Reflections on "Philip: Stepping Out" John 1: 43-51; John 12

The final sermon of the "Minor Characters" sermon series.  It went well, particularly in the Chapel service.  My timing was a bit off in the Sanctuary service.  I also added a connection to the baptism we were having in the Sanctuary service in the sermon I preached in that service. The third point about Jesus knowing their names could be the basis for a full sermon.

“Philip: Stepping Out” August 28, 2016; FPC, Troy; John 1; 43-51

(John 1:43-51) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." (NRSV)

Introduction: Philip is one of the disciples. although not one of the key leaders like Peter.

He would be in that group of disciples who are mentioned a bit -- not as much as some, but more than others.

If you search for all the stories in which Philip is mentioned, however, it might surprise you how often he is mentioned.

We even had a story about Philip a few weeks ago -- Philip was the one who met the Ethiopian eunuch and talked to him and baptized him.

But, perhaps to give credence to his minor character status, I accidentally referred to him as Peter a couple of times in that sermon.

Peter rolls off the tongue rather easily in a sermon; Philip not so much.

Look at a couple of stories that include Philip – in fact, we'll even run into Nathanael, another of the lesser known disciples, as well.

Move 1: Philip goes with Jesus.

a. The Bible is full of great call stories.

1. Abram and Sarai have a baby at Sarai's old age. They pack up their bags and go when God calls.

2. Samuel hears a voice in the night.

3. Jonah gets swallowed by a fish.

3. In the gospels we have stories of Jesus calling out to disciples fishing in a boat and calls out to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people!” A great line, right?

4. Saul is struck blind on the road to Damascus, hears the voice of the risen Lord, and has a dramatic turn to his life.

5. Great call stories.

6. We love to hear and tell call stories.

7. One of the reasons I invite people to explore their own faith journeys is to allow them to discover how to tell their story.

7. And it is not uncommon as people give voice to their call stories that they add a dramatic moment or serendipitous moment when everything fell into place.

b. “When I'm honest, it irks me that God called Moses through a burning bush, and God has sent nothing of the sort in my direction as far as I can tell.” The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soultending for Youth Ministry, Kenda Dean and Ron Foster (74)

1. Philip could probably relate to that perspective.

2. He does not have much of a call story.

3. Jesus says “Philip come on with me,” and Philip goes.

2. Nothing dramatic.

3. Philip simply steps out and follows Jesus.

4. If he told a group of people his call story, the people listening would be like, “Ok, now Paul tell us again about what happened to you on the road to Damascus.”

b. In similar fashion, Philip goes and finds Nathanael.

1. No miracle.

2. No grand speech.

3. He merely tells Nathanael that he has found the person for whom they had been looking.

c. That's what it comes down to for each of us.

1. Are you going to go and follow Jesus?

2. Maybe you will be one of those people who has some dramatic experience, but I suspect for most of us it will be more like Philip.

3. Simply a willingness to follow.

3. Not something we have to figure out. Just go.

5. I am not saying that disicpleship will be easy or that there will not be challenges.

             6. But I am inviting you to look at how Philip just goes when Jesus calls and then ask yourself – are you willing?

Move 2: Ask the question - what happens to the Greeks?

a. Sort of an odd transition in the story, or maybe no transition.

1. Philip runs into some Greeks who want to know Jesus.

2. On Philip's part, this could have been an instructive moment.

3. he could make a grand statement about how anyone can be a follower of Jesus.

4. or he could have gone the other direction and not included the Greeks and made a statement about who was not included.

5. He just goes and finds Andrew, and then they go to Jesus.

             6. again, Philip not making it complicated – just going to Jesus.

b. Then there is this abrupt shift in the story.

1. Jesus never says what to do about the Greeks.

2. Instead Jesus wants to talk about the demands of discipleship.

3. We do not know what Jesus thinks about the Greeks wanting to meet him. AT least not specifically.

4. Maybe the clue to what is important in found in the abrupt shift in the story.

5. It gives the impression that Jesus does not care if you are a Jews, a Gentile, a Greek, or whatever.

6. all Jesus wants is people who will follow him.

B. Martin Luther King, Jr. “How often are our lives characterized by a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds! “Strength to Love as quoted by Sharron R. Blezard, January 15, 2015; http://www.stewardshipoflife.org/2015/01/the-call/

1. the point is not who you are or what you know.

2. All that matters is a willingness to follow Jesus.

Move 3: Jesus knew Nathanael and Philip.

a. Sort of an interesting irony of this story.

1. Philip and Nathanael, much like Pewter and Andrew, have apparently been looking for the Messiah.

2. They have some type of description in mind, but they do not know who he is.

    b. Jesus knows who they are.

1. He calls Philip by name.

2. When Nathanael approaches, Jesus greets him with familiarity.

2. These guys may have just found Jesus, but Jesus knows who they are.

      c. When we speak of following Jesus, or just going when Jesus calls, it is not an invitation to follow someone who does not know you.

               1. Jesus already knows you.

2. Jesus already desires to have a relationship with you.

3. Jesus already has plans.

Conclusion: The Greeks ask if Philip can show them Jesus. Are you willing to step out and show them?

"Philip: Stepping Out" John 1: 45-48; John 12: 20-26

Philip is one of the disciples. although not one of the key leaders like Peter.  He would be in that group of disciples who are mentioned a bit  -- not as much as some, but more than others. If you search for all the stories in which Philip is mentioned, however, it might surprise you how often he is mentioned.  We did have a story about Philip a few weeks ago -- Philip was the one who met the Ethiopian eunuch and talked to him and baptized him.  But,perhaps to give credence to his minor character status, I accidentally referred to him as Peter a couple of times in that sermon.

In the story from the first chapter of the Gospel of John, Philip tells Nathanael about Jesus.  Nothing extraordinary or dramatic, just, "Here's the guy for whom we've been looking."  In the twelfth chapter of John, some Greeks are looking for Jesus and come to Philip. No big deal.  He finds Andrew, and they take the Greeks to Jesus. 

I am attracted to Philip because of how he simply helps people connect with Jesus.  No miracle.  No grand speech. He just subtly act as a conduit to Jesus.  In some ways, that mirrors how he dealt with the Ethiopian eunuch.  Teach, baptize, what else could he do?

Reflections on "Nathan: Truth Telling" 2 Samuel 12: 1-14; Psalm 151

I continue to enjoy this sermon.  Another text that could lead to many different sermons. This could also be a good stewardship text -- God tells David that God would have given David more if David had just asked, but instead David takes advantage of Uriah.

“Nathan: Truth Telling” August 21, 2016; FPC, Troy; 2 Samuel 12: 1-14; Psalm 51

(2 Samuel 12:1-14) and the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him." Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; I gave you your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the LORD: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun." David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan said to David, "Now the LORD has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die." (NRSV)

Introduction: Nathan tells King David a story about a man in power taking advantage of a poor man who had no power.

The rich man exhibits total disdain for the poor man.

No reason to take advantage of the poor man. He surely had plenty of lambs to kill to feed his visitor.

But he does not want to waste one of his lambs on this unexpected, unimportant guest.

So he takes the lamb from the poor man. The lamb the poor man had treated like a daughter (I'll have to tell my daughters about this father!).

As ridiculous as it was for the poor man to treat a lamb like a daughter, it is even more ridiculous that the rich man would take his lamb for slaughter.

Mostly, the rich man does it because he can.

I preach this sermon with the Congressional Budget Office recently released report as a backdrop, a report noting that the wealthiest 10% in the United States have 76% of the wealth, this clear abuse of the poor man by the rich man sits as a backdrop for this morning's sermon.

Another element in the backdrop is the reality that most of us are people who are positions of power. And most of us are rich, maybe we do not see ourselves as rich, but to many in the world we are considered to be rich.

In keeping with our sermon series on minor characters in the Bible, however, I want to focus this morning on the role Nathan plays.

He may be a minor character, but he is the advisor/prophet to a major character, King David.

Nathan literally means "gift of God."

I doubt King David thinks of Nathan as a gift of God when Nathan turns the table.

David hears the story and demands that the rich man be punished.

Nathan tells him that he is the rich man because of the way he has dealt with Uriah.

Remember Uriah. The husband of Bathsheba. Bathsheba, the beautiful woman King David has seen out bathing and decided to have an affair.

When Bathsheba becomes pregnant, David sends for Uriah so that he can be with his wife and have it appear that he is the father of the child in her womb.

When that plan does not work, David, because David is king and because he can do whatever he wants, he not only sends Uriah off to the front lines of the battle, but he sends orders to have the army withdraw and leave Uriah exposed. No surprise -- Uriah is killed.

Now Bathsheba can be David's wife, and bears his son, and everything appears legitimate.

move 1: Notice that Nathan brings King David a message from God.


a. Not just Nathan bringing advice, but the text tells us that Nathan is “sent” by God to confront King David.

1. Notice the clear theological statement being made – God can hold the king of Israel accountable.
   

2. the Israelites are different than all the other people and countries around them - -- their king is subservient to God.
   

3. The Israelites already show their difference by worshiping one God instead of being polytheistic, but now the point it made that their one God can make demands on their king.
   

4. Moreover, the verb “to take” is the language that is used in 1 Samuel 8:11-19 by the prophet Samuel when he warns the people about the dangers of the royal office. Kings take whatever they want (http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2861; Juliana Claassens, Professor of Old Testament, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
   

5. But in Israel, a king who takes whatever he wants will be accountable to God.

b. King David's reaction confirms this theological point.

1. for starters, David does not have Nathan killed.

1. In many of countries and kingdoms in that time, maybe in our time as well, the person who confronts the king or the person in power with an uncomfortable truth gets killed.

2. Even in Israel, as we read the history of the kings, prophets who give kings bad news are often threatened and harassed.

3. That, of course, is where the saying “don't kill the messenger comes.

2. Not just kings. How often do we become upset with the person who tells us a truth we would rather not hear?

3. Cartoon: first block – student sitting in class looking bored; second panel, even more bored; third panel, he shouts “Boring,” fourth panel, he is on the way to the principal's office saying, “yeah, Yeah. Kill the messenger.”

4.w e do not like to be confronted with the truth, particularly when it puts us in a bad light.

100. King David also confesses his sins and seeks to repent.
     

1. Psalm 51 – a classic prayer of confession was reportedly written by King David after being confronted by Nathan.
   

2. Again, notice how different Israel is – the king will acknowledge that his has done something wrong, acknowledge that there is a higher power, and seek God's forgiveness.
   

500. we read this story and are reminded of our own temptation to put our desires ahead of what God desires.

1. It is easier to be like David and point out the flaws we see in others.
   

2. harder to be like David and see the sins we commit and repent.
   

move 2: Nathan reminds us of the importance of having someone who will tell us the truth.


a. David is a mixed bag – hero; adulterer; singer of psalms; predatory king.

1. Difficult to live out his calling as one of 'God's faithful.

2. Sometimes he gets it gloriously right; other times he missed the mark mightily, especially when he uses his power for his own personal gain.

3. He needs someone to keep him on the right path or call him back.

2. We may not be kings, but I suspect most of us need people in our lives who will tell us the truth.
   

b. Truth

1. We may want black and white, but we get gray.
   

2. Temptation to start with what we believe, what we want to be true, and then find the truth that will support our position.
   

3. can't you hear David – “Uriah one of the really good warriors. I need him to go do battle with the Ammonites.” then, when he hears that Uriah is dead, “Uriah's poor wife Bathsheba is now widowed. Someone should take care of her. Who better to do that than the king?” Amazing how David was doing the right thing all along!
   

4. As we are tempted to deceive ourselves, we need people to confront us with the truth.

100. Karel Barth, the Reformed theologian, noted that "The gospel is not a truth among other truths. Rather, it sets a question mark against all truths" http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/theologians/karl-barth.html
     

Move 3: it's a God thing.

a. Israel defines itself by its relationship with God.

b. When King David confesses his sins, he calls it a sin against God.

100. David needs Nathan to tell him the truth because he needs to be right with God.

d. We need someone to tell us the truth because we need to be right with God.

d. How we live our lives is a God-thing.

"Nathan: Speaking Truth" 2 Samuel 12: 1-14; Psalm 51

This week we focus on Nathan, another minor Bible character.  He is the advisor/prophet to a major character, King David.

Nathan literally means "gift of God."  could this man who speaks the truth to David indeed be a gift of God to David?

By bringing advice from God to King David, Nathan shows that the Israelites are different than all the other people -- their king is subservient to God.

After this story, Nathan will act as kingmaker to ensure that Solomon becomes king.

In this passage from 2 Samuel 12, Nathan uses a story to lead King David to convict himself for how he dealt with Urriah, BAthsehba's husband.  Note that David accepts the judgment instead of killing Nathan, who dares to point out David's sinfulness.

Psalm 51 is the psalm of confession that reportedly was David's response to acknowledging his sinfulness.  Note that his sin is not just against Urriah, but ultimately against God.

Reflections on "Ethiopian Eunuch" Acts 8: 26-40; Acts 8: 9-13

Another sermon that I have enjoyed preaching.  I really do like preaching the great stories from the Bible.  

At the Chapel service, I elaborated a bit more than the text below, in part because I had a short sermon due to the Columbarium dedication in the Sanctuary service.  

I note in the sermon a really important point fpr churches ponder how to reach millenials -- the sacred and sacramental have a great appeal millennials  because they bring a spiritual sense to things, but as a church we have to figure out how to uses these gifts of the church in ways that impact people's lives.

“Ethiopian Eunuch” August 14, 2016; FPC, Troy; Acts 8: 26-40; Acts 8: 9-13

(Acts 8:26-40) Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. (NRSV)

move 1: Great story with lots of different themes that jump out at us.

a. Church extending itself.

1. Remember, that immediately following Jesus' death and resurrection, most of the followers were Jews who believed in Jesus as the Son of God and in his resurrection.

2. The early church is trying to decide if it will expand to include Gentiles and others in the world, or if will remain a small group of Jewish-Christians.

3. Ethiopian eunuch is an outsider on several counts.

4. as an Ethiopian.

5. As a eunuch he would have been kept from entering the Temple (http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2445; Coleman Baker, Program Manager, Soul Repair Center, Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, Texas

6. Outsider who gets invited in, thereby welcoming the Ethiopian and also expanding who the church understands itself to be.

b. Importance of Scripture.

1. The Ethiopian actually has a scroll of Scripture.

2. Remarkable. Rather unusual.

3. No pew Bible to read; or Bible the church gives; no Kindle or iPhone or iPad.

4. Most of it oral.

5. But he has a scroll. Probably points out his connections to power or wealth.

6. We could get a lot of good insights about Scripture.

c. holy Spirit and Phillip.

1. Philip is instructed by an angel to go to the road the runs from Jerusalem to the southwest toward Gaza, an important city on the Mediterranean coast.

2. A wilderness road – sermon by itself on the Holy Spirit.

3. Philip snatched away by the Holy Spirit – really confusing sermon!

In keeping with minor characters, I want to focus on the Ethiopian's connection with Philip.

Move 2: Ethiopian seeks and Philip responds.

a. Ethiopian is working it.

1. reading Scripture.

2. does not understand it.

3. Willing to let Philip help. “How can I understand unless someone guides me?”

4. Stop right there and notice that he is willing to ask for someone else's insights.

5. He is willing to ask for help.

6. Instant community.

7. If someone asks you for help, you become engaged and interested. Actually drive someone to where they are going.

b. How willing are you to ask for help along our faith journey.

1. Means admitting that you do not have it all figured out.

2. Acknowledging that someone else might know something that matters.

3. some ways, it's a matter of vulnerability.

b. Philip responds.

1. Sort of a ridiculous scene.

2. Peter running along. Not sure if chariot is stopped. Saw a cartoon with Philip running alongside a chariot talking as he ran.

3. Philip offers --” “Do you understand?”

4. he extends himself and engages.

5. As individuals and as a church, how ready to we stand to extend ourselves?

Move 2: Ethiopian wants to be baptized

a. Not sure how he knows about baptism.

1. maybe he has heard stories about Jesus baptizing or the early church baptizing.

2. Looking for something more than just answers to questions about what he is reading.

3. wants to connect to God.

4. Simon the magician – can do magic, but wants more.

5. Millenials – studies show they are not that interested in the institutional church, but they desire to be a part of something sacred.

6. Not just millenials, people of all ages, people like us, we, know that desire to be connected to something beyond ourselves, to be connected to God.

a. Baptism at St. David's.

1. I spent one January doing hospital chaplaincy at St. David's hospital in Austin, TX.

2. Lots of powerful moments.

3. we were on-call on 24 hr. period a week, back when you had a beeper not a cell phone.; middle of the night beeper gets the adrenalin going

4. One day when I was on-call, my beeper went off and summoned me to the birthing unit.

5.young couple, baby had died in the womb; had to be induced; there would soon be a not-yet formed baby; would I do a baptism?

6. Not a minister, so I can't do baptism; theologically, can you even to do a baptism on a dead, unformed baby; where was community; way over my head, so I suggested that I was not really able to do that.

Head nurse suggested that I really was able to do it, and that these young parents needed a baptism.

So I faked my way through a baptism – the words aren't to hard really; no questions for parents or community; a prayer, of course; nurse had to hold this tiny almost baby as I poured the water and said the word; baby baptized as parents cling to each other and cried. 

I never told anyone on my presbytery committee!

6. We are called to meet people in the reality of their lives and invite them into the mystery of the holy.

7. Philip did that.

Move 3: Finally, The gift we have comes down to Jesus.

a. The Ethiopian was reading from the book of Isaiah, a passage associated with the suffering servant passages in Isaiah 53, and recognizes his need for help understanding the passage. 

1. Isaiah may have envisioned God would do something one day, but I doubt he had Jesus in mind when he prophesied those words.

2. but Philip connects the prophecy to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

b. That is the gift we have received and the gift we have to share. Amen.

"Ethiopian Eunuch" Acts 8: 9-13; Acts 9: 26-40

The text on which I am preaching is from Chapter 9.  It is about Peter's encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch who wants to learn from Peter about Scripture and then asks to be baptized.   I paired it with an earlier story about Simon the magician who wants what Peter has to offer.

I'm not sure where I am going with this yet.  Perhaps the focus is on seekers.  Or maybe how to be on the look out for seekers.  The Ethiopian eunuch sought answers from Peter, and Peter accommodated him.  There is something to be said for recognizing that we do not know all the answers and asking for help.  But, there is also something important both Simon and the Ethiopian wanted; something God has to offer people in our world with the church often acting to mediate that gift.

There are also important points made about reading and studying Scripture and the presence/power of the Holy Spirit.

Reflections on "Mephibosheth: Hesed" 2 Samuel 9: 1-13; I Samuel 18: 1-5 7-12

Another powerful narrative story from the biblical texts that I have not preached previously.  In addition to a minor characters series, it also has turned into a "texts I've never preached before" series.

I still remember reading about hesed in my Old Testament survey class.  The textbook had a box on the page that explained in further detail about hesed.  It has been formative to my understanding of God's covenant with us. 

Until I worked on this sermon, I had not realized that there were two Mephibosheths in the bible, nor had I thought about the difference between how the two were treated by David.  It could be its own sermon, without focusing solely on hesed. 

I also did not realize that hesed was the Hebrew word used to describe Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi. Since I had preached on the Ruth story two weeks ago, it was a good illustration for this sermon. 

“Mephibosheth: Hesed” August 7, 2016; FPC, Troy; 2 Samuel 9: 1-13; I Samuel 18: 1-5 7-12;

We continue reflecting on minor characters in the biblical story.

(2 Samuel 9:1-13) David asked, "Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "At your service!" The king said, "Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" Ziba said to the king, "There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet." The king said to him, "Where is he?" Ziba said to the king, "He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar." Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, "Mephibosheth!" He answered, "I am your servant." David said to him, "Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always." He did obeisance and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?" Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba, and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. You and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and shall bring in the produce, so that your master's grandson may have food to eat; but your master's grandson Mephibosheth shall always eat at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do." Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet. (NRSV)

Introduction: Two men named Mephibosheth.

Two men named Mephibosheth in King Saul's royal family.

One Mephibosheth is a son of King Saul and the half-brother of Jonathan, another of King Saul's sons

The other Mephibosheth is Jonathan's son.

One Mephibosheth is put to death by Gibeonites after David hands him over for execution (2 Samuel 21: 8-9) .

The other Mephibosheth is brought into King David's royal court and invited to sit at the royal table.

The difference between the two Mephibosheths? One word – Hesed

        a. Hesed is a Hebrew word which speaks of faithfulness/love that is expressed by a person in power to a person not in power.

             1. Hesed is used by the Hebrew writer to describe Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi.

             2. In the first passage we read today, we read of how Jonathan and David's souls are bound together, and how they pledge to be faithful to one another. That faithfulness/love/commitment is hesed.

              3. At this particular point in time, Jonathan, as the son of King Saul, is the person in power, and Jonathan lives out hesed by protecting David from King Saul in several instances, can continually trying to talk King Saul out of taking action against David.

              4.  The second passage we read this morning describes how David lives out hesed when he has defeated King Saul and Saul and Jonathan are dead.

               5.  David asks if there is anyone left with whom he can live out his covenant to Jonathan. When he learns that Mephibosheth, Jonathan's crippled son, is still alive, he send for him and treats him like one of his own sons.

               6.  David living out hesed toward Jonathan after David has come to power.

         b. hesed matters to us because it is the Hebrew words that is often used to describe the kind of faithfulness/love/covenant God has for us.

               1. In that covenant, God is clearly the person in power.

               2. That covenant gives us hope that /God will choose to protect and care for us, the one who are not in power.

Two things about hesed this morning.

Move 1: Hesed causes David to remember and act.

        a. David remembers what Jonathan had done for him.

             1.  I suspect those moments when Jonathan had literally saved him from King Saul are etched in his memory.

             2.  avid also remembers the covenant that he had made with Jonathan.

3. Now David acts on that memory.

4. Robert Wuthnow tells a story about how remembering impacts how a person acts in the future.

Wuthnow recounts an interview with Jack Casey who spends many hours as a volunteer fire fighter and rescue squad worker. Jack’s own father was an alcoholic; his parents were divorced when he was a teenager. “All my father ever taught me,” Jack says, “is that I didn’t want to grow up to be like him.”

But in the interview with Wuthnow, Jack continued to talk, and, as he did, he related the time when he was a child and had to have five teeth pulled while under general anesthesia. A nurse standing beside Jack, fear etched in his face as the mask was lowered over his nose and mouth, took his hand and spoke soothingly, calmly, “Don’t worry, Jack. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here beside you no matter what happens.” And Jack said, “When I woke up, she was still standing right there.”

Almost 20 years later, that comes back to Jack when he is called out to an accident where a man's pickup truck had overturned and he was trapped inside. When we arrived, the rescue equipment was already there, ripping through the twisted metal to free the man. The man was terrified, crying out that he didn’t want to die, he didn’t want to die. There was gasoline dripping down so that one errant spark could have caused everything to go up in smoke in an instant. I crawled through the jagged glass of the windshield over to where the man was and I just kept saying over and over, “Look, don’t worry. I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere.” When I said that, I was reminded of how that nurse said the same thing and she never left me.

Nearly two decades had elapsed between the time that a nurse held Jack’s hand, promising that she would not leave him, and the time he rescued the man in the mangled pickup truck. But the memory was so powerful that it empowered him to risk his life for someone he didn’t even know. The memory was powerful, not as a vague recollection, but because the remembered story provided a script, the exact words even, for Jack to use. (2) (1)Robert Wuthnow, “Stories to Live By,” Theology Today, Vol. XLIX, No. 3, October 1992, 302. See also Wuthnow, Acts of Compassion: Caring for Others and Helping Ourselves (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991). 2. Ibid., 308.

3. David remembers how Jonathan had been faithful to their promise, and now he acts to show that faithfulness to Mephibosheth.

4. Hesed is not primarily something people "feel." It is something people DO for other people who have no claim on them (http://discovertheword.org/2010/10/18/the-hebrew-term-hesed-and-what-it-means-for-our-lives-today/; further study on hesed see http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/webfm_send/430

      c.  God remembers and acts.

            1.  that's what the Israelites discover when they are enslaved in Egypt and cry out to God – God remembers.

            2. that's what the psalmists will promise again and again – God will not forget them.

            3.  that is what we learn in the coming of Christ – God not only has God not forgotten, but God has acted on that memory.

God remembers and is true to hesed.

Move 2: David invites Mephibosheth to sit at the king's table.

     a. Not just a little food to keep him from starving.

          1. not just a little shack to call his own

           2.  David gives Mephibosheth a place at the king's table.

          3.  The best that King David has to offer.

    b. that is like the faithfulness of God who invites us to the banquet table for the Lord's Supper.

           1. Not just a little food to survive, but the gift of Jesus Christ himself.

           2.  the hope and the promise of resurrection and new life.

           3. God lives out hesed by giving us God's very own self in the person of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: Baptism – not just the splashing of water and walking a baby around as proud parents watch.

Not just a congregation committing to help raise the child.

It is about God's extending hesed to the child who still does not even know who God is. God offering the best – being bound to Christ in his death and resurrection, to a little child.

God offering hesed to you.