THE CALL OF GOD
1 SAMUEL 3:1
I read the legend of a man who found the barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart. And he discovered that there were more seeds of discouragement than any other kind. He also learned that these seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere.
But when Satan was questioned about this he admitted, reluctantly, that there was one place he could never get them to thrive. "And where is that," the man replied. Satan replied sadly, "In the heart of a grateful person."
I think there may be a lot of truth to that story...and since this is Thanksgiving week, like many of you, I spent some time reflecting on the many things I have to be thankful for. And most of those things that quickly come to mind center on my family.
Someone once said that marriage is like eating with chopsticks...it looks easy until you try it. And although it isn’t always easy I am so thankful that I am married to that woman over there I call my wife.
And she is more than just someone I am married to. She’s my partner... my best friend...my critic and fan all in one...she’s my lover and my helper...and she’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.
I am also thankful for my children. I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that I don’t realize how blessed I am because of those four children. I can’t imagine life without them...and I know that I have been given one of the greatest gifts God ever gave to man.
I am also thankful for my church family. My life has been forever touched and changed...for good, because God has blessed me with you. Each of you have impacted me in many ways...some have greatly encouraged me...others have taken me deeper into prayer - which is good...but I love you and am so glad to be able to be part of this church family.
But besides my family, personal and extended, the thing for which I thank God the most is His call on my life. Nothing, without exception, has impacted my life in such a dramatic way as God’s specific call to full-time ministry. Serving God is the greatest experience in life.
This morning I want to look at the life of Samuel because his life is a good example of what ministry is all about. And I’m taking about ministry that takes place in the life of ordinary, everyday people... people just like you and me.
READ 1 Samuel 3:1-10
There is something both fascinating and frightening about the story of the boy Samuel. We all know that fascinating parts: his birth that came as a direct result of fervent prayer...his being "lent to the Lord," as his mother stated it.
And when we first find Samuel, we see him serving in the temple as a sort of administrative assistant to the high priest Eli. And our first look at this young man finds him going about his daily work...nothing great or spectacular about that.
And it seems that Samuel did his work well, but it wasn’t because he necessarily wanted to be there...and not even because he knew in his heart that this is where he shouldƒ` be.
His service in the temple was not a response to some sense of his own calling...or even to some special relationship with God. In fact, our passage tells us that Samuel, at this time, didn’t even know the Lord ...that the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
The fact of the matter was, Samuel was there because someone put him there...and he was 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 he was required to do...would also know profound change. He would soon know God in an intimate, personal way where before he didn’t even know Him at all.
And he would now be forced to witness the Lord’s swift judgment against his old boss and benefactor Eli. And I’m convinced that Samuel loved the old man, and surely wouldn’t have desired anything bad to happened him
Samuel would now become a man who had great expectations placed upon him by God...even though he was just a young, untrained, inexperienced person whose greatest asset was the call of God on his life. And he would no longer be the same because he was one who would yield his life to the will of God.
But as we look at this from a normal, human standpoint...the worst part of such a powerful experience is that it has that one element that is the last thing we like to think about...that this call of God might interrupt our program.
Regardless of the state of our existence, we somehow develop a measure of comfort that makes any kind of change difficult. And change is something that is so hard to accept.
Two caterpillars were crawling across the grass when a butterfly flew over them. They looked up, and one nudged the other and said, "You couldn’t get me up in one of those things for a million dollars.
And yet, we need to understand that change is not an accident...and not an error, whether human or otherwise, but it is a transformation that directs us toward a new purpose...
Just like those caterpillars that will one day become beautiful butterflies. And if we could just grasp that truth, we would begin to understand the opportunities that come as we respond to God’s initiative in our lives.
Our text reminds us that the word of the Lord was rare in those days, there was no frequent vision. Things just moved on at their sad and predictable pace. Lives were lived in a quiet desperation...and this included the life of God’s servant, Eli.
God was maybe heard about, but was not frequently heard. And yet, even where He was not expected or even invited, God came and spoke...and His servant listened. So this vision...something that was so infrequent and so difficult for the dim eyesight of Eli to see...was not something that we could actually see with our eyes.
It was not sight...but knowledge that is the point. Somehow we’ve come to the point where God would have to physically appear to us and almost grab a hold of us before we would believe He was speaking to us...or trying to get our attention.
Vision is the quality or ability to see not with the eyes...but with the heart. It is the capacity to understand what is going on...which means we understand who it is that calls us andƒ` what it is we are called to do.
So what is our call? It is a call to self-understanding...which means "I see." But I see what? I see who I am...and whose I am. Our calling is not to see God...not some vision or image conjured up or some manifestation or picture of God in His holiness.
But it’s a call to see ourselvesƒ`for what God intends us to be and to do. The story of Samuel is a story of how God reveals Himself in the midst of normal, human life. We see that God made Himself real both to Eli and to Samuel. And remember that this is a God initiated vision.
But it wasn’t a revelation that was given to show just the power and majesty of God...or to reveal His holiness or all His other attributes. It was a call to reveal His will for an individual who was willing to accept the change from the ordinary to a higher calling.
God is the one who reveals Himself...who gives us light...who gives us understanding. And in this story we see an invitation to vocation and vision...but really it is a call for openness to change...it is a new understanding of who we are and what we are to do and be.
The challenge here is not to miss the point of this account of Samuel. What we need to understand is that God is at work in and through us... and His light shines both so that we can see, but also that we can be seen. And to be seen we need to step up and accept the challenge.
The work of the church is vocation and vision...which is openness to the will of God...and understanding who and what we are in response to the call of God.
The Word of the Lord is rare these days, just as it was in the days of Samuel. There is no frequent vision. But it is just in times like these that we need to look for the initiative of God and be prepared to respond to that call with all that we are and will be.
I believe with all my heart that God has a calling a plan and purpose for each and every one of you. But it is up to you to be open to that call...willing to hear and obey His voice. For most of you that calling will not be to full-time ministry, like Samuel.
But any other calling is every bit as crucial. And you need to fully understand just how important you are in the plan and purpose of God, and what a privilege it is to serve the God of all creation.
God could do the work by Himself...but He doesn’t. He chooses to stoop gracefully to allow me to co-labor with Him. Why? It’s for my sake...because He wants me to have the privilege of ministering with Him.
A long time ago God called a boy named Samuel. And if it happened once, before the altar of God, it could happen again... even here... even now...and even to you. God is calling us corporately to fulfill His specific will for this church.
But I believe He is also calling individuals for work in His kingdom. I believe He’s here this morning...calling in that still, small voice...that whisper I spoke of last week. Will you answer???
