A sermon preached at Journey United Church of Christ on Sunday, September 4, 2011.
READINGS FOR THE DAY: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (CEV)
One day he said, "Samuel, I've rejected Saul, and I refuse to let him be king any longer. Stop feeling sad about him. Put some olive oil in a small container and go visit a man named Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem. I've chosen one of his sons to be my king." Samuel answered, "If I do that, Saul will find out and have me killed." "Take a calf with you," the LORD replied. "Tell everyone that you've come to offer it as a sacrifice to me, then invite Jesse to the sacrifice. When I show you which one of his sons I have chosen, pour the olive oil on his head." Samuel did what the LORD told him and went to Bethlehem. The town leaders went to meet him, but they were terribly afraid and asked, "Is this a friendly visit?" "Yes, it is!" Samuel answered. "I've come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. Get yourselves ready to take part in the sacrifice and come with me." Samuel also invited Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice, and he got them ready to take part. When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel noticed Jesse's oldest son, Eliab "He has to be the one the LORD has chosen," Samuel said to himself. But the LORD told him, "Samuel, don't think Eliab is the one just because he's tall and handsome. He isn't the one I've chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts." Jesse told his son Abinadab to go over to Samuel, but Samuel said, "No, the LORD hasn't chosen him." Next, Jesse sent his son Shammah .to him, and Samuel said, "The LORD hasn't chosen him either." Jesse had all seven of his sons go over to Samuel. Finally, Samuel said, "Jesse, the LORD hasn't chosen any of these young men. Do you have any more sons?" "Yes," Jesse answered. "My youngest son David is out taking care of the sheep." "Send for him!" Samuel said. "We won't start the ceremony until he gets here." Jesse sent for David. He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes. As soon as David came, the LORD told Samuel, "He's the one! Get up and pour the olive oil on his head."
Samuel poured the oil on David's head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the LORD took control of David and stayed with him from then on. Samuel returned home to Ramah.
Ever played one of those games where you are shown a close-up picture of a familiar item and have to guess what it is? The problem is the picture close-up is usually so “close up” that you really can’t tell.
I think that little game can actually serve as an analogy for life at times. It’s not always easy to see clearly when we get focused on minute little details. We may get so consumed with the little things that we lose sight of the big pictures. It even happens as we look at the people around us. We can lose our ability to see clearly if we get obsessed with one or two smaller characteristics.
Look at the priestly figure Samuel; when we find him in chapter 16, it appears he has problems focusing when it came to anointing the next king. Let’s set the stage a bit. Samuel has been told by God to anoint a new king. Kings in those days didn’t ascend to throne through their family ties. They weren’t popular elections or an electoral college. Kings came to power through appointment – an appointment by God. Now God had originally appointed Saul as the first king of Israel and he started strong. But as is the case with politicians from time to time, he seemed to lose his way. More and more he led in a way that met his own needs, not the plan provided by God. So God tells Samuel it times for a “godly impeachment” and set him on a path of appointing a new King on God’s behalf.
But in the midst of this important moment, we discover that Samuel has a blind spot … not a blind spot that impacts his physical ability to see like cataracts or glaucoma. His blind spot has more to do with his vision for how God works. He is able to see clearly enough to find his way to the right down and even to the right house – the household of Jesse. But then he loses his focus. He had all of sons parade before him; it’s like an impromptu “king contest” in Jesse’s living room. We can almost see him with his scorecard. The oldest, Eliab, walks by - Big broad shoulder, handsome face … 9.8. But God says’ “no”. Then comes Abinadab - tall and fit… 8.5. But God says “no”. Then Shammah … 7.9, but again God says “no”. It continues through all of Jesse’s 7 sons. He works his way through them all. In desperation, he asks Jesse, “are there any more”. Jesse sends for his youngest son, who is out tending the sheep. We get a sense that Samuel, with his “blind spot” and is ready to dismiss the young shepherd boy when God corrects his vision and much to everyone’s surprise, God says “yes, he’s the one” These powerful words emerge from the story. Words from God that serve as corrective lenses for those who have blind spots - “People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.” I Samuel 13:7
Let’s face it, like Samuel, we all have blind spots that prevent us from seeing others clearly. I’m not sure we can every truly overcome our natural tendency to look at others and make at least some snap judgments about them based on what we first see. We are quick to make assumptions based on the color of their skin, the accent of their speech, how they are dressed and how they may act. And based on what we see and what we observe, we are quick to judge and label. He’d make a good king. He wouldn’t. They seem to be a good person. They seem to be someone to be avoided. They seem good. They seem bad. That person is good. That person is evil.
Reflect with me for a moment on the characters of Harry Potter.
Are these people good or bad? In this classic story of good vs. evil, on which side do they fall?
Draco and the rest of the Malfoy family?; Harry, Hermoine, & Ron?; Neville Longbottom?; Snape?; Dumbledore?
There are lots of profound lessons in the final installment of Harry Potter – The Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Lesson about sacrifice for the good of others; Lessons about friendships and alliances; Lessons about immortality … all powerful lessons indeed and perhaps one week isn’t enough for Harry Potter; we could perhaps do a whole series. I’ve read lots of reviews about all those angels… especially the good vs. evil plot that is woven throughout the whole series, but instead of going with the obvious, “in the struggle of good vs. evil, good always win” thing, I want us to look at it from a slightly different angel – how we discern good and evil. How we judge people’s nature and character. How it is that perhaps our own blind spots enter in the picture. And how it is not simply always so clear-cut as we might think.
Watch this clip and see if you can begin to understand what I’m getting at
Video Clip
Harry Uses Snapes Memories
As the final plot unfolds, I was struck by how difficult it sometimes is to tell the good-guys from the bad-guys in the movies …
• Severus Snape we discover has been working as a double-agent between the Death Eaters, the followers of Lord Voldemort, and the Hogwarts students and professors and their magical families. As it turns out, instead of being a villain, he has served has Harry’s protector all these years.
• Albus Dumbledore, as it turns out, has known the Harry’s secret all along and withheld that information from him bring Snape to accuse him with these words, “You have raises him like a lamb for the slaughter”.
• The Malfoy family, who previously have pursued Harry at every turn, secretly turn against the Dark Lord and Draco’s mother makes the important decision in the final moments to actually lie to Voldemort about whether or not Harry is dead.
• And then there’s the hero, Harry. We discover that Harry has a bit of Voldemort – a little evil - living within him; he discovers he is one of the Horcruxes he and his friends have been seeking to destroy.
God’s words to Samuel return to me .. “People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.” I Samuel 13:7. And I recognize that I am often quick to put people in a box; label them – good/bad. I’m learning more and more these days that things aren’t always “black and white” and more and more I’m called to live with shades of gray … especially when it comes to how I see the people around me. There’s a challenge for all of us to allow God to remove the blind spots we have … to resist our urge to label and judge … to see people as God sees them … not as good or bad, sinner or saint… but as God’s beloved children who are often a little bit of both.
We would do well to remember that God invites us to a new vision
PRAYER OF REFLECTION
God, we acknowledge before you, our blind spots. We often fail to see your big picture, because we focus on the tiny minute details. We have made ourselves judges of what is acceptable and what is not, forgetting that you are the only judge. We have denies, repressed, ignored or condemned all the pieces of the world that we don’t like. Forgive us our blind spots and restore our vision so we might see clearly through your eyes. Amen.
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