The Divine Baggage Handler, Sunday Sermon

I think I would rather be woken up by an alarm clock than by the chirping of the birds. Isn't that ridiculous?! I slept with the windows open last night and woke up much earlier than I wanted to because of all the squawking and cheeping. (I love onomatopoeia!) Grr.

At any rate, here are the latest Q&As and the sermon I'll be preaching in a few hours. Hope you have a great time at worship this morning!

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Sat, Apr 25 Where did Jesus go once he entered Jerusalem? What did he do there? (Mark 11)
Mark 11:11 1 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

And here's the question of the day:
Sun, Apr 26 What was the condition Nahash the Ammonite wanted to put on the treaty with Jabesh Gilead? (I Sam 11) (THE ANSWER IS PRETTY GROSS!)


And here's the Sunday Sermon:
The Divine Baggage Handler

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Let us pray: Gracious God, shine the light of your Spirit upon us as we hear these words of Scripture read and proclaimed. Reveal your saving presence in these words, and lead us further down the path of faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE: 1 Samuel 10:17-24
17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah 18 and said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'

19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, 'No, set a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans."

20 When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri's clan was chosen. Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen.

But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage."

23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

The grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord endures forever, Amen.

INTRODUCTION
Israel has come a long way. They started out as a scraggly band of men and women, struggling to figure out how to live out their faith in God. They have been in slavery and been set free. They have been lost in the wilderness and God guided them through it. Now, they have entered the Promised Land and are ready to settle down. And part of settling down involves establishing a government and electing some leaders to help them get organized.

So, the Israelites think about all the other nations they have come into contact with and what kind of government they have. The Israelites decide they want to be like everybody else; they want a king.

However, God is not real keen on this decision; God would prefer that Israel continue to be guided by prophets like Moses, back in the good old days, and, more recently, prophets like Samuel, whom we are reading about today. Prophets are God’s spokespersons so of course God would prefer a prophet to be their leader.

But that’s not what the people want. They want a king. So, God decides, a king they shall have, but the king will be of God’s own choosing.

Samuel gathers all the tribes of Israel together and begins to sort through the possible candidates. He finally settles on the tribe of Benjamin, the clan of Matri, and the son of Kish, named Saul.

The first king of Israel is named . . . Saul is ready to be crowned, and . . . no one can find him. The crowd gathered there begins to buzz—“Where did he go?” they ask. “He was just here a minute ago. What happened?” Saul, the first king of Israel, is hiding in the baggage.

#1
I never really wanted to be a pastor. I was happy hiding in the baggage, like Saul. Hiding in the baggage is easy to do. It’s not exactly comfortable to hide in the baggage, but it’s safe because you think no one will notice you.

I enjoyed hiding in the baggage: I always went to church, was always involved as a participant, but never really was a leader of anything. Being a pastor was the last thing I was thinking about in high school and college. I was safe and secure, hidden in the baggage, just doing my own thing, flying below the radar.

Then my Samuel came along. Actually, I had a bunch of Samuels in my life. And these Samuels started volunteering me for things that I could not do while I was still hiding in the baggage.

So, just like Saul was trying to keep his head down and not get noticed by the Israelites who were searching for a king, I kept my head down and avoided making eye contact. But God found Saul hiding in the baggage, and He found me there too.

And you want to know why I was hiding in the baggage? The very same reason I think Saul was hiding in the baggage. The same reason I think ALL of us spend our fair share hiding in the baggage. And that reason is FEAR. We hide in the baggage because we are AFRAID of what might happen if we come out of hiding.

I was terrified of the responsibility of being a pastor, of trying to a pastor to people who have been a Christian longer than I have even been alive, and believe it or not, I was TERRIFIED of speaking in front of people. When I used to sit in the pews, preaching a sermon seemed like the most painful thing to do—and sometimes the most painful thing to listen to. Why would I want to be the one up front boring people on a Sunday morning?!

My Samuels were calling my name, but fear kept me hiding in the baggage. And for a while, I was safe. But God pointed out Saul’s hiding place in the baggage to all the Israelites who had gathered, and He pointed out mine too.

#2
It seems to me that, on this bright and beautiful Sunday morning, you are either a Samuel or a Saul.

If you are a Samuel, you are a helper of God, looking for new leaders for God’s people. You are looking for talents in people that have yet to be discovered. You are trying to match the gifts you see in people with places they can serve in the church. If you are a Samuel, you are a prayerful person who has already found your niche in the church. And now you want to help others find the place where they fit in too.

If you are a Saul, then you are probably still hiding amongst the suitcases and backpacks. You are uncertain and hesitant, keeping your head down and hoping no one asks you to do anything. You have plenty of gifts and skills and talents, but you’re not sure how those fit in the church. Maybe you’re not even sure you want to be that much a part of the church. But you have a Samuel who is calling your name and depending on you, and you have a God who is ready to help you stand up, head and shoulders above the crowd just like Saul.

Samuel and Saul both had their marching orders from God. Neither one had an easy time with those marching orders either. Speaking for God is a dangerous thing to do, especially when people don’t want to hear some of the more harsh things God has to say to us. Samuel’s job isn’t easy. And it’s not easy to stand up like Saul did and accept the job God was offering to him. Being the king of Israel—the FIRST king of Israel—was something Saul was clueless about, yet he was able to put aside his fear, and crawl out of his hiding place among the baggage.

I’m willing to bet that you all fit into one of these two categories: you’re either a Samuel or you’re a Saul. One is not better or easier than the other; both are necessary for God’s work to be accomplished here on earth. I’m not gonna tell you which category you belong in; that’s for you and God to decide. I AM, however, going to tell you that you belong to one of those categories and God has a job just for you for you to do.

CONCLUSION
Our God is a Divine baggage handler—He stands on the runway, tossing suitcases into the plane and He finds the Sauls who are trying to hide away. The church is actually full of baggage searches—God is always on the lookout for people with the gifts to serve. And God is intent on finding especially those who are hiding in the baggage.

And when fear begins to hold us back because we think we aren’t smart enough or a good enough speaker, God reminds us that He doesn’t call those who are equipped; God equips those whom He calls.

Thanks be to God, the Divine Baggage Handler, who calls all of us out of hiding and gives us all that we need to serve Him faithfully.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

BENEDICTION
Another one of God’s prophets gives us this reassurance: God tells Isaiah, and us, “I have chosen you and not cast you off; do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isa 41:9b-10).

If you are a Samuel, look around for someone to encourage. If you are a Saul, gird up your loins and get out of the baggage. God has work for all of us to do.

And go, in peace, to love and serve the Lord, in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.


I'm already looking forward to my Sunday afternoon nap. Darn birds. . .
Allison