A Sermon by Pastor Tom Lacey . . .

our reaction

1 Samuel 121-28, Preached  at Congregational Church of Boca Raton, November 22, 2009

A mom had had a pretty hectic day with her four-year-old. When bedtime finally came, she laid down the law: "We're putting on your p.j.s, brushing your teeth, and reading ONE book. Then it's lights out!" Her daughter's little arms went around her neck in a gentle embrace, and she said, "We learned in Sunday school about little boys and girls who don't have mommies and daddies." Even after I'd been such a grouch, mom thought, she was still grateful to have me. She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes, and then her daughter whispered, "Maybe you could go be their mom?"

Our text this morning shows Hannah being good on her word, her vow. She promised God that if she would have a son, if her barrenness were removed, then she would give the boy as a nazirite, a dedicated to God child. She keeps him until he is weaned and then she travels to Shiloh, back to Eli the priest, whose word of blessing over her prayer of tears became the turning point in her sad saga of childlessness, and gives him Samuel, her boy. Hannah is faithful; Yahweh, God, is powerful. The one who was without child, without honor, without joy, without life has become the one with a son, with honor, with joy, full of life. God’s amazing work calls for Hannah’s faithful response. She returns to God what is God's. In place of despair, she displays gratitude. What our text is telling us is that this is God’s work, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

And here is the thing, here is the lesson: What happened to Hannah is what happens to us, all of us, each of us. She is us, and we are her. This story is about childlessness; for us it is about being barren as in not living fruitfully, fully. In Israel’s history, it is about the beginning, the birth of Israel’s monarchy and ultimately David’s kingdom; for us it is about living our lives full of joy and purpose. For all of us, for all of humankind, at all times, it is about God’s actions and our reactions. Hanna, Israel, you, I, we are one and the same. We stand before the power of God, the one who calls forth life, and then from life commands true life. Without God, we are all barren of purpose, bereft of joy, devoid of life. Because of God, we are pregnant with possibility, joyful, grateful. Now don’t get me wrong. It’s true, we can go to work without God; we can get married without God; we can have a nice life without God, just like Hannah, who had a husband who loved her, a home in which to live, a place to go to worship. But she was still barren, both physically and figuratively. Do you see what I mean? And Israel, they had their twelve tribes, but they fought among each other; they had their promised land, but they were being beaten by the Philistines and others; and they had their judges, but they didn’t have a purpose. Without God’s gift of Samuel the prophet, they could not transition from twelve tribes loosely affiliated to the unified, powerful new kingdom over which David reigned 33 years. God working in Hannah; God working in Israel; God working in us: is God overcoming barrenness and bringing life. God’s actions require our reactions. God’s will requires our willingness. Our lives desire God’s word of life. What we need to do is to return to God what is the Lord's. We ought to be grateful, thankful, and dedicated to the Lord. Try to live a life without joy or praise, and see what happens. Muddle along without praying to God for help, without asking the Lord to bring light where there is dark, life where there is death, healing when there is pain, forgiveness when there is wrong, joy in the midst of sorrow, faith when all there is doubt, hope when all you see is hurt, love when what you feel is cold, and you won't bring forth the Samuel God intends for you. I know this may sound peculiar, but God has a Samuel to give you. The only question is whether you want this enough.

Michael Weisser, the cantor at his Lincoln, Nebraska, synagogue, and his wife Julie hoped against hope. The Weissers found themselves the target of interest of the local Klan Grand Dragon, Larry Trapp. It seems Trapp took it upon himself to harass, intimidate and threaten the Weissers with the ultimate goal of driving them out of town. When the chilling, late-night phone calls and the hate mail began to bombard Julie and Michael, they knew where it was coming from and they were afraid. Yet, their response spoke of hope, not hate and fear. Michael called his tormentor back and got his answering machine. After listening to its pre-recorded anti-Semitic diatribe, he calmly offered to take Trapp, who is confined to a wheel chair, out to the grocery store. For weeks Weisser kept at it, leaving recorded messages of offered help for this Grand Dragon. Finally, Klansman Trapp called him back, complaining, “What do you want? You're harassing me.” But Trapp soon called Weisser with a drastic change; he confessed, “I want to get out of this and I don't know how.” Weisser immediately responded, “I'll bring dinner and we'll talk.” Against the advice of friends and family who feared a trap they went. Julie brought along a silver ring as a peace offering. When they met face-to-face, the Klansman and the cantor, Larry Trapp burst into tears. If you can believe it, and yes this is a true story, he eventually moved in with the Weissers, and their three children, in their two bedroom house. All three children had to move into one bedroom. As Larry’s health declined, Julie especially cared for him, washing his ulcerated sores nightly. In time, the local Klan Grand Dragon, Larry Trapp converted to Judaism, and served by speaking out against hatred and  discrimination.

Now very few of us have as our Samuel the task of converting a local Klan Grand Dragon to Judaism, but still God does cook up some real doozies.

Hannah had a lot to give thanks for. There was no doubt about that. She was blessed to have a husband who loved her, and who treated her special. Who knows, he may have liked her more because she didn't have children. But it wasn't enough. She wouldn't be dissuaded. She was meant for more, and she wouldn't take no for an answer--not even from God. But it is the Lord who is the main actor in this story. Our text makes sure we understand this: "The Lord had closed her womb," "The God of Israel grant your petition," "The Lord remembered her," and "The Lord has granted me my petition." Behind the stage of our lives stands the Lord our God; behind the life of Israel stands the Yahweh; behind Hannah stands the Lord who required her to give back her son for his purpose and Israel's destiny. And it was Hannah's heart and obedience, her faithful response to God, that brings Samuel to life and to his position in Israel's history.

Southern Baptist preacher Don Bouldin tells about a study of a group of aged 95+ adults, all of whom were asked, “If you had life to do over again, what would you do differently?” Their responses fell into three major categories. First, reflect more. Spend more time considering who you are, what you are here for, what God is calling you to become. What makes life worth living and fulfilling? Second, take more risks. Life is very short. Take some risks to accomplish more. Don't be afraid of failures or mistakes. Why climb out on limbs? Because that's where the fruit is. No limb-climbing, no fruit-picking. Third, do more things that will last forever. Invest in eternity. Make this world a better place because you sojourned here.

If you summarized those pieces of advice, you could say they add up to: Trust God, believe in yourself, and do good. Respond to things by knowing what is real for you; what is most important because of who you are. Dig your roots into truth. Ground yourself in who God says you are. Build your life on the foundation of Christ’s grace and mercy.

St. Vincent de Paul ran an orphanage in Paris during the first half of the seventeenth century. One winter day he opened the front gate to find an abandoned infant lying in the snow. He brought the bundled baby back into the warmth of the room where he was meeting with a number of women who helped support the orphanage. Naturally, St. Vincent asked them what he should do with the tiny, frail creature. One of the women suggested that perhaps God intended for the baby to die, as a punishment for the sins of the mother. Appalled at this attitude, St. Vincent angrily retorted, “When God wants dying done for sin, he sends his own Son to do it!”

So often today we are faced with other people's doubts about not only whether God is doing anything whatsoever in our world or our personal lives, but whether God exists at all. How after all should Hannah believe that God is behind her childlessness? Why believe there is a God at all? After all, with how terrible things are, with how often horrible things happen, who can really accept that God exists or even more difficult to hold true that God cares? When Tim Costello went to Sri Lanka following the 2004 Sri Lankan/Asian tsunami, he returned to Australia and made the point that the people who were asking how God could allow something like this to happen were those who were thousands of miles away in the West. The ones who actually had their lives destroyed by the tsunami were instead asking "how can I not believe in God. He's all I have left!" Luxury and comfort, many blessings may contradictorily lead one to leave God behind, the giver of all good things. As George William Rutler observed, "To an age whose epidemic response to aging is to go out and get a face-lift, the eucharistic (communion) bidding is, 'Lift up your hearts.'" Lift up your hearts to God. Turn your eyes to the Lord. Find what Samuel God has for you to deliver to the world.

When Mike Peters won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for political cartoons, he wasn't expecting the honor. He described his response by saying, "It is like you are asleep and it is two in the morning and you are hugging your pillow and you are in your funny pajamas and somebody bursts through the door and they come over and start shaking you and they say, 'Wake up, wake up!' And you say, 'What is it?' And they say, 'You have just won the Boston Marathon!' And you say, 'But I'm not running in the Boston Marathon.' And they say, 'Doesn't make any difference, you won ....'"

To Hannah, that boy was her dream. But this was merely personal, a private matter between her and God. And the truth is, just one more kid, this Samuel, her Samuel. Still, she believed the right way, and did the faithful thing. She gave him to God. One little boy for God, one faithful response from Hannah, and the rest is history.

Jesus taught that heaven too will hold some surprises. Honor and glory will be granted for faith, for responses that seemed so undistinguished at the time. And yet, you will be surprised to find that your faithful service has brought you top honors. Respond in faith to God's acts. For God and good we live.

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