During the time after Epiphany, we frequently encounter biblical texts during worship that offer words of promise and invitation. The promise of God’s abiding presence in our lives and the invitation to participate in God’s reconciling and renewing mission for all creation.
Perhaps that is why I have been revisiting the text from 1 Samuel 3:1-10 a lot lately. During an uncertain time when the people of Israel were fighting off attacks from hostile neighbors and religious leaders struggled to see God’s presence amid the chaos, God shows up unexpectedly. Repeatedly calling out to Samuel, a young boy serving in the House of the Lord at Shiloh.
Surprisingly, God does not call upon Eli, the elderly priest, but instead calls out to the child sleeping near the ark of the covenant. Though God recognizes Samuel’s gifts for ministry, Samuel does not understand what is transpiring for the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. As a result, the child requires the assistance of another to help discern God’s calling.
After returning to Eli a third time, the nearly blind priest finally “sees” that the Lord might actually be speaking to the child. But instead of sulking or wondering why God is not calling out to him, the priest faithfully prepares Samuel to live into his calling. Instructing the child, “Go, lie down … if the Lord calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”
How many of us have asked the same thing this past year? “Speak, Lord! Please, Lord, show us the way. Tell us where to go.” Yet, unlike Samuel who actually listened when God spoke, we more often than not prefer to do the talking. Treating God like a genie in a bottle, our own personal miracle machine whom we expect to be at our beck and call 24/7. Instead of listening, how many of us engage in spiritual practices that tell God what we think that we need? Instead of listening, we instead engage in spiritual practices that express how we think God should act on our behalf. And then, when our prayers seem to go unanswered, we may withdraw in anger or disappointment. Perhaps blaming God for our own misfortune instead of recognizing that God is with us in our time of need.
It is only natural. Especially considering all that happens during this crazy, roller-coaster ride that we call life. Who among us could predict all of the twists and turns that life throws at us? Life is filled with peaks and valleys and very few of us even know when the next one is headed our way. We coast along until suddenly a loved one becomes ill, or a friend dies, a relationship ends … you name it!
Looking back, with the benefit of hindsight and enough space to grieve, I suspect that many of us may eventually come to “see” that God was with us in the storm. Speaking to us amid the chaos of change, placing others in our path, and equipping us for new opportunities that we may have never even considered.
The story of Samuel’s divine calling also highlights the reality none of us can do this work of ministry alone. And neither could Jesus. Ours is an invitational God who calls people of all ages and varying abilities, people from all walks of life and different ethnicities, and then sends us out — flawed and fallible though we may be — to be the church together.
Though we are a spirit-empowered community, the truth is that sometimes we lose our way. When life throws us unexpected curveballs, we may forget Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to empower and sustain us in the ministries to which God has called us (John 16). “This is especially true,” notes Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop Emeritus of the ELCA, “when we describe the church on the basis of what we lack and have lost and nostalgically long for the days gone by.”
The path forward into the future that God has prepared for us begins with the spiritual discipline of listening. Listening deeply to the promises spoken to God’s people throughout the scriptures. Listening to the ways that God is inviting, cajoling, and moving us into a future that we may not yet fully discern. Listening to the voices of our oldest and youngest among us and listening to those who may feel that their insights have been ignored or unappreciated. Prayerful, active listening holds the key to discerning how God is inviting each one of us to steward the gifts that the Holy Spirit has entrusted to our care for the sake of the gospel.
“Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening.”
Walking to Golgotha 