2Epiphany; January 15, 2012

1Samuel 3:1-20; John 1:43-51

Our Sundays in Epiphany continue to tell stories of gospel revelation. Today we hear about Samuel, the young boy in the temple who, with the help of Eli, hears God’s call. And we hear about the call of Philip and Nathanael to ministry with Jesus.

Samuel heard a voice in the night, calling his name. Like any of us who would hear such a thing, Samuel attributed the calling out to another person, Eli, the priest, who was asleep in another room. Three times the Lord called out and three times Samuel assumed it was Eli. After being awakened three times, Eli has figured out that it is the Lord who is calling to Samuel. Eli then instructs the boy to respond to God’s call: “When it happens again say, ‘Speak, Lord for your servant is listening.’” The next time Samuel heard his name called he answered, “Speak Lord, I’m listening.” And the Lord spoke… The Lord had some tough words for Samuel to report to Eli. You see Eli’s sons were priests who were abusing the priestly office. This abuse was not to be tolerated and the Lord told Samuel what was going on.

We’re a lot like young Samuel and without some help, we too miss the call. It’s easy to miss God’s call or to attribute the call to just another human voice in our life.

I notice that young as he is, Samuel doesn’t freak out or run and hide. He says what Eli tells him to say: “Speak Lord, for you servant is listening.” God so often chooses the
least likely, the ones without power or position to hear God and reveal God in a new way. God doesn’t choose the expected one. In this case, wouldn’t you expect God to pick Eli? He’s the priest, he’s the educated one, the gifted one. But God calls the child. God comes to the one who hasn’t shut out the voice of God. There is room for God to work in Samuel.

God told Samuel that the temple, the church was a mess… the sons of Eli were not serving God but themselves. It was time for some housecleaning in the temple! God’s call to Samuel involved working toward changing the system… the temple system. In our church, systems have been poked and prodded and some change has come… reluctantly. Especially when it comes to hospitality and creating a safe place for ALL God’s children. When we hear God’s call and respond to God’s call, we open our eyes and our hearts to those who are vulnerable and on the edges of society. What is God whispering in our ears today and how are we closing our hearts to the call? What is God saying to us today, that we are not hearing? Who knows?

When I listen deeply to God’s call I hear the whisper of justice, the whisper of hope for all people. I hope we will all open our hearts a little deeper and so that God’s extravagant love may be felt and known and experienced by all who enter here… in this “temple.”

This Wednesday we begin the week of prayer for Christian Unity. This isn’t a prayer to become one denomination but it is a prayer for faith at work within the whole body of Christ. There are many among us who have been and are part of faith communities in varieties of flavors. The ELCA has ecumenical partners who share ministries with us. We’re all called to the common mission of making the love of God in Christ known.
We’re all called to the common mission to learn and grow in God’s word. Today, during the adult ed time we’re are beginning a series on “Our Neighbor’s Faith”… Come and See!

Come and See… that’s what Phillip, a follower of Jesus said to Nathanael… Want to know about a faith community? Check it out! Jesus INVITED Philip to follow! “Jesus found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” From that invitation, Philip finds Nathanael and INVITES Nathanael to “come and see!” Nathanael is skeptical, “can anything good
come out of Nazareth?”

A bit of skepticism is good when discerning community. It’s obvious Nathanael had some pre-conceived opinions about Nazareth. In our own experiences most of us have asked a friend or member of our family to come to church. Especially in our area of the world, people have pre-conceived notions and opinions about the church. Sometimes the pre-conceived notions andopinions blind them in the same way Nathanael was blinded by Nazareth.

When Jesus came to Nathanael, Nathanael knew his life was changed forever. But without his friend’s encouragement the encounter may have never happened.

We are called to be inviters! When I was 8 years old we had just moved and I met a new friend. Her name was Lynne. Lynne was a Lutheran and she went to church just down the street. Lynne invited me to worship and to Sunday school. Her brother invited my brother and before long, our family was Lutheran! Maybe you grew up in the church and have never known a day without it. All of us have faith mentors and inviters. Maybe you were invited to a Bible study that changed your life or to a leadership role that brought you to a new place in your faith. We all have these inviters in our lives and we’re all called to invite others to come and see.

This if MLK weekend and we remember his legacy. MLK invited the world to come and see a new vision, a new way of being. Some of his vision was realized when a black man was elected president. There is so much of his vision that is not realized: equal
education and opportunity for ALL. Think about young Samuel, called by God, yet it took his mentor, Eli, a long time to figure that out. God calls us to open to a new vision a new invitation. MLK, one who was a pastor and prophet, didn’t have a squeaky clean personal life. Yet he knew the call and followed the call. God works through our own
brokenness and God moves us in spite of ourselves. Jesus says Come and See… just come and see. See for yourself that God IS up to something and that something will change your life and make you better.

I’d like to invite all of you to come and see Jesus today in the breaking of the bread, in the singing of the songs, in the sharing of the peace. We are called by God to be community and to share community…. Just come and see. Amen.