1 Samuel 16:1-5b; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-7

Today’s set readings are a bit of a puzzle in that there’s a lot of different options from them. From the Hebrew tradition we have the ordination of David as king even as Saul is still alive and in full charge of the throne of Israel. We have Psalm 23, and there’s never enough that can be said about that. The Christian tradition today speaks in the words of Paul and his advice to the Ephesians about living in ways pleasing to God; and the Jesus tradition via John talks about physical and spiritual blindness. Themes of light and shade, death, and life, blessing and curse, rejection and appointment, and God’s point of view versus human perspectives: it’s all there for the plundering and the preaching. So, with all of those choices I chose none of them. True to form today’s topic, and how could it be otherwise, is cult leaders, Christian paedophilia, and why Jesus is the most awesomest ever glorious person.

From 1 Samuel 16:1 we read a first-hand account of one of the great moves of God; a movement where God went ahead of history, even ahead of the leading prophet of the day to shake up the world. “How long will you grieve over Saul” is one of those gut-punching questions that leaders face from time to time, even if not in those exact words. In fact, I’m going to suggest it isn’t only a question for leaders, for prophets, intercessors, pastors, and elders, it’s a question for everyone who belongs to The Church.

Think for a moment about the heroes of recent Christianity who have fallen and fallen far and fast. How long will we grieve over Ted Haggard, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Mark Driscoll, David (Paul) Yonggi Cho, Bill Hybels, Patrick Sookhdeo, Frank Houston, Brian Houston, George Pell, Jean Vanier? Some of those men are now dead. Others are in gaol, or have been, or should be. Some of those men we love as Christian brothers but don’t like as men who have done nasty, horrific, illegal, and immoral things while in leadership of a congregation or ministry. On the other hand, some of these men we don’t grieve over at all; maybe we are unaware of the accusations, maybe we offer grace where the world does not, maybe we disagree with the censure and believe them innocent victims of secularist persecution. Perhaps it’s easier to dismiss Jim Jones and David Koresh as leaders who clearly departed from the Way of Christ. Shoko Asahara of Aum Shinrikyo, and the Islamist leaders of Daesh, or Al Qaida, or Jemaar Islamiya were never Christian anyway. Think of the recent death of the Ayatollah. I ask, who here cares about their spiritual, moral, and legal downfall? But what do we do when The LORD’s anointed whom we have followed with fervour for The LORD, as King Saul was, fails so spectacularly as a leader and a disciple? God’s answer is simple and it’s in the rest of 1 Samuel 16:1; stop sooking about the fallen one whom I The LORD have rejected but find the chosen one who will fulfil God’s commands, and honour that man (or woman) in The LORD’s name.

The difference with many of those leaders when we are looking at Saul is that Saul was still in power when Samuel was asked to move. Effectively Saul is acting in treason, anointing someone else as king while the current king was still in situ and had decades left in his reign. David accepted the anointing without comment and then went back to his sheep; yet he too must have known the danger he was in. There is no doubt that Samuel was an impressive figure; the town leaders of Bethlehem were nervous when he showed up in town and 1 Samuel 16:4-5 says that they were trembling until Samuel assured them that peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to The LORD, in other words to do what he does as Judge and Prophet. Samuel had come to do his job, a job that carried great prestige and great power direct from The LORD Godself, and yet even Samuel was anxious about the job at hand. Thankfully for Israel, and for us, Samuel trusted in The LORD, and he followed The LORD’s instructions to the letter, anointing the one The LORD Godself had selected and trusting that The LORD had chosen the right man for the job after the incumbent had proven so unsuitable.

For once you were darkness, but now in The LORD you are light we read in Ephesians 5:8.  Perhaps in reference to the list of fallen men above we might add from Ephesians 5:11-12 that we take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them, for it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly.  Some of those men acted in ways which are illegal with regard to the state, others broke God’s Law, and others did not expose the shameful secrets but kept them hidden for self-protection and a false sense of loyalty, which are themselves crimes against the State and God’s church. However, do not hear me judging any of these brothers. It is true that I am not guilty of any sexual offence or any form of embezzlement as these men are, neither have I kept a secret about colleagues who have committed such crimes. (And yes, I have had colleagues who have, but such secrets were kept also from me.)  Not only have I never been found guilty, but I’ve also never actually done them and got away with it. But I do not judge, that is for the courts and for God. As a pastor I am required by The Uniting Church uphold the laws of Australia, except where they directly contravene the will of God: this is what the Code of Ethics for Uniting Church ministers requires of me). So no, my little red car does not “go fast” because it’s illegal as well as unethical for me to break the speed limit. This does not make me pious or prissy, it reminds me that I am responsible for what has been entrusted to me. No, I’m not going to lose my job or my salvation if I’m clocked at 125kmh on the Western Highway, but it’s not allowed to drive so fast so why would I do it? As a Christian and a Victorian (and not only a pastor) what has been entrusted to me has also been entrusted to you; obedience to legislative authority and accountability to God through trust by grace. My job, the thing I am employed to do in exchange for a stipend, is to bring what is shameful into the light so that Christ can heal it and so that no further harm be done. Some of this is about me being a Christian, as you are, regardless of whether you have a valid Working With Children Check.

And this is where we might get stuck, and where Samuel and David got stuck, and where Paul tried to unstick the Ephesians. If we are to have nothing to do with the activities which bring darkness, and we are to avoid the people of darkness, how then do we minister? It’s one thing to say that Christian leaders should not be paedophiles or make use of prostitutes or siphon off money from the church to Swiss (or Australian) bank accounts: ay caramba you’d hope that would be obvious. It’s the same thing to say that Christian leaders should listen to God and act within the constraints of discipleship as Christians themselves, that’s also a given. That Christian leaders must exercise authority within a defined role and not go beyond it; and must submit to the authority and righteous action of others in their defined roles (which Saul as king did not), should also be obvious. Should be obvious; sadly, it isn’t and there is deliberate blindness to God’s clear message in some (John 9:40-41). But where looking away is the moral thing to do, and where “don’t go there, don’t even look, don’t even think about it; just close your eyes, block your ears, turn your head and walk away” is self-protection; what do we do when what we have seen is a brother or sister caught up in sin. That I do not sin but instead flee towards the light is all good, but what if turning away is also turning a blind eye…and suddenly I’m where Cardinal Pell was (to say the least) or Brian Houston. What must I do when I hear upon the “gripe-vine” that something is seriously wrong about someone and as pastor/prophet/responsible adult I am ethically obligated to go and confront the issue and its people? Then what? How do I as a leader, how do you as Christians, respond as light-bearer when called to enter the darkness in the Name of Christ the light of the world (John 9:5) who names us light to the world (Matthew 5:14,16) too? Then, I think it’s a case of sleeper awake, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (Ephesians 5:14). Maybe even awake from the “dread” since confronting evil with grace and responsibility, and shining light into a dark place, is never easy and should never be entered into with nonchalance. Samuel was nervous about what The LORD had commanded him to do, just as much as the elders of Bethlehem were nervous when he showed up in their town. Even the chief man of God with the reputation to match needs to be sure of his calling when he walks into a situation where he will deliberately confront the government in The Name of The LORD.

How do we get unstuck? How do we act with light, dripping as we are in fear and trembling, how do we enter the dark place to call out the sin of others with every intention of bringing healing and glorifying the God of gracious justice. (Note that God is not the God of grace and of justice, as if these are different things; but that God’s justice is grace-filled, and God’s grace is completely just. God is never either/or, and neither can we be acting in The Name of The LORD.) The answer is, we just do. There’s no profound moral statement here, you’re Christians all of you and you know what God requires of you. Even if you weren’t Christians, you know what Australia expects of its leaders and how our secular commonwealth does ethics and standards. If someone is going to get hurt if you turn a blind eye or a deaf ear, then it is okay to dob. In fact, it’s not okay not to dob, it’s expected that you will. Honour amongst thieves or acting to protect the integrity of the system/structure/organisation will only earn you a cell next to the actual offender: Australians are pretty clear on that, and God is no less clear. If you see sin in the Church, you call it out. If you hear of sin in the Church, you call it out. If a leader is breaking covenant, then go to a higher leader, and if it’s the higher leader then go higher still. And if it’s a matter of law then tell the police, no questions asked. (Well, the Police will ask you questions, but I’ll ask only you why you didn’t tell me or the Police sooner if you didn’t.)

We are responsible to God for our town, which includes the reputation of The Lord Jesus Christ and his Church within it. I know that in Pomonal you take that responsibility very seriously. I have seen how you strive to maintain a physical presence through the church buildings, and how resolute you are to keeping a worshipping presence active every Sunday by the twenty or so people who gather. I want to remind you that Christ will be in Pomonal even if ever the Community Church is not: I dearly pray that you know that. However, I do want to share with you what does concern me here: my greatest pastoral concern for Pomonal. Do you want to hear it? Are you sure? Now’s your last chance to say no. Okay, my greatest concern as pastor is not that the Uniting Church will pull out of Pomonal and remove to Stawell alone; but that the Community Church will continue to meet in this chapel and that this location will be the limit of Christ’s active presence in our village. Let me say that again, but in a different way: I am not worried about the church ceasing to meet on Sundays, (not at all), but I am worried that one day that is all it will do. Okay, and monthly on Tuesday mornings.

It is not enough that we just gather on a Sunday and keep these buildings occupied for another generation, because the Church in Pomonal exists today to be light and salt to where Pomonal is dark and bland. It is not enough that we just gather on a Sunday and keep these buildings open for another generation, because the Church in Pomonal exists today to be the pouring out place of the life and spirit of God upon Pomonal where Pomonal is dying and dry.

I played with you in my opening paragraphs that today’s lectionary offers themes of light and shade, death, and life, blessing and curse, rejection and appointment, and God’s point of view versus human perspectives. I said that it’s all there for the plundering and the preaching. In fact, even with my diversion into cult leaders, Christian paedophilia, and why Jesus is the most awesomest ever glorious person I choose to lay every other theme before you right now. I trembled to write this, and I tremble to preach it now; but because I have been called to proclaim light in Christ’s name, and because I have been called to speak as one with authority to you whom God has given into my care, I speak, nonetheless

Unless you, you, get out there and preach light and truth and life and blessing to Pomonal, this building will become a social club for the Christians who were here in 2026 and no-one else, because there will have been no-one else. No one is coming from Melbourne to take your building away, but unless you start adding to this house those who are being saved in this town you may just as well shut it all down yourselves and move your worship to Ararat. If you’re truly present today, Pomonal Community Uniting Church, I charge you to be The Church in Pomonal. If you don’t, well God might just send another Samuel to anoint another someone else as God’s leadership of the People of God in this community. It won’t be me; that’s not my calling because I am not a Samuel. At the moment you have time to take up the lantern and enter the darkness. Please don’t leave it too long.

Amen.