This week we begin, the New Testament, the next chapter or series in our journey through The Story(Bible), the season of Lent.  Before I begin here are some thoughts to guide us not just this week but over the next 5 weeks as we begin our Lenten series entitled “Understanding Jesus”.

Lent is often described as a journey, a time of self searching. But Lent can also be thought of in terms of truth.

In Lent, the masks we put on to protect us from God’s penetrating stare are stripped away.  In Lent, our lives are grasped by the power of God’s truth,

Here is the question this week, how would you go about maintaining your faith if you moved to a new state, or even to a new country with totally different customs?   The book of Daniel offers us not only a clear picture of God’s Upper Story but shows us what our Lower Story might look like given that we have a clear understanding of God’s story for those that are willing to stand firm in our faith and our belief in God.  As we shall see this week this is no easy task, people and circumstances with try to trip us up. 

  In the early formation of our nation George Washington had the opportunity to become king of the burgeoning nation.  But given the young nation’s experience with England and because he had a robust prayer life he knew there was only one King, so he declined the offer. 

 The people of the land apparently knew the same.  “In a 1774 report to King George, the Governor of Boston noted: ”If you ask an American, who is his master? He will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ.” The pre-war Colonial Committees of Correspondence soon made this the American motto: “No King but King Jesus.”

The decisions you make and the actions you take affect those around you.

Rehoboam learned that lesson the hard way. Rehoboam followed his father Solomon to the throne of Israel. Solomon had a high calling but low standards and he had exacted harsh labor on the people while biulding his palace and kingdom. A delegation, led by Jeroboam, went to the new king and asked him to take away the harshness, to give the people a break.

In private, Rehoboam asked his elder council what he should do. They advised that he become a servant to the people,

We have been journeying through The Story and here is one theme in God’s Upper Story that continues to reappear again and again.  God chooses to do the most amazing things using the most unlikeliest of people and situations.  From a slave named Joseph, to an elderly couple, to a man named Moses who could not speak,  to Rebecca, and Ruth a foreigner, and Boaz the son of a prostitute.  It seems that every time the Lower Story which is our story is caught up in drama, and seems stuck in sin God redeems his people using the least likely people to do his work and today’s story about David and Goliath is no different.