Loving God, you invite us into prayer through Jesus, in accordance with your will.  Teach us through people like Hannah to open our hearts to you and to be open to your Holy Spirit, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Once again, many years have passed since last week when the Israelites were out in the wilderness at Mount Sinai.  We have skipped over Joshua and all of the stories about the judges and have come to the birth of Samuel – who will be the last of the judges and also a prophet.  However, today’s reading focuses more on Hannah, who is Samuel’s mother.

         In the part of the story that we didn’t hear today, Hannah has already spent many years without being able to have any children.  Her husband has another wife, Peninnah, who does have children, and who teases Hannah because of it.  By the time that Hannah meets Eli in the temple, she is desperate to have a child and tired of all of the put-downs and snide remarks.  Even though she knows that her husband loves her, somehow, that is not enough.  And so, she prays to the Lord in her distress.

         In her prayer, Hannah not only asks for a son, but makes a vow along with her request.  If God does, indeed, give her a son, he will be dedicated to God for his entire life.  This will begin as soon as he is weaned.  And, while we did hear about the birth of Samuel today, we did not hear the part of the story where Hannah takes her young son back to Eli at the temple, and leaves him there.  In fact, this is what happens right before she prays (or maybe sings), “My heart exults in the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:1).

         Our own response to this story will vary depending on our experience.  Those who have ever felt the heartache of wanting to have children but being unable to do so will understand Hannah’s level of desperation and despair when she prays in the temple.  Those who have ever given a child up for adoption will understand how difficult it was for Hannah to leave Samuel at the temple.  Those who have experienced answers to prayer will understand how Hannah can rejoice even after leaving her son to learn how to serve the Lord.  And those who have felt as though their prayers have gone unanswered might be asking why they can’t get an answer like Hannah.

         Today’s reading definitely leads us to think about prayer, as we actually hear two different prayers from Hannah.  The first is her prayer of desperation asking for a son and her vow that if she does have a son, he would serve God his entire life.  The second prayer is definitely Spirit-inspired and far reaching.  Although the circumstances are quite different, Hannah’s prayer is similar to the prayer (or song) of Mary many years later.  It is a prayer of praise and of confidence in what God can and will do.  It celebrates the ways in which God lifts up those who are feeble, or poor, or needy, but brings down the arrogant, and the mighty, and the rich.

         Hannah is definitely a woman of faith who is open to the Spirit of God.  Unlike Sarah, and Rebekah, and Rachel, she goes directly to God and makes known the prayer of her heart.  And, when she gives her son, it is not just to Eli the priest, but to the entire people of Israel.  However, as most of us know from experience, we don’t always get what we want when we pray.

         While Moses became a powerful pray-er, he also did not always get what he wanted.  Very early on, Moses prays, “O my Lord, please send someone else” (Ex. 4:13).  And then God gets angry and concedes that his brother Aaron can go with him.

         Jesus also prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done” (Lk. 22:42).  Jesus certainly did not relish the suffering that awaited him.  He asks God several times to allow him to avoid it if at all possible.  However, at the same time, Jesus seeks to do God’s will.  His prayer is, indeed, answered according to God’s will, as he endures the suffering necessary for salvation.  “By his bruises we are healed” (Is. 53:5).

         Today also happens to be the Feast of St. Luke – a day that often includes prayers for healing.  We know from Jesus’ ministry on this earth, and from the gifts of the Spirit, that it is most certainly God’s will to heal.  Sometimes that healing is both immediate and miraculous.  Sometimes the healing takes time.  Sometimes it is not the type of healing that we thought we needed – for it can be mental, or physical, or emotional, or spiritual.  And sometimes, when the time is right, the healing actually comes through death – in the passage from this life to the next.

         All prayers for healing are answered, but it is not always the timing that we want or the answer that we want.  What we do know is that people have been and will be healed in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of his precious blood.  And so, we continue to pray for healing – for those who are fighting cancer and other diseases; for those who are recovering from surgery or heart attacks or strokes; for those who are infected or affected by Covid-19; for those who struggle with mental or emotional health; for those with ongoing physical challenges; and for all of the medical professionals, that God would also work through them in order to heal.

         In Hannah’s song, there is one line that stands out: “for not by might does one prevail” (1 Sam. 2:9c).  It is a line that seems incomplete and that perhaps should say something about prevailing through prayer and humility and the power of God.  For, just as God lifted up Hannah in her distress, God also lifts us up through Jesus Christ.  For, all those who put their trust in him are given salvation and eternal life.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 20 (NL 3)                        1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20; 2:1-10

October 18, 2020

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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