Wild Flowers taken March 5, 2005

Eagle flying over our building March 5, 2005

March 6, 2005

The Annointed 1 Sam 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

The LORD said to Samuel: "Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons."

As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is here before him." But the LORD said to Samuel: "Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart." In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any one of these." Then Samuel asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse replied,
"There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send for him; wewill not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here." Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The LORD said, "There--anoint him, for this is the one!" Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

"Man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart." David is chosen king. The shepherd boy is now the ruler of the people. When he is annointed the Spirit of the Lord fills him. The connection of this reading with the New Testament readings is obvious. It is a continued tradition of God blessing those whose hearts belong to God. Those chosen by God are often not those that the people can see as the obvious choice because only God can truly look into the heart of a person. The comment that David had a ruddy complexion means to me that he was one of the common working people outdoors with the flock in the fields all day rather than a pampered rich person waited on by others indoors all day as some who were kings might have been. The shepherd is an ancient religious symbol that goes before the time of Chritianity as Hermes and others and then in early Christianity is a dominant symbol in paintings and mosaics.

As a young girl, I loved to sit near the back of our tiny church with my family and stare at the large stained glass window at the entire back of the church. It was a simple, large traditional rendition of Jesus the Shepherd carrying a young lamb wrapped on his shoulders. I just loved that window and the look of tenderness and love on the face of Jesus.