Day 1868 - Are You Listening?

A sermon shared with First Presbyterian Church, Spring City, TN, Jan. 14, 2018

The last couple weeks, I’ve begun the sermon by sharing directly the idea of the sermon with our young people, hopefully making the sermon more interesting to you and everyone.

This week, I have a question for you, “What do you want to be?”  Why?

Now let’s share a story about how a young man called Samuel and his mother named Hannah discovered what he was to become:

Story of Hannah and Samuel

Hannah’s husband was a man named Elkanah.  In those days, it wasn't unusual for a man to have two wives and Hannah was one of two.  Hannah was not able to have children because the Lord had decided to prevent her from having children.  This made her life very sad.  Although her husband was very religious and always took both wives to worship, his other wife would give Hannah a very hard time because she had no children.

This went on for a long time and finally one day Hannah decided she was so sad she must go to go to the House of the Lord to pray. The priest Eli was sitting there on a seat while Hannah prayed.  Hannah was deeply upset, and prayed to the Lord all the while weeping bitterly.  She made a promise that if the Lord will look favorably upon her and gave her a son that she would dedicate his son to service of the Lord. Her son wouldn't drink any wine or anything was intoxicating and he would not shave as was the custom for priests.

Eli the priest saw her mouth moving as she was praying silently and decided because he heard no voice she must be drunk.  He confronted her, asking why she was so drunk in front of the temple and told her to put her wine away. Hannah said she was not drunk, but was a deeply troubled woman pouring her prayers to the Lord.  “I am openly speaking out about my grief and anxiety all this time over my lack of a son,” she said.

And so Eli realized the situation and told her to go in peace because the God of Israel will grant the petition/prayer that she made to him. She went home and was no longer sad, and in due time she had a son who she called Samuel.  Samuel in Hebrew means, “I have asked him of the Lord.”

When Samuel was old enough to go to the temple to be weaned she took in there and dedicated him to the service of the Lord.  She brought him to Eli and said to him, “I am the woman who was standing in her presence praying to the Lord for a son who has granted my wish.  I am here fulfilling my promise to the Lord that as long as my son lives, he belongs to the Lord.  She left him Samuel with Eli for the Lord.

And then we pick up the Old Testament reading for the sermon which is the story of how God called Samuel to his service.  We describe this as “Samuel’s call satory.” Here it is:

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)

1   Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli (taking care of the Temple).  The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.  (explain a little history of Judges)

2   At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called, “Samuel!  Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; lie down again.”  So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10   Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated(erased/forgiven) by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15   Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord.  Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.  16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” 17 Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then Eli said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”

19   As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground (people listened to him). 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

This is how Samuel was called to be the great prophet who anointed Saul, the first king of Israel, and the second, King David.

End YP, start main

John 1:43-51

43   The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

On one of my earliest days with you, after the worship service Mason came up to me and asked me a question.  He asked about God, I think he asked, “How did I know God existed?” (Do you remember, Mason? If so, what did you ask?)

His question struck me for a number of reasons.  First, I thought it was a very perceptive question from a young man.  And then as I thought about it as I prepared this sermon, it occurred to me that I he must've asked me, not out of curiosity but also perhaps because like Samuel he had been listening and God prompted the question to me as much as to Mason.  As I prepared this sermon it occurred to me that perhaps that is the appropriate question, "Was God speaking through Mason?" And that prompted my sermon title: “Are we listening?”

I am certain that many of us it one time or another wonder exactly what does God want to do with us, or maybe even is God out there?  It surely would be nice if God just took us by the shoulders and shook us gently and said, “Listen to me,  Go do this!” After all, that’s what happened to Samuel.

    That’s what happened to Paul on Road to Damascus. Acts 9:1-9

    That’s what happened to Moses. Exodus 3:7-12

    That’s what happened to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:4-10

    That’s what happened to Isaiah. Isaiah 6:1-13

    I could go on, Jonah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Hosea

But it isn’t always that way…call of Nathanael

And Nathaniel's call because Jesus was walking along and told Nathanael he knew who he was.  When Jesus acknowledged him by name, Nathaniel believed who Jesus was. Even that was some kind of a divine act that required Nathanael’s attention to see.

Sometimes we may feel as a hand is on our shoulder or back and is slowly nudging us. You may push back, you might not even be fully aware, you might spend years doing something else and ignore that push for years until you start listening.

That’s pretty much what happened to me in Mississippi.  I found myself in a situation where I had a life with pretty much everything I wanted, and was faced with thousands of people who had lost everything and had nothing but hope, an unreasonable hope, or faith to hold onto. That experience turned out to be life changing for me.  I remember driving back to Chattanooga after a week of service unable to put that experience out of my mind even though I did not understand it.  I kept thinking, I knew, that something had happened to me that changed my life entirely.  That's why I am standing you before you today. I listened to my calling and in great fear and uncertainty I left everything behind and I responded. My life has never been better.

Probably that fear and uncertainty is what’s going to be the case for many of us.  It puts us in a somewhat scary situation, just like having that “on the road to Damascus experience.” But isn’t fear and uncertainty trying to get to a goal the norm?

It would be so easy for us and so simplify our lives to have that lightning bolt out of the blue slam on the ground in front of us in a low voice from heaven saying, "Henry, this is what I want you to do!"

Unfortunately, or fortunately, we seldom get a precise roadmap.  What happens is we do realize over time that a hand is on our shoulder nudging us in a new direction.  It might be a push that we unconsciously or intentionally resist.

But what is important for our congregation is to never stop listening for God.  We are growing this congregation.  I’d like to be prideful and say we, ourselves, are growing this congregation, but we aren’t, at least not directly. God is growing our congregation because many of us are listening to His call, a call from the Holy Spirit – “Come be a part of a congregation that is trying its best to walk in the world as Christ did, trying its best to spread the love and grace of the Lord, supporting each other and remembering the words Jesus spoke from Isaiah 61. Those words apply to us all:

1    The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

                  because the Lord has anointed me;

      he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

                  to bind up the brokenhearted,

      to proclaim liberty to the captives,

                  and release to the prisoners;

2    to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

                  and the day of vengeance of our God;

                  to comfort all who mourn;

3    to provide for those who mourn in Zion—

                  to give them a garland instead of ashes,

      the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

                  the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

      They will be called oaks of righteousness,

                  the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

4    They shall build up the ancient ruins,

                  they shall raise up the former devastations;

      they shall repair the ruined cities,

                  the devastations of many generations.

8       For I the Lord love justice,

                  I hate robbery and wrongdoing;

      I will faithfully give them their recompense,

                  and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9    Their descendants shall be known among the nations,

                  and their offspring among the peoples;

      all who see them shall acknowledge

                  that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

                  my whole being shall exult in my God;

      for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

                  he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

      as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

                  and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

So, I close with my title, “Are you listening?”

We are all wealthy with the gifts of God.  We all have great gifts to share with the world, the wealth of our compassion, the wealth of our thanksgiving for being loved by our Creator so dearly that all our sins and transgressions are wiped away as if they never occurred, and faith that he will lead us by the Spirit. That is why we can say, “God is good, All the time.” If we are listening for his call, we will discover and do his will.

Amen.