July 4, 2021
Independence Day Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song God Bless America Sandi Patty https://youtu.be/XD-aXtcUEOs Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your invitation: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Call to Worship Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150, NRSV) Song America U.S. Air Force Academy Band Colorado Springs Chorale https://youtu.be/04opcmByWsA Opening Prayer Lord, you were favorable to your land. You forgave the iniquity of your people. Restore us again, O God of our salvation. Show us your steadfast love. Surely your salvation is at hand for those who fear you, that your glory may dwell in our land. O Lord, you will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Amen. (From Psalm 85, NRSV) Hearing the Word Scripture 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some time, while Saul was kind over us, it was you who led Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.” So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. Sermon David – A Man After God’s Own Heart The Importance of Good Beginnings Today we will celebrate our nation’s independence, our country’s birthday, the 4th of July. A time of beginning. It is the day we remember in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. By that time, the 13 colonies had already been at war with Great Britain for more than a year. But this document made the separation official, at least in the eyes of the colonists. The fifty-six delegates from the thirteen original colonies signed their names to this document, knowing full well that if the colonies lost the war then they could be executed for treason against the crown. But freedom was a cause they considered worth the risk. There were two future presidents who signed the Declaration: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The most famous signature on the document is that of John Han-cock, who signed first as President of the Congress. His large and rather flamboyant signature definitely gets your attention; the delegate from Massachusetts was reported to have said after Hancock signed, “The British ministry can read that name without spectacles.” In another famous story, Hancock supposedly said that Congress, having signed the Declaration, must now “all hang together.” To which Benjamin Franklin re-plied, “Yes, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” The first formal public readings of the Declaration of Independence occurred on July 8 in Philadelphia. John Hancock sent a copy to General Washington instructing him to share it with the Head of the Army in the way he thought it most proper. Washington chose to have the Declaration read to his troops in New York City on July 9. He hoped that hearing it would inspire the soldiers and encourage others to join the army. The Declaration of Independence was surely part of the beginning of our country, but it wasn’t all of the beginning. The Revolutionary War went on until 1783. It wasn’t until 1787 that our Constitution was written and the United States of America was created. Many of the men who helped write the Constitution went on to hold important positions in the new government, such as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. The Constitution created a strong national government with its three branches; executive, legislative, and judicial. Some states agreed to the Constitution very quickly; others were hesitant, because they felt it gave too much power to the federal government. Soon the Bill of Rights was added, with its 10 Amendments limiting the power of the federal government and guaranteeing certain rights to citizens. In 1789 George Washington was elected as the first President of the United States of America. New beginnings take time. And we can clearly see the importance of good beginnings. That was the kind of new beginning that David experienced when he finally became King of all Israel. After Saul died, along with three of his sons, David became king over Judah at Hebron. But Saul’s son Ishbaal became king of Israel. He reigned for two years, during which time there was constant war between the house of Saul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. Finally, Ishbaal was assassinated. And the message came to David at Hebron. All the tribes came to David and all the elders also came. And there, in the presence of God, David made a covenant with them. They anointed David to be king over all of Israel. He was thirty years old when this happened. He had already been king of Judah for 7 years, and would rule over the combined kingdom for 33 years. He soon occupied the city of Jerusalem and named it as his capitol city. And David became greater and greater, because God was with him. David got off to a good beginning as king for a couple of reasons. First, David had been chosen by God and everything he did was with the pre-sence of God. He asked God’s will when he was making decisions, and he obeyed God. He waited for God to bring things about in his own time. David did not become greater and greater because of his own strength, but because God was with him. Before the people anointed him as king, God had instructed Samuel to anoint him as king when he was still just a shepherd boy in his father’s house. David was God’s choice to be king of Israel. Second, David was ready to assume leadership when the time was right. The tribes came and the elders came and they wanted David as their king. And David was prepared for that moment. He knew what it meant to be king, to be a strong leader. God had prepared him, through years of leading an army and then of being king of Judah. He took advantage of these years of training for this bigger job. And he was ready. Third, David seems to have accepted this new position as king over all of Israel with a certain amount of humbleness. He did not gloat over the leaders from Israel, whose leader Ishbaal had just been assassinated. He did not take advantage of the situation by first going out and defeating their army in battle. He waited and when their representatives came looking to join together in peace, he made a covenant with them to form one nation again. This does not imply that he was weak; in fact, humility can be a sign of true strength. David was off to a good beginning as king of all Israel. And he would become the greatest king Israel would ever have. Song America the Beautiful Hillsdale College https://youtu.be/EmP9LvHgcaA Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer God of all nations, we thank you for the life and history of our country, for its vast beauty, its wilderness, and wealth of forest, mine, and sea. We praise you for its people, the people whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years, and those who have just arrived. We thank you for the variety of our traditions and our cultures, the riches of our spiritual and religious heritage, the strength of our democratic institutions. We pray for our nation, for our citizens, residents, and governments, that working together we may face the future with confident hope and faith in your purpose for our world. (J. Allan McIntosh) We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught his disciples to pray: The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication O God, for the bounty of our land we give you thanks. You have blessed us in more ways than we can count. We return now to you a portion of your gifts to us. Use them to your glory and to bless others. In Christ’s name. Amen. Song Armed Forces Medley National Symphony Orchestra https://youtu.be/uPMsajXW0p8 Benediction Like fireworks against a night sky, may God’s love for us explode within us, that our lives would burst forth with the flames of the Holy Spirit and shower the earth with celebrations of the freedom we find in Jesus Christ. Amen.
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June 20, 2021
Father’s Day Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song Awesome God Michael W. Smith https://youtu.be/38V8jnN1Kpw Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your invitation: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Call to Worship On this Father’s Day, we honor and remember our earthly fathers, most of whom did their best to care for us. And we remind ourselves that we have a heavenly Father whose love is perfect and never-ending. We are surrounded by God’s compassion and grace. We come to praise and worship God on this summer day. Song Warrior Steven Curtis Chapman https://youtu.be/9D16gzs-VDc Opening Prayer To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love. Do not remember the sins of my youth. For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt. O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Amen. (From Psalm 25, NRSV) Song The Battle is the Lord’s Twila Paris https://youtu.be/uQgasQL9a3A Hearing the Word Scripture 1 Samuel 17:1, 4-11, 16-17, 20-24, 32-50 The Philistines gathered for battle in Socoh, a town in Judah; they camped at a place called Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. A man named Goliath, from the city of Gath, came out from the Philistine camp to challenge the Israelites. He was over nine feet tall and wore bronze armor that weighed about 125 pounds and a bronze helmet. His legs were also protected by bronze armor, and he carried a bronze javelin slung over his shoulder. His spear was as thick as the bar on a weaver’s loom, and its iron head weighed about fifteen pounds. A soldier walked in front of him carrying his shield. Goliath stood and shouted at the Israelites, “What are you doing there, lined up for battle? I am a Philistine, you slaves of Saul! Choose one of your men to fight me. If he wins and kills me, we will be your slaves, but if I win and kill him, you will be our slaves. Here and now I challenge the Israelite army. I dare you to pick some to fight me!” When Saul and his men heard this, they were terrified. Goliath challenged the Israelites every morning and evening for forty days. One day Jesse said to David, “Take a half-bushel of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and hurry with them to your brothers in the camp.” David got up early the next morning, left someone else in charge of the sheep, took the food, and went as Jesse had told him to. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelites were going out to their battle line, shouting the war cry. The Philistine and the Israelite armies took positions for battle, facing each other. David left the food with the officer in charge of the supplies, ran to the battle line, went to his brothers, and asked how they were getting along. As he was talking with them, Goliath came forward and challenged the Israelites as he had done before. And David heard him. When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror. David said to Saul, “Your Majesty, no one should be afraid of this Philistine! I will go and fight him.” “No,” answered Saul. “How could you fight him? You’re just a boy, and he has been a soldier all his life!” “Your Majesty,” David said, “I take care of my father’s sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb, I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death. I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God. The Lord has saved me from lions and bears; he will save me from this Philistine.” “All right,” Saul answered. “Go, and the Lord be with you.” He gave his own armor to David for him to wear: a bronze helmet, which he put on David’s head, and a coat or armor. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor and tried to walk, but he couldn’t, because he wasn’t used to wearing them. “I can’t fight with all this,” he said to Saul. “I’m not used to it.” So he took it all off. He took his shepherd’s stick and then picked up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his bag. With his sling ready, he went out to meet Goliath. The Philistine started walking toward David, with his shield bearer walking in front of him. He kept coming closer, and when he got a good look at David, he was filled with scorn for him because he was just a nice-looking boy. He said to David, “What’s that stick for? Do you think I’m a dog?” And he called down curses from his god on David. “Come on,” he challenged David, “and I will give your body to the birds and animals to eat.” David answered, “You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied. This very day the Lord will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. And I will give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, and everyone here will see that the Lord does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and he will put all of you in our power.” Goliath started walking toward David again, and David ran quickly toward the Philistine battle line to fight him. He reached into his bag and took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground. And so, without a sword, David defeated and killed Goliath with a sling and a stone! Sermon David – A Man After God’s Own Heart A Man of Courage When I was a little girl, I believed that my Daddy could do anything. I saw him do almost everything! He could untangle shoelaces and Christmas lights and bicycle chains. He could build things with wood and operate table saws. He protected us and made us feel safe. Our neighbors behind the woods had stables with horses, and sometimes when they cleaned out, big barn rats would come around. He would shoot those rats, and also the snakes that came up out of the creek. He chased the monsters out from under my bed and held my on his lap when I had bad dreams. He taught me how to drive a nail and use a handsaw and when I got bigger he taught me how to mow the lawn. He showed me how to change a tire and check the oil in the car. I guess there’s a part of me that still believes he can fix just about anything. My dad’s always seemed kind of brave to me, and never more so than when he walked with my mom through her illness and death. I know that his faith in God made him a man of courage. Another man of courage I have always admired is David, the shepherd king, a man after God’s own heart. This morning we are looking at what may the most famous story about David, the story of David and Goliath. The armies of Israel and the armies of the Philistines had been fighting for quite some time. The Philistines had been driven out of the hill country, and now had attacked from the southwest near the city of Bethlehem. The Philistines camped out on one hill and the Israelites camped out on another hill across the valley. And a giant named Goliath who fought with the Philistines came out and challenged the Israelites. He was over nine feet tall and was large enough that he could wear armor that weighed about 125 pounds. He carried a spear that had an iron head that weighed fifteen pounds; can you imagine carrying that thing? Goliath threw down a challenge to the Israelites: Send out your best man to fight me, one on one. Whoever wins, that will be the victorious army. I dare you to pick someone to fight me! Now, I’m the kind of person, at least when I was younger, that if someone dared me to do something, that just pushed my button, and I was bound to do it, or at least try. But not the armies of Saul. When they heard Goliath’s challenge, they were all scared to death and no one answered him. Not one of the soldiers of Saul was willing to fight the giant. Every day for forty days, Goliath swaggered out in front of the Israelites and repeated his dare, and every day the Israelites met his challenge with silence. In the meantime, David’s father, Jesse, sent David from home with a care pack-age for his three brothers who were serving in Saul’s army. He set off with some food and got to the camp just as Goliath was doing his thing. David heard Goliath out there yelling, and he was appalled when he saw Saul’s soldiers running away, terrified. He went to Saul and said that no one should be afraid of Goliath, and that he would volunteer to go and fight him. He said that he had killed lions and bears to protect his father’s sheep, and he would do the same to this heathen Philistine, who had defied the army of the living God. “The Lord has saved me from lions and bears; he will save me from this Philistine.” David was the first one to really get what was going on with Goliath’s challenge. This wasn’t just about the Philistines and the Israelites. This was about the Israelites and God. This was about the lack of faith among the soldiers – and King Saul – that God would give them victory over Goliath. David knew that Goliath wasn’t just defying Saul, he was defying God; and in his arrogance he was taunting God, and God would punish Goliath for that. This knowledge gave David confidence to face off with the giant. Saul tried to get David to wear his armor as protection against the enemy. David tried it on, but he found that he couldn’t walk around in it because he wasn’t used to it. Having greater mobility would also be to his advantage over Goliath, who was wearing over 125 pounds of armor, and carrying heavy weapons. All David carried was his shepherd’s stick, his sling and five stones. When Goliath got a good look at David, he couldn’t believe his eyes. This small, young shepherd boy was coming out to face him! What was with the Israelites? Was that the best they could do? And what about the shepherd’s stick that David was carrying? Did he really think that would do any good? So Goliath taunted David. “Come and get me.” But David wasn’t deterred. In fact, he answered Goliath with strong words of his own: “You come against me with all your weapons, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied. To-day the Lord will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God. He is victorious in battle.” When the fight started, it was over very quickly. David reached into his bag, took out a stone, put it into his sling, and sent it flying toward Goliath. It hit the giant on the forehead and broke his skull. Goliath fell face down on the ground. David stood over him and took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head and killed him. And that was that. When the Philistines saw what had happened, they ran away. The battle was over. There would be many more occasions in David’s life when his courage would be challenged. And he would meet that challenge because his courage came from his faith and confidence in God. He knew that the battle was the Lord’s. He fought his enemies, not with his own power, but with the power of God. And there was no one who could defeat him if the Lord was on his side. We will face enemies in our lives, too. They may not be giants like Goliath, or monsters under the bed like I needed my dad to chase away. But they are just as real. Enemies like cancer or COVID-19. Enemies like fear or depression. Enemies like addiction or mental health issues. We don’t fight these enemies in the same way. But we can fight them with the same ally: God. We may not have a clue about what strategy to use, but God can help us figure it out. We may not believe we have the strength to do it, and we may be right, but God has enough strength for both of us. We may see other people face these same enemies and try to run away, but we know that won’t work in the long run; and so, with God’s help, we are able to face them head on. Our courage, our strength, our victory, come from our faith in God. What do you need courage for today? Can you find enough courage to ask God to help you face it? Because I know that God will not let you down. God will give you the strength you need to face whatever that enemy may be. Just trust in God’s promises to be with you always. And remember the faith and courage of David. It’s amazing what a boy with a slingshot can do against a 10-foot tall giant when God is on his side. Hymn The Voice of Truth Casting Crowns https://youtu.be/enxca57LiVU Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer Almighty God, sometimes we focus so much on your love and your grace and your compassion that we forget about how powerful you are. We think about how tender and kind you showed yourself to be in Jesus, and we don’t always remember that Jesus stood up to demons and religious leaders and Roman officials, and even to Satan. There is a very real power of evil in this world, and without your power at work to hold that evil at bay, we would be lost. When we face our enemies, your enemies, you give us that power so that we might be able to defeat them in your name. We have available for our use the armor that you provide through faith: Paul wrote to the Ephesians that our armor includes truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. When we hold on to our faith in you, we can face up to the evils of this world that make themselves known in our lives. Help us to have the courage of David, to face whatever giants may come our way, knowing that we stand in your strength. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught his disciples to pray: The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication Holy God, receive now these offerings and gifts, and bless them to your use and to your glory. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Song Confidence Sanctus Real https://youtu.be/DuZPOVFcFJ4 Benediction Go from this place with courage. Remember that the battle is the Lord’s. You do not face the giants alone. God is with you always. Amen. June 13, 2021
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song He Has Made Me Glad Philip Isaac https://youtu.be/nr_YiSZ8KBc Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your invitation: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Call to Worship We gather together to praise and to worship God! We lift our voices with joy and with gratitude! May the God who sees our hearts know the love we have for God and for each other. And may we find the courage to share that love with those beyond the walls of our church. Hymn We Are Marching VRHS Virtual Choir 2020 https://youtu.be/brOUsvSxjRA Opening Prayer O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. You have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Amen. (From Psalm 63, NRSV) Hymn The Truth About Me Mandisa https://youtu.be/qj5fMIKe47w Hearing the Word Scripture 1 Samuel 16:1-13 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come to peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Nether has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 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.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Sermon David – A Man After God’s Own Heart Look at His Heart DAVID – A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART Look at His Heart 1 Samuel 16:1-13 For those of you who may not know it, June is Pride Month, a time for GLBT folks to stand up and feel proud of who they are. You may see rainbow flags flying from homes – Pennie and I have ours out. And there are Pride parades and other celebrations. It’s a way of affirming a group of people who have been rejected, outcast, stereotyped, labeled as sinners, demonized and dehumanized for as long as there have been people. I recently saw something on Facebook that I wish I had written down. I can’t remember it exactly word for word, but it said something like, if we could see each person’s heart and soul, imagine how differently we would judge them. If we could see each person’s heart and soul, imagine how differently we would judge them. If we looked at a person and didn’t know whether that person was male or female, white or black, gay or straight, young or old, but only what was in their heart, what was in their character, would it make a difference in how we thought of them? Would we “see” them the same way? What if we could learn to measure a person that way all the time? I have known some truly godly people, some good people, people with good hearts, people who follow the teachings of Christ, who will never set foot in a church again because of the way church people have treated them because they happen to be gay. They have been called names, they have not been allowed to hold church offices or teach Sunday School or be ordained as clergy in some cases. They have been told that they are sinners just because of who they are, who they were created to be. They have been blamed by well-known evangelists for 9/11. They have been told that their very existence is incompatible with Christian teaching. So why would they walk into a church? But what if the church looked not at their sexual identity, but at their hearts, at their souls? What would we see there? We would see loving, caring individuals, responsible partners and spouses and parents, people who care about others and give generously. We would find people of faith who pray regularly to a God whom they are told finds them guilty, and yet who continue to believe in his love and grace. We would find people who follow the way of Jesus. As we begin this sermon series on King David, we start with the story of his anointing by Samuel as God chose him to replace King Saul. God had rejected Saul for a variety of reasons, but mainly because Saul no longer was obedient to God’s commands and did not follow God’s leading. The verse just prior to our reading today says that God was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. And so God sent Samuel the prophet to anoint another king from among the sons of Jesse, a man who lived in Bethlehem. Samuel was reluctant at first. After all, if Saul heard that Samuel was anointing another king, Saul might come after Samuel and kill him and the newly anointed successor. But God reassured him and sent him along to Bethlehem with a carefully concocted alibi as to why he was there. When he got ready, Samuel had Jesse bring his sons along one at a time. When the eldest son, Eliab, came along, he was impressive. Apparently, he was tall and good looking. But God told Samuel not to pay any attention to his appearance. God said that he does not see as mortals see; while we look on the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. And so one by one, the other sons of Jesse are paraded in front of Samuel. But God rejects all seven of these sons. Finally, Samuel asks, “Do you have any other sons?” Can’t you just imagine his frustration? And Jesse’s? After all, these seven young men were probably prime specimens. They were all tall and healthy and strong, ready to assume leadership. But God was not impressed with any of them. Samuel may have been wondering if God maybe just got distracted and missed the one he wanted as he came by in that crowd of men. There was nothing left to do but ask if there might be any more sons hanging around somewhere. Jesse admitted that there was, in fact, one more son, the youngest. David was out tending to the sheep. So Samuel told Jesse to send for him. When David came in, what does the scripture say? It says that he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. This seems so ironic to me, given that earlier God had said not to pay any attention to the outward appearance! But maybe this was to emphasize that David was the whole package, someone with a good heart AND good-looking. Anyway, God let Samuel know that this was the one. Finally! So Samuel anointed David with oil in front of his brothers. (Ever wonder what they were thinking? Maybe Joseph and his brothers all over again?) And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David that day. So what do we know about David so far? David was a shepherd. He knew how to take care of sheep. That means that he had a certain amount of courage. There were wild animals out there that would try to kill the sheep, and he would need to be ready to protect his animals. He would have to have weapons – a sling, a shepherd’s crook – ready to defend them and drive off the predators. He would also need a certain amount of patience. He would have to sometimes track down sheep who had wandered off. They will, as my Bible professor used to say, “nibble themselves into lostness, one blade of grass at a time.” And, as Jesus said in a parable, the shepherd will indeed leave the 99 to go looking for the one who is lost. Both courage and patience would be good qualities in a king. David was the youngest of eight brothers. Maybe he was spoiled, but I doubt it. I think he probably had to stand up for himself a lot. He wouldn’t have wanted to be pushed around by those who were bigger and stronger than himself. Maybe that’s what made him so confident that he could defeat the giant Goliath. David became filled with the spirit of the Lord. In the next verse after our passage, it says that the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. God’s Spirit that had enabled Saul to be an effective ruler not settled on David, even before he became king, a long time before he became king. And I believe that God’s Spirit shaped David and helped form and mold him into the king that God needed him to be. That Spirit that filled David is seen in the beautiful psalms that he wrote and that we still use today as we sing and pray. And that Spirit is what made David a man after God’s own heart. If we could see into David’s heart what God saw that day, I think we would see a man of courage, a man of patience, a man unafraid of a challenge, and a man open to receive the Spirit of God. That is the kind of man God would choose to be king. That is the kind of man that would be a man after God’s own heart. Hymn Let Me Dream for You Casting Crowns https://youtu.be/R8nsJZx8eWw Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer O God, we live in a world where appearances are everything. People make judgements about who we are just by looking at our skin color, our clothing, our hair style, our age, our shoes, our gender and our sexual identity. We are stereotyped, labeled, and filed according to the way we look. But we are so grateful that you do not make judgements about us in the same way. Instead, you look at our hearts, our souls, our character. You appreciate us for our gifts and talents, our willingness to love and to show compassion, our concern for others, our devotion to you, and our commitment to following the way of Jesus Christ. You value our tenderness of heart, our gentleness of spirit, and our openness of mind. Help us to see others in the way that you see us. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught his disciples to pray: The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication O God, we thank you for all our blessings. We ask your blessing now on these gifts which we bring. We dedicate them to your service, in Christ’s name. Amen. Song You Are Mine Virtual Choir of Indonesia https://youtu.be/OUY8qDya3IQ Benediction Remember that God doesn’t judge by appearances; God looks at the heart. And remember to be careful not to judge others by the way they look, but to look deeper to see who they really are. Each person is a unique and beloved child of God. Amen. June 6, 2021
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song Forever Michael W. Smith https://youtu.be/ks86XlVKaB8 Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your invitation: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Call to Worship In a world where nothing seems to last, we proclaim the steadfast love of God. God’s love is not changing, fickle, or wavering. We believe that our God is faithful, no matter what. God’s love is constant; it will never be taken away. The love of God will endure forever. Thanks be to God! Hymn Leaning on the Everlasting Arms Lifetree Kids https://youtu.be/1CYNHT08_m0 Opening Prayer Holy and Everlasting God, teach us to trust in your faithful love. We have been betrayed and hurt before by others. But your love is different. It is never-ending. Your love does not depend on our behavior or our character. It is based on your goodness. We only need to receive it. Thank you for your graciousness to us. Amen. Hymn The King of Love My Shepherd Is Mass of the Rock https://youtu.be/iI1OeQfkVyI Hearing the Word Scripture Psalm 138 Sermon God is Faithful GOD IS FAITHFUL Psalm 138 Well-known speaker and writer Tony Campolo tells about a friend of his in England who was trying to set up a ministry in the nightclub scene in Newcastle. He decided to start by visiting some of the nightclubs that were located near the train station. In each of the clubs, he found the same thing: intense music, flashing strobe lights, and young bodies vibrating to rock music. When he visited the fourth nightclub, it seemed pretty much like the other three, except for one thing. There was a middle-aged man wearing a tweed jacket and tie sitting off in the corner. He didn’t seem as if he belonged there. So the man went over and asked him, “What in the world are you doing here?” The man in the tweed answered, “Two months ago I had an argument with my daughter. She had gotten into drugs and become one of those strange young women who call themselves ‘Goths.’ She wore mostly black clothes, purple lipstick, and had dyed her hair black. It was obvious, after she stayed out all night time and time again, that she had become promiscuous. We had many arguments and one day a few weeks ago she stomped out of the house, slammed the door, and yelled that she was never coming back again. I know that she hangs out at places like this, so every Friday and Saturday night I come to this part of Newcastle to sit in a nightclub and hope that I will see her. I want to put my arms around her and tell her that I love her, and that any time that she wants to come home she will be more than welcome because I miss her so very, very much.” That father’s love was a reflection of God’s steadfast love described by David in this psalm. David gives thanks for God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. According to my trusty Webster’s dictionary, steadfast means “firm, fixed; not changing, fickle, or wavering; constant.” And faithful means “constant, loyal; showing a strong sense of duty or responsibility; steadfast adherence to a person to which one is bound.” God loves us like that. God’s love never changes; it is not fickle; it doesn’t depend on God’s mood or on our behavior. God’s love is just there. And it will always be there. And God is faithful to us. God’s loyalty to us is constant. God will not desert us or leave us to our own devices when trouble comes our way. God has our back. This psalm has meant a lot to me during the long months of the pandemic. I have needed that reminder of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. I have needed to hear again and again that when I call on God, God will answer me. And God has surely increased the strength of my soul over and over and over again. Even though I – we all – have walked in the midst of trouble, God has preserved us. When this all started back in March of 2020 and everything was shut down, I was afraid and anxious. I guess we all were. Nobody knew how bad things might get, or when we could get out again, or when we could get back to church or see our families. No one could have ever predicted that 15 months later we would have experienced so much hardship and heartache. Small businesses had to close, some of them permanently. People lost their jobs and found themselves needing help for the first time in their lives. There were changing directions and guidelines from the CDC and that was sometimes confusing. Children were disrupted in their education, with some attending school in person, others remotely, and some in a combination. And then there was the COVID-19 virus itself. As of June 2, there have been 595,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19. Some of those people were family members or friends of those sitting here this morning. All of them were family members or friends of someone. The amount of grief that has been borne in our country is overwhelming. And then there were the other issues that were fighting for our attention. The Black Lives Matter movement, the death of George Floyd and the demonstrations that followed, the killings of other persons of color, the voices calling out for justice. The deep political division in our country and a presidential election like no other. The attack on the U.S. Capitol. And there has been a rise in the number of mass shootings over the past several months. All of these events have been causes of frustration, anger, confusion, and division among family members. My emotions have been on a roller coaster ride for 15 months. I am in many ways exhausted. And I would imagine some of you feel the same way. At first, I wasn’t even sure how to do my job. I couldn’t do things the way I was used to doing them, that was for sure. So I had to relearn, regroup, and find new ways of offering ministry. Instead of doing less work because we aren’t meeting for worship in person or holding our regular activities, I have actually had to work more in order to provide ministry to the most people that I could. I was somewhat frustrated by the fact that clergy were not considered front-line workers; I felt we should have been allowed in hospitals. Nurses were left to set with the dying, when clergy have been trained to do that. I felt useless and helpless sometimes, sitting on the sidelines. But through all of these months of troubles, trials, and tribulations, the one thing I was absolutely sure of was that God was right there in it with me, with us, with all of us. Because God is faithful. God would never leave us when we really need him. When we call God, God will answer us. And God will increase our strength of soul. I just love that phrase, don’t you? Increase our strength of soul. That is how we get through each day, with strength of soul. Knowing that the unchanging love of God is surrounding us. Knowing that God will faithfully walk with us in the mist of the trouble. One of the greatest privileges that has been mine was to walk with my mother on her journey through cancer. I was in awe of her courage every single day. And I was amazed by her faith. She was absolutely sure of God’s presence with her, and she knew that God’s steadfast love and faithfulness would get her through whatever she might have to endure. She never asked, “Why me?” She hardly ever complained except when she had trouble reading after she had a stroke. She went to church as often as she felt like it. She read her Bible and books about faith. She talked about her faith with her friends and other church members, and with me. I knew that she felt God with her and that she depended on God with a childlike faith. I have tried to have that kind of faith during the pandemic. I have felt God’s presence during the days that were hard. I have trusted God’s steadfast love and believed in God’s unchanging faithfulness. And I have felt God increase my strength of soul. As I walked in the midst of trouble, God has indeed preserved me. I would like to close with a paraphrase of Psalm 138 written by Leslie Brandt: I am exceedingly grateful, O Lord, for You have heard my cries and complaints, and You responded with mercy and strength. Now my life is overflowing with thanks-giving, and my mouth is filled with Your praises. You have not shielded me from the pains of trouble or the ravages of conflict, but You have kept me even amid sorrow and suffering. You take my side against the enemies of my soul, and You will not allow them to destroy me. Thus I know You will fulfill Your purpose for my life. Your love and mercy [are] everlasting; You will not let me go. Hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness Carrie Underwood and CeCe Winans https://youtu.be/NT0HcAr9aeI Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer O God who loves us more than we can understand, help us to receive that love and feel it filling our hearts and our souls. In this world, there are not many constants. People say they love us, but then they leave us. It is hard to trust that any love could be permanent. But you promise us that you will never leave us. You will be faithful. We learn to believe in your faithfulness by our experiences. Because we see how you have been faithful in the past, and experience your faithfulness in the present, we can trust that you will be faithful in the future. Help us to lean into your love. Help us to put our whole weight down on your faithfulness to us. We can stand on this solid rock. It is our constant in life. And because we have your steadfast love, we find the courage to love others. We can love even when we may not be loved in return. We can love even the unlovely, even the unlovable. We can love even our enemies. And we can change the world by this love. It is our power. It is your power. As we live out your love, as we change our world one person at a time, give us hope for the future. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught his disciples to pray: The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication O God, our gifts are outward signs of our inward love for you and for others. Use our offerings to your glory and to the benefit of those in need. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Song He’s Always Been Faithful Sara Groves https://youtu.be/BPnXMITllRI Benediction May you carry with you an assurance that you are loved. And may that love in your heart be shared with others. Amen. |
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