“God’s Surprising Choices” – Lenten Reflection for April 6 by Tony Robinson

April 6th,2017 Categories: Advent2017, Latest News

April 6

A friend of mine did a sermon series she called “The Ten Essentials.” Her subtitle was, “The Ten Bible Stories You Have to Have.” She would tell her congregation, “It’s too dangerous for you to go out there without these stories tucked in your hearts.”

This one, the story of the prophet Samuel’s visit to Jesse to anoint one of his sons to be king of  Israel, would make my top ten, if for no other reason than the line quoted above. “God does not look on outward appearances, but upon the heart.”

Jesse had a passel of sons. He paraded seven of them before Samuel, beginning with Eliab, who was not only the eldest but big and tall and studly. Looked like excellent king material, as did the others. But one after another God gave a thumbs down to an increasingly exasperated Samuel.

Finally, Samuel — desperation in his voice — asked Jesse if he had seen all of his sons. “Well, there is one more, the youngest. He’s out tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Bring him.” God said, “This is the one.”

He was the youngest, the smallest, the least likely, a mere boy. David.

But he was the one God wanted. Why? Well, God seems to like surprising us. God gets a kick out of messing with our expectations. God seems to like choosing people that conventional wisdom  would not consider in a million years. Like Moses, who had a public speaking problem. Like Jeremiah who was a raw youth. Like Mary who was unwed and poor. Like Paul who was known as an enemy of the church. God, as a friend likes to say, has, “a preferential option for the unlikely.”

There’s both bad news and goods news here. The bad news is that our choices and evaluations are often made on a superficial basis. The good news is that in our heart of hearts many of us harbor a sense of deep inadequacy. We think we’re not enough. Not smart enough. Not good enough. Not faithful enough. We feel we are very unlikely candidates for God’s love, for doing God’s work in the world. But good news: God can and does have a preferential option for the unlikely, which includes me and maybe you, too.

Prayer

Holy One, when the voices thrum that repeat “not enough,” ring in my ears; help me to hear your surprising word and to know that, by your grace, I am enough.

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United Church of Christ Stillspeaking Devotional Published by Pilgrim Press. Shared with permission of the publisher.