{"id":2227,"date":"2019-06-16T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-06-16T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/?p=2227"},"modified":"2019-10-06T13:05:44","modified_gmt":"2019-10-06T17:05:44","slug":"another-chance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/2019\/06\/16\/another-chance\/","title":{"rendered":"The God of Second Chances"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click here to hear the full service<\/a><\/p>\n

1 Samuel 15:34-16:13<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 5:6-17<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Click here to hear the sermon only<\/a><\/p>\n

The God of Second Chances<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

The Bible is about failure and defeat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Its stories, letters and teachings record ways people have lived with defeat. \u00a0This makes the Bible difficult for us to understand. For we as a people have run and swatted and laughed our way past learning the language of failure. \u00a0We don\u2019t admit to it. We won\u2019t accept it. We do not countenance it. So sermons, this one and others, which are fumbling footnotes to the Scripture, may hit us from the side if they hit us at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul is thinking, it may be, when he mentions \u201coutward appearance\u201d and \u201cthe heart\u201d, of Samuel who learned that mortals look upon the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

You remember Samuel\u2019s story in 1 Samuel 15:34ff. \u00a0Samuel didn\u2019t want to be a prophet, but he got saddled with the job anyway.<\/span> He didn\u2019t want anything to do with kings, but he had to pick one.<\/span><\/p>\n

The people wanted a King, just like we at our worst always long for some imperial leader, some imperious presence on which or on whom we may cast our concerns. \u00a0Then we don\u2019t have to live with our own freedom, our own birthright from YHWH I AM THAT I AM, the Sinai God of freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Samuel revered the God of freedom and the Godly freedom in each person. In fact, he revered the people\u2019s freedom more than they themselves did. \u00a0So much so that he helped them choose, even when he knew they chose in error. You want a king? You shall have a king and much trouble.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saul, by name.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saul, trouble, came and went. \u00a0Leadership is everything. But leadership is not dictatorship. \u00a0Authority is not domination. Integrity is not willfulness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leadership, authority, integrity\u2014they become real when they revere the God of freedom and the freedom of each person. \u00a0Real leadership increases personal freedom for all.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, Samuel, who knew about freedom and leadership, and who could have shouted \u201cI told you so\u201d to the children of Israel, instead went to Ramah, that place you remember from Christmas, of wailing and loud lamentation, and he wailed and lamented:<\/span><\/p>\n

Why, O God, have you made my people a group focused on difference and not the common good? \u00a0Why should there be a few rich and many poor? Why should our distinguishing characteristics be so undistinguished? \u00a0Are we forever to love appearance above reality, image above heart? O my God, are we never to see your peace upon the earth, your gracious splendor among our people, your kingdom of love? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

So, we may imagine, in a hot dusty cave near Qumran, Samuel wept. \u00a0And wept. And wept. He cried in his beer. He cried in his soup. You get the picture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Until, at last, he stopped. \u00a0And as so often happens, once he stopped his weeping, his self-concern, a marvelous thing happened. God gave a second chance. \u00a0He said, \u201cSamuel you old codger\u2014get up and head over to Bethlehem and see Jesse. I\u2019m going to give you another chance.\u201d Samuel went to the house of Jesse, in Bethlehem. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We worship a God of second chances, of new starts, of make-up exams, of the Letter to the Hebrews and pardon after baptism, of I forgive you, of surprise opportunities. \u00a0In a way, in Christ, God has simply become Another Chance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Early on Sunday morning, we walk up and down these aisles when the sanctuary is empty. \u00a0We wonder about the congregation and the community and listeners.<\/span><\/p>\n

We worry about a nation of have and have nots. \u00a0We are anxious about a race torn people. We think of people. Some giving birth and anxious. \u00a0Some breaking up and anxious. Some struggling to stay together, and anxious. Some aging and anxious. Some ill and anxious. \u00a0Like Samuel, we have our hurts. <\/span><\/p>\n

Up Samuel goes to see what God will do. \u00a0God tells him that there will be a new King, of God\u2019s own choosing, out of the family of Jesse, who had seven sons. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Samuel sees the first son, and thinks\u2014yes, this must be the one, right name, right place, right pedigree, right education. \u00a0But, again, something strange happens. Samuel, given to hearing voices, hears a voice. God says, \u201cEasy big fellow, easy. Don\u2019t look at the appearance. \u00a0Forget the outside. Don\u2019t be misled by the image. Look inside.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All that glitters is not gold.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

One can be a saint abroad and a devil at home.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Cleanse the inside of the cup.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t judge a book by its cover.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Be careful, when the Lady Macbeths of life connives. \u00a0Banquo was right:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u2018Tis Strange<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And often times to win us to our HARM<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The instruments of darkness tell us TRUTHS<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Win us with HONEST TRIFLES<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

To betray us in DEEPEST CONSEQUENCES<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We see the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, back in Bethlehem, Samuel still has the seven sons on interview: <\/span><\/p>\n

Job title: \u00a0King of Israel<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Profile: \u00a0\u00a0Perfect leader<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Responsibilities: \u00a0Bring salvation, justice, and peace.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Salary and benefits: \u00a0commensurate with experience.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But he remembers: look on the heart. \u00a0ELIAB. No. ABINADAB. No. SHAMMAH. No. \u00a0And so on. Seven no\u2019s. And he is limbo, he is in between.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is tough to live in between. \u00a0Like many who are here today can testify. \u00a0Samuel would have loved to have settled things early. \u00a0But he remembered the God of Another Chance, and trusted and waited, and hoped. \u00a0Anybody can make a quick decision. Sometimes it takes more real courage to be indecisive. \u00a0Anybody can decide. It takes guts to wait. Anybody can judge by appearance. But God looks on the heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul and the earliest Christians knew this perhaps better than anything else. They knew about being in between. Maybe that\u2019s one reason why, providentially, their letters and writings have become our Bible. \u00a0We are always a bit in between, and we need the confidence, daily, of Another Chance. The earliest Christians, Paul\u2019s city Christians, were very much in between. They were often what the scholars call <\/span>status-inconsistent<\/span><\/i>, like Paul himself. \u00a0\u00a0A Jew, yet a Roman citizen. \u00a0Educated, yet a tent-maker. So they were too: Women, yet rich. \u00a0Artisans, yet slaves. They knew about being in-between.<\/span><\/p>\n

And so the Apostle says:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In between the Body and the Lord<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between Sight and Faith<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between Home and Away<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between Judgment and Love<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between Crazy and Sane<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between One and All<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between Self and Others<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between Death and Resurrection<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between Old and New<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In between Appearance and Heart<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When you\u2019re in between you know the joy of Another Chance. \u00a0God sees the heart, and sees past appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, dear old Samuel, is about ready to throw in the towel. \u00a0He has been through all the sons of Jesse, and has not found the new king. \u00a0He has found a lot of old king once removed, but nothing new. He is packing up his ephod and girding his loins and otherwise getting ready to shove off, when, again, something strange happens.<\/span><\/p>\n

We worship the God of Second Chances.<\/span><\/p>\n

If nothing else this morning, hear this Gospel. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today is another chance for your family.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week is another chance for you work.<\/span><\/p>\n

This summer is another chance for our church.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year is another chance for our city.<\/span><\/p>\n

This decade is another chance for: \u00a0our climate, our country, our denomination, our souls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where there is life, there is hope. \u00a0And where there is hope, there is life.<\/span><\/p>\n

God in Christ is Another Chance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Realism and Idealism are not absolute alternatives. \u00a0Often either you have both, or you have neither: witness Isaiah 60, John 3, 2 Corinthians 5, and the Sermon on the Mount. \u00a0Things aren\u2019t always as they seem. <\/span><\/p>\n

SO LET US BE OPEN THIS SUMMER!<\/span><\/p>\n

Read again Keith Miller\u2019s, NEW WINE.<\/span><\/p>\n

Visit Mount Washington or Bar Harbor in July.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a sandwich to the seashore.<\/span><\/p>\n

We worship the God Of Second Chances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plant a flower.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hug somebody.<\/span><\/p>\n

Write a note.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make a bequest.<\/span><\/p>\n

I Believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

And in Another Chance, God\u2019s only Son Our Lord.<\/span><\/p>\n

ANOTHER CHANCE!<\/span><\/p>\n

To stand in God\u2019s presence<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn to help others<\/span><\/p>\n

To have a meaningful life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, back in Bethlehem\u2026Samuel, turned as he was going, and looked at Jesse and said, \u201cAre these all your sons\u201d? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesse got that sheepish look we all get when the truth starts to come out. \u00a0Well, yes and no. I mean these are all the grown ones, the ones who are worth looking at. \u00a0\u201cYou mean there is a Second Chance?,\u201d said Samuel so excited he dropped his staff and ungirded his loins and lost his ephod. \u00a0\u201cWell there\u2019s the little guy, but we left him to tend the sheep.\u201d \u201cBring him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And they brought David up. \u00a0He was little, young, ruddy, handsome and beautiful, but mostly he had the right heart. \u00a0A heart of songs and courage. A heart of love and strength. A real person. A real human being. \u00a0Another Chance. Like the Tibetan Buddhists hunting for many years in the outback of the universe to find the Dali Lama. \u00a0Like the birth of Jesus, we remember this Trinity Sunday, he also of Bethlehem. Like the moment your child came into the world. \u00a0Or your grandchild. Like every single outburst and outcropping and intrusion and explosion and invasion of the NEW CREATION\u2014there was David, Another Chance. \u00a0And Samuel, old superannuated Samuel, could see what none of the young Turks could see\u2014the heart. And Samuel wept, this time for joy, and said, \u201cTHIS IS THE ONE. \u00a0Hire him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We worship Another Chance God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beloved, you are not last chance, anxious people.<\/span><\/p>\n

You are God\u2019s Second Chance people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s agree come Sunday. \u00a0From now on, then, we aren\u2019t going to look at anybody according to appearance, no matter how bad and no matter how good. \u00a0I mean we once knew Christ by appearance, but then God raised him from the dead. So we look, as God looks, on the heart. By God, we will become real people, in a real church, in a real community, in a real nation. \u00a0It takes a lot of idealism to become real. Anyone in Christ is new, not old.<\/span><\/p>\n

Singing to the God of Second Chances, R. Niehbuhr wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime. \u00a0Therefore, we must be saved by hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing which is true or good or beautiful makes complete sense in any immediate context of history. \u00a0Therefore, we must be saved by faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone. \u00a0Therefore, we must be saved by love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

-The Rev. Dr. Robert Allan Hill, Dean of Marsh Chapel<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click here to hear the full service 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 2 Corinthians 5:6-17 Click here to hear the sermon only The God of Second Chances The Bible is about failure and defeat. Its stories, letters and teachings record ways people have lived with defeat. \u00a0This makes the Bible difficult for us to understand. For we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2679,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2679"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2227"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2294,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227\/revisions\/2294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}