The boy who wasn't invited to dinner

Have you ever been in the playground or on a sports field when people are choosing teams? The captains look at everyone and decide who they'll pick first. Sometimes it's their friends. Sometimes it's the people who can play really well because they just want to win.

At first, picking is easy. But by the time nearly everyone has been chosen, it gets hard. There might be two people and you want both, but there's only one spot left. Or maybe there are people you don't want to pick, but you have to pick one.

Choosing is hard. And it's no fun for the people who aren't chosen either.

Samuel goes to find a king

In the Old Testament story today, we read about the prophet Samuel. A prophet is someone who listens to what God says and then tells other people what God wants them to know.

God told Samuel it was time to choose a new king. The king who was there had stopped doing what God said needed to be done. Samuel listened to God, so he went to Bethlehem to meet Jesse, the father of God's new choice, and to have a meal with the family.

As the boys came in, Samuel noticed that the oldest was tall and handsome. He thought, "This must be the one God has chosen."

But no, it wasn't.

Don't just look at the outside

God told Samuel, "Don't just look at the outside of people and how they appear. I look at people's hearts, how they live and how they treat other people. Keep looking."

So the second son was brought in. Then the third. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh.

And still God said no.

Samuel was a bit puzzled. "Is this everyone?"

Jesse admitted that there was one more. The youngest, David, who was out looking after the sheep. He hadn't been included.

I wonder what Jesse thought when Samuel said that this son was to be brought in and no one would sit down or eat until he arrived. They all had to wait.

The one God chose

When David arrived, God told Samuel, "Here is the new king. He is my choice."

This wasn't what anyone was expecting.

But God often makes choices that we don't expect. Sometimes we don't understand why God chooses us. But God looks into our hearts and knows that even though we sometimes make mistakes, we want to love other people just like God does.

And that is okay with God.