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Weekly Devotional

October 5, 2009

God’s peace be with you all.

1 Samuel 17:32-46   ³² David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."  ³³ Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth."  ³⁴ But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock,  ³⁵ I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it.  ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God."  ³⁷ 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." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you!"  ³⁸ Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail.  ³⁹ David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them.  ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.  ⁴¹ The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.  ⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.  ⁴³ The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field."  ⁴⁵ But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  ⁴⁶ This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

             “So that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”  This statement sums up many of the beliefs of the ancient Hebrew people.  The people that lived during that time really thought of their actions as part of the influence they had not just on a single people or region, but on the whole world.  This worldly influence can be seen in many of the Old Testament books, and can be considered as a “red thread” that flows throughout the Old Testament story. 

            Last week, I began a series of devotions that I am doing for you using the book Evangelism for “normal” People.  This week, using the book’s notion of a red thread that flows throughout the Old Testament, I want us to look at our congregation and how we have “worldly” influences.  What are the red threads that we have as a congregation?  What is it that connects us to each other, as well as our past to our present?  You are the ones that can answer those questions.  In seeking out the answers, you will in turn see that everyone’s answers are probably different, yet there will still be some similarities. 

            In regards to Evangelism, there is a red thread that has flowed throughout all of history.  That thread is that “evangelism is God’s project.  It was not invented by TV evangelists or indeed by human beings at all.  The desire to reconcile us to God comes in the first place from God’s side.” (cf. 38)  But through God’s actions in our own lives, we carry that evangelism out to others.  We all do that in different ways, but the starting place is still the same, with God.  So ask yourself, where (and when!) did your red thread begin, and where do you see it taking you?

Next week I will continue the series and use another aspect of the book.

In our prayers this week: 

Ann, Doris, Mary Netta, Kim, Lisa, Robert, Evelyn, Michael, and St. John’s Lutheran Church.  Also, for October, we as a congregation and conference will be praying for Reformation Lutheran in Lancaster. 

God’s Peace,

Pastor Judson