A sermon preached by the Reverend Scott D. Nowack
 on November 26, 2006
at Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, PA.

King of Kings, Lord of Lords

2 Samuel 23:1-7
Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
   the oracle of the man whom God exalted,^*
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
   the favourite of the Strong One of Israel:

²The spirit of the Lord speaks through me,
   his word is upon my tongue.
³The God of Israel has spoken,
   the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
   ruling in the fear of God,
⁴is like the light of morning,
   like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
   gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

⁵Is not my house like this with God?
   For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
   ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
   all my help and my desire?
⁶But the godless are^* all like thorns that are thrown away;
   for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
⁷to touch them one uses an iron bar
   or the shaft of a spear.
   And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.*  

I was a history/government major in college. I enjoyed reading and learning about the great men and women of past generations who achieved great feats and accomplishments. Feats and accomplishments that have lived on through time long after these men and women lived and breathed on earth. From former Presidents to social activists, from former ministers to ingenious inventors, they all have left their mark, that is, a legacy left to us that we remember and honor.

What legacy do you want to leave? What will be your life’s legacy?

New Jersey’s own Thomas Edison left us a legacy of inventions from the light bulb to the telephone to the phonograph and many more. These inventions continue to make an indelible mark on our culture in ways to numerous to name. Sam Naismith gave us the game of basketball. Albert Einstein left us E=mc². Mother Teresa started a mission to the poor and destitute of Calcutta, India, that has impacted millions of people for the better to this very day. Through the commitments made by all of us for the capital campaign, we as a church will leave a legacy to our children and future generations.

Throughout the Bible, we read of the legacy left by Abraham, Jacob and Joseph as well as Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Esther and many others. I just read about the legacy of King David. Through our scripture reading this morning, we learn of the legacy David left to the people of Israel and his successors. His legacy consists of two things: his psalms and his kingship. His psalms have “brought comfort and inspiration to all the generations since his time. The Psalms have been more widely used in Christian worship than any other part of the Old Testament.” (Daily Study Bible Series, II Samuel, p.271) The legacy of David’s kingship made an impact on two fronts. On a secular level, his leadership led Israel into period of economic prosperity and political might. On a spiritual level, he developed new religious practices such as moving the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David also recognized that all he and the Israelites possessed were gifts and blessings from God.

What is David’s legacy for us today? David’s legacy for us was to point the way forward into the future, and to give an imperfect glimpse of what perfect leadership could achieve. This perfect leadership is described for us in verse four as the “morning sunshine” and “rainfall”. Sunshine and rain are life-giving gifts from our Creator necessary for sustaining life on earth. They are two things working quietly yet constantly all around us. King David, one anointed by God, was one who worked quietly, constantly and tirelessly for the common good of all his people during his reign as king. It’s the kind of leadership so badly needed in our society today, and yet it is in such short supply.

What legacy do you want to leave? What will be your legacy to future generations?

Each of us has the potential to leave a legacy for future generations. Whether it is a charitable gift, passing down a family heirloom, or raising children, like King David we can leave our mark on the fabric of our culture and world. It’s not easy to do because it forces us to think about people, places and things beyond our own self. The needs of others begin to be in sync with our regular activities and routines. We leave our mark, our legacy, in every moment of every day. Whether it is a common interaction like opening a door for someone or inventing a cure for a deadly disease, we have the power and influence to make an impression, a mark on others, a legacy that alters the course of history.

You may be familiar with the work of Louis Pasteur. Pasteur was the pioneer of immunology. He lived at a time when thousands of people died each year of rabies. Pasteur had worked for years on a vaccine. Just as he was about to begin experimenting on himself, a nine-year-old, Joseph Meister, was bitten by a rabid dog. The boy’s mother begged Pasteur to experiment on her son. Pasteur injected Joseph for ten days – and the boy lived. Decades later; of all the things Pasteur could have had etched on his headstone, he asked for three words: Joseph Meister Lived. Our greatest legacy will be those who live eternally because of our efforts.

As Christians, the people of God, through the Holy Spirit, we have power and influence in all we say and do upon the people around us. As Christians, we confess to the legacy left to us by God through the work of Christ Jesus. This legacy is the Good News, the Gospel message, the truth of God’s great love for all people. This is the legacy we share as Christians and it is the same legacy we are commanded to take out into the world. It’s a legacy that has changed the course of history and continues to hold that same power and influence today, if we are willing to put our faith, our belief, our whole selves on the line each and every day.

But we can’t do it alone. We need one another and most importantly we need God.

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel.

In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small boy and the rock was very large.) When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn’t roll it up and over the little wall.

Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved—but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.

All this time the boy’s father watched from the living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy’s father. Gently but firmly he said, “Son, why didn’t you use all the strength that you had available?”

Defeated, the boy sobbed back, “But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!”

“No, son,” corrected the father kindly. “You didn’t use all the strength you had. You didn’t ask me.”

With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

It is only with God’s help that we can influence and change the world around us. Through our obedience of God’s calling on our lives, we can be like “the sun rising on a cloudless morning or a gleaming from the rain on the grassy land” (II Samuel 23:4), leaving a legacy on earth that points toward the loving, gracious God of the universe.

You and I are capable of doing great things no matter who you are. You and I can be like the great men and women of history who achieved great feats and accomplishments and left their mark, their legacy on our world.

To do that, you must seize your divine moment, the moment when you can have a lasting impact on the lives of others. We make this happen most effectively when we share the Gospel of Christ Jesus in all we say and do. From loving our neighbor as ourselves to working for justice for those who are oppressed, impoverished and persecuted around the world. From showing kindness and compassion to one another to teaching our children the Christian faith, we can leave a legacy and make a difference in the name of Christ.

As King David ruled the Israelites with justice and reverence for God, so we must carry ourselves in the same way allowing God in Christ Jesus to be the king of kings and the lord of lords of our lives. Then we will have the power and influence to make the kingdom of God a reality on earth. I pray that we would be the morning sunshine and the healing rain for a dark and hurting world leaving a legacy of hope and faith for generations to come. The opportunities abound, the needs are great. You are needed. What will be your legacy?
 

*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org