Unexpected Blessings - Confirmation Sunday June 13th, 2021

Unexpected Blessings

A meditation shared by Rev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC June 13, 2021, third Sunday after Pentecost, Confirmation Sunday and Pride Sunday. “The Call: Good Trouble” series.

    Text: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

Jesse didn’t expect the prophet Samuel to come calling. And he certainly wasn’t expecting Samuel to come with a horn of oil to anoint one of his sons as the future king of Israel. Jesse didn’t expect that his youngest son, the one who shepherded the flocks, would be required at the family gathering for the sacrifice since the youngest—and shepherds generally—weren’t included in such things. 

But God has a way of challenging our expectations. God sent Samuel and his horn-full of oil to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse, to anoint NOT the first-born, the one who may have looked tall and kingly, Eliab. Instead God chose the youngest, David the shepherd, who had to be fetched from among the sheep. And, of course, young, handsome David didn’t expect ANY of what happened!

God challenges expectations. And in this story God does that in two very specific ways. First, God breaks the family expectation of giving blessing or honor to the first born son. And second, God breaks the cultural expectation by lifting up a youth—who even though described as handsome—perhaps didn’t have the physical appearance or “stature” that people of the time would consider “kingly.” 

God explains these surprising choices by saying to Samuel, “God doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the Lord sees into the heart.” (16:7, CEB) 

Samuel, in response, models faithfulness through trusting that God knows what they’re doing, that God perceives things that Samuel cannot, and then through being obedient to the spiritual leading to anoint the least likely future king in Jesse’s family.

On this Sunday when we celebrate both Confirmation and Pride, I give thanks for this story that affirms God’s habit of breaking our human-made, cultural rules in ways that lift up, celebrate, and anoint the gifts of unexpected people.

We know all too well that human rules have demonized and excluded LGBTQ people and that legislated discrimination continues to be supported in many places in both church and state.

Limited human perception has silenced, ignored, or belittled the leadership and insight of children and youth.

Human ways of discerning a person’s worth or leadership capacity, based on “stature” or appearance have meant that countless people have not been allowed to fully share their gifts or contribute as meaningfully as they could.

But God isn’t limited by human ways of perceiving or discerning. Centuries after David was anointed the future king of Israel, on the day of Pentecost, God’s intention was made plain and the prophecies were made manifest: Spirit fell upon ALL FLESH and the human gatekeeping rules and old assumptions and expectations were consumed in the fire of new creation and new community. 

And Spirit continues to fall not just upon the “usual suspects” according to human ways of perceiving. Spirit falls on all flesh… and where hearts, hands, and minds are open, She stirs us to get into “good trouble” as we love and serve and are formed by the Way of Jesus Christ in union with the church and in advocacy and service to the world.

We see Spirit’s stirring in the ways that members of Foundry youth group have formed brave space and are building Beloved Community together. Throughout the pandemic, they have met regularly on ZOOM. Recently, the grandparent of a transgender teen found Foundry online and—encouraged by our welcome and message—reached out to see how their grandchild might connect. The youth joined the next ZOOM, at first with their video off. After five minutes, they showed their face. Within 20 minutes, they felt safe enough to share their journey as trans. The youth group surrounded and celebrated their sibling and new friend. Think for just a moment about this. A church youth group…

We see Spirit stirring as, even with the UMC in the unjust tangle we’re in, more and more queer clergy are speaking up and out, and LGBTQ siblings are being affirmed by churches, boards of ordained ministry, and annual conferences, not just locally but in places across the connection. We lament and renounce the continued attacks and cruel rejection of LGBTQ pastors, clergy candidates, and allies here and abroad. But we celebrate the breakthroughs and the blessings we receive through the gifts of our own queer clergy here at Foundry. We celebrate those at turning points in the ordination process. T.C. Morrow will be preaching next week the sermon she will submit to the BWC Board of Ordained Ministry for her final examination toward full membership as an ordained Deacon in the UMC. And Foundry member Chet Jechura, recommended by the BOOM for commissioning as a provisional Elder this year, has received an appointment to serve as pastor of Good Shepherd UMC in Baltimore beginning in July. 

We see Spirit stirring in the curiosity of our youth about the work of Foundry’s Board and larger ministry. The Board is actively creating ways for our youth to engage at that level, bringing their ideas, concerns, and leadership to our shared ministry.

And again this year, we see Spirit stirring as our Confirmation class will bring specific additions to their confession of faith and their commitments to God and to the church. And this amazing group of confirmands has requested to continue their study together and Pastor K.C. is working on making that happen.

Thanks be to God that we are given opportunities to continue to witness the ongoing revelation of God’s barrier-breaking revolution of love and grace.

May God give us eyes to perceive, ears to receive, and hearts brave enough to follow the unexpected leadings of Holy Spirit. And may we be open to receive the unexpected blessings of Jesus Christ who is determined to shake us to keep stretching and growing, to stir us to get into good trouble, to love us so much that we might finally be free enough from fear that we can create communities and ultimately a whole world where no one is afraid to show their true face, to tell their story, to offer their gifts. What a wonderful world that will be!

https://foundryumc.org/