The Company of Mighty Men
Lately our pastor has been teaching on the life of David. One of the odd moments in the story is how “everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him” (1 Sam. 22:2 NRSV). Why would a man after God’s own heart hang out with such men? And what did desperadoes find so appealing in the handsome and charismatic future king?
Oddly enough, I ask myself the same questions about our church, where a small but steady stream of such characters has also established itself. Some come from broad-shouldered walks of life: cops, repo men. Others are from the sidewalks or make their own path through life. Some are, dare we say, beholden to no one for their hygiene or manners. But all are men that live by their convictions, that would rather act than surrender to overwhelming circumstance, and that accept the consequences with no complaint and but briefly acknowledged regrets.
Such men are hard to find in a typical Sunday service. Surrounded by flowers and robes, well-scrubbed faces and Sunday best, tears and spontaneous outbursts of emotion, they know that they are far from their domain. They experience the same discomfiture that they would if dragged into a lingerie department—worse, perhaps, for the prying eyes. So they typically cast a jaundiced eye to “church” and “organized religion” and prefer to stay at home, on the streets, or in the Great North Woods.
So the number is astonishing who, after visiting for some reason or meeting the pastor, return regularly. I think it’s more than the unfrilly nature of the décor at our church (like the huge two-handed sword that used to hang in the office). I think these guys sense sincerity, honesty, and acceptance. They can hear all they ask of God’s message, but are never denied the responsibility of responding to it on their own. Our church is their opportunity to meet with God on their own terms, a desire so long impossible to fulfill that those who know them well are shocked by their sudden enthusiasm.
And, having them join us, my enthusiasm also grows. I remember how some of David’s motley crew of down-and-outs, malcontents, and ne’er-do-wells grew to such exploits of faith that their names, even now, are remembered from scripture: Joab, Jashobeam, Eleazar, Abishai, Benaiah…
