Sunday, January 14, 2024

Second Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]
Psalm 139:1-10
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
John 1:43-51

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are expedient. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

A million dollars is a lot of money, and yet a million dollars is not so much that it would last forever. Many lottery winners learn that lesson quickly. For those who work so hard for ever dollar, a win is like a dream come true. It is like a gift. And they receive it with the attitude that their life will be changed so dramatically that they can change their lifestyle. They quit their jobs; they buy bigger and better homes and cars. They purchase everything they have ever wanted without fear of what might happen tomorrow. Many become extremely generous, not necessarily with charity but with their friends. They share their newfound wealth in frivolous gifts and extravagant parties designed to buy everyone’s love. Then, suddenly, often within eighteen months of winning the prize, they realize it is all gone.

How is it possible to spend a million dollars in such a short period of time? After all, it would take a person with an average salary twenty years to earn, and spend, that much. But we don’t purchase the types of things that a lottery winner thinks are acceptable. We don’t throw parties that might cost a whole year’s salary. We take care not to waste our pennies, knowing that tomorrow we might face a difficult financial situation.

Yet, many people think found money is meant to be spent, even if that person was struggling to make ends meet before the windfall. They see money from a lottery win or a gift as free money, meant to be enjoyed. Sadly, free money is not as life changing as we think it might be. Often, the effects are negative rather than positive. Too many lottery winners spend before they realize how much they really have, forgetting that they will be required to give a percentage to the government in taxes. They often quit their jobs in a way that severs any relationship to the people and places that have supported them in the past, leaving nowhere to go when times get tough. They are more vulnerable to salesmen and conmen, spending beyond their means with the expectation that they’ll get lucky again. They often find themselves at the end of the free money with dire circumstances and unexpected debts. They think they are above it all, protected somehow by their newfound wealth. They even consider themselves better than the people that really matter and destroy those relationships with foolish and selfish behaviors.

Eli was father to two sons who were wicked in the eyes of the Lord. It wasn’t free money, but Eli’s sons were given their positions in the Temple by inheritance. They were given all they had, and they did not value it. They took advantage of their position, abused their power, and lived sinful lives. They did nothing for God’s people; they did not serve the Lord. Eli knew his sons were evil, and tried to stop them, but he did not succeed. They continued to be wicked, so the Lord decided to put them to death and end the house of Eli. They lived under a promise made to Eli’s father that they would minister before the Lord forever, but since Eli chose to honor his sons more than God, God chose to end that promise.

Samuel did not inherit his place at the Temple. His mother Hannah was barren but was loved deeply by her husband Elkanah. He treated Hannah with love and grace to the point of making his other wife jealous. Whenever he went to Shiloh to worship the Lord God Almighty, Peninnah treated Hannah so poorly that she wept and refused to eat. Elkanah asked, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why don’t you eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” She ate and then went into the temple to pray. Her ache was so deep and her tears so bitter that her prayers came from the very depths of her heart even while her lips moved soundlessly. Eli the priest thought she was drunk. He rebuked her, but she told him that she was pouring out her soul to the Lord. He said, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him.”

During her prayers, Hannah made a vow, “Yahweh of Armies, if you will indeed look at the affliction of your servant and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a boy, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head.” She became pregnant and gave birth to Samuel. As soon as he was weaned, Hannah took Samuel to the temple and gave him to Eli to serve the Lord for his whole life. Her faithfulness was rewarded as she was blessed with more children. Samuel was very young, far from his family, alone except for his mentor Eli who was aging, blind and incompetent. He couldn’t even raise his sons to do well at the work they inherited.

Samuel’s job was to serve Eli, so his senses would have been heightened to hear and respond to Eli’s voice. He didn’t even know he could hear the voice of God. Do we know we can hear it? Do we know that He might talk to us? If He does, will we be able to recognize it over the noise of the world? Samuel was keeping the lamp in the temple burning when he heard a voice calling to him. God’s voice was rare at that time, so it is not surprising that he thought it was Eli. It even took Eli three times to realize what was happening. A boy simply would not know. He ran to his mentor’s side. “You called?” Samuel asked. Eli answered, “No.” Samuel went back to the lamp and heard the voice a second time. He ran to Eli. “You called?” Eli said, “No.” This happened a third time. This time Eli understood that the Lord was calling Samuel. “Go back and when He calls, answer, ‘Speak; for your servant hears.’”

Samuel obeyed. When the Lord called Samuel’s name, Samuel answered as Eli told him. Did he understand what was happening? I am not so sure; even at this point Samuel was obedient to Eli, the one he knows and has served for so long. It must have been a frightening thing since his experience of the Lord had been so mundane.

Imagine what it was like to be Samuel. He heard the voice and responded to God. The message he received was not good news. Eli was like a father to Samuel. How could he tell Eli the bad news that his house would be punished forever? What would you do if the Lord told you that He was going to do this horrible thing to someone that you loved? The words made Samuel afraid. The first thing God laid on Samuel’s young shoulders as His prophet was a harsh word. Eli warned Samuel to be honest with him, and that God would punish him if he hid anything. Samuel told Eli what he heard. Eli answered, “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.”

Talk about baptism by fire! This was a hard way to begin a career serving the Lord, but this harsh word verified to Eli that Samuel was a chosen prophet. The word to Eli was not new, he had already heard God’s warning and now he knew without a doubt it was true. But Eli also knew that God was not leaving the people desolate. Samuel was a ray of hope in a hopeless situation. Samuel grew and ministered to the Lord; the people heard God’s Word through him. God was no longer silent.

His life was never easy, but He was obedient and did what God called and sent him to do. The people of Israel were, as are all of us, imperfect. They believed God but often fell away. The history of God’s people is a constant circle of faith, apathy, sinfulness, repentance, and faith. God had to remind His people of their failure, their needs, and His grace over and over again. They suffered the consequences of their apathy and sinfulness but were always given a word of hope from the God who remained faithful to His promises.

Today’s psalm reminds me of the Christmas song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” The lyrics speak of an omniscient being who watches our every move and judges our worthiness based on the good and bad things we do. “You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I’m telling you way, Santa Claus is coming to town.” It goes on, “He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake.” This idea of someone seeing and knowing the intimate details of our lives is frightening to many people. Santa is not equal to God, but the idea of an omnipotent being is especially disturbing to many. We are often not willing to share our deepest secrets those closest to us. The idea of anyone knowing us totally is hard to accept. I guess that’s because we think of omniscience in terms of Santa Claus; we fear that if they really know us, then we won’t receive any blessings from the relationship. If we’ve done something bad, Santa won’t bring us our gifts and we worry that if God knows our hearts, we won’t experience His grace.

But God is more than a spouse or a best friend. He knows everything and loves us anyway. This is very comforting to me. I have used this psalm in my devotional many times. I even used it twice in one week while I was dealing with my ailing father. In the midst of the trauma and decisions, I must have found comfort in these words to be drawn to it twice in such a short period of time. But it is good to know that when everything else is falling apart, God is with us. He is there to care for us. He has a plan for us. His grace will win out even when it seems like nothing will ever be right in our world again, because He is faithful, and He is present. As we consider the depth of the promise that He knows us and loves us, we can go forth in faith to do whatever it is to which He is calling us to do, knowing we are never alone.

We are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We enjoy many things that we should avoid, like that lottery winner who spends the funds without thinking about the consequences. We are reminded that our life is a gift from God and our body is His temple. As I have dealt with my recent health issues, I’ve said that I’m not dieting, I’m “renovating my temple.” I’ve seen the reality of how I was abusing my body in a way that did not glorify God. Sin often seems harmless, after all, who is harmed if I ignore the reality of my health?

Paul talks about the use, and abuse, of the body in today’s lesson. He was addressing the issue of the Corinthian attitude about the Law. They thought that nothing they did in the flesh had any bearing on their spiritual life. Paul agreed that all things are lawful, that the rules of the past are no longer binding to the person who has been saved by God’s grace. But he went on to say that not all things are beneficial. It was fine for a Christian to eat meat that had been given as an offering to a foreign god because it had no meaning to the spirit of the believer. However, was it beneficial? No. Some things are harmful to the body, to the soul, and to the fellowship of believers.

Paul used fornication with the prostitutes of the foreign gods as an example. Would a believer lose his eternal soul if he fornicated with those priestesses? God’s grace is always bigger than our failures. He has overcome our sin and defeated death despite our inability to stand firm in His promises. However, sin is very powerful. Eli’s sons abused the gift they had been given as priests of God, and ultimately their actions led to the loss of the blessings that came with God’s promises. They’d harmed God’s people, and in the end suffered the consequences of leading a life far from God.

It is good for us to ask the same question as Paul: is what we are doing beneficial? Should we buy that lottery ticket? If we win, how should we spend that money? Are we being good stewards of the gifts we have been given? Should we eat the things that might hurt our bodies? It might be lawful, but we can live a life that is not under the power of the things that are not beneficial. This is not only for the sake of one person’s flesh, but for the entire body of Christ. We should always keep away from those things that might bring harm to ourselves or others so that we will glorify God always even as the world tempts us to glorify ourselves.

There was a scene in a movie (actually, many movies) where a woman heard a piece of incredible news and wanted to shout it out to the whole world, but first she wanted to tell someone special. “I wanted you to be the first to know,” she said. I know how she felt. I’m always happy when my daughter calls me with something exciting that has happened. I used to love calling my mom, too, when I had happy news. She was one of the first people I thought of when I had something to share. Throughout the years I’ve had family and friends who have been my confidants, the first to hear my good news. Some things are just too good to keep to yourself.

Philip was excited about what was happening in his town. John the Baptist was preaching a good word about God and baptizing people in the Jordan. John told his followers that someone greater was going to come along. They were expecting a Messiah because Moses and the prophets had written about him. So, when Philip met Jesus, he knew this was something that he could not keep to himself. He found Nathaniel and told him about Jesus. Nathaniel didn’t believe Philip right away because the news did not match his expectations. “What good can come out of Nazareth?” he asked.

Nazareth in Jesus’ day was a dirty small town with average folk and even a few shady characters. It wasn’t the type of place you would expect to bring forth someone as important as the Messiah. Nathaniel was not necessarily putting the town down, but there were certain expectations. How could the Messiah possibly live in a place like Nazareth? There was no power, no prestige, no position available in that town. Nazareth was not even mentioned in the Old Testament promises. How can this man Jesus overcome his lack of credentials to become the promised Savior? How could this man, a carpenter’s son, become a warrior king of Israel and lead them into a new Golden age?

Philip didn’t argue, he just said, “Come and see” and in doing so gave Nathaniel the chance to believe that his news was true. Jesus showed Nathaniel His credentials, power, and authority. But these things were just the beginning. Jesus promised that they would see incredible things. This news of the coming Messiah was the start of something really new in the world.

Sometimes God seems quiet, as He was in the days of Eli and Samuel, but we know God still talks to His people today through the scriptures and through His Son. He also talks to us through others. Yet, there are many contradictory voices out there. A woman recently killed her daughter because she claimed God told her to do so. We know this could not be true, but how do we discern when the choices are less evident? What church is right? Which theologian has the best understanding of God’s Word? Is God calling us to do this thing or not? We are affected by so many voices in this world that it can be very confusing. When two Christians disagree vehemently about an issue, who is right? What is truth? Who is speaking God’s Word? It is no wonder that we doubt what we hear because the world is chaotic.

There was a time when I was questioning. My faith was strong, but I was bombarded with voices of other Christians who were trying to convince me that I had to do something. It didn’t seem right to me, but I listened, and I prayed. I asked God if I should do this thing. “Is this necessary?” I asked, since the voices were insisting it is. “What could it hurt?” they said. To do this thing would be to doubt God’s Word in my life. Nothing would have been changed if I did or didn’t do it, but I knew in my heart that I needed to trust that God had provided all I needed. During my prayer I heard the words “My grace is sufficient for you.” God answered and I did not do the thing that others insisted I should do.

Sometimes we make the wrong choice. We believe the wrong word. We’ll speak the wrong word because it makes the most sense to us in our understanding of God’s love and grace and Word. We say and believe that God told us to do this thing, but we fail because we do not always listen to the voices around us through the lens of God’s Word. I was so glad that when God did speak to me, He did so in words that I knew were His. “My grace is sufficient for you,” was truer than all the other words being spoken to me by the voices who truly believed that they were speaking for God.

Thankfully, God’s grace is always bigger than our failures. He has overcome our sin and defeated death despite our inability to stand firm in His promises. When we are confused by the voices we hear, when we listen and believe what they say, we can trust that God will keep calling us until we hear what He is really saying. We may be led down a wrong path, but God will find a way to turn us around.

God still speaks and He calls us into a relationship. It is difficult in this world because even Christians wonder if we are really hearing the voice of God. We want to be accepted, to be respected, to be happy. We want to fit in. We want what we want even when it is not beneficial to our lives or to the glory of God. But God’s grace is sufficient. To believe otherwise is to doubt God.

On this second Sunday of Epiphany, we are reminded that God has invited us into a new life, a life following Him. It doesn’t matter if others think we are crazy because we have met the Messiah in an unexpected place or way. What matters is that we live the life that glorifies Him, trusting that He has done something we might never fully understand. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we are meant to do. He knows what purpose our life holds. And He has promised that we will see extraordinary things happen. When we hear His voice, and we will, we need only say, “Speak; for your servant hears.” Unfortunately, sometimes God calls us to speak words that are uncomfortable and unpopular.

God knows our hearts. It might be uncomfortable to think about God reading our hearts, knowing our fears and doubts, but we can find comfort in the knowledge that God knows what we need and that He is faithful. We are just like the Israelites who repeatedly turned from Him. We still experience that constant circle of faith, apathy, sinfulness, repentance, and faith, but God is quick with mercy and forgiveness. He knew that we’d never be able to be truly faithful, so He sent Jesus to be faithful for us. Now He is the Word God speaks into the world and we are called to hear His voice and answer.

We are made new when are baptized into Christ Jesus, but there is more to that gift than just receiving His grace. We are also called to be partners with God in the work of His Kingdom. We are His and we are to glorify Him in body and spirit. When we remember that our bodies are God’s temple, and that we are blessed by our position within God’s world, we listen for His word, act upon it, and are blessed even more by the glory He receives. We do not take advantage of the position He has given us, but we use it to share His grace with others, no matter how foolish they think we might be. We can trust that He will let none of our words fall to the ground, and like Samuel will use us to grow His kingdom. Like Philip we can change the lives we touch with the ministry to which we have been called by pointing to Jesus.

We called into a relationship with Christ. It is difficult in this world to live as part of a community that asks us to set aside our own desires and needs for the sake of the entire body. We want to be happy, healthy, and satisfied, no matter the cost. However, we are reminded that though all things are lawful, not all things are beneficial. Satisfying our needs might just cause harm to another and it will certainly dishonor the Lord. But just like Nathanael, we can see that God knows us to the very depths of our hearts. He knows what is best for us and for the body of Christ.

In Christ it is no longer about Me. We were bought with a price: the blood of Christ. So, as we go through our day, let us trust in the God who loves us so much that He speaks to us in voices that call us to lives of grace. The world is chaotic with noise, but God is patient and will keep calling until we hear and respond according to His Word. Sometimes we’ll be confused by the many voices we hear, tempted to be poor stewards of what God has given to us, but as we grow closer to God and more mature in our faith, we’ll learn to recognize His voice above all the others. Then we’ll know what is beneficial to ourselves and to others. Then we’ll do what will glorify Him.