4th Sunday After Pentecost, June 21, 2015

Collect for the Day

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-­kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever Amen.

 First Lesson: 1 Samuel 17: 32-49

David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." Saul 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." But 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, I 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. Your 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." David 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!" Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, 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. Then 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.

The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The 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." But 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. This 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, and 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."

When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David 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.

Reflections: The story of David and Goliath begins some verses earlier, with the Philistine battle line, a harrowing description of Goliath, the anxiety of the Israelite fighters, and David’s arrival as he brings provisions for his brothers—just in time to hear the giant warrior’s shouts of defiance.

Ah, the courage of the young and innocent, who go charging in where angels dare not tread. Everybody knows that a slight young boy doesn’t stand a chance against the seasoned Philistine champion. The naïve David, however, believes God will protect him, and desperate King Saul—doubtless against his better judgment—is finally convinced to allow David to face the warrior one on one.

Saul does what he can to protect the boy—kitting him out for war—but his efforts prove useless. David is courageous, but he is neither large enough to wear the armor, nor strong enough to use the weapons. Saul can only hope that the boy’s convictions are right: the Lord will protect him and deliver Israel.

Now, David has presented himself to the king in a burst of inspiration, but he seems at a loss about how to proceed from there. No one goes to war unprepared; he lets the king outfit him for combat. But something just isn’t “right.” David is a shepherd, not a warrior, and can’t miraculously become one just by adopting the outward signs.

Fortunately, David comes to himself and sheds the helmet and the chain mail; he drops the sword. The young shepherd finds his God-given resources lie deep within. So he goes to face Goliath with no protection except that which is provided by being true to himself.

For his part, Goliath underestimates his opponent. Not seeing the marks of a champion—large stature, weapons and armor—he cannot conceive of the threat before him. He fails to pay attention because David doesn’t look like his equal.

How often, I wonder, do we fail to recognize opportunities (or threats) because they don’t look like what we expect? And how often, do you think, God comes to us in disguise?

Psalm 9:9-20 Confitebor tibi

The LORD will be a refuge for the oppressed, * a refuge in time of trouble.
Those who know your Name will put their trust in you, * for you never forsake those who seek you, O LORD.
Sing praise to the LORD who dwells in Zion; * proclaim to the peoples the things he has done.
The Avenger of blood will remember them; * he will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Have pity on me, O LORD; * see the misery I suffer from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gate of death;
So that I may tell of all your praises and rejoice in your salvation * in the gates of the city of Zion.
The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug, * and in the snare they set is their own foot caught.

The LORD is known by his acts of justice; * the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.

The wicked shall be given over to the grave, * and also all the peoples that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten, * and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.
Rise up, O LORD, let not the ungodly have the upper hand; * let them be judged before you.
Put fear upon them, O LORD; * let the ungodly know they are but mortal.  

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For 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! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 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; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

          We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also.

Reflections: Paul urges us not to “accept the grace of God in vain.” What does he mean? It has something to do with seizing the day, for he quotes, “Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.” Could he mean not to merely accept God’s forgiveness and grace, but to live it out—embody it—here and now? If so, what would it look like to live out God’s grace by embracing the day of salvation “now”?

From Paul’s testimony, I think we can see that “salvation” is not the reward of an easy life or a good reputation. He lives out salvation by pouring himself out for the new Christians, by undergoing hardships, suffering, and defamation in patience—on their behalf. At least in the context of this passage, it would seem that the hope of salvation is not about a comfortable life, and perhaps not even primarily about eternal life on the other side of death, but in opening our hearts here and now. Now, what would that kind of life be like? I think some of you know. 

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But 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?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" 

Reflections: The passage to the other side—whatever that “other side” might be—exposes us to uncertainty and makes us vulnerable. To leave an abusive relationship, for example, to change jobs, or go back to school—all of these can be frightening. Even more so changes over which we have no control, like the fact that our children grow up and leave us, our health fails, or a spouse dies.

          Through these things, we may well feel that God has abandoned or forgotten us. It seems to me that the anxiety we feel as we make the passage from one side to the other, is heightened by the dread of ultimately being alone. But what if (unbeknownst to us) God is with us, quietly tucked into a corner?