I Samuel 17:24-40
Introduction
The other day I saw a click bait article titled “13 Tips and Tricks to make life more comfortable.”
These articles are not uncommon—accept this one caught my attention because of that word “comfortable.” Often these “tips” “tricks” and “hacks” articles are about making life easier or better or more efficient—and usually are links to Amazon products that will bring about such, but this article was about making life comfortable—and who can resist the idea of being more comfortable. And so I gave into the click bait because I was curious to see just what the good ole “interweb” had to say about making life comfortable.
I don’t have to go through the list to tell you none of it was earth shattering. However, what was somewhat mind blowing were the number of “tips” and “tricks” to make life more comfortable simply required a modified pool noodle.
We all like and want a comfortable life. We work hard for such. And don’t worry… I am not going to say the pursuit of comfort is a bad thing. But it doesn’t take a preacher to tell you life isn’t always comfortable—life can become the opposite of comfortable…more often than not it can seem.
But it might take a preacher—and today young David—to tell us there are times in life when God’s call for us will require us to be uncomfortable. And because it does… we need to be prepared to be uncomfortable.
Move 1
There was once a little stone that lived on the bottom of a crystal clear river that ran through a green valley sprinkled with trees and shrubs. Day after day the stone watched the sun and the moon play with their reflections in the water and the fish whirl and jump in the dancing light. While it was fun to watch, and the setting comfortable and easy, life in the river was quite boring for the stone. The stone always thought there must be more to the world than the river and wondered if someday it would have the chance to leave behind the seemingly eternal routine of bubbles and water, day and night.
Unbeknownst to the stone, with the passing of the water, day after day, it was being shaped and transformed—rough edges made smooth..
Then, one day, without warning, the stone suddenly felt itself being lifted out of the river. For just an instant it was able to see the valley and the mountains, how glorious. But in the very next instant it felt itself stuffed into a dark bag that was full of other stones.
The bag was a very uncomfortable place; for the stone smashed against the other stones as the bag bounced up and down. It missed the tranquility of the river.
Little did the stone know as it bounced and smashed into the other stones, it was again being shaped and transformed—this time as a precise tool for a precise job.
More uncomfortable time passed until finally the bag was opened and light poured in. The little stone fell out along with the other stones, and felt itself turned over and over, and then set apart.
For just another moment, the stone looked out on the world to see the beauty of the green valley and the blue sky bathed in the sun’s glare, but it was for just a moment because now it was placed all alone in a rough piece of leather.
Suddenly the stone was filled with panic for the leather began twirling rapidly in the air and the stone became dizzy and more uncomfortable than ever before—oh how the stone wanted to be back in the river where it had come, comfortable and calm and peaceful. Then, just when it thought it would faint with pressure and fright, it was flung into the air.
Whoosh! What joy! Now it could see everything below! It could see the river, the grass, the trees, the mountains in the distance… and hundreds, maybe thousands of men dressed in shiny armor and helmets and holding swords.
Then, just as suddenly as the flight began, it ended when the stone crashed into something hard, and then falling to the ground.
A few seconds later the stone felt the earth shake and something large and heavy landed beside it.
Then something picked the stone up again and a voice said, “Just the little stone I needed and at the moment I needed it.”
And with that said, the stone was returned to the bag where it continued with the other stones until it was again needed.
*******
You all of course know this is again the story of David and the giant Goliath, but from the perspective of the little stone.
This is now, I think the fourth time I have told this story in the last 12 and a half years.
It was a story I heard at the end of an Ohio Delegation to Chile, told by my dear friend Elena Huegel, a Global Ministries Missionary. Elena would always tell this story at the end every delegation because it is a metaphor for life, goals, dreams, ministry and new beginnings. She told it as a metaphor of what we as the church, and we as followers of God, should strive to do in our ministries— to know and believe that God never looks at our size, our strength, our outward appearance, but rather God looks at our hearts— and each one of us is God’s little stone.
Elena would conclude the story saying, “We are God’s little stones, in God’s hands, and with God’s perfect power and God’s perfect aim, we can end up smashing against giants, hoping against hope that the aim and thrust have been just right to bring down the giants of our day.”
And then following the telling of her story, Elena would always give out special stones as a reminder. And since we were in Chile, she gave out small pieces of “lapis”—a distinctively blue stone found in the country of Chile.
Move 2
Now, why am I telling this story… again?
There are a lot of reasons really…but chief among them is because I don’t think we can hear this story enough.
I don’t think we can hear the story from our text for today enough—of David and his faith in God and his willingness to face the giant Goliath.
I don’t think we can hear the story of the little stone enough—that we are in God’s hands, and with God’s perfect power, and with God’s perfect aim, we can bring down the giants of today.
I don’t think we can hear this story enough because we need to remember it, and embrace the story. We need to believe this story because the story needs to be a story we tell, a story we live—because it doesn’t take me saying it to know we live in a world filled with giants that come against us and seek to destroy us. Giants that make life the opposite of comfortable. Giants that for some outright kill them. May God’s grace and peace be upon the people of Ukraine and Buffalo and…more.
Then there are giants like food insecurities and homelessness and abuse and racism and homophobia and bullying and…more.
Then there are giants like apathy, judgement, shaming, indifference, silence, and…more.
All, and more, are giants that must be faced and brought down, but to face them and bring them down will require being uncomfortable.
And David shows us how. And he shows us why it’s important we do.
Move 3
We know this story of David and Goliath so well, and we hear its reference all the time but when we do it’s always centers around something impossible happening— a miracle that has taken place.
But the truth about this story of David and Goliath is that it is not about doing the impossible—this is not a story about a miracle.
The story of David and Goliath is about what happens when we put our trust in God and live out our faith.
It’s a story about what happens when we live with the belief that our God can, has, and will again bring down the giants that come against us.
The story of David Goliath… the story of the little stone… no miracles happen in this story. Rather this is a story about faith.
*******
There is an aspect of faith however we often forget. And that is the fact that sometimes being faithful, being willing to follow God‘s call, doing what God would have us do especially when it’s really, really hard… can all be really uncomfortable.
The Israelite army was starring certain destruction and annihilation in the face—and they were scared, paralyzed with fear. They believed the situation was hopeless. So their battle plan was to do nothing. We can’t win or make a difference. What’s the point of even trying?
But David… David had a whole different perspective. He knew what God can do, what God had done, and what God would do again. And because he knew, David willingly stepped into a fearful and seemingly hopeless, uncomfortable place; and with faith in God’s perfect power and God’s perfect aim, smashed against the giant of the day and brought it down.
David shows us why we must step into uncomfortable places—because when we don’t destruction and annihilation of some form or another comes.
David show us how we can step into uncomfortable places—with faith and trust God can, God has, and God will again bring down the giants of today.
Conclusion
A week from tomorrow we begin a time of sabbatical—a long anticipated, much needed time of rest AND preparation for all of us, not just me.
This sabbatical is to be a time when we, with God’s help, prepare ourselves to be the church God is calling us to be in today’s world.
And to be the church God is calling us to be today will mean we will have to face today’s giants—and that will require us to be uncomfortable.
This sabbatical cannot just be a time apart until we come back together and just pick-up where we left off. It must be a time of preparation for all of us for what God is calling us to do next.
A new time in the life of this church is coming because there are new giants (and still some old giants) that the Church, and this church, must face.
We know why we must face them—because too many are facing them and all they can see is certain destruction and annihilation.
We know how we must face them—with faith and belief that God can, God has, and God will again bring down these giants.
But for God’s perfect power, and God’s perfect aim to bring down the giants of today there must be little stones who are prepared to be uncomfortable.
May we all, in this time of sabbatical, prepare to be uncomfortable. For when we are prepared for such then we will, with God’s help, bring down giants. May it be so. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer: May 15, 2022
O God, you are the Creator, and we are the creatures. Thank you for your love which sustains us, for your grace which renews us, and for your daily presence which gives meaning and purpose to our lives.
We confess, O God, it is far more comfortable to sit in the pew and profess to follow you than to walk with you into places we would rather not go—places where we have to face the giants of today. No doubt we mean what we say to you, but have a hard time committing to what you say to us.
Yet our faith is such that we are called to go forth with others into foreign lands: lands of grief, pain, illness, discouragement, judgement, shame, rejection, confusion, and many other. These are foreign lands we convince ourselves should be avoided at all costs.
But yet you call us to face them with faith and trust.
So we pray you grant us the strength to go and be your little stones who you use to bring down the giants of today.
Make our faith as such that when we are called to go serve others we respond to those whose needs are beyond our comprehension.
We pray for those who know not where their next meal is coming from; for those whose pillow is a stone; for those who live their lives in quiet desperation because to speak the truth would mean guilt or shame or even death.
We think such lands are far away, easy to divert from, but if we are real, then we know that some who are here today are residents of these places.
Grant them, we pray, the certainty of your presence and enable them to relax in the arms of your love.
Holy God, as we sit with you and offer our praise and worship, kindle the spark of our faith that we might be set afire with enthusiasm for the adventure to which you have called us. Make it that we dare not forget that the name of your son is Emmanuel … God with us—God with all of us.
We ask that you listen now to the prayers we offer in this time of Holy Silence.
All this we pray in the name of Christ Jesus, who taught us to pray, saying, “Our…”