the second sermon in the "Touched by God" preaching series. It was confirmation Sunday, and has been my custom I designed this sermon with the confirmands in mind. I called them by name to begin to the sermon, in part because I wanted them to know the sermon was geared to them, and in part because I wanted Sunday to be something they remember.
I had not preached either of these texts for a confirmation Sunday previously (at least I don't remember doing that!), but these are two great stories to preach. In fact, the conclusion, could have been the focus of the sermon, although I really enjoyed working through the David story for the sermon.
I Samuel 16: 1-13 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
I had not preached either of these texts for a confirmation Sunday previously (at least I don't remember doing that!), but these are two great stories to preach. In fact, the conclusion, could have been the focus of the sermon, although I really enjoyed working through the David story for the sermon.
I Samuel 16: 1-13 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.”[a] 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
“The Anointed” John 1: 35-42; I Samuel 16: 1-13; SAPC Touch series; 4/30/17
Introduction: JT, Katie, Gianna, Abby, Mason
On this your confirmation day, this sermon is for you.
By that I mean when i reflected on this passage, I had your faces in my head.
Everyone can listen in, but this sermon is being preached for you five.
From now on, you can always win a round of “I Never,” because not very many people have a sermon written just for them.
Move 1: The text in Samuel takes us back to a special day for David.
a. You awakened today knowing it was going to be a special day.
1. A day when you complete your confirmation process.
2. A day when you stand in front of the congregation and profess your faith.
2. a day when you complete your confirmation process.
3. A day your family, your mentor, your friends, your church congregation, surround you to celebrate this wonderful moment in your life.
b. David, of course, did not know something momentous was going to take place on his special day.
1. he awakened and went to the fields to take care of the sheep.
2. A normal, routine day interrupted by
the touch of the prophet Samuel’s hand as he anointed David with some oil and marks him as the one who will be king of Israel.
c. But even after great prophet’s touch that day, David does not immediately take over as king.
1. First he has to go back to the fields and watch the sheep for his father.
2. then he will fight goliath.
3. And be part of King’s Saul’s court and play soothing music on the lyre when King Saul has a headache.
4. He will be a warrior for King Saul.
5. finally, after all that, after King Saul has turned against him and been killed in battle, then David will become King of Israel.
6. From the time he was anointed until he became King of Israel, David served God in many different ways.
d. Today you profess your faith in Christ, and we mark this moment with with the anointing touch.
1. Tomorrow, you go back to Middle School.
2. The oil will be washed off your forehead.
3. you still have high school to go;
2. Maybe college.
3. your first real job.
4. Who knows what else.
b Your profession of faith today and anointing marks an important moment in your life, but like David, it is not your final destination.
1. You do not know what the next year, much less the next decade, will bring in your life.
2. You have some hopes and dreams, but even those will change as you move through the coming years of your life.
3. you can expect to have some important moments in your faith life — SYW; mission trip; a time in college when you desperately need God, and you hear God voice n the darkness of your desperation.
4. Like David, you can expect to have some challenges in your life — not being on homecoming court; or you do not get into your first choice of college; or the death of a loved one;
5. All that is yet to come. how God is going to use you and nurture you is yet to be revealed.
6. But today, we with the touch of a hand and some oil we anoint you to celebrate your profession of faith and acknowledge that you now move into the future as a professing disciple of Jesus Christ.
Move 2: Take a moment and look at a story along David’s faith journey.
a. You know the story of how he killed Goliath.
1. you remember Goliath was a Philistine giant, of course, and an enemy of the Israelites.
2. you remember that David took only his slingshot into battle.
3. But do you remember what David wore that day.
4. they dressed him in Saul’s armor; put a helmet on him; gave him a sword as a weapon. He was ready for battle.
5. Except, he could barely move, much less go into battle.
6. He said, “I am a shepherd. let me carry my staff; and wear my clothes; and take stones in my pouch; and use my slingshot. That’s who I am.”
7. and it worked. As Goliath laughed at the unprotected shepherd before him; as the Israelite soldiers feared for the shepherd with no real weapons; David took out a stone, pulled back on his slingshot, and killed Goliath.
8. David knew who he was and how to use his gifts.
b. As we anoint you today, we acknowledge that you are a child of God, and God has created you in a unique way.
1. You are bound together in your profession of faith, but you each have unique gifts and talents.
2. Your call is to be the person God created you to be.
3. Not dress up in the armor, if you are a shepherd; not wear the clothes or take on the personality others choose for you; claim who God made you to be and the gifts God has given you.
Move 3: remember, it was David’s heart for God that made him the one whom Samuel was to anoint.
a. all the other sons of Jesse were paraded before Samuel.
1. the oldest — we would expect the oldest to be the chosen one in the world in which they lived.
2. the tallest; maybe the smartest;
3. but none of them were the right one.
4. Whatever criteria they used, one by one, the sons who passed by were not the ones God had chosen.
3. Had Samuel somehow misunderstood God?
4. Any other sons, he asks.
5. One left — the youngest, the one overlooked because of his young age, the one they left in the fields with the sheep. The one they call David.
6. he is the one — not because he is the the youngest, or the best looking, or the smartest, but because he had a heart for God.
b. as you live into your profession of faith, there is nothing more important than having a heart for God.
1. Each of you have many talents, but as you use your many gifts in following Jesus Christ, none will be as important as a heart for God.
2. A heart for God that reveals your desire to be in relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. A heart for God that opens you up to the power of the Holy Spirit to make you a new creation.
4. a heart for God that gives you a desire to share God’s love with others in the world.
5. When you profess your faith in Jesus Christ, you use words; when you live out your profession of faith, let your heart lead you.
Conclusion: We read i the gospel of John where John the baptist sees Jesus and tells two of his followers, “there is the lamb of God.”
the two approach Jesus, and he asks, “Whom are you looking for?” The two reply, “Rabbi,” and then ask “where are you staying.”
“Come and see,” Jesus tells them.
The two go and see and discover he is the Messiah, which means the Anointed.
You five started confirmation with an invitation to come and see.
Today, you profess your faith in the Messiah, jesus Christ himself. Amen.
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