All nations have mythic stories about the first great leaders. Let's think for a moment about George Washington, with this story that we grow up hearing about him chopping down that cherry tree and then owning up to it. "I cannot tell a lie." Truth or myth, we hold onto the story as a picture of who we expect a good leader to become. That's this story for Ancient Israel. So we're just gonna walk through the story again, and I'll make some comments on it. The story begins with Samuel grieving because King Saul sucks. He's terrible. But God says, "Fill your horn with oil. We're not done yet." Maybe this story is suggesting that God continues to move forward even when we're stuck in disappointment. Maybe our task is to trust that. Things might not work out the way we thought, but one thing we can do is trust that the Divine is with us. The story keeps moving, so we'll move, too. Samuel goes to Bethlehem. Yup, the same Bethlehem that shows up centuries later in the story of Jesus. God's got someone in mind to replace Saul. One of Jesse's sons. Jesse brings out Eliab. Samuel thinks he must be the one. He looks the part, anyway. God says, "Nope. People look on the outside. God looks into the heart." God says, "No" seven times. So Samuel asks, "Is that all you got?" Jesse: "Nope, there's the youngest, he's out back watching the sheep." Samuel says, "Well, go on and get him then." David is the least significant. Out with the sheep doing the job no one else wants to do in this moment. Maybe out back in the field where nobody sees you is the place where God is forming you. The hidden places. The quiet places. Maybe they're more important than we think. Maybe the Spirit really does work in our lives all the time and maybe the most important work especially in those times we think are insignificant. Story moves on. Samuel anoints David. He's the least likely choice. It takes years of formation before he becomes king - but he's the choice. So this story has me asking questions. How many Davids are we overlooking because they don't look the part? How many voices are we ignoring because they don't come from the right group of people? This is how the kingdom seems to work - from unexpected places. More questions. What if God sees something inside of you that others don't? Because God sees differently. What if the thing you assume disqualifies you is actually the place where God is working? What if your obscurity, maybe our obscurity, isn't a setback, but a preparation, the place where something new is being born? What does God see when God looks into your heart, the very center of your being? Because the God who chose David is still choosing unexpected people. God is still whispering, "This is the one." And somewhere in the quiet spaces in your life, the Spirit is working now. Because God sees differently. So maybe we should see differently, too. Maybe we need to look again; look at people differently, look at the world differently, look at ourselves differently. The next movement of God might begin, is probably beginning, in the quiet places the world barely notices, if it notices at all. And maybe the next movement of God is beginning right here in this room, in your heart and in mine. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 http://bible.com/events/49579809
