1 Samuel 3:1-10
There are some sounds and accompanying routines that you will notice, if you are paying attention, are part of nearly every aspect of our lives. This past Monday and Wednesday, I spent time at National Airport and Dallas Love Field. After receiving a body scan courtesy of the TSA and purchasing an overpriced cup of terrible coffee, I was afforded the opportunity to sit on an uncomfortable chair and wait. As I waited for my flights to board, I watched as my fellow travelers went through similar motions. Airports are great for people-watching. People watching is like bird watching, but instead of being excited to see a New World Warbler, when people are watching, you think to yourself, what are they doing?
(Insert Overhead speaker noise) “Would passenger Marty McFly please report to Gate 13? Your flight is boarding.”
(Insert Overhead speaker noise) “Marty McFly, Southwest flight 123 with service to Atlanta is ready to depart. Please report to Gate 13.”
(Insert Overhead speaker noise) “Standby passenger Emmett Brown, please report to Gate 13 for your seat assignment.”
If you have ever traveled, you know the routine of people being late for their flights. A few things can happen. The passenger was late waking up, rushed to the airport, fought their way through security, and barely made it to the gate to board their flight. Or, the passengers thought they had more time than they really did and sat at the airport Chili’s bar longer than they should have. Or perhaps the passenger had their earbuds in their ears and missed the announcements because their favorite band had just released a new album.
Either way, many of us have seen the end result of one or more of these situations.
“Enjoy your flight, Mr. Brown.”
“Actually, it’s Dr. Brown.”
“My apologies, Dr. Brown. Have a great flight.”
“I’m here! I’m here! I’m here! Here I am!”
“I’m sorry, Mr. McFly. We called your name twice over the airport intercom. Unfortunately, we had to give your seat to a standby passenger. Would you like us to rebook you on the first flight tomorrow?”
For the next three Sundays, we are going to explore the calling and ministry of the prophet Samuel, beginning today with the calling of Samuel.
Samuel's story begins with his mother, Hannah. Hannah was one of the two wives of Elkanah. While his other wife, Peninnah, had children, Hannah was barren, which caused her great distress. Each year, Elkanah would go to the temple at Shiloh to offer sacrifices and worship God. During one such visit, Hannah prayed fervently at the temple, weeping and pouring out her heart to God. She made a vow that if God would give her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor would ever touch his head, signifying a Nazirite vow.[i]
God heard Hannah's prayer, and she conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel, meaning "heard by God" or "asked of God." True to her vow, once Samuel was weaned, Hannah took him to the temple at Shiloh and presented him to Eli the priest, dedicating him to the Lord's service.[ii]
Samuel was raised in the temple at Shiloh under the guidance of Eli the priest. From a young age, he served in various capacities within the temple, performing duties that assisted Eli and contributed to the daily operations of the sanctuary. This environment provided Samuel with a unique upbringing deeply rooted in the worship and rituals of the Israelite faith.
Our scripture reading picks up the story.
During the night, while he was lying down in the temple, God called out to him. Samuel initially mistook the voice for Eli's and ran to him, saying, “Here I am; you called me.” Eli, however, had not called Samuel and sent him back to bed. This happened three times before Eli realized that it was God who was calling the boy. He instructed Samuel to respond by saying, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
“Samuel.”
“Here I am.”
“Samuel.”
“Here I am.”
“Samuel.”
“Here I am.”
I spent Thursday and Friday last week chaperoning a field trip for my son’s fifth-grade class. If you have ever chaperoned a class trip, you know that as a chaperone, one of your responsibilities is to not lose a child. To mitigate the risk of losing a child at every stop along the way, the teachers would check to see if everyone was present.
“Camden?”
“Here.”
“Isaac?”
“Here.”
“Nora?”
“Here.”
“Nicky?”
“Nicky?”
“Nicky?”
“Oh, here.”
Today, we are celebrating Catherine’s “Here!” when the Lord called her. Now, Catherine does not have this Christianity thing all figured out. One of the things she learned during confirmation is that when it comes to a life of faith, questions are good. Questions help us figure out what know, what we don’t know, and what we want to know more about. Each week during confirmation, the group would start by answering four questions:
1. Who are we? - Image and Likeness of God
2. Where are we? - God’s Wonderful World/Creation
3. What is the problem? - Sin
4. What is the solution? – Jesus
As I was thinking about the prophet Samuel, not missing flights, Catherine’s confirmation, and not losing a fifth grader at the Outdoor Lab, I realized that the only way for us to say, “Here I am,” is for someone to call us in the first place.
The lynchpin of “Here I am!” is that someone has to first be called.
If you were to stand up this morning and shout, “Here I am!” over top of the organ, you might get a few side eyes from your fellow worshipers.
I learned this week that if a fifth grader shouted, “Here I am!” overtop a teacher giving a lesson about the barred owl, that student would be invited to take a break apart from their classmates.
For Samuel, it all began with God calling Samuel by name while Samuel was lying down in the temple.[iii] This act signifies that it is God who initiates the relationship and mission. Despite Samuel being a young boy who is unfamiliar with God's voice, God reaches out to Samuel. The only way Samuel could say, “Here I am,” in the middle of the night is because he heard God calling him.
The same was true for the first disciples. Jesus called the disciples away from their fishing nets, tax booths, and families. Jesus calls Simon Peter and Andrew by saying, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." It is Jesus who makes the first move, choosing and inviting them to join His mission.[iv]
The Apostle Paul was called by the Lord in the middle of what Paul thought would be business as usual. But instead, in calling Paul (or knocking him off his horse and blinding him), God had other plans in mind.
Today, as Catherine says, “Here I am, Lord!” as she remembers her baptism and we pray a blessing over her, she is a parable for us. Catherine is a reminder that God is in the business of calling people—young people, old people, not some old people, and everyone in between.
And the thing is, when God calls, we have time to answer. We have time to ask questions of our mentors as Samuel asked of Eli. We have time to discern why God is calling us and what God is calling us to do.
God’s calling upon our lives is one way we experience God’s grace because, you see, God does not call us when we have everything figured out. We can have our questions and our doubts, and God will continue to call us.
So, here we are. Here you are. Not because of anything we have done but rather because of the One who has called and continues to call us.
[i] 1 Samuel 1:11
[ii] 1 Samuel 1:24-28
[iii] 1 Samuel 3:4
[iv] Matthew 4:18-22
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