Follow the Lord – God Is Calling Us

Follow the Lord: God is Calling Us

1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Unlikely Ones are Chosen

Throughout the history of humanity, people with special characteristics have been called out, set aside, anointed, if you will, to provide care and guidance, and to speak out on behalf of their people. They have been kings, prophets, and messengers. Today they may still be seen as prophets and messengers; but we also know them as religious leaders, public servants and elected officials. These people who are called out to serve have been called out for the specific purpose of helping what the bible has referred to as “the least of these”, the people who find themselves voiceless and without enough resources to fully care for themselves and their families. From the very beginning, God’s anointed ones have been set aside to work and to advocate for the common good of all God’s people.

The scripture from 1 Samuel calls us to forge boldly ahead in our quest to bring about the common good, even among adversity. Our call to serve God and one another is in the very depths of our souls. God sees this capacity within us and calls it out of us, to be used for the good of all. The narratives in scripture have an amazing way of telling the story, where we may find ourselves relating with any one of the characters. In this case, you may be feeling like Samuel, called to do God’s bidding, delivering news that is very often not well received. Perhaps you relate more to Jesse, thinking surely you know the way that the whole thing is going to play out, but surprised to find out that God has other plans. Maybe at this point you’re hoping that you’re not Saul, the one who once was a great leader and has since forgotten his true purpose. And then there’s young David, the unlikely one. He is the one who is so attuned to God’s call on his life that he will be known for thousands of years as “a man after God’s own heart.”

May that be our legacy. May it be our prayer that we are the unlikely ones, the ones who haven’t come to our positions in an assuming way, sure that we were the ones cut out for the job. Rather, may we come to our post in humility, recognizing that it is by God’s grace that we have been chosen. May we always remember the passion for the people that God saw in our hearts that got us to this place, and may we always be faithful to that first true love; our desire to serve one another and to bring about reign of God, where peace and justice prevail. Lord, lead us today to be men and women after your own heart. Amen.

Rev Michelle Scott-Huffman, Pastor, Table of Grace (Disciples of Christ) in Jefferson City