HELLO!

At the core of today’s Bible story is the surprise experienced by Samuel, who is tasked with finding Saul’s successor, and Jeese, father of many sons, including David. The moral of this story, according to most preachers who have reflected on this text is, “don’t be deceived by appearances”. David is the smallest. His vocation is dismissed (he is the keeper of sheep). Shepherds were considered among the lowest on the status continuum. Dealing with smelly, dirty, animals, was not a desirable profession. Look no further than Luke’s Gospel, where the angels speaking to shepherds is considered a shock to those listening to the holy birth narratives. David is the youngest, the smallest, and occupies the most ridiculed workspace. And yet, he is chosen to be King, more importantly, the one whom God would use to channel justice and glory.

To add to this revelation, we know from what happens later in David’s story, this King is very vulnerable to temptation, selfishness and cruelty. A reminder, among the many sins of David (and there are many) the one we know best (because it is in part sexual, and we are drawn to those stories) is David’s affair. He attempts to cover it up by sending the husband to the battlefield so he would be killed. When the woman in question has a child, David can say the father was the soldier, hiding his own misdeeds. Among those in his court, only Nathan speaks the truth, “you are that man”, in reference to David complicity and guilt.

So…not only is David’s status such that no one would predict him as the one to be chosen for such an important role, but his frailties and imperfections make him doubly suspect as an instrument of God’s grace.

Being in our Dinner Theatre production I have once again seen with my own eyes how most people find the act of being centre stage problematic, nerve-racking. In our culture there is an assumption those who like the spotlight are arrogant, “big-feeling” (my mother’s words), and “full of themselves”. Our reticence to be “on stage” is common. All my life my lack of such reticence has been the cause of comment and criticism, “you sure do like to talk a lot” and “you are a ham”. And the answer to both comments is an honest, yes. I concede I am guilty of this temptation. In my defence, in my older years, when not in a public role, my need to be talking and centre stage has receded. I can sit in my office for hours and not need to find others to speak with. I can go to public events, sit in the audience, and not speak. I can go to our practices on Monday nights, and be the only cast member not talking during the rehearsals. I am now very comfortable with my own company.

But one thing I find odd about the presumption of arrogance is how it is often tied to being confident and public. Yet, arrogance means, “the quality of having an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities.” Surely one such exaggerated sense is always feeling certain. For me, humility is knowing what we don’t know, that others may know more, that listening to others can reveal surprising revelations. I know many, many people who are very reticent to speak in a public setting who are always certain they are right and rarely listen to views that are not their own. What I love about the David story is how wisdom and truth come as a surprise to all concerned. I love it when God surprises me.

Peace, Kevin