Don't Take It Personally

Don’t Take It Personally, Samuel! 6/3/2024 - by: Nina Schmid - Starting With Scripture Share The Rev. Nina Barlow Schmid is currently Bridge Minister for Mid to Later Life Congregational Care/Nurture and Engagement at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Hartford, CT. Scripture: 1 Samuel 8:4-11; 16-20 (NRSV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7 and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only, you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” 10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots,… 16 He will take your male and female slaves and the best of your cattle and donkeys and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And on that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.” 19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! We are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” Reflection: Don’t Take It Personally, Samuel! Samuel – priest, prophet, judge – has a problem. The elders of Israel demand that a king be appointed in his place. A king who will make Israel “like other nations.” Plus, they say to Samuel, “You are old.” Hard not to take that personally, right? Indeed, he takes it all personally. Samuel didn’t seem to know about the ‘Don’t Take It Personally’ (DTIP) rule, a useful survival tool. ‘DTIP’ can temper many a tempest, pacify many a predicament, and calm many a conundrum. DTIP is especially important for those in authority, say, like parents. I vividly remember the first time I told my mother she wasn’t my real mother and couldn’t tell me what to do. She took it personally. Next time, not so much. We learn. Need I say more? Samuel prays on the situation and learns, too. Lucky for Samuel, God is right there giving him divine counsel, reminding him not to take all of this personally. In fact, God told him that Samuel was not the one being rejected, but indeed, the elders of Israel were rejecting their True King – God’s Own Self! Even though God is their True King and has every right to take it personally, God does not. Like a wise parent, the True King advises: “Look, been there, done that. These people have been rejecting me for other Gods since Egypt and now they’re doing it to you. Let them have their king and experience the consequences. DTIP.” Samuel listens, and warns them of the dire times ahead with a king who sets self-interest above the people. Still, they insist: “No, we are determined to have a king!” God tells Samuel, ‘Set a king over them.” The matter of kingship – good, bad and indifferent; appointed, anointed or inherited – is somewhat settled for now, as the stories of Saul and David begin to unfold down the line. Way, way down that line to the present day, the arrogance of human beings again ignoring the God who saves, coupled with the belief that ‘younger is better,’ are striking. Arrogance and ageism. Whatever happened to ability and wisdom? These themes seem almost written for a time such as ours in a nation such as ours, upon the precipice of a presidential election of seismic proportions when the world is already on fire. A ‘king’ who will solve all the problems – isn’t this the typical battle-cry of the arrogant? What one person can do that? What about EVERYONE helping? “We want a king to go out and fight battles like other nations!” Aren’t there enough battles and wars and conflicts? And, who should be fighting them? Should they be fought? Which ones are worthy? “You’re too old for the job!” The likely candidates in our upcoming presidential election are hearing this, four years apart in their venerated 7th and 8th decades, respectively. Wonder what the ‘elders of Israel’ would think? If not careful, they might have found themselves out of a job, along with Samuel! DTIP, elders. Yes, the times they are a-changin, again. Still, our True King, the Then, Now and Ever God, never changes, as the Rev. Dr. William Barber II recently proclaimed in a sermon at Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford. “God doesn’t change!” Thank you, Rev. Dr. Barber for your words! The God of Israel hasn’t changed; the very same God who didn’t take the demands of the elders of Israel personally; the One King who continues to be rejected again and again. “The stone that the builders rejected becomes the cornerstone.” We have a King, for Christ’s sake! We have a merciful, kind, compassionate and just God who is ageless and is still not taking the rejection of the world personally; who still believes in us, laughs with us, cries with us and walks with us despite our losing our way time and time again. Humanity, take that personally! What more do we need? Let us look to our God for all things, not for kings! Certainly, not any more kings! We have THE KING! Amen. PRAYER Ever-present, Gracious One, Let us be as one in your Creation. Let us take that which we must to heart, And not let that which we mustn’t, tear us apart. Oh, One True God and King, let us take you and all you are, personally! May it be so. New Prayer Requests: We ask churches and church leaders to join us in the following prayers either by sharing them during worship, printing them in bulletins, or sharing them in some other way. To make a prayer request, please contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane at cochranem@sneucc.org. Prayers of Intercession: For the people of Ukraine and the Middle East whose lives continue to be shattered by war, as well as the many landscapes that are currently embroiled in conflicts . For those grieving or suffering due to the ~6,800 gun violence deaths that happened in the US since the start of the year. For the friends and family of The Rev. Armand Proulx, who passed on May 20, 2024. Rev. Proulx served as pastor at Second Congregational Church in Greenfield, MA. Centering Prayer was at the heart of his ministry that he shared in workshops he led throughout Western MA and VT. Prayers of Joy and Thanksgiving: For those who provide queer-affirming and spirituality-affirming spaces for youth. For those repurposing and redeveloping church properties to more effectively advance the mission of the church For the ability to pray together. (You are invited to participate in Pause for Prayer, Wednesdays @ 12:30, Live on Facebook. Add your prayers through the chat feature, and recordings can be found on the SNEUCC Facebook page or our webpage.) This Week in History: June 4, 1919 (105 years ago): Congress passes the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. [History] “Study the past if you would define the future.” — Confucius schmid_thumbnail_assisi.jpg Nina Schmid Nina is currently Bridge Minister for Mid to Later Life Congregational Care/Nurture and Engagement at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Hartford, CT.