1 Samuel 15.34 – 16.13
Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home
in Gibeah of Saul. Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though
Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over
Israel.The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have
rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am
sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”But
Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The LORD said,
“Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to
the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I
indicate.
Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the
town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”
Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate
yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his
sons and invited them to the sacrifice.When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and
thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.”
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I
have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look
at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said,
“The LORD has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but
Samuel said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass
before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” So he
asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse
answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit
down until he arrives.”
So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a
fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
Mark 4.26-34
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters
seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts
and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first
the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall
we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on
earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with
such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could
understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he
was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
If like me you’re passionate about growing leaders – for our Churches, and for the
Kingdom of God, then the two readings today are something of a gift!
I found it useful and enlightening to go through both readings, plus the one we could have used from Second Corinthians, and see how many Christian Leadership
qualities were mentioned.
Believe it or not, I found eight! Eight desirable attributes that might well feature in a
“Job Description” for someone aspiring to serve God and his Kingdom.
From Samuel, there’s “Obedience to God’s Call”.
In recent weeks we’ve heard about Samuel in our readings, and our younger
congregation have looked at his life. So we should know by now, if we didn’t already, that right from when he was a young boy, Samuel was able to do great things; because he was obedient to God, and because he let God into his life and put total trust in him.
Also from Samuel, there’s “Initiative, and Persistence”.
How so? Well after seven of Jesse’s sons have all been rejected, and still no suitable
King found, Samuel doesn’t give up and go home. He sees the job through.
Persistence.
And he has the foresight to ask if there are any more sons, which results in the
young shepherd David being brought forward and chosen by God. Initiative.
And what about “Courage”? This is a dangerous undertaking; Samuel fears that if
Saul finds out, his own life could be in danger.
Then there’s Judgement. We’re told God doesn’t judge by appearances, but looks at
the heart. We’ll look at that one a bit more closely later.
In the Second Corinthians reading, which we didn’t use today, St.Paul commends
Evangelism, the telling to others the Good News of Christ’s saving Grace.
Focusing on the Gospel Reading, we can take from it Strong Faith.”We know not
how the grain sprouts and grows, but we have faith that it will.”
And finally, that most desirable of qualities in Church life, Growth. The ability to start with a little, be it numbers of people or strength of faith, and see it multiply into something really big, like the mustard plant, that’s there too. Let’s recap….
Obedience to God’s Call
Initiative
Persistence
Courage
Judgement
Evangelism
Strong Faith
Inspiring Growth
Three readings from today’s Lectionary yield eight, yes eight qualities that we can
employ to identify, grow and develop people and leaders within our Church; and that ultimately boost the prospects of growing the Kingdom of God, which is our primary mission.
Well, we can’t discuss them all today, time’s against us. So as one who longs to see
growth in leaders and volunteers here and elsewhere, I’d like to spend the remaining time looking at what we can take from these readings, about how God gives us what we need to find leaders and workers, and see how we might apply it in our setting.
You’ll recall, I hope, that when the sons of Jesse are being shown to Samuel, even
Samual’s swayed by seeing a tall physique and a warrior like strength. But note how
God corrects Samuel’s thoughts by saying:
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Hopefully we don’t judge people by outward appearances either. But that’s not to say that we don’t unintentionally, without realising, look at other external factors. Like Perceived Wealth? Educational Achievement? Social Status? Yet God looks at the heart.
God of course has powers that we don’t. God knows everything about us.
As Psalm 139 says: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.”
We don’t have that level of insight. Yet we should be able to put aside first
impressions and see what, with a little nurturing, people might have within them that can contribute to growing God’s Kingdom and his Church.
And talking of nurturing and growing, remember the Mustard Seed? Or any seed
really. Seeds to me signify Potential. What’s Potential? Potential is not what we are
here and now. Potential is what we might be, what we could be. Because given the
right environment and the right inputs, and nurturing, we could undergo tremendous growth.
As we maybe recall, from the parable of the sower, not all seeds grow that much, or
even at all. Sad; and especially sad when God sows seeds within us and within our
Churches, seeds that could grow into workers for Christ, and they don’t flourish.
Because that’s what God does; he sows seeds within his people, within his
Churches, he sows seeds all around us. But unless positive steps and action are
taken to help them get established and grow, to realise their full potential, they can
whither and perish.
God’s sewing seeds all around us, but we must be the gardeners, cultivating sturdy
trees that give us fruit to harvest.
So let’s look at ourselves. Let’s look at ourselves positively. Even if we have
weaknesses, and we will, we all have strengths too. What have we got within us that
we aren’t as yet using to grow and show our love of God? What potential do we
have? What could we be if we developed that potential?
And look around us. Where is God sewing seeds? And what are we doing to make
sure those seeds have the best chance of flourishing, as God wants them to?
If we want to grow as a Body of Christ, well we could go on courses, read some of
the thousands of books there are on the subject, have numerous meetings, set up
committees; but maybe there’s a simpler solution. Just have a look at what’s already here, see what potential there might under this roof, and pray to God for guidance on how to turn small seeds into sturdy trees laden with fruit.
St Peter's Church 