Sermon for
June 21, 2009: RESPONDING TO GOD’S GRACE
Revised Common Lectionary
readings for Sunday, June 21, 2009, the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Year B)
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49
1aNow
the Philistines gathered their armies for battle;
4And
there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of
Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5He
had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armoured
with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of
bronze. 6He
had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his
shoulders. 7The
shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six
hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8He stood and shouted to the ranks of
Israel, 'Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine,
and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come
down to me. 9If
he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if
I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve
us.' 10And the Philistine
said, 'Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that
we may fight together.' 11When
Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine,
they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
19Now
Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20David rose early in the morning, left
someone in charge of the sheep, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had
commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the
battle line, shouting the war cry. 21Israel
and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22David left the things in charge of the
keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23As he talked with them, the champion,
the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the
Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
32David
said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will
go and fight with this Philistine." 33Saul
said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight
with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his
youth." 34But
David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and
whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went after it and struck it down,
rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it
by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36Your
servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine
shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living
God." 37David
said, "The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of
the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." So Saul said to
David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you!"
38Saul
clothed David with his armour; he put a bronze helmet
on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39David
strapped Saul's sword over the armour, and he tried
in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I
cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them.
40Then he took his
staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi,
and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand,
and he drew near to the Philistine.
41The
Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of
him. 42When the Philistine
looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and
handsome in appearance. 43The
Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you
come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44The Philistine said to David,
"Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the
wild animals of the field." 45But
David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and
javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the
armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This
very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and
cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this
very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that
all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know
that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's
and he will give you into our hand."
48When
the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly towards the battle
line to meet the Philistine. 49David
put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine
on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell
face down on the ground.
1 Samuel 17:57-18:5,
10-16
57On
David's return from killing the Philistine, Abner
took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his
hand. 58Saul said to him,
"Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the
son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."
1When
David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul
of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2Saul took him that day and would not
let him return to his father's house. 3Then
Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4Jonathan stripped himself of the robe
that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armour,
and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5David
went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him
over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.
10The
next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his
house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his
spear in his hand; 11and
Saul threw the spear, for he thought, 'I will pin David to the wall.' But David
eluded him twice.
12Saul
was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 13So Saul removed him from his presence,
and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in,
leading the army. 14David
had success in all his undertakings; for the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David;
for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.
Psalm 9:9-20
9The LORD is a
stronghold for the oppressed,
a
stronghold in times of trouble.
10And those who know
your name put their trust in you,
for
you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11Sing praises to the
LORD, who dwells in Zion.
Declare
his deeds among the peoples.
12For he who avenges
blood is mindful of them;
he
does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13Be
gracious to me, O LORD.
See
what I suffer from those who hate me;
you
are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14so that I may recount
all your praises,
and,
in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice
in your deliverance.
15The nations have sunk
in the pit that they made;
in
the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16The LORD has made
himself known, he has executed judgment;
the
wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
Higgaion.
Selah
17The wicked shall
depart to Sheol,
all
the nations that forget God.
18For the needy shall
not always be forgotten,
nor
the hope of the poor perish for ever.
19Rise up, O LORD! Do
not let mortals prevail;
let
the nations be judged before you.
20Put them in fear, O
LORD;
let
the nations know that they are only human.
Selah
Psalm 133
1How very good and
pleasant it is
when
kindred live together in unity!
2It is like the
precious oil on the head,
running
down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running
down over the collar of his robes.
3It is like the dew of
Hermon,
which
falls on the mountains of Zion.
For
there the LORD ordained his blessing,
life
for evermore.
1As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says, 'At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.' See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13In return-I speak as to children-open wide your hearts also.
35On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
+++
+ Psalm 9:9 > The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a
stronghold in times of trouble.
+ Psalm 9:18 > For the needy shall
not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish for
ever.
+ Psalm 133:1 > How very good and pleasant it
is when kindred live together in unity!
+ 2 Corinthians 6:1 > As
we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in
vain.
+ 2 Corinthians 6:6-7 > … by purity, knowledge,
patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the
power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the
left;
+ 2 Corinthians 6:10 > as sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing
everything.
+ Mark 4:38b-41 > "Teacher, do you not care that we
are perishing?" 39He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
"Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.
40He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
41And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then
is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
+ We are working on a mystery together. 2 minds are better than 1. 3
better than 2 … etc. Because we
are in this thing called life together, we have learned a lot from each other
already and will learn even more as we open our minds, our hearts, our soul, to
the amazing grace of God which truly creates an Amazing Journey, a
grace-filled, love-filled, beauty-filled, joy-filled adventure. That’s what responding to God’s grace is all
about. Opening up, blooming, growing,
creating, connecting, sharing. Sharing
the adventure, partnering together on this amazing journey, is grace at work,
love in action, blissful, meaningful experiences. Be glad all over!
+ God challenges us and God comforts us. Grace comes in both ways.
+ Sometimes grace comes in the form of Tough Love.
+ Jesus could be very tough on anybody and everybody when the
situation called for it.
+ We need a faith which can embrace God’s tough love as well
as God’s tender love. We can never do
enough to please God. We please God
immensely, enough, just as we are.
+ Grace creates Faith.
It’s not the other way around.
The burden, or the responsibility, is on God and not us.
+ Grace comes in a
multitude of ways. Grace abounds. Grace prevails. Trust the process. It is mysterious and marvelous. No matter what’s happening,
God is involved in a fantastic and fascinating way. We often miss the wonder of it all as we
think we must take on the burdens, the responsibilities, which God can do so
much better than us.
+ We are often, many of us, in such turmoil. We think God has abandoned us. It is time to be still, silent, solitary,
simple. God is here, now. Let God work God’s miracles by letting go and
letting God. IOW, let God take
charge. God! Not you.
Not me. Not your spouse. Not your mom. Not dad. Not your best friend. God and God alone needs
to be in charge. When that happens,
miracles happen. The disciples did what
they needed to do when they woke up Jesus.
They needed to let God be in charge.
+ Go deep!
+ Grace is experienced whenever we sense our deep connection
to each other and to God. God never
abandons us but we feel abandoned because we often keep our sense of separateness
going and miss reality! We are one. There is no other. Your pain is my pain. Your joy is my joy. Deep within me I know your pain and I know
your joy. And you know mine.
+ Awe is the response of faith to the amazing grace of God
which is discovered again and again and again in the amazing journey of life.
+ The amazing journey is
amazing because of the constant presence of amazing grace. So, the more we can let go and let God, yhe more we experience the amazing journey. Let God be in charge … right now … right
here. BDBDBSBSBCBGLULULGLGCEBGAO.
+ A selection from “Unity
From a Sufi Perspective” by Khadim
Chishti > What is the way to see?
It is Remembrance. ". . . for truly, in the remembrance of God hearts find
rest." [Qur'an, 13:28] The practice of zikr,
"La illaha il
Allah," means "there is no god but God." This affirms the
Oneness and Divine Unity. Calling upon our Sustainer by doing zikr and repetition of the Names draws us into our own
unique relationship with our Sustainer. It polishes the mirror of our hearts.
It acknowledges that there is a Single Source of Being; within the multiplicity
is hidden the Divine Essence (Unity). / Our deepest longing is to know this
Unity. Here we are utterly unfolded, and no words are needed, no action is required.
In Unity, all possibilities are united. It is impossible for language to
express this nearness, for in the end every thought is an act of distance. Even
words like "intimacy, nearness, closeness or love" indicate
separation. Only the language of paradox, poetry, and sacred scripture can
suggest this awesome nearness. This language speaks to our knowing hearts. For
instance, we may, when touched by beauty and love, perceive a Presence beyond
our separate selves. Our knowing hearts are the bridge between ego and Spirit,
between the seen and unseen. It is through the heart
that we sense Unity.
+ Rumi
on Unity >
If ten lamps
are present in one place,
each differs in form from another;
yet you can't distinguish whose radiance is whose
when you focus on the light.
In the field of spirit there is no division;
no individuals exist.
Sweet is the oneness of the Friend with His friends.
Catch hold of spirit.
Help this headstrong self disintegrate;
that beneath it you may discover unity,
like a buried treasure.
[Rumi, Mathnawi I, 678-683]
+ Rumi
on Abundance >
Abundance is
seeking the beggars and the poor,
just as beauty seeks a mirror.
Beggars, then, are the mirrors of God's bounty,
and they that are with God are united with
Absolute Abundance.
[Rumi, Mathnawi I, 2745,
2750]
+ Elizabeth Lesser on Heartfulness > THE SEEKER’S GUIDE, pp 194-195
+ NQ > lovepeaceunityRT @SusanCosmos
“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.” ~ Vista Kelly+ HYMN 333 > Seek ye
first … And all these things shall be added unto you … Ask … Seek … Knock …
Items for the Order of Worship June 21, 2009
We gather
to stand before the deepest mystery of life.
And to name the mystery “God of Life, Lord of Love.”
We gather
to affirm that the mystery became flesh and lived among us.
If
Christ is for us, who can be against us?
C: Lord of the Universe, have mercy upon
us.
C: Lord of the planet Earth, have mercy upon us.
C: Lord of the cities and towns, have mercy
upon us.
C: Lord of history, have mercy upon us.
Amen.
SCRIPTURES: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Mark 4:35-41