This sermon explores how, like David facing Goliath, we can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges through faith in God, and how one person's faith can inspire a community.
Good morning, Church. I want to thank you for joining us this morning for the third week of our series called Hope Is Here. We have been discovering all the ways that God brings us hope in the face of a world that is hopeless. The first week we talked about how Jesus brings us hope when we are weary from the heaviness of life and how we do not have to walk alone. The second week we talked about the hope that comes from the grace of Jesus when we are broken because of sin, and how we can forgive because we have been forgiven. Today we want to talk about the hope that is given to us when we feel like we’re facing more than we can handle and we are the underdog.
There is a reason that so many of us love some of the classic movies in our culture. Movies like Rudy, Rocky, Cinderella Man, and Cool Runnings are loved because they all have a common theme. They are all movies about underdogs. They are films about unlikely characters overcoming amazing odds. They are all told in different ways and all have their own unique outcomes, but they all tell a story of hope. Maybe these movies do something to us because we, at some level, all know what it feels like to face overwhelming circumstances that we can’t overcome on our own. We cheer for the underdog because, somehow, we feel like if they can win, so can we.
We cheer for the underdog because, somehow, we feel like if they can win, so can we.
Life is full of daunting situations, isn’t it? Parenting children can feel incredibly overwhelming. Navigating global pandemics can be more than we can handle. Juggling careers and family can be hard to do well. Growing in your faith and defeating sinful habits can be a challenge. I would argue this is because these things are not meant to be done alone.
The Bible is full of stories of characters who, against all odds, experience victory. There is a common thread in these stories as well. The characters are all fully aware that without God on their side, there is no hope of a favorable outcome. Left to themselves, they would face defeat. One of the classic stories of an underdog is the story of David. This account takes place long before David is King of Israel. At this point, he is just a young boy.
Just hours before David arrives at the front lines of a massive conflict between the Israelite and the Philistine armies, he is in the fields taking care of sheep. It is clear from the beginning of this story that David has found himself in a position that is above his pay grade. The first readers of this text would have been overwhelmed by the change of scenery.
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