May 11, 2022 – David and Goliath

An Indomitable Force For Jesus

“Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” Acts 9:1-6

“It was not the privileged and the fortunate who took in the Jews in France. It was the marginal and the damaged (in this case it was a group of Huguenots in France who were already damaged and persecuted people) which should remind us that there are real limits to what evil and misfortune can accomplish. If you take away the gift of reading, you create the gift of listening. If you bomb a city, you leave behind death and destruction. But you create a community of remote misses…one time in ten, out of that despair rises an indomitable force.” (David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell, p. 274-275) 

An Indomitable Force For Jesus

Can we say that Paul had a remote miss, or a near miss with Jesus? Or, did he have a direct hit? Either way, Paul turned from his path of persecuting the followers of Jesus to become one indomitable force for Christianity. Paul was seeking and searching out for more Christians to persecute, and so the Lord struck him blind. In the time when he could not see, he fasted and prayed, hoping he might find an answer. But, we have to assume that not only was he praying, but he also was listening. And in that time he was able to hear how his life’s path would change for ever. Out of the ashes of this life changing event rose one of the greatest evangelists since the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

We do not have to have impeccable resumes to be disciples. We only need to see that our experiences, the good and the bad, can be catalysts to becoming an indomitable force for G-d. All we need to do is listen for the still, small voice of G-d, immerse ourselves in the scriptures, and partake in the Sacraments – they all will feed the flames of the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray,

Lord Christ, we see in Apostles like Paul and Peter the indomitable force for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Help me to have that same indomitable spirit so that I can spread the news like them through word and deed. Amen.

Pastor Dave

May 10, 2022 – David and Goliath

Bigger Is Not Always Better

“Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Matthew 19:16-30

“…wealthy people and wealthy institutions and wealthy countries–all Goliaths–fall into (a trap)–they assume that the kinds of things that wealth can buy always translate into real-world advantages. They don’t, of course. It is good to be bigger and stronger than your opponent. It is not so good to be so big and strong that you are a sitting duck for a rock fired at 150 miles per hour. Goliath didn’t get what he wanted because he was too big. We all assume that being bigger and stronger and richer is always in our best interest. A shepherd boy named David…will tell you that it isn’t.” (David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell, p. 61-62) 

Bigger Is Not Always Better

It is not always good to be a Goliath – for as the saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. My previous church had a problem with their soda machine one summer. The problem was not in dispensing sodas, it was not in accepting dollar bills or change – the problem was getting the machine filled on a regular basis. It has gotten so frustrating we have called the company numerous times to see how we might be able to resolve the problem. The first two times I called the company, I talked to a representative who was in Oklahoma. Oklahoma!!!!! We had a local distribution plant just blocks away from our church, and I had to speak to someone in Oklahoma. Naturally, this soda company is a Goliath – in fact it is bigger than a giant. What good is it to be a Goliath if you cannot see your weaknesses that are right in front of you? Yes our church was a small-time customer, but we also had the ability to give positive and negative reviews about customer service, product and company response.

Over time, Goliaths run the risk of believing that they are more powerful, more influential, and therefore will be more victorious simply because they are big. And once you allow that attitude to drive your business model, you soon lose your perspective on what made you a giant in the first place – serving a quality product to people, no matter how big or small, and responding quickly to their interests, their needs, and their concerns – both the big and the small.

The rich young man in the above-mentioned lesson today wanted to be a good, faithful follower of G-d, he wanted a personal relationship with G-d – but his wealth and possessions, the things that made him a giant in his community, got in the way of finding a personal relationship with G-d and his neighbor. So when he asked Jesus what the secret to eternal life might be, Jesus said it was not found in possessions and other stuff. The secret to eternal life was actually standing right there in front of him, but his need for stuff and money kept him from following Jesus. Jesus concludes his comments to his disciples with these words: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

If money and prestige and fame and possessions make you feel like a giant, then Jesus has a word of warning: many who are first will be last and the last will be first. Or, in other words, strive to be big in Jesus, to make Jesus first in your life, to allow the Holy Spirit to lift you to the height of being rich toward G-d.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we delude ourselves into thinking that more is better: more stuff, more money, more possessions. Help me to remember that more time with you and more time with your word is all the “more” that I need for eternal life. Amen.

Pastor Dave