What would you think if a man addressed your church wearing red and blue striped pajamas? Would it make any difference if they were too short and you could easily see that he was wearing tall black socks with his white shoes?
I spent this past weekend with some of the churches in
Chiure and our friend Pinto introduced me to his uncle Caesar. This man has had a big influence on Pinto's
life. He has faithfully led another
church in that area for many years.
Caesar has taught my friend a lot about church leadership, the
importance of prayer and fasting, and how to serve a congregation. So,
when Caesar decided to go with us to
worship with the church in Nacivare, I was happy to have him along.
Our friends here in Mozambique are only a couple decades
removed from a brutal war, so standards for dress are pretty different. Most of the clothing in this part of the
country comes in bales from the United States or Europe. On a number of
occasions I have struggled to keep a straight face while talking to a chief, or
King, or King of Kings who looks like he happens to be wearing my grandmother's
bathrobe. So, while I am used to a different kind of dress code, I still have
to admit that seeing Caesar exhort the body of Christ to take their faith
seriously while wearing striped pajamas did make me chuckle.
It made me think of one of my favorite stories in the life
of David. Saul has proven to be a
failure as a king and God instructs Samuel to go to the town of Bethlehem to
anoint a new one. Upon arrival he tells
Jesse to call his sons together.
As I imagine the story, the firstborn Eliab is a tall young
man, with bulging biceps who can easily be pictured wielding a sword. And Samuel thinks to himself, "Ah,
surely this is the one." But God
tells him, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have
rejected him. The Lord does not look at
the things man looks at. Man looks at
the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7
NIV).
Next comes Abinadab, I see him as the family scholar. He's wearing spectacles and carrying some
parchments and scrolls under one arm. He
has ink-stained fingers and seems mildly annoyed that his study time has been
interrupted. Samuel wonders if maybe
this one's intelligence might not help Israel outwit the Philistines. But, God does not choose Abinadab.
Then comes Shammah, and I picture him as a gregarious people
person. He greets Samuel warmly, asks
after Samuel's family and makes some appropriate comments about the
weather. Samuel can imagine him kissing
babies and working the political machine much better than poor old Saul. But, God does not choose Shammah.
Jesse parades seven more sons before the prophet and not one
of them is chosen. Samuel awkwardly asks if, by chance, Jesse doesn't happen to
have any other sons. So, the shepherd
boy David is found and brought into the house.
And when he comes in the room, the Lord tells Samuel, "Rise and
anoint him; he is the one" (1 Samuel 16:12 NIV).
So, as a listened to Caesar, I squinted a bit and tried to
look past the striped pajamas. And I
wondered, what does God see when he looks at Caesar's heart?
Grace and Peace,
Alan
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