1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13 (links validated 3/5/23)

No moment of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta is more memorable than Keri Strug's final vault in the team competition of women's gymnastics. The American team was poised to win the gold medal if either of the last two competitors succeeded in completing a clean vault. The vault did not have to be spectacular, but neither could the team afford any major deductions. The next to last competitor attempted two vaults, but fell on both of them, leaving it to Strug to clinch the gold medal. Strug was not the best gymnast on the team, nor the flashiest, nor the most decorated. Before the Olympics, she was hardly known outside of gymnastic circles. When the tiny competitor raced down the floor to attempt her first vault, she slipped on the landing and injured her ankle. With one last chance remaining, she limped gingerly back to the starting line, testing her leg, fighting back pain and tears. With the encouragement of her coach and her teammates, she sprinted down the runway again, launched herself into a series of aerial gyrations, and executed a solid landing before reflexively lifting her injured foot, then collapsing in pain. With victory assured, the tiny but courageous gymnast was carried off the floor by her coach, placed on a stretcher, and wheeled to the medical center. One could say that Keri Strug made that final landing not with her feet, but with her heart. It wasn't the outward appearance or reputation that mattered, but the stuff she was made of...

The February 13, 2018 Morning Call reported on FBI agents’ investigation of Allentown (PA) mayor Ed Pawlowski. Agents told him he could potentially lessen his corruption charge’s severity if he cooperated with their investigation into what The Morning Call referred to as “pay-to-play politics.” In the course of their conversation, FBI agent Carmen DiMario told Mayor Pawlowski, ”There’s more going on here than meets the eye, and I think you know there’s more going on here than meets the eye. I think you have knowledge of this.” Agent Scott Curtis added: “I think you know about campaign contributions coming to you and coming to other people in Allentown City Hall in return for steering contracts to certain people.” “That’s not the case,” Pawlowski stubbornly replied. After all, only those who have eyes to see are able to see more than what meets the eye.

In the movie The Elephant Man, John Merrick is portrayed as a horribly deformed man who had been mistreated throughout his life. Everyone thought he was a freak and an imbecile; that is until a doctor overheard him repeat the Lord’s Prayer. In the course of the movie we discover that John is a person of sensitivity and intelligence. Here was a person who had a heart, but whose appearance masked his true character. At one point in the movie, Merrick cries out “I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!”

("Near the end of C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia Aslan the Lion takes Lucy, Edmund, Peter and everyone to the New Narnia--to what we would call 'heaven' or the New Creation. It is a place of astonishing light and beauty; a place where every blade of grass seems to mean more and where every creature sings for the sheer joy of the Creator...")

("Perhaps we can call this "Susan Boyle Sunday". It is not surprising that the Common Lectionary yokes this Old Testament passage with the two parables in Mark 4. In both cases the message is the same: looks can be deceiving. Recently the world's attention was arrested by a startling incarnation of that old and familiar bromide in the person of Susan Boyle...")

The narrative details in this story point to the hand of God in human events, which reminded me of an interview I saw on the news the other day. Martha Teichner has written a delightful book titled, When Harry Met Minnie: An Unexpected Friendship and the Gift of Love Beyond Loss. It’s all about a series of chance meetings that resulted in the adoption of a dog to keep another dog company and the human friendship that sprouted from that canine relationship. It looks like an adorable book. But I was frozen in my seat when Ms. Teichner said with deep solemnity, “I have absolute faith in fate.” All of those happy occurrences were simply an impersonal fate being worked out. How much more comforting to have absolute faith in a personal God who works through the narrative details of our lives, especially when that God loved us enough to become one of us. Speaking of TV, my wife and I spent many a COVID afternoon binge watching “The Crown,” the Netflix special on Queen Elizabeth and her, how shall I say it, interesting family. For hours, we watched the arcane and inane customs of the British monarchy, as well as the insanely complicated relationships in her family. Though the Queen is legally the head of the Church of England, the King of that church seemed to play little role in royal things. That reminded me of Saul, and later David, and all the leaders of the nations, including mine. It is crucial to get it right when choosing which Sovereign to follow.

Consider these stirring words from C.S. Lewis’ classic The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Through a magical wardrobe four children have stumbled into Narnia, the Kingdom where the wicked White Witch has imposed a perpetual winter. Early in their explorations of Narnia the children meet Mr. Beaver, one of the talking animals in this delightful series of books. Mr. Beaver announces, “They say Aslan is on the move—perhaps has already landed.” (Aslan is, of course, the Lion who is the Christ figure in these delightful books.) Lewis continues. “And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was… but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer.”...

It is easy to make determinations about other people based on what we see and what we think we know. And it is very easy to be wrong. We can fall into stereotypes and typecasting, and that can be dangerous. Stereotypes lead to pre-judging – to prejudice. Bryan Stevenson, a noted civil rights attorney who happens to be black, arrived for court early in order to prepare for an upcoming case. This was the first appearance in this particular court for Stevenson. He sat down at the defense counsel table as he had hundreds of times in his career, and waited for his client to arrive. The presiding judge walked in and saw Stevenson sitting there. He admonished Stevenson, “Hey! Hey! Hey! I don’t let my defendants sit there without their attorney – you go out in the hallway and wait for your attorney to arrive.” Stevenson said, “I’m sorry, your honor, I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself.” He told the judge his name and that he was the defense attorney. And the judge laughed at him. The prosecutor laughed at him. He chuckled a bit himself, not wanting to disadvantage his client. But somehow, it seemed absurd to the judge and prosecuting attorney that a middle aged African-American man could be an attorney...

Growing up I used to visit my grandparents often. Upon arrival, my grandfather would quickly hand me a list of tasks he needed me to accomplish. One of them was helping him spot the various pests that lingered outside his southeast Texas home. My goals: find any trace of ants, termites, roaches, and/or spiders that sought sanctuary inside his home. I was always a willing participant because my tasks were met with generous compensation. We would walk around together, I would spot, and he would spray. Every time I found something he would say, “Good job Eagle Eye!” As a young boy, I was not sure what being an “eagle eye” meant, but I adored his affection. I have come to understand that he needed a better set of eyes around his house. I offered those eyes...

("There are countless stories of transformation, but one that has always resonated with me was the story of the wolf of Gubbio. During the time when St. Francis of Assisi was living in the city of Gubbio, a large, ferocious wolf was terrorizing the area, devouring not only livestock but also human beings. One day, St. Francis decided to go and meet the wolf...")

Mr. Swiller was known far and wide as a hard-nosed boss who watched his employees like a hawk. He was making one of his regular tours of the factory when he spotted a young man leaning against a pile of boxes just outside the foreman's office. Since George, the foreman, wasn't around, Swiller stood off to the side and watched to see just how long the young man would stand around doing nothing..." and another illustration

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