TRUTH - A REFLECTION

 This Reflection is taken from the Sunday Devotion written by this blogger for Christ Episcopal Church, Yankton, SD on January 17, 2021.

1 Samuel 3:1-20

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.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 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. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 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. 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.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 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. 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.

Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 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. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 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, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”

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. But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” 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.” 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.”

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

REFLECTION

Eternal hope lift up our eyes.

Amen.

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The story of Samuel and Eli is a story that sheds light on what it means to fulfill one’s calling and answer to one’s calling faithfully.  Their story has particular relevance given the recent event in which our nation’s capital was stormed by a mob attempting to forcefully overturn our nation’s certified presidential election.  That this event occurred on the Feast of Epiphany, a day of revelation, should not be lost on Christians because, surely, it was a day that shed light on the darkness infecting our nation.

In today’s lesson, we read the story of Samuel as a young boy being called by God to be a prophet.  It is important to understand that Samuel’s was not an easy calling.  He immediately was tasked with delivering a devastating message to Eli, his mentor and protector, who was a father figure to him. Naturally, Samuel did not want to tell Eli what God had instructed him to say, but Eli had the integrity and the obligation of his calling to hear what God had to say, and so Samuel delivered a hard and devastating message to Eli and Eli accepted it.

The trustworthiness exhibited by Samuel to his calling has been in short supply by those occupying positions of leadership in our nation; in particular, those who have chosen to stoke fear, to promulgate rumors as facts, and incite acts of violence as a means to obtain and hold onto power. 

By God’s grace and with a determination not to be cowered by mob violence, the members of Congress completed their constitutional duties they were called to do on that day, and we witnessed a moment of integrity when Senator Romney rose to encourage the senate and, in particular, members of his own party to accept the truth and proclaim it to their constituents as the only way forward to heal the divide that exists in our nation.  

As South Dakotans, we can be grateful for having a congressional delegation who  demonstrated their faith in our constitutional processes and remained loyal to their oaths of office and their calling to lead with honor. 

Our democratic republic is dependent on fact-based truth-telling, not rumor-spreading; on trust in the principles of our constitutional government, not on conspiracy theories designed to cast doubt on its efficacy. 

As Senator Romney exhorted us on the night of Epiphany, the only way forward and the only way to restore the integrity of our nation is to accept the truth, to speak the truth, and find the courage and have the determination to do so with honest humility.  It is not just our elected officials who must find such courage and determination, it is incumbent on all of us to do the same.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be healers and peacemakers.  Let us take up the task of healing our nation by being honest and truthful with ourselves and our neighbors.  Let us listen to each other and talk through our differences based on fact rather than speculative rumor; person to person with civility and keeping in mind that we are children of God talking to children of God. 

If our nation is to fulfill its calling and mission to establish a more perfect union, we need to follow the examples of Samuel and Eli. 

If there is to be hope for our nation (and there is hope), we must listen to the pain of our nation and address it honestly and with sincerity.

If we are to engage hope, we must trade our weapons that can destroy us for the tools that can heal and build us up and the world we live in.  

If we are to foster hope, we must change the rhetoric of revolt to the language of reassurance, reconciliation, and recommitment to our nation’s calling and to our calling as follower of Christ Jesus.

Let us pray:

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy. 

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive, 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.   

(A prayer of St. Francis)

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Until next time, stay faithful.

Norm