2nd Sunday after Epiphany 1/18/09 Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-20 Title: When God speaks
Second Sunday after Epiphany
1/18/09
Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-20
Title: When God speaks.
Last Sunday we learned that when God speaks things take place. He spoke at the creation and what was chaos became orderly. We then learned that when God speaks at a person’s baptism, as when I say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, whether it is an infant, child, or adult things happen God gives faith, salvation, and life. It does not make any difference whether the infant believes it or the one doing the baptism believes it, it is still baptism in which faith is given, for baptism is not a rite of man, but a command and work of God. When God speaks things happen.
Today we are going to look at another time when God spoke and things happened; our Old Testament lesson 1 Samuel, the first part of chapter 3, the calling of the child Samuel by God to be his prophet.
There use to be a television commercial about E.F. Hutton. There is always a crowd of people and two people are together when one of them says, "Well my broker is E.F. Hutton and E.F. Hutton says...." At that point there is a huge hush over the crowd and everyone turns to listen. Then the advertisement concludes with the phrase, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen."
If that were only true when God speaks. I sometimes wonder if anyone is listening, I mean really listening to what God is saying when he speaks. Does God have the same credibility that E.F. Hutton had when it comes to important messages? God is actually speaking to us all the time; in his Word, Baptism, and His Supper. The problem is that too many times we just are not listening.
Samuel had the same problem for it was not until the fourth time that God spoke that Samuel understood God was speaking to him. His mind was not open to listening to God’s Word. But when Eli told him that the next time God called to him that he was to reply, "Speak Lord, for your servant hears." Samuel heard the Word of God. Samuel was a future leader of the faith community. God needed Samuel to listen. No one else was listening at that time as we hear, "for the word of the Lord was rare in those days."
Is the Word of the Lord is rare in these times? It is rare in some places, there is no doubt about that, but it should not be, for God calls us today in our Baptism, His Word, and His Supper. I wonder if we think it is rare because we are not listening because we don’t think it is relevant to us today? I am not talking about our salvation, for I doubt that there is anyone here this morning that does not believe that Jesus died for their sins, so that they can have eternal life. I am talking about the relevancy of God’s Word concerning our daily lives, the lives we each live with all of its struggles and hardship.
We should want to able to listen to God, so that we can live better lives. We should want to hear his words of comfort, of wisdom, and yes, salvation. We need to able to distinguish God’s voice from all others. It’s difficult to listen to God in these times simply because there is too many other voices vying for our attention. Let’s look at a few of the voices.
Maybe the reason you cannot hear God is avoidance. Like the family I read about this week. They were in the process of doing a major bathroom remodeling even though there home was in the process of being foreclosed. They are obviously avoiding reality. Just like that family too many people simply think that by ignoring or denying that a problem exists in their relationship with God that it does not exist. Their approach is close their eyes and put their hands over their ears while making loud sounds that will drown out the Word of God.
Another reason that you might have in not hearing God is embarrassment. It is sort of like when you see someone coming toward you that you know you should know, but don’t. What do you do? Why you do what will keep you from being embarrassed. You, if you can, avoid the person. The problem with that approach is that you never get a chance of talking to the person in a meaningful way, of maybe starting up a meaningful relationship. Maybe it has been a long time since you attended a Bible Study or spent any meaningful time in prayer and you are too embarrassed to start. Embarrassment will keep you from having developing meaningful relationship with God.
Distractions will also cause you not to hear the Word of God. It is all those things that we do to make us "feel" better; those things that sap our time, energy and resources. These are nothing more than distractions which keep us from doing what God wants us to do, that is listen to his Word. Distractions keep us from hearing the Word of God.
There are more things that can keep you from hearing the Word of God. Things like guilt, resentment, and failure; shame, and yes, pride, as in being too prideful to admit that you need God’s help. We are unable to hear the voice of God when we have blocked forgiveness from setting us free of those things.
But there is one more thing, above all things that will keep us from hearing the Word of God. That one thing is fear. It will make you deaf to the Word of God. Fear is like a loud thunderstorm on a stormy, summer night that is so loud that you have to cover your ears to drown out the sound. Fear, in its worst will grip you so that you cannot move or think. It paralysis you and keeps you from hearing the Word of God.
How then can you hear the Word of God? How can you work your way through the problems I mentioned earlier? Our Old Testament text gives us a good example of how to better your relationship with God. Let me stop here a moment and clarify one thing. When I am speaking of bettering one’s relationship with God I am not speaking of your salvation, for that is Jesus work on your behalf. It has nothing to do with you, except the accepting it. I am talking about bettering your relationship with God so that you can live a better, more God pleasing life like our Epistle reading speaks of.
Samuel hung out near the Ark of the Covenant in the temple. So you need to stay close to the church, that is the times of worship and Bible study, for that is where the word of God is spoken, and the sacraments are given. It is where God speaks.
You also need to recognize the authority of God. Until Samuel was told who was speaking by Eli he was not ready to hear the Word of God. Eli was his authority. Samuel now has a new authority, the Word of God.
There comes a point in all our lives where the authority of our parents, mentors, or role models must yield to the one true authority. We depend on the authority of others to direct our lives. They, however, will not be with us always. To be true to ourselves, to be who God wants us to be we need to recognize the authority of God, for then we will be tuned to the voice of God.
We also have to be willing to listen to the voice of God, for without listening, that is, understanding the Word of God we cannot act upon that Word. The Word of God calls us to be free of whatever holds us back and live with the assurance that God is with us. The word of God, that is the voice of the God is the one, clear, still, small, loving voice that speaks with compassion and righteousness to us.
For when you are tuned into the voice of God you will not be distracted by all the false sounds of the world, those distorted sounds that warp the Word of God that harms your relationship with God. Stay tuned to the voice of God, for it is only then that you can be all God wants you to be in the circumstances of your life. All praise to God, your help and salvation. Amen.
1/18/09
Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-20
Title: When God speaks.
Last Sunday we learned that when God speaks things take place. He spoke at the creation and what was chaos became orderly. We then learned that when God speaks at a person’s baptism, as when I say, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, whether it is an infant, child, or adult things happen God gives faith, salvation, and life. It does not make any difference whether the infant believes it or the one doing the baptism believes it, it is still baptism in which faith is given, for baptism is not a rite of man, but a command and work of God. When God speaks things happen.
Today we are going to look at another time when God spoke and things happened; our Old Testament lesson 1 Samuel, the first part of chapter 3, the calling of the child Samuel by God to be his prophet.
There use to be a television commercial about E.F. Hutton. There is always a crowd of people and two people are together when one of them says, "Well my broker is E.F. Hutton and E.F. Hutton says...." At that point there is a huge hush over the crowd and everyone turns to listen. Then the advertisement concludes with the phrase, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen."
If that were only true when God speaks. I sometimes wonder if anyone is listening, I mean really listening to what God is saying when he speaks. Does God have the same credibility that E.F. Hutton had when it comes to important messages? God is actually speaking to us all the time; in his Word, Baptism, and His Supper. The problem is that too many times we just are not listening.
Samuel had the same problem for it was not until the fourth time that God spoke that Samuel understood God was speaking to him. His mind was not open to listening to God’s Word. But when Eli told him that the next time God called to him that he was to reply, "Speak Lord, for your servant hears." Samuel heard the Word of God. Samuel was a future leader of the faith community. God needed Samuel to listen. No one else was listening at that time as we hear, "for the word of the Lord was rare in those days."
Is the Word of the Lord is rare in these times? It is rare in some places, there is no doubt about that, but it should not be, for God calls us today in our Baptism, His Word, and His Supper. I wonder if we think it is rare because we are not listening because we don’t think it is relevant to us today? I am not talking about our salvation, for I doubt that there is anyone here this morning that does not believe that Jesus died for their sins, so that they can have eternal life. I am talking about the relevancy of God’s Word concerning our daily lives, the lives we each live with all of its struggles and hardship.
We should want to able to listen to God, so that we can live better lives. We should want to hear his words of comfort, of wisdom, and yes, salvation. We need to able to distinguish God’s voice from all others. It’s difficult to listen to God in these times simply because there is too many other voices vying for our attention. Let’s look at a few of the voices.
Maybe the reason you cannot hear God is avoidance. Like the family I read about this week. They were in the process of doing a major bathroom remodeling even though there home was in the process of being foreclosed. They are obviously avoiding reality. Just like that family too many people simply think that by ignoring or denying that a problem exists in their relationship with God that it does not exist. Their approach is close their eyes and put their hands over their ears while making loud sounds that will drown out the Word of God.
Another reason that you might have in not hearing God is embarrassment. It is sort of like when you see someone coming toward you that you know you should know, but don’t. What do you do? Why you do what will keep you from being embarrassed. You, if you can, avoid the person. The problem with that approach is that you never get a chance of talking to the person in a meaningful way, of maybe starting up a meaningful relationship. Maybe it has been a long time since you attended a Bible Study or spent any meaningful time in prayer and you are too embarrassed to start. Embarrassment will keep you from having developing meaningful relationship with God.
Distractions will also cause you not to hear the Word of God. It is all those things that we do to make us "feel" better; those things that sap our time, energy and resources. These are nothing more than distractions which keep us from doing what God wants us to do, that is listen to his Word. Distractions keep us from hearing the Word of God.
There are more things that can keep you from hearing the Word of God. Things like guilt, resentment, and failure; shame, and yes, pride, as in being too prideful to admit that you need God’s help. We are unable to hear the voice of God when we have blocked forgiveness from setting us free of those things.
But there is one more thing, above all things that will keep us from hearing the Word of God. That one thing is fear. It will make you deaf to the Word of God. Fear is like a loud thunderstorm on a stormy, summer night that is so loud that you have to cover your ears to drown out the sound. Fear, in its worst will grip you so that you cannot move or think. It paralysis you and keeps you from hearing the Word of God.
How then can you hear the Word of God? How can you work your way through the problems I mentioned earlier? Our Old Testament text gives us a good example of how to better your relationship with God. Let me stop here a moment and clarify one thing. When I am speaking of bettering one’s relationship with God I am not speaking of your salvation, for that is Jesus work on your behalf. It has nothing to do with you, except the accepting it. I am talking about bettering your relationship with God so that you can live a better, more God pleasing life like our Epistle reading speaks of.
Samuel hung out near the Ark of the Covenant in the temple. So you need to stay close to the church, that is the times of worship and Bible study, for that is where the word of God is spoken, and the sacraments are given. It is where God speaks.
You also need to recognize the authority of God. Until Samuel was told who was speaking by Eli he was not ready to hear the Word of God. Eli was his authority. Samuel now has a new authority, the Word of God.
There comes a point in all our lives where the authority of our parents, mentors, or role models must yield to the one true authority. We depend on the authority of others to direct our lives. They, however, will not be with us always. To be true to ourselves, to be who God wants us to be we need to recognize the authority of God, for then we will be tuned to the voice of God.
We also have to be willing to listen to the voice of God, for without listening, that is, understanding the Word of God we cannot act upon that Word. The Word of God calls us to be free of whatever holds us back and live with the assurance that God is with us. The word of God, that is the voice of the God is the one, clear, still, small, loving voice that speaks with compassion and righteousness to us.
For when you are tuned into the voice of God you will not be distracted by all the false sounds of the world, those distorted sounds that warp the Word of God that harms your relationship with God. Stay tuned to the voice of God, for it is only then that you can be all God wants you to be in the circumstances of your life. All praise to God, your help and salvation. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 2:27 PM
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