A Call to Action

Sometimes the ones most likely to be chosen are rejected.

Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, 'The Lord has not chosen any of these. Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all your sons here? And he said, 'There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here. He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, 'Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.  - 1 Samuel 16:10-12

We have seen how Jesus chose his disciples, and whom he chose to call to him.  His choices were based on the needs of those chosen.

He came for the sinners.

But what about those chosen by God before Jesus became man?  How does God choose?

In today's reading, we have a very engaged God, overseeing the selection of the one to be anointed king, and we accept that God has a hand in what we do.

We may not understand why God chooses the one others would reject and empowers him to lead, but we trust His judgment and know what He has done is good, just like all of creation which was and is also good.

But what about today?

We don't hear about God's involvement in our lives today, calling and anointing the chosen to lead.

Does that mean He isn't doing it?

I read a letter from a ninth grader, Abram Cressman, who was at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last Wednesday, when a lone shooter attacked students and teachers at the end of classes.

The letter is a call to action, and students all over are taking up that call, pushing us to do something beyond offering prayers and condolences.  There was something in his letter that stands our for me, a sign of our times perhaps.

I have to say, I’ve never been one much for religion. There’s so much darkness and hate in the world. How could there possibly be some divine entity watching over it all, letting it all happen? Never stepping in to say, “Hey everyone, I’m here. Maybe you shouldn’t do that stuff?” Sitting up on their throne, gazing down at our screwed up world, claiming to be a force of all-powerful good yet letting all this evil continue. I’m sure some of your congregation might be feeling the same way as I am. Are their thoughts and prayers doing anything? Is my God hearing me? Why won’t he stop this evil?

Abram's letter is a call to action for people, not for God.

He has lost faith in all of us who put our faith and trust in a God he feels does nothing, and so he has little or no use for our religious beliefs.  He wants action.

Somewhere along the way, we have failed Abram and young people like him.  We have led them to believe we are frozen in our faith, unable to do the works God has laid on us, and so they have rejected God and all of us who worship and pray for change that doesn't come.

How do we respond to Abram and the many Abrams out there?

Do we do as he says and take up our pens, write letters to our representatives and other leaders?  Or do we add the seventeen names to our prayer list on Sunday and go about our business?

Many church leaders will be calling for unity and support, pleading with us to do something, and for a while we will be motivated to take some action.  But we will fail to address the most glaring issue that Abram raised.  We will do nothing to restore the missing faith in our youth.

It is too easy to blame these senseless acts of violence on illness or a lack of moral character, or a loss of faith in God.  We can look for simple answers to why and find myriad culprits and factors to pin this on.  But I can't help believe we should be approaching this on two fronts.

We should definitely make our voices heard, so all who represent us know what we want them to do for us and our children.

But we should also hear the anguish and despair in the voices of all who have lost hope and faith in God.  No one is strong enough to deal with all the world throws against us without God's help.

Abram reminds us he and others like him have no use for a God who does nothing.  I guess he doesn't realize God is choosing him to do His work.  Abram is one of the anointed ones, and so are we. 

Perhaps we should answer the call.

More to come...



You can read all of Abram's letter here.