation from God.
Should we as Christians, trying to be
faithful to God, be concerned about the world around us? Absolutely.
But should we be surprised when the world acts in ways that reject
God? Of course not. But we need to be looking at the worldly
evidence with faith-filled eyes. This
day that we read about in the life of David should never have happened. How could Israel ever become a nation? There were too many other nations arrayed
against it. At times, super-powers
defeated it and enslaved it. What of
those super powers? Egypt? It is around but not nearly as influential on
the world scene. Assyria and
Babylon? Gone. Persia?
It’s culture impacts us, but as a nation it is no longer. Greece?
Rome? Each of those countries
believed themselves blessed by the gods and the expression of all that was best
in humanity. If we have begun the death
throes in this country, as some worry, should we be surprised? And should we really worry? We read in Scripture that God saw His people
through it all! He will, no doubt, see
His people through the issues of today. This
existence, my brothers and sisters, is not even close to that to which He calls
each and every human we meet.
How about our church? Well, seeing as how David, the man after
God’s own heart committed more than a few sins, maybe we should quit wringing
our hands so much and get back to work.
We skipped a civil war between last week’s reading and this week’s
reading. Should we really be surprised
that there is bickering in our midst? Yes,
errant decisions cause tremendous pain and suffering for God’s people, but it
is in pain and suffering where God anoints His servants and calls the world
around them to repent. It is in those
moments when we think things cannot be redeemed that God delights in showing
His glory and His power.
One last note, and I have skirted its
edges this morning. I know that Carola
spoke at some length with you about it during the interim. She has shared she did, and some of you have
asked about it. What our beloved sister
on Monday captured about David is a theological understanding expressed in
Caola’s teaching among you. David lived
for more than two decades certain that God would make him king. Even though the king was alive and
circumstances still confessed that David was anything but king, David lived a
faithful life, trusting in the promises of God.
You and I have been speaking of worldly events this morning. We have spoken mostly of past events,
history, and the present. All of these
events, of course, give us glimpses and peeks into the ultimate fulfillment of
those promises. You know it as the
tension between the already and the not yet.
Good.
I see the nods. Brothers and
sisters, we sometimes act as if this world, as if our surroundings, are the
best for which we can possibly hope. How
sad is that? You and I are promised that
we will be present with our Lord, as was Adam and Eve so long ago, for all
eternity. Such presence is described as
a Wedding Feast, a banquet. It is
described as a place with no crying, no suffering, and no death. Given the world that we live in, how can we
really ever begin to understand such a promise?
And, yet, that is precisely the promise He makes. And He calls upon each one of us to live in
this day, in this age, in this place, aware of our surroundings, ministering to
those caught in its vicissitudes, but with an eye on that ultimate
fulfillment. We can face privation,
pain, suffering, disappointment, national upheaval, and even death itself,
because we know the God who anointed David, the God who sent out the disciples
two by two, the God who raised Jesus back to life that wonderful Easter
morning, the God who pledged Himself to each one of us has promised. And He always, always keeps His promises.
Peace,
Brian†
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