Loving God, you continue to call your people into ministry and to work within us and through us by the power of your Spirit.  Teach us to be open to your leading and ready to hear your voice; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Samuel was an answer to prayer.  His mother Hannah had prayed for many years that God would give her a son.  She had come to the temple where Eli was the priest and had promised that if God would give her a son, he would be dedicated to serving God his entire life.  The result of this prayer was Samuel, who was brought to Eli to serve in the temple as soon as he had been weaned.  Young Samuel has been there, learning from Eli, at the same time as Eli’s own sons have been bringing disgrace upon the priestly office.

         It is not hard to imagine that people had been praying for faithful leaders who would help people to know the one true God.  After all, Eli was getting pretty old and tired, and his sons were stealing people’s offerings for themselves and having sexual encounters with the women who served in the temple.  A man of God had already come and warned Eli that the conduct of Eli and his sons would not be without consequences.  His sons Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day and anybody left in Eli’s family would end up begging for food.  Yet, the man of God also said that God would raise up a faithful priest, who would do what was in God’s heart and mind (1 Sam. 2:35).

         Once again, Samuel was an answer to prayer.  Beginning with the story that we heard today, Samuel learns how to recognize God’s voice.  It is interesting to note that it takes three times for Eli to realize that it might be God who is calling – even though he has served as a priest for many years!  However, once Samuel knows what to do, he opens himself to what God might have to say, and receives a message for Eli.  The message is a confirmation of what the man of God already told Eli and marks the beginning of Samuel’s role as a prophet in Israel.  As Samuel grows in wisdom and in years, people come to know him as a faithful servant of God and a trustworthy prophet.

         Over and over again in the Scriptures, God acts when the leaders have become unfaithful, and God raises up new leaders who will renew and reform God’s people.  In a number of cases, just like with Samuel, these people are quite young when God calls them to serve.  Admittedly, God can call people of any age into ministry and service.  However, sometimes those who are young are much more open to God and able to receive messages that those who are older might dismiss or ignore.

         Now I would hope that things today are not quite as bad as what was described with Eli and his sons.  However, unfortunately it is rather easy to find examples of similar behaviour.  There are religious leaders who have been caught stealing from the offering.  There are religious leaders who have had inappropriate sexual relations with those who looked up to them.  And, there are religious leaders who are simply old and tired and a little bit slow on the uptake.  And so, there continues to be a need for God to send people who will be faithful and trustworthy and who will teach according to God’s own heart and mind.  God has always worked through frail and fallible human beings, and God continues to do so.

         God also continues to speak to God’s people – not just to prophets like Samuel, but to ordinary people who are open to God’s direction and praying for God’s intervention.  In discussing how God speaks to people this week, we came up with a number of different ways in which God’s communication has been experienced.  While some have experienced God calling them by name, this is not a particularly common thing.  Some have had signs placed right in front of them that pointed them in a certain direction.  Some have had words come to them that were inspired and that weren’t consciously produced by themselves.  Some have even had somebody on TV speak directly to them in order to give them direction.

         The question is not really if God calls us, or if God speaks to us, but if we are open to God and open to the power of the Holy Spirit.  After all, the same Spirit that was given to Jesus’ disciples after his resurrection is also given to us at our baptism.  Then, at confirmation there is a similar prayer for the Holy Spirit – the same Spirit that works within us and through us throughout our lives.  However, this only happens with our cooperation.  God does not force people to listen to the Holy Spirit.

         Ultimately, our world still needs the love of God and the good news of Jesus Christ.  In spite of the things that happen that show us the power of sin at work, Jesus has the final word.  And God still calls people just like you and me to be answers to prayer in the world.  Our sending song today talks about how we are called to act with justice and to love tenderly and to serve one another and to walk humbly with our God (We Are Called, EvLW #720).  And as to how we can do that, the gospel for today has the key:

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn. 20:21-22)

We are not only called and sent, but equipped to be answers to prayer in our world.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 19 (NL 4)                                                                                    1 Samuel 3:1-21

October 15, 2017                                                                             John 20:21-23

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2017 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved