Sermon Tone Analysis

I speak to you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Amen

 

/The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

(1 Sam 3:1b)/

 

This the opening message we get into which we hear God speaking to the boy Samuel

Samuel who would become one of the most influential prophets found in the Old Testament

 

For the benefit of understanding what is happening in this moment a little contextual details are required

We are first introduced, indirectly to Samuel, via his mother Hannah

Now Hannah was a righteous women and the second, but most favoured, wife of Elkanah

            Unfortunately Hannah, although most loved by Elkanah, was barren

And Peninnah jealous of Hannah – teased her mercilessly about her inability to bare children

So the Righteous Hannah went to the temple to pray that God might change her situation

In the intensity of her prayers she was weeping and Eli the Priest thought her drunk by her actions

Hannah’s prayers were for more than her to be rid of her childless status, but that God give her a son – and if God did grant her prayers – she would dedicate him to the Lord – she would give him to the temple

When she explained herself, Eli the Priest sent her away and effectively said that her prayer would be heard and her desire granted.

As promised, she conceived and bore a son  

And as promised Hannah raised him until he was weaned and brought him to the temple

 

It is to this boy, by our standards, and young man by ancient understand, probably about 13 or 14, that we are told that God spoke

Samuel is the special miracle child, born to a thought to be barren mother, in response to prayer

            Samuel has all the makings of a special relationship with God

            Our story tells us that he is ministering with “the main priest” – Eli

In a time where Eli and his sons were corrupt and ‘did what was right in their own eyes’

And God held Eli responsible for both his and their actions

And we see that this is a time where God’s word was rare - and visions were not widespread

 

            It is *into* - *this* unlikely situation that we hear of God directly speaking to one of us

                        To us – mere mortals God speaks… /And God calls out patiently/

 

Today, we also have our Gospel account with what is often understood as “the Call of Nathanial”

– Nathanial one of the lesser known disciples, who starts out challenging the claims of his friend Philip by making racist comment… /“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”/

Yet Nathaniel experiences the power of God speaking to him

He experiences a personal miracle – a transformation

/“When Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him, he said of him/,

/“Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”

/

How did Jesus know that?

That Nathaniel was an “Israelite without any deceit in him’ - truly an authentic faithful Jew

Notice the question that Nathaniel asked Jesus,

/“Where did you get to know me?” /

            Nathanael doesn’t deny how Jesus has characterized him

                        He is struck by the claim and asks –how Jesus knew

/Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” /

It is a detail that for the casual reader might seem insignificant  - but in fact it is the most amazing fact Nathanael could hear

You see a good righteous Jew would have prayed regularly and often times the shade of tree would be a good spot to do so

And this was such a common pattern that for people of the time it was even a euphemism for someone who often sits contemplating wisdom and knowledge

Someone under a fig tree alone would have been synonymous with saying that someone was in prayer

                        And yet notice how profoundly this changes things for Nathanael

Nathanael is sold, and Jesus’ claim that he ‘knew’ him in that moment affect him immediately

/Nathaniel replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God!

You are the King of Israel!” /

He has been so swept away in the situation and transformed - that he declares that Jesus is the ‘Son of God’

This is something that, if no true would have been understood as heresy of the highest magnitude

Something in which the ‘law’ would sanction a person to be stoned to death for uttering such a claim

We can only imagine *what* Nathanael was praying – but it is clear that Jesus’ statement that he was an Israelite in which there is no deceit – profoundly affected him – that Jesus ‘knew’ him in that moment

 

 

Do we believe these are true stories?

Do we think that God spoke to a boy sitting watch over the Ark of the Covenant?

Do really believe this child heard voices in the night?

…hearing voices… people look at you funny when you make claims like that?

Do we believe that believe Jesus spoke to Nathanial’s heart and transforms this skeptic by telling him he saw him under a tree

 

I will start with myself when I say… I do – I believe God spoke to Samuel, both as a boy in the temple and then through-out his life

I believe that Jesus in that moment with Nathanial reached him in a way ‘that blew his socks off’ – if only they had socks in those days

 

Why?

… Why would two stories from thousands of years ago; about an all powerful being calling out repeatedly to a boy in the night, and the story about the call & transformation of one of the first disciples of Jesus be something that is important for *me* to believe?

– /And I would claim/ - important for everyone to believe

 

There are several answers to that but they can all be under the two categories:

           

Who is God – Who are we /(don’t worry I won’t tackle that completely in the short time that we have)/

 

Now the easiest answer as to why I believe, is that ‘it is in the Bible’ – A simple faith in the Bible being the word of God and therefore trustworthy for all it contains - /and I will explain more as we go /

So of primary importance is that God speaking to us matters to – for how we understand God … and how we are in relation with God

Secondly, it is important who God chooses to speak to and why?

And finally I will share with you when God directly speaking to someone…

 

This last one is the trickiest of them all

How do we deal with those that believe God told them something?

When I was a student in my final placement at a Church while at Seminary – The Bishop was visiting one Sunday, and I was the point person for liturgical details

The organist wanted to know if the Bishop would be saying or singing the part of the Communion prayer

The Bishop said to me “you tell the organist that God came to me in a dream and that I should be */saying/* the opening prayer”

Now the Bishop was well known for his sense of humour and it smoothed out many a difficult situation – but in different settings… /“the Holy Spirit told me to do this or say that…” /is a tricky thing to deal with

            One has to only look at Jonestown or Wacko to know this danger

 

Why believe God speaks?

To answer this we need to first consider how we understand God – how we are in relation to God

God communicating to us – is, simply, what God does

In the first verses of the Bible and we are told

                                    /God *said*, “Let there be light,” and there was light./

God Said …and it was so…

                                                            God creates by speaking

From John’s Gospel /“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word *was* God.”/

It is important to believe that God spoke to boy serving in the temple and transformed Nathanial because it is important to believe in God and in God’s way

 

There is a common myth among unbelievers and also among some Christians alike that God is some “Spy in the Sky”

God is some cosmic watch maker – that created everything, wound it up, set it in motion and then God’s presence left

            This has been popularized by a beautiful but erroneous song

“God is watching us… from a distance” – many of us know the Bette Milder version

                                    “Spy in the Sky” – watching over – yet removed at a distance

 

This is not what we Christians believe - This goes against the very central point of who we are

*We are Christians* – Christ –ians – we are disciples of Jesus the Christ - Christ is not His last name, but a word for Messiah

                        Immanuel – God in the midst of us - God came as one of us – was incarnate

This is what Christmas is all about - God is not… “from a distance”

 

And so God speaking to a boy in the temple makes sense – thousands of years ago or right now

God loves us so much that He comes and speaks with us directly and indirectly

 

The second reason I believe in both of these stories is because of who God chooses and why?

God chooses a boy and God chooses a racist straight-talking sceptic

Through-out all of scripture God’s ways are not what we would expect and God’s chosen people are not - who we, with our earthly eyes, would choose

God repeatedly surprises us with unlikely people and ways

 

God chooses the youngest shepherd son of Jesse – David, to be the greatest king ever of Jerusalem

God chooses a farmer who works with trees – Amos… – or Hosea, a priest and husband to a prostitute to be His prophets

God chooses a peasant virgin girl to bear His Son