THE CALL OF GOD

doing what he did simply because he was told to do it. He was fulfilling the obligations of his mother...and the expectations of the high priest. And this is simply taking the hand we’re dealt with.

And that is just what most of us have done in life. But here is where the fascination begins...because God chooses to interrupt this boy’s normal and ordinary routine with an invitation to service.

And for me, this is an exciting story because it’s God Himself who introduces this young boy to a whole new vocation. God visits him right in the middle of the ordinary, routine, and predictable circumstances of life and work. And that gives me hope...and it should give you hope too...because most of us here are ordinary, routine, and somewhat predictable people, aren’t we?

And look how this whole thing happened. This was no mountainside manifestation like happened to Moses with the burning bush...it was no great miracle that happened in the middle of the sea like with Jonah or any of the many other dramatic ways God chose to show His power and reveal His will.

And what makes this story all the more spectacular is that this event in the life of Samuel happens in one of the last places we would ever expect to find God...in church!

After a Sunday School class for 7 year olds was well underway, one little boy suddenly said to the teacher, "Can we hurry up? This is boring!" Immediately the little girl to his left gave him an elbow to the ribs and said, "Oh, shut up. It’s supposed to be boring."

But if we really believed that God would meet us here, we would likely come with such an expectation that church would be anything but boring. But just like Isaiah, Samuel’s vocation is made real by a vision of the holy...right in the middle of holy things. And that is a little bit frightening.

If God can invade our space in church, then He can come anywhere at any time. He can intrude on our best efforts to keep Him at arm¡¦s length. And we will discover that there are no limits to the day...and the way He appears.

And let me tell you, visions of God are not the comfortable things we often imagine them to be. They interrupt...they demand our attention...they are unexpected and inconvenient. And worse, they are demanding. And the reason the call of God both fascinates and frightens us is because in it is the most fascinating and frightening of all human experiences...and that is change.ƒ`


And here in our text we find that the focus is just that...profound change. We began to look at the boy Samuel, but we need to move from him for a moment to the aged priest Eli...because he is the one that really understandsƒ`at least some of the implications of change.

Eli knew some things that Samuel could not possibly know...he knew that many things, including Samuel himself, would never, ever be the same again. And we’re talking about profound changes here!

Power would now pass from him to Samuel...and God would pass Eli right by. And so the changes for Eli and his household would be enormous. The priesthood would be taken away from him and his family - forever.

Now Eli didn’t know the exact specifics, but the way it would turn out was that Eli’s sons would die miserable deaths...and he himself would break his neck and die at the news of the capture of the ark.

This young boy who was just minding his own business...doing the job