THE service at Crediton Methodist Church on Sunday, June 16 was arranged by the Fellowship Team and led by Pam Murphy.  Her theme was “What’s on the Inside?”.  

Hilary said the outward appearance can be deceptive. She gave some examples with a photo of prickly sweet chestnuts just picked and then a photo of chestnuts inside.

There was a beautiful rose in a vase which had been picked several days earlier as a tight bud.

A preacher once had two boxes – one elaborately decorated with bows and the other in plain brown paper. Inside the beautifull box was a cheap gift whilst inside the plain box was a lovely necklace.  

Hilary told the story of a dirty, smelly tramp who went into a church service and sat at the back drinking a can of lager.

After the hymn and prayer he went to the front, took off his dirty clothes and wig and revealed himself as their minister. The previous week he had preached that God does not look at the outside. It seemed to him he needed to preach that sermon again because of how people had treated him in church.

In the dramatised reading from Samuel 15, Samuel heard God saying “do not consider his appearance or height for I, the Lord, do not see as man does. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks inside – at the heart”.

It is true, isn’t it? As human beings, we find it hard not to be influenced by the way someone looks.

We often only look at the outward appearance and make snap judgements and  reject someone on looks alone. We see negative things about a person and none of the positive but less obvious things about them.

Pam knew someone recalling when she was young went out for a day in the family car which broke down on a quiet road in the middle of nowhere.

Her dad, who knew nothing about car engines, got out and lifted the bonnet and peered at the engine. A couple of big burly bikers in their lathers pulled up on their roaring motorbikes, one either side of her dad. Everyone was anxious and felt vulnerable. “Can we help?”, the bikers asked.  

Think how that echoes the many times we have heard Jesus ask people “what do you want me to do for you?

It turned out one of the bikers was a  mechanic. The car was fixed and, with thanks to the bikers, the family was on its way again. Just one of numerous stories of people who may look rough or tough to us on the outside, but have hearts like soft-centre chocolates.

People who will listen for what is needed, who bring assurance and comfort who will be encouraging and willing to help.

Looking at the background of our Bible passage, the Israelite people had earlier demanded a king. The single criterion of kingship was that the king should be wholeheartedly committed to worshipping Israel’s one God. On God’s instruction, Samuel had anointed Saul as the first king.  After a while, maybe power went to his head and Saul began to go his own way and God told Samuel to anoint another king to replace Saul.

As we might imagine, it is unlikely that Saul would have been very pleased about this. It was a rather reluctant, somewhat fearful, Samuel who nonetheless was obedient to God and was guided by God to find the one son of Jesse’s eight sons  who may not have looked the very image of a king of a nation by our human standards, but the one who had the heart for God and who would continue to listen to God and try to do things God’s way. And that was Jesse’s youngest son David a shepherd.

We know that David was very human and humanly flawed. It wasn’t about him being perfect – which is not possible for any of us – but that his heart was given to God. God saw in David what was on the inside – that this new king would be a man “after God’s own heart”. 

It had not been easy for Samuel having to undertake God’s new instructions but God reassured him saying ‘I will show you what you shall do’ and Samuel did as God had bid him. Samuel was willing to change, to let go of his fear and to take hold instead of God’s new task for him.

What if God has a mission for us whether it is individually or as a church – one we might think of as too big – or even too small to matter.

Whatever we think or feel remember it comes from God. What might it be? How will we respond?

Are we letting our hearts really listen out for what He is asking of us? Are we putting aside our feelings of inadequacy or anxiety or doubt. Instead we must trust that God will equip and enable us.

God wants to change mindsets – to change our attitudes and behaviour.

In Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome he says “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good, acceptable and perfect”.

It is difficult to change. Being a Christian means with God’s help we can and are free-to-change. Dare we be open? Here is a thought –

With the General Election coming soon, we have decisions to make at the ballot box.

Do you ever wonder if it would not be so much simpler if God was the one to select the leader? But then, just as today’s leaders can completely change their promised policies, so did the first of God’s anointed kings of Israel – Saul changed his policies and behaviour away from God’s to his own.

So, what can we learn from this week’s passage?

First, that God looks at what is in our hearts. The outer shell is not important. God knows what is inside.

Then, that change is constant. Yet throughout these changes, God is constant.

Bronwyn Nott