What a simply glorious story in I Samuel 3; I found it so difficult to choose between focussing on Eli or Samuel… well, in some ways I identify more with Eli so I chose Samuel! The sermon text will follow the video. At the end of the sermon text, I have included the story from I Samuel 3.
Sermon Preached at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Goldsboro, NC.; Sunday January 17th 2021
The Reverend Alan Neale . “I think you’re muted…”
“Speak, your servant hears” – I Samuel 3:10,
Over the past nine months or so, many of us have become seasoned (if not comfortable) zoom users; it makes communication a little easier as we see and hear our companion. Of course, it’s not uncommon for someone to forget to “unmute” and that leads to frantic hand-waving, the mouthing of a message “I think you’re muted.”
It is a sort of reverse of the Verizon advertising that swept the country years ago with the punchline, “Can you hear me now?” You may recall the actor, Paul Macarelli, subsequently left Verizon for Sprint… clearly he had heard Sprint more loudly!
Today’s glorious, yet heart-wrenching, story from I Samuel 3 is all about hearing and not hearing, about not being muted.
First, I’m sorry, we need to do some English 101. The Neale household was a little riven these past days as Alan and Wendy discussed which word carried the deeper meaning… “listen” or “hear”. I enlisted in the latter camp, Wendy the former. Even when making some parish calls, I interrogated unsuspecting parishioners and asked their view, of course with very loaded and biased questions.
It seems, and this should be no surprise for it happens all the time, it seems that meanings have changed over the years. So, if you look at older translations of the Bible (King James, Wycliffe) “hear” is the deeper word; but scan more modern translations (Message, NRSV) and “listen” is the one imputed with deeper meaning.
This does matter… for some part of the story Eli is totally deaf to what is happening and Samuel, at first, listens slightly and only, latterly, hears the divine voice and pays it full attention!
The Bible, by the way, is on my side (at least here!) – the very name Samuel comes from a Hebrew word meaning to hear and the famous verse 10 in chapter 3 is best translated from the Hebrew, “Speak, your servant hears.”
The central mantra of the Jewish people is “Hear, O Israel…” Listen. The command implies that one can still hear, that the revelation is still happening” – so writes Michael Lerner in Jewish Renewal.
Getting His creation to listen, to hear, has been an almighty challenge for our God from the very beginning (Adam and Eve, did not pay full attention). The Lord repeats names to grasp attention, hearing, listening… Abraham, Abraham (Genesis 22:11), Jacob, Jacob (Genesis 46:2), Moses, Moses (Exodus 3:4).
AS I looked at the main players in this drama, I felt drawn to talk about Eli and Samuel (don’t worry, I did not choose both!). Eli old, Samuel young; Eli weary, Samuel, virile; Eli depressed, Samuel Alert; and Eli burdened, Eli free. Guess where my sympathies lay? But it is to Samuel that we turn for the rest of this sermon.
Listen, hear again our text, “Speak, your servant hears.” I believe our simple text illustrates faith, relationship, obedience and attention.
First, faith – “Speak”. Although the journey had only taken a few hours, it actually was one of the deepest and profound journeys of the soul in which any one of us ever partakes. Through the threefold visit to Eli’s chamber, through the increasing confusion as to what was happening, through all this and more Samuel is graced to reach that point when he stands before the Lord and asks the Lord, “Speak.” It takes faith to do this. Sadly some of us (young and old) have reached an Eli stage in our spiritual lives… we are amused, fascinated that God would speak to us… but it’s not going to happen. And Eli’s faith was not easily, facilely, effortlessly achieved. He gained it through asking questions, making persistant responses, and finally openness. Have you lost, have you ever had, the belief that God wants to speak and wants you to listen, to hear? Samuel says, “Try again!”.
Second, relationship – “Your”. Please do not overlook, ignore, neglect this simple possessive word. Samuel, despite years of spiritless drudgery in the temple, Samuel has grasped this most vital and life-giving concept… we are called, we are privileged, we are enabled to know (deeply know) the Lord… my Shepherd, my Savior, my Healer, my Redeemer, my Friend, my Lord. This does not engender a sense of spiritual elitism but rather the awareness of the grace we have received, open to all.
Third, obedience – “Servant”. Many, many years ago I remember reading an advertisement in a local paper. It said, “Loving, large dog for sale. Understands every word I say… and totally ignores it.” Do you think, maybe, sometimes the Lord says that of His people, His churches, you, me? When we enter into this exciting arena of expecting to hear, and encountering, the divine voice… we must, friends, be ready to “hear and obey”. As the chorus runs, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” In Isaiah 6, the prophet hears the divine call; he responds, “Lord, here am I, send me.” Sadly all too often the contemporary response is, “Hear am I, send her, send him.”
And fourth, attention – “Hears”. This is best translated from the Hebrew as “hears” – not past, not present but now! David Spangler wrote, “listening intently is the act of entering the skin of another and wearing it for a time as if it were our own”. The prophet Hosea, the prophet Daniel – oh they knew what it was to wear the divine skin for a while and it made them powerful prophets for the Lord. Pay attention, hear – make time for silence of mind, tongue and body each day with Scripture open before you… pray, “Speak, Lord, your servant hears…”
This past week I listened to five Christians (including Bp. Gene Sutton of Maryland and Dean Randy Marshall Hollerith of the National Cathedral) speak to the subject “Ambassadors of Reconciliation, The Hard Work of Repairing our Social Contract”. They were not calling for “cheap grace” in order to achieve a fragile repair; they recognized that calls for unity are often merely calls for impunity and they quoted Dorothy Day “Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing when compared with love in a dream.”
But each, in their own way, prayed, yearned for the grace of really listening, really hearing even those whom we would nominate as “our enemies”.
They made reference to the fairly recent phenomenon of “deep canvassing”. In Boston 2018, Vivian Topping took to the streets to canvass in favor of GLBTQ motions on the ballot. Vivian discarded the rote questions to be asked of potential voters and instead she turned to “deep canvassing”. She writes, “It is a powerful idea… Giving Grace means being able to hear someone say something that can be hurtful, and trying to think about how to have a real conversation and connect with them”. “Deep Canvassing” – a time intensive, emotionally draining process but productive of real, deep, attentive listening.
When you listen, hear another… and when you know you are being listened to, heard… something powerful takes place… real transformation.
Lord, you are not muted… “Speak, your servant hears”. AMEN
I Samuel 3
1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.
2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!”[a] and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God,[b] and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”
15 Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” 17 Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.