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January 19, 2003
2nd Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Samuel 3:1-10
Pastor Ben Berger

The LORD is Calling You

I have a true story to share with you. I read this little story the other day in our Forward in Christ magazine, and it leads beautifully into our text for today.

Art was my first opponent in a tennis league that I had joined. I called him from my pastor's office at Christ the Lord Lutheran Church to schedule a time for us to play. I left a message for him on his answering machine. After our match, Art, who confessed to have fallen away from his Methodist faith, told me how my phone call had troubled him at first. It turns out that Art has caller I.D., so, when he looked at is phone it said, "Christ the Lord." Art thought that Christ was calling for him." (Forward in Christ, January 2003, p. 27)

Although Christ the Lord doesn't call us directly anymore, he used to. Samuel received a real life call from the Lord. As we look at Samuel's call, we will also see that The LORD is calling you. Through his Word the LORD is calling you 1) to be his child and 2) to be his prophet.

Do you know the story of Samuel? Sam's story is a really great one. His dad was Elkanah. Maybe you better say it out loud so you remember it: Elkanah. Elkanah had two wives, Penninah and Hannah. (Penninah). (Hannah). That's a lot of 'nahs but I think you can keep them straight. Penninah had children, but Hannah had none. In those days it was like a curse to not have children. So, Hannah wasn't too happy. Every year the family went to the temple of the LORD. One year, Hannah stayed prayed with all of her heart for the LORD to giver her a child. She even pledged to give her child back to the LORD. The LORD heard and answered her prayer; Samuel was born. True to her word Hannah brought Samuel back to the temple and gave him back to the LORD. Probably from about the age of three Samuel lived and worked in the temple. That brings us to our text. "The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli." That's how the LORD called Samuel to be his child.

What's your story? How did the LORD call you to be his child? I wouldn't be surprised to hear that many of your parents prayed for your birth. I would be surprised to hear that they promised to dedicate you to the LORD in return for your birth. Yet, most of your parents did dedicate you to the LORD. They brought you to the temple of the LORD and asked the pastor to anoint you as a child of God through the waters of holy baptism.

Although your parents may not have left you at the temple to live and work here, they continued to bring you back on a regular basis to train you for future work. They told you the stories about other workers like Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. They told you about your Master, Jesus. They taught you to pray at mealtime and sang songs of God's love to you at bedtime. They sent you to Sunday school and Catechism class, maybe even to Lutheran day school and high school. They still encourage you to return to the temple of the LORD on your own or with your family. Through your parents or someone else, the LORD called you to be his child.

And that is exactly what you are. You are a child of God. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are," (1 John 3:1). What does it mean to be a child of God? It means absolutely nothing if you take for granted all that your parents did for you to this point. It means nothing if you view coming to the temple of the LORD as a chore rather than an opportunity. It means nothing if you call yourself a child of God but don't believe it or act like it.

On the other hand, when we understand how little we deserve to be called God's child, it means everything. It means that we not only have parents who provide for us, we also have a heavenly Father that provides for us. It means that if our parents weren't there for us, we have a Father who will always be there for us. Our heavenly Father provides for all our needs. First and foremost, he gave us a brother. He gave us a brother who always takes the blame for our sins. He gave us a brother who was willing to die for our ingratitude and bad attitude. He gave us a brother who protects us from the bullies of sin, Satan and death. Our Father built a house for us and in that house he built rooms for each and every one of us. Soon our Father will send our brother to take us home.

To be a child of God means that God served us so that now we can serve him. Last week Pastor Zank wished that God would put our jobs after our names on our baptismal certificates. I think he did. After the LORD called you to be his child through baptism, he called you to be his prophet.

Granted, the LORD didn't call you to be a prophet in the same way as Samuel. Nonetheless, he is calling you. Let's talk a bit about Samuel first; then we'll talk about you.

God tells us about the condition of the world during Samuel's early days. "In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions." For any number of reasons the LORD stopped communicating with his people. It's very possible that he stopped talking because the people stopped listening. In the chapters before this we're told that the priest's sons stole from the people's offerings and slept with the female workers right in the temple. No wonder God stopped talking.

These days aren't much different from those days. Just this year we heard about all of the scandals of CEO's stealing money from the people; it's happened in the church too. Let's not kid ourselves. We steal offerings from the LORD every time we refuse to give him our best and our firstfruits. And sex - it just dominates the world around us. Just think of some of these shows on TV: The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Elimidate, Change-of-Heart. Think of the clothes you wear, the songs you listen you, the words you speak, the thoughts you have - many filled with sex.

Is it possible that soon in these days the word of the LORD will become rare? You better believe it. It's happened in the past. Germany, the heart of the reformation, the home of Luther and other church fathers, now struggles to find the truth of God's word within its borders. The longer the US ignores God's word, the longer we take it for granted ourselves, the sooner it will be gone.

Thank God that he calls forth prophets. Back in those days the LORD called Samuel. We're told that "Samuel did not yet know the LORD. The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him." That doesn't mean that Samuel wasn't a believer. Samuel knew God's word and certainly believed in him. However, God had not appeared to Samuel before nor spoken to him directly. Now, in the midst of those sinful days and while Samuel was still a young boy, the LORD calls Samuel to be his prophet.

From what we know Samuel's basic job was to help with the upkeep of the temple, but when we hear that Eli's eyes were failing, we also expect that Samuel often acted as his aid. So, when Samuel hears someone call his name, it only makes sense that he would assume Eli was calling him. Three times the LORD called Samuel, "Samuel, Samuel." Three times the obedient Samuel ran to his master Eli, "Here I am, at your service, sir." Finally, Eli realized that the LORD was calling Samuel. As instructed Samuel waits for the LORD to call. The LORD comes and stands before Samuel, calling his name as before. Samuel responds, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Awesome! How awesome it must have been to see the LORD standing above you calling your name. But also how awesome it is to see a young child of God ready and willing to listen to his God. If you read the rest of the chapter, you learn that the call was not an easy one to follow either. The LORD sent Samuel to proclaim punishment for sin to his master Eli, his family and to all who lived in those days. In spite of his age and in spite of the difficult message, Samuel remained faithful to God - always ready to listen and always ready to carry out his call as a prophet.

How awesome that the LORD is now calling you to be his prophet in these days. He stands before you in his word. He stands before you at his altar. He stands before you in his sacrament. He stands before you through your pastors and teachers, your Christian family and friends. He stands before you right now through me, calling your name (_______). The LORD is calling you to be his prophet.

Do you know what the job of a prophet is? to speak on God's behalf to those around you. The message is sometimes tough: to tell others about their sin. But, the message always ends on a good note; telling others about their Savior, Jesus Christ. What an opportunity for you to bring life and healing and hope to those who don't have it or who need it most! What a privilege for you to speak on behalf of God!

What will be your response? I pray that you will be like Samuel, sitting at the LORD's feet to hear what he has to say. "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." And like Samuel, I pray that you will faithfully and joyfully take that message to others all your life. Now is your chance! The LORD has already called you to be his child. The LORD is still calling you to be his prophet. Awesome!