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Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

When our two sons were small, I enrolled the three of us in a taekwondo class offered by a local community program. The boys and I had a great time learning about self-defense, and developing some strength and flexibility. But I well-remember the words of our instructor on the very first day of class. He said that, “The best way to avoid a punch is to not be there when it happens!” In other words, when one is a situation of danger, the first and best option is always to run! That’s very wise counsel, indeed.

This comes to mind when we read 1 Samuel 17, the detailed account of David’s improbable victory over Goliath. As we discovered last Lord’s Day, when this massive—even freakish—giant made his appearance and began to challenge and taunt the army of Israel, all of the fighting men of the Covenant nation, including king Saul, decided to avoid the punch by not showing up! In a pathetic scene, we discover that no one from the Lord’s side would answer the challenge of the Philistine champion. But in this case, running from the danger was exactly the wrong thing to do! Who would defend the honor of the Lord’s sacred Name? Who loved God enough to go to war for His glory? Who would protect God’s people, the beloved sheep of His pasture? Who cared enough to make a sacrifice for the God of the Covenant? No one, apparently!

Yet, there was this little boy, a shepherd, the last son of eight who, on first appearance, was completely outmatched and ill-equipped. David cared about the Lord’s honor! David loved God’s people! David would defend them! David was not about to avoid the mighty punch of this massive blasphemer by running from the challenge! And the rest is history!

But what does this story really teach us? Better yet, who is this episode really about? And why is this chapter so very important for us as New Covenant believers who likely will never face such an imposing and impossibly big threat?

The answer is that in the details of this blessed and well-known story we find our Savior and His people. We discover Jesus and His Church! We encounter a wonderful picture of our Great Champion who never ran from a battle, but came and rescued His precious sheep from grave danger, and gave them eternal life in His name!

I can’t wait to probe the deep and reassuring truths of this passage with you on Sunday! And I hope that you will be able to spend some time meditating upon this episode from the life of Israel’s greatest king.

I love you all so very much!

Mike

Upcoming Events:

May 8, 9:00 AM – Women’s Book Study
May 8, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Study
May 10, 6 AM – Men’s Morning Study
May 16, 6 PM – Diaconate Meeting
May 20, 9:15 AM– Last Sunday School before Summer Break
May 20, 5 PM – Children’s Ministry End of Year Extravaganza
May 22, 10 AM – PCA MNA Training
June 7, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch

Order of Worship:

You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here

The songs for this week are:

Come Christians Join to Sing – Hymn 302 v.1-3
How Sweet to Wait Upon the Lord
Amazing Grace – Hymn 460 v.1-3,6
Come Thou Fount – Hymn 457 v.1-3

Announcements:

Youth Group: Youth Group is on hiatus until the Fall. Thanks.

Women’s Bible Studies: The Women’s weekly studies are ongoing. Check the calendar for days and times.

Men’s Bible Study: The Men’s Morning Bible Study is also ongoing, meeting every other Thursday. Check the calendar for the next occurrence.

Women’s Monthly Lunch: The next Women’s Monthly Lunch is June 7 at 11:30 AM.

Women’s Book Club: The final Women’s Book Club of the Spring is Tuesday at 9 AM at the church. Contact Amy Schnorrenberg for details.

Children’s Ministry Update: Hello, May! Our last Sunday school class is Sunday, May 20th. Be sure and give your teachers a big hug for a job well done. They are all so faithful to our children’s ministry, and we are thankful for the job they do bringing solid gospel teaching to our kids each week.
Let’s celebrate the end of our school year (and the beginning of summer) with a big cookout for all our Children’s Ministry Families! I’ll have the guys grill up some burgers and hot dogs, and we can bring sides and drinks for all to enjoy. I’ve also invited the sno-cone truck to make an appearance 🙂 We’ll have yard games and our new gaga ball pit ready to go (I think!). Bring a camping chair and come fellowship with us.