quirky people, creative calling

Renée Antrosio – May 19, 2026 1 Comment

I enjoy the occasional opportunity to visit other churches, to observe how God is working in different places, through different groups of people. The diversity of God’s creation is displayed not just in our individual expressions of God’s image, but also in the variety of congregations where God inhabits people who worship and journey in faith together. 

And I am always glad to come home to New Covenant- to the musicians who lead us, to the depth of wisdom and breadth of gifts in our congregation, to the persistent challenges to do justice and love mercy, to the artistic expressions that adorn our building, to our own meals and events and fellowship of new and old. 

Studying God’s winnowing of Gideon’s army to the quirky few hundred who lapped water like dogs, our leadership team noticed how sometimes God chooses a small group of people for a particular calling, where a large company would not be suited to God’s purpose in that unique time and place. But when God’s chosen contingent faces forces much larger than themselves, how do they not fear? 

That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up and attack the camp, because I’ve handed it over to you. But if you’re afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah, and you’ll hear what they are saying. May you then get the courage to attack the camp.” Judges 7:9-11a (CEB)

I appreciate that God knew that Gideon would be scared to take his motley crew to attack the army “spread across the valley like a swarm of locusts; their camels were too many to count, like the grains of sand on the seashore.” So God allowed him to overhear two soldiers talking in the enemy camp.

Just when Gideon arrived, there was a man telling his friend about a dream. He said, “Get this! I had a dream that a loaf of barley bread was rolling into the Midianite camp. It came to a tent and hit it, and the tent collapsed. In fact, it rolled the tent over upside down, so it fell flat.”

His friend replied, “Can this be anything other than the sword of the Israelite Gideon, Joash’s son? God has handed over Midian and its entire camp to him!” Judges 7:13-14 (CEB)

Even the soldiers on the other side knew that God was in charge. God gave the dream. God gave the interpretation. And God gave Gideon the inside information. But, how are these few supposed to attack this throng? How do we who are few go up against the strongholds of injustice? How does God accomplish the impossible through improbable people? God’s plan for this quirky group was not a traditional battle plan.The tale of the vastly outnumbered “army” of Gideon describes an equally unorthodox “battle.”

He divided the three hundred men into three units and equipped every man with a trumpet and an empty jar, with a torch inside each jar. Gideon and one hundred of his men moved to the outpost of the camp at the middle watch of the night, when they had just changed the guards. Then they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. So the three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars, holding the torches with their left hands and blowing the trumpets in their right hands. And they called out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Each man stood fast in his position around the camp, and the entire camp took off running, shouting, and fleeing. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord turned the swords of fellow soldiers against each other throughout the whole camp. Judges 7:16, 19-22 (CEB)

This was not the classic attack. God had a much more creative approach for these individuals with strange things in common. And so I am encouraged that the creativity of our Creator is far beyond our imagination. God knows that sometimes our small size scares us. God knows that we might occasionally long to be larger, more “normal”, more “successful.” But God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. And God’s ways are higher, and much more unexpected, than our narrow ways. 

I love that this time, this group of people was not asked to wield swords, but to bring light and trumpets to the party. And that some things got broken, intentionally smashed. A surprise indeed. Maybe Gideon knew these guys were no good with swords. Maybe they felt more comfortable with musical instruments than with weapons. Plus they got to play with fire! 

When we feel small, when the forces against us are too many to count. When we wonder why God has called this quirky group, and how God will ever accomplish the work through us. When we feel more comfortable bringing light and music than talking about attacking anything. May we remember the tale of Gideon’s unlikely army, God’s gift of a dream, and creativity beyond our imaginations. And may we, like Gideon, respond with worship of the Creator who knows all our unique gifts and potential, and accomplishes God’s plan in God’s timing for God’s glory.  –Pastor Renée