1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49
All preachers have their own “rhythm” when they are appointed or assigned to lead worship and preach in a particular church. I probably haven’t preached often enough to establish that “rhythm” here at Lima. But one of the elements that usually sets the pace for me is the Revised Common Lectionary and the three-year cycle that suggests Scripture readings for every Sunday. People ask, “Who does the suggesting? It’s a committee made up of representatives from the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and United Methodist churches. We United Methodists area bit looser when it comes to the lectionary. It’s not a requirement, but I generally enjoy allowing each Sunday’s readings to talk together—sometimes even argue—as I prepare my message.
That’s not what I’m doing this morning. Sorry! All that explanation for nothin’! But I wanted to give my rationale for there being only the psalm and one other passage this morning. There seemed to me to be more than enough to chew on in the reading from 1 Samuel. The tale of David and Goliath is such a big story and one that’s well known. If it’s familiar to you, great. That gives us a starting point—a bit of shared knowledge where we can begin. If, for any reason, it’s not—at least not beyond the core details that seem to be common knowledge, it’s my privilege to either introduce you or take you deeper into the story of the young Israelite shepherd named David, and his encounter with Goliath, the champion, the Philistine of Gath. In the process, I hope you will respond to four questions:
1. What is at least one of the “Goliaths” I’ve got on my case?
2. What tools or weapons do I carry in my backpack to use when confronting my Goliaths?
3. What resources do I need to gather along the way so that I am fully equipped for that confrontation?
4. What is my plan?
Club Can-Do: Kids Called to Care was the title of the vacation Bible school that a team of volunteers in mission took to the Aleutian island of Unalaska in 2001. If you’ve ever seen the Deadliest Catch series on the Discovery Channel, the port they set out from, Dutch Harbor, is on the island of Unalaska. A quick history: Methodism had been introduced to the island in the late 188Os, and an orphanage called the Jesse Lee Home was opened. The drowning of Unalaska’s missionary pastor and his son while fishing, and the relocation of the orphanage ended the missionary work. Fast forward to the 1990s. For the first time, migrant fishermen were settling their families in Unalaska, which meant that there were now children on the island. A pastor was appointed, volunteer in mission teams constructed a church and parsonage for the new Unalaska United Methodist Church, and the church I was serving at the time gave their financial support. The pastor was visiting with us in the late 1990s and when I told him that I was a former vacation Bible school editor, he got all excited and said that the congregation was ready for help building their educational program. Bringing the first-ever VBS to the children on the island seemed like a great place to begin doing some teacher training. It took a couple of years, but working together we eventually assembled a team of 15 adults and youth from our church on the east side of Pittsburgh and five more adults from a church in Seattle. We were living the “can-do” experience! We anticipated 40 kids, prepared for 60, and ended up with 80—most of the kids on the island.
Club Can-Do told stories of biblical can-do kids—how they responded to the call of God and accomplished great things. Miriam, the Hebrew girl who helped save her baby brother Moses; Samuel, the little boy dedicated to God who becomes a priest, prophet, and judge; the little unnamed boy whose five loaves and two fish fed the multitudes; and, of course, David. We built a club house as the backdrop for when the whole group was together, and when we did the story of David, the door of the clubhouse was opened and all you could see was the huge sandaled foot of Goliath—good for a giggle Monty Python style.
The kids on the island of Unalaska had more than their share of Goliaths to contend with. For starters, there were the limitations of life on a tiny island. Not much to do. The parents working on the fishing boats and in the processing plants made good money, but the cost of living on the island was high and let to a good bit of poverty. During down times when the fish weren’t running, alcohol helped to fill in the gaps and the alcohol was accompanied by abuse. There were cultural issues as well—mostly the natives trying to hang on to their culture and language on an island where people had come to work from all parts of the world. A whole assortment of Goliaths with which they were constantly doing battle. For us, the whole mission trip seemed to take on Goliath proportions at times, but a wonderfully committed team, a supportive church, a vision, and a plan knocked Goliath down to size.
So think about your Goliaths. I don’t know too many people who are going to hear or read this story and immediately identify with Goliath. Then again, you could make a case for Goliath having his own share of “Goliaths.” Anyone with that much aggression, that much hatred, that much meanness is either on the Wrestle Mania tour using that aggression to make a living, or locked up—or should be locked up. Let’s face it: Goliath had to have had issues!
I’m guessing that most of us identify with David, although, when you hear what comes out of David’s mouth, it’s obvious that he was no stranger to aggression, hatred, and anger either. Maybe because he was the “runt of the litter”—the youngest and smallest of Jesse’s sons. When the prophet/priest/judge Samuel came at God’s direction to the home of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the successor to King Saul, it never crosses Jesse’s mind to have Samuel take a look at David. That’s got to make an angry guy want to prove himself to his father and his brothers, and even to the champion of Gath.
So—who or what is it that makes your life, at times, a living hell—or at least a living heck? There you have your “Goliath.” Maybe yours is similar to David’s: six cubits and a span—that’s like a dude who has two feet on seven-foot Joel Embiid. But instead of height it might be everything else. Bullies come in all shapes and sizes. They always want to take us on. They want to prove that they are better, that they are stronger, that you are powerless against them. Sometimes they are people who put us down—put down our families, put down our race, put down our faith, put down our sexual identity, put down the things we feel most passionate about. The whole point is for them to prove that they’re right and, if they’re successful, to have us thinking that they’re right.
But it’s not always people. It’s not always human beings who become our Goliaths. Habits that get the best of us can be our Goliaths. Alcohol can have us convinced that we are powerless in its presence. Drugs. Tobacco. Sex. Food. Gossip.
“I can stop anytime. I can quit when I want to.”
“The heck you can. You belong to me. Just take another drink, another pill, have another smoke, another grilled sticky. I’ll show you who’s in control. Let’s fight!”
What is at least one Goliath that you have on your case—that won’t let you go, won’t let you feel good about yourself, won’t be content until you feel completely worthless; the Goliath that manages to drown out the voice of God saying that you are very good, that you bear the image of God?
The second question: What tools or weapons do I have in my pocket to use when dealing with my Goliath?
David had his slingshot. Not the kind that Dennis the Menace always had in his back pocket. It was a simple rectangular piece of leather with a long leather thong attached at either end. When it is swung fast enough, it can launch an object far enough and fast enough to kill a good-sized animal—even a good-sized bully.
What have you got in your pocket? Don’t overlook the obvious. You are alive. The wind of God courses in and out of your lungs. Your heart sends the oxygen from that wind all over your body. You got up this morning. Your name wasn’t listed with the obituaries. That doesn’t mean that your body is in perfect condition. What it does mean is that the parts of your body that are working outnumber the parts that aren’t.
People. Who are the people who support you, who care about you, who are there for you? Where does Jesus fit into that group? Do you know that he is one you can call on at any moment when the Goliaths are taunting and tormenting you? Is he your inspiration—that means, is he the source of your Spirit, what identifies you, what motivates you, what empowers you? I’m not sure that having Jesus in our back pocket is a helpful image, although it might be nice if he answered when we pocket dialed him. Having access to him, knowing that he is there for you and always will be makes him the best of all resources.
Is your faith in general something that is always at the ready when Goliaths stomp into your life? Remember what David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”
The third question: What resources do I need to gather along the way so that I am fully equipped for that confrontation? Know what you already have when you are defending yourself against a Goliath, but also know what more you need. With David, it was five smooth stones. Ultimately, one of those would be what brought Goliath down. So what do you need? Maybe you need to expand your support group. Maybe you need to find someone with special abilities, special training to help you stand up to your Goliaths. Maybe it’s a therapeutic support group. Maybe it’s a renewed commitment to immersing yourself in Scripture. Maybe it’s a visit to your family doctor. Maybe it’s getting more sleep or more exercise or committing yourself to healthier eating habits. Maybe it’s five things—like David’s five stones, and one of them will ultimately be what brings down your Goliath. It might be something that has worked for someone else—or lots of someone elses. It might be something new. Remember that as well-intentioned as it might have been, Saul’s armor didn’t fit—it wasn’t what David needed. You need to identify what will work for you.
Lastly is the plan. What is my plan for dealing with those people or things that do their darnedest to make me feel small and powerless? It is said—and I believe it—that when we fail to plan we plan to fail. It’s the “I told you so. I told you I’m weak.” We need a plan—a specific plan—if we are going to bring down Goliath. So what is your plan? I don’t expect you have one all written out already, but I certainly hope that you will. Be intentional about it. Write it down. Trust God for the victory.
Name your Goliaths, know the resources you have and the resources you need, and come up with a plan. Lima Church is in a season of transition…again. Transitions can be tough—can even take on Goliath-like proportions. I’m not suggesting that Rev. Jonnette Gay is a 9-foot-tall bully, but getting used to a new pastor can be intimidating. Remember that the same is true for new congregations and there are lots more folks in the pew than there are in the pulpit, and as we’ve already sung, “Bullies like Goliath can most anywhere be found.”
“When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it…”
How about that for a plan? That was David’s. Now, how about yours?