Send us a text

Preaching: Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing

Text: 1 Samuel 28:3-25

What happens when the outcast shows more grace than the king? The story of the Medium of Endor from 1 Samuel 28 challenges our assumptions about who carries God's grace in our world.

Most of us know the feeling of trying our best only to have everything go wrong. King Saul certainly did. At his lowest point, facing imminent battle and abandoned by God, he turns to someone his own administration had criminalized—a woman with the ability to communicate with the dead. The encounter reveals something remarkable: when this unnamed woman discovers she's been deceived by the very king who outlawed her existence, she responds not with vengeance but with radical hospitality. She prepares Saul's last meal, showing compassion to her oppressor.

This biblical narrative echoes through the centuries to our modern context. When Pastor Tanya Lopez confronts unidentified agents apprehending an immigrant on church property, she stands firm despite having a weapon pointed at her. Both women—the ancient medium and the modern pastor—demonstrate what it means to honor the divine image in those society marginalizes. They join a long biblical tradition of "holy outsiders" like the Good Samaritan, the woman at the well, and Zacchaeus who exemplify God's grace from the periphery.

The message is both challenging and hopeful: when we push people to the margins—whether witch, immigrant, tax collector, or social outcast—we diminish the image of God. But when we recognize the imago Dei in everyone, regardless of their cultural status or stigma, we participate in sacred work. Listen now to discover how this ancient story might transform how you see the outsiders in your own community. Who might be showing you what God's grace really looks like?

Follow us on Instagram @guilfordparkpresbyterianchurch
Follow us on Facebook @guilfordparkpc
Follow us on TikTok @guilfordparkpreschurch
Website: www.guilfordpark.org