Loving God, into the midst of our fear you speak peace and calm, empowering us by your Spirit to overcome those things that threaten us.  Teach us to trust you in all circumstances, and grant us the gifts of faith, hope, and love, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

            Back in May, Peter Denton wrote an article in the Winnipeg Free Press with the title “Bad decisions driven by fear, not stupidity” (May 11, 2021).  He was referring to some of the things that have gone on during the pandemic – particularly involving Christian groups that should be showing love, compassion and humility, rather than holding anti-mask rallies and mounting legal challenges.  In his opinion, such actions reflect fear and anxiety rather than a strong faith.

         King Saul – whom we heard about last week – was also prone to making bad decisions driven by fear and anxiety.  In fact, this week we hear that not only Saul, but all of Israel is afraid – afraid of Goliath the Philistine, who has issued a challenge for one of them to come and fight him.

         Because of this fear and hesitancy, Saul has promised riches and a position as the king’s son-in-law to anybody who will take up the challenge and fight Goliath.  However, in spite of this, they are afraid, and would rather run in the opposite direction than go out and fight Goliath.

         Of course, along comes David, who has been sent by his father in order to take some food to his three eldest brothers, who are in Saul’s army.  As soon as David gets there, he hears Goliath come out and give his challenge to the army of Israel.  After investigating Israel’s response (or lack thereof), David is amazed that they would allow this Philistine to “defy the armies of the living God” (1 Sam. 17:26).

         His eldest brother is immediately angry with David and essentially tells him to go back to his sheep in the wilderness.  David, however, is used to being ignored and dismissed by his brothers, and before long he is summoned by King Saul to hear what he has to say.  This brings us to the part of the story that we heard today, where David offers to go out and fight Goliath.

         Of course, in many ways, David is the classic underdog.  He is young enough to be called “just a boy,” and is too small to wear Saul’s armor.  He is constantly dismissed by his brothers and spends his time as a lowly shepherd.  He comes with a boy’s weapons against a man – kind of like bringing a knife to a gun fight – but unlike a knife, you can sling a stone from a distance.

         However, in this particular battle, David does not win because he is more courageous, or more skilled, or even more tenacious than all of the men in the army.  Rather, David is victorious because of his trust in God.  While Goliath’s taunts are all about what he is going to do to David, David’s taunts are all about what God is going to do – not only to Goliath, but to the entire Philistine army.  As David says, “the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam. 17:47).

         A caution, however, to those who might claim today to be fighting God’s battles.  As you may well know from history, many things have been done in the name of God that have nothing to do with trusting God and living in God’s way.  In fact, there may be people today who believe that they are fighting for God by defying public health orders.  However, the God who has been revealed through Jesus Christ calls us to care for all people and to love our neighbours as ourselves.

         Still, we are reminded in both of today’s readings that God can do things that we cannot.  Whatever the giants might be that we are fighting in our lives, it is the power of God that will carry us through.  The battles in which we find ourselves are many.  Some are fighting illness or family break-ups.  Some are fighting addictions or insurmountable debt.  Some are fighting anxiety or fear, and some are carrying a heavy burden of shame with them.  It can seem as though any of these things are twice our size and ready to take us out.

         However, just like David, we cannot fight them alone.  We need the power of God at work in our lives – healing us, strengthening us, empowering us, and giving us hope.  We also need the support of others, which is often how God shows up when we are at our lowest.  While David did not have much support other than his faith in God when he fought Goliath, it was not long afterwards when Jonathan became his greatest friend and supporter.  We simply cannot do it alone.

         The same goes when storms threaten to overwhelm us and scare us half to death.  For, Jesus is still in the boat with us, and is very much awake and alive.  “Peace! Be still!” he commands (Mk. 4:39) – and just like with the wind and the waves, there is a dead calm in the midst of our turmoil.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Lectionary 12B                                 1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 32-49

June 20, 2021                                  Mark 4:35-41

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2021 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved