The Lord Looks on the Heart

6/14/09 slightly edited version of my sermon on I Sam. 15:34-16:13

"O say can you see?" That is the question. How well do you see? What do you see in others? Samuel, a prophet, literally, a "seer," is tasked with finding the new king. What do you look for?
Maybe it is the eldest. That's what makes a person more valuable, their age. But no, the Lord looks on the heart.
Maybe it is the tallest. As one who is vertically challenged, I take offense at this. And thankfully, the Lord looks on the heart.
Maybe it is the smartest...or the most handsome....or the wealthiest....or most powerful....or the most famous. No, the Lord looks on the heart.
Seven sons pass before Samuel. They do not pass muster. Is there anyone else? Only the youngest, but he's nothing, he's out tending the sheep. But the Lord looks on the heart.
I love children. I love what children are able to see. Last week as I was serving communion, a boy planted himself in front of me. You may remember that we were going to show the movie, "One Peace at a Time" that night for $10 a person. He said, "Hey, why don't you have children's tickets for that movie." I told him, if he came, that I would cover his ticket. What I love about that story is how free he felt to talk to me right there in front of worship. He was striking a blow for justice for all children. He got to the heart of the matter.
I have been with children all week as we have hosted Vacation Bible School. We have been with Paul and the early church in Rome in the first century. Again I love what children see. One child asked his dad at the end of the week, "So, you can do God more than one day a week, huh?" It gets to our hearts.
And you children what did you learn this past week. That God loves us. That God loves not just us but everyone....even Brutus, Paul's guard. Did he become a Christian? How do we know? We are baptized.
Today, we have the baptism of 2 children. Maybe God only loves adults. NO!? Remember in the gospels, how they were bringing little children to Jesus for him to bless them. But his disciples tried to prevent it. But Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." The Lord looks upon the heart.
So the youngest son, the eighth son, the one overlooked, is the one whom Samuel is directed to anoint as the new king. Maybe we can forgive Samuel for not having such great vision. After all he was old, in retirement. He was afraid, for he was anointing a new king while the old king was still alive, an act of treason. It was a rush job. But at last he saw as the Lord saw, upon the heart, and David was chosen by God.
David follows a long line of least likely to lead people in the Bible. Abraham and Sarah...too old to have kids and to go to land unknown...but the Lord looks upon the heart.
Moses, a murderer and runaway from the law....one who is hesitant to speak....but the Lord looks upon the heart.
Deborah...female judge, prophet, military leader....you know the refrain.
Gideon....of small tribe...afraid..
Jeremiah....too young...
Mary....too young...not married..
Saul...persecutor of the church....
The most important thing is what the Lord sees. The Lord does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called.
It is true for communities as well as individuals. Is this the oldest church? Is it the largest? Is it the richest? Is it the smartest? Is it the most beautiful? None of that really matters. The Lord looks on the heart.
What does the Lord see in us? What do we see in others? The Lord looks on the heart. Amen.