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Philistine.
The Philistine came on and drew near to David,
with his shield-bearer in front of him.
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained
him,
for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in
appearance.
The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come
to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his
gods.
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."
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.
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,
and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does
not save by sword and spear;
for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our
hand."
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,
and struck the Philistine on his forehead;
the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down
on the ground.
The Holy Gospel according to the Community of St. Mark in the 4th
Chapter
Glory to you, O Lord
God lifted the stormy wind and the waves of the sea.
The people reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and were at their wits end.
And so are we.
Then the people cried to the Lord in their trouble.
And so do we.
What are we to do, O God? we ask.
We are, indeed, at our wits end.
What are we to do?!
From Pauls Letter to the church at Corinth:
The people suffered afflictions, hardships, calamities,
riots, sleepless nights, and hunger.
The people know death and poverty.
And so do we.
The people ask, What are we to do?
And so do we.
From the Gospel of Mark:
Jesus and the disciples,
on the sea,
in a boat.
A furious storm arose.
The waves threatened to swamp the boat.
Where is Jesus?! the disciples ask.
And so do we.
Where is Jesus when his followers suffer? we ask.
Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?! the
disciples ask.
And so do we.
Jesus, dont you care that church folks are massacred?
we ask.
Where is God?
What else?
What else is there to do?
From the Book of 1st Samuel:
The children of Israel and the Philistines are at war.
The giant, Goliath, makes an offer.
If any warrior defeats him, the Philistines will be the
slaves of Israel.
If Goliath defeats the warrior, Israel will be slaves to the
Philistines.
David picks up five smooth stones . . .
With this story, the lectionary gives me pause.
Why does this story of war and violence appear on this
Sunday?
Why now?!
Is there any redeeming lesson to be learned from the
death and destruction of war?
From this story of submission to slavery?
We remember and give thanks for Gods love,
we pray,
we keep the faith,
but what else?
What else is there to do?
David picked up five smooth stones and confronted evil.
Its time for Gods people to pick up five smooth stones.
Its time, past time, for Gods people to confront evil.
Theres a problem . . .
We all live in glass houses.
We need to be careful when we identify our targets.
Labeling those people as evil is dangerous.
Pick up five smooth stones.
10
Confront evil.
Be careful.
There are, however, some easy targets:
racism, hate, violence, abuse.
God calls us to confront racism, hate, violence, and
abuse
in our homes, first of all!
Does kindness, love, mercy, and forgiveness
reign in your household?
Confront evil, first of all, in your home, with your family.
Throw this stone first!
Then carry your stones out into the world
to work, to school, to church, to the grocery store, in
your car.
Do not tolerate racism in yourself or others.
Do not allow a person of color to be mistreated in your
presence.
Throw a stone.
Do not tolerate hate.
Do not allow a person of another faith or one who speaks
another language to be mocked in your presence.
Throw a stone.
Do not tolerate violence.
Take a stand against the violence in our courts, in our
prisons, on our streets, in our homes.
Throw a stone.
Do not tolerate abuse.
If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse,
you are called by God to intervene, to protect, to guide,
to provide resources.
Throw a stone.
11
Hymns
Gathering: 870 We Praise You, O God
HOD: 756 Eternal Father, strong to save
Sending: 632 O God, Our Help in Ages Past