Want a New Rector? Ask a New Question!

Today was a great day to visit a parish and drop off a list of candidates for the Search Committee. The OT reading 1 Samuel 16:1-13 was especially helpful. Poor Samuel just could not get over Saul's bankrupt leadership. The Lord "compels" him to get going to Bethlehem. Jesse and sons await the visit where an anointing is to take place and a new kingship begun. Samuel goes from son to son without success. Seven of them.

Had Samuel acted like the typical Search Committee at this point, there would be trouble. It is not easy to be a Search Committee. There is pressure to get the job done right and quickly. People are watching. What a temptation to rationalize! Many a Call gets botched by assuming that all the candidates are in the room. This in turn leads to the cardinal error of comparing the candidates to one another, a practice unwarranted in Scripture, whether we talk about David, Stephen, Matthias or anyone else in the Bible. Having seen the seventh son and having heard seven times to withhold the anointing, Samuel asks a question:

"Are all your sons here?"

Good question! The seven sons of Jesse simply did not compare to God's criteria-- the right heart.

I hope this particular Search Committee is able to do its work without having to go outside the room. But should they come up short, my prayer for them is for the courage to ask God the same question that Samuel put to Jesse.