Chosen for God's Team

Who is on God's team?

Welcome to The Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican churches located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org

The homily that you are about to hear was preached on Sunday, March 22nd, during our evening prayer service at 6:00 PM. You can join online at lightofchristgeorgetown.org/visit.

Our Old Testament lesson is a favorite of mine, 1 Samuel, Chapter 16. Have you ever asked the question, who's on God's team? Who is on God's team? I remember as a youth, we would play pickup basketball games and so we would pick two team captains and then we would be in just this mass, undifferentiated mass, and the two team captains would take turns picking who they wanted on their team.

Of course, who do they start with? Well, they start with the guys that have a lot of skill who can shoot threes or have a good jump shot or lay up. A lot of times, I don't like to admit this, I was chosen last. It never feels good to be chosen last. Everyone gets chosen. You're like, "Oh, can I just be second to last? Second to last."

So how does God choose his team? Does he do it based upon how good we are? The sort of talents that we bring to the table? Our stature, how good we are at layups, how much money we have, how much power?

In our Old Testament lesson Samuel is on an undercover mission. You see the first king that Samuel, the prophet of God, anointed to be King over Israel, Saul, has been a absolute failure and so God is calling Samuel to anoint a new king. So you can imagine a new king in town would be what? Treason. And so Samuel is told by God to go down to Bethlehem where Jesse lives and has a bunch of boys there, men, and he's told to go down there and meet with Jesse because in Jesse's house is going to be the new king. Samuel says, "Hey, how am I going to do that? Because if Saul finds out, he'll kill me."

So God gives him a cover story, if you will, for this undercover operation. The cover story is you go down there and you go like you're going to sacrifice in Bethlehem and then just invite Jesse over. “Okay, sounds good. Sounds like a good cover story.” So he goes down there, gets ready to do the sacrifice. Notice when he comes to Bethlehem, the elders of the city are terrified. They meet him trembling and they said, "Do you come peaceably?"

So Samuel, the prophet of God had a lot of power, spiritual power, and so the people were terrified of what might happen. They thought he might be coming in judgment. He says, "No, it's okay. I've come to do the sacrifice."

So Jesse comes and as Jesse comes with his sons, he sees the firstborn Eliab and he's the one you want on your team. He's tall, he's handsome, he looks like just the guy to be king. That's what Samuel thinks. It's like surely the Lord's anointed is before him.

Verse six, but notice the Lord says to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature because I have rejected him, for the Lord sees not as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

So Eliab isn't chosen. So Jesse brings his next son and then his next son and each one is rejected, rejected, rejected, until there are no sons left. He says, "Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse says, "No. Actually my youngest, I didn't even bother to bring him. He's with the sheep." He was like, “Bring him right away. He's the one!” And so David is chosen.

Why was David chosen? Who is on God's team? Is it the ones that are talented? Is it the ones that are really good? The ones that have lots of power or lots of money? That only the beautiful people? Sometimes I wonder, I've asked this question and maybe you have to. I've asked him, "Lord, how can you use me? I know my imperfections and my inability. How can you use me? There's so many more talented people out there; people that seem more right for this than me."

But how does God choose someone to be on his team? He looks at the heart. What he's looking for is not how talented you are; how good you are. He's looking at your heart. He's looking for a heart that trusts him. No, David wasn't a perfect guy. We see that in his life, right? He had lots of failures in his life but the one thing that was always there, on the mountain top and in the valley, when he was doing well and then when he messed up so bad that you can barely believe it when you read it in scripture, he just face plants. God still had him on his team. Why? Because he had a heart of trust. He had a heart of faith in the Lord. He had a soft heart so that when he was confronted with sin, he turned to the Lord in repentance.

Paul quoting Habakkuk says, "The righteous, (the ones that are right with God, the ones that are on God's team) shall live by faith; by trust."

So do you want to be on God's team? You want to be with God? Of course you do, right? He's the one that's on the winning team. We go back to that analogy of God picking his team. You know what he's looking for? He's not looking for you to be uber-talented or the best person out there or beautiful or rich or any of those things. All he's looking for is the heart can trust.

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

Thank you for listening to The Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from The Book of Common Prayer. You can find this prayer for submission to God's will on page 673.

Oh Holy spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlightened me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do. Give me your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that you desire of me and to accept all that you permit to happen to me. Let me only know your will. Amen.