The way of David

How do we face a crises in our lives? There is the way of Israel which is paralizing fear as seen in Israel's army, shirking responsibility as the tallest man in Israel, Saul, wants to pay someone else to fight his battle for him, and scathing cynicism of Eliab who would rather for all Israel to perish than for his little brother to be right.

There is the Goliath way of confronting crisis which is faith in one's self wielding weapons of arrogance, ambition, and audacity. But there is always a chink in every armor of humankind. ( Of course, if Goliath could speak, he would say that it was the shield bearer's fault because he failed to hold the shield high enough.)
And there is the way of David- the way of faith, A faith based on a belief in past interventions of God- a faith based on belief that the Divine spirit equips individuals with unique gifts- a faith based on belief that God delights in using weakness to gain glory.
We can face our crisis by shaking in fear, shirking our responsibility, and soaking in cynicism. We can face it with arrogance that we have all power, the audacity to believe that we are self protected, and the ambition to tromp on anyone who thinks otherwise. Or, we can draw courage from our past experiences and the experiences of others, careful confidence from the unique, God-given gifts discovered within, and commitment to allow God to use our weakness to gain glory for the Divine Vision.
You and I are called to participate in taming giants, in healing and liberating the world around us.
Rev Gordon Bannon
(for full sermon see sermon's page)