Sunday Sermon, The Rev. Phillip A. Jackson: "What Happens When We Say No to God?"

After reading 1 Samuel 16:1–13 “a hundred times,” Father Phil considers an unexpected question concerning this well-read story about Samuel and the future King David. “I could do the obvious and tell you that God sees possibilities we do not see; or I could tell you that God sees past our preoccupations with image and appearance to the heart,” he preaches. Instead, what struck Father Phil this time around was far less clear-cut: what if Samuel had simply said no to God?

The readings are 1 Samuel 16:1–13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8–14 and John 9:1–41.