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May 10, 2009
First Friends
1 Samuel 1:1-18
‘Hannah’
Doug Gwyn
This is a special Sunday. It’s Mothers Day. And we
have dedicated Justin to the life of our Meeting. Most of all,
that means we dedicate ourselves to Justin’s spiritual nurture
and growth over the years to come. Meanwhile, we’re also in
the middle of a series of Old Testament stories. We’re
listening to stories that foreshadow the story of Jesus. When I
thought about this Sunday, one story stood out from all the rest
– the story Dortha has just read. The story of Hanna, and
the child she dedicated to the Lord.
The story begins with bitter rivalry. The Hebrew Scriptures are
full of these rivalries. Rivalries of brothers – Cain and
Abel, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and all his brothers. These
rivalries are bitter, sometimes even lethal. And rivalries
between sisters – Rachel and Leah, the two wives of Jacob.
Their rivalry plays out as a contest to see who can have the most
babies. The story of Hannah is the story of another rivalry
– Hannah and Peninnah, the two wives of Elkanah. Peninnah
bore Elkanah several children but Hannah was barren. And Peninnah
liked to taunt Hannah and lord it over her. Elkanah tried to
comfort Hannah. “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you
not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than
ten sons?” Well, his heart is in the right place, but he
just doesn’t get it.
So we hear of their annual trip to the temple at Shiloh. At the
temple, Hannah prays silently but desperately for a son. She vows
that if God will give her a son, she will dedicate the child to the
Lord’s service. Hannah prays so feverishly that Eli, the
priest, thinks she’s drunk. Eli scolds Hannah for making a
spectacle of herself in this holy place. But Hannah explains,
I’m not drunk – I’m in agony, pouring out my soul to
the Lord. Eli responds sympathetically, “Go in peace; may
the God of Israel answer your prayer.” Eli’s blessing
lifts the weight off Hannah’s heart. She leaves the temple
a different woman.
As the story continues, Hannah indeed conceives and bears a son.
She names him Samuel, for “I have asked him of the
Lord.” She tells her husband of her plan to dedicate the
child to the Lord’s service, to leave the child at the
temple. This must be a shock to Elkanah, given how desperately
Hannah has wanted a son. But he answers, “Do what seems
best to you, but wait until you have weaned him.” So, when
Samuel is no longer nursing, Hannah brings him to Shiloh. She
speaks to Eli and reminds him of the incident that had taken place
between them there at the temple some time ago. She says,
“For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the
petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the
Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord” (1:27).
And she leaves Samuel there with Eli. She will see Samuel only
once a year, at their annual pilgrimage to Shiloh.
Before she leaves the temple, Hannah sings of praise to the Lord.
It’s a great hymn to God’s grace, God’s compassion
for the down-cast and the down-trodden. The God of Israel lifts
up the poor and casts down the proud and wicked. The song of
Hannah has long been recognized as a prototype of the Magnificat, the
song Mary sings in the Gospel of Luke after the angel Gabriel tells her
that she will bear a son. These two songs from the Hebrew and
Christian Scriptures are the great songs of Mothers Day.
Now, if this story were made into a movie, this would be a great moment
for a reaction-shot of Eli’s face. But the Hebrew
Scriptures are so powerful partly because they often leave us to
imagine what the characters are thinking and feeling. We can
imagine that Eli might be bemused at this moment. She wanted this
child so much – now she’s giving him to me? But
there’s a larger story going on here. We learn in the next
chapter that Eli’s own sons, who have taken over running the
temple at Shiloh, are corrupt and on the take. And Eli seems
unable to stop them. So, notice how Eli was compassionate to
Hannah in the day of her despair, not really knowing what her prayer
was about. And now Hannah has given Eli a great gift, not knowing
what his problem is. And now Eli will raise her child,
Samuel. And Samuel will grow up to be everything that Eli’s
own sons are not. Samuel will become a great prophet and leader
of Israel. He will redeem the people from the corruption of
Eli’s own sons.
There’s a great story in chapter 3, when the Lord calls Samuel to
be a prophet. Samuel is still a boy, serving in the temple under
Eli. In the night, Samuel hears someone call his name. He
gets up and asked Eli, did you call? Eli tells Samuel, no I
didn’t call, go back to bed. This happens three
times. Finally, the third time, Eli realizes that it’s God
calling the boy. So he tells Samuel, if you hear the voice again,
say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” So
Eli is able to put Samuel on the right track to have his own
relationship with God. This, in a nutshell, tells us what our
mentoring in a Christian community is all about. Offering tender
and loving encouragement and guidance, until our young people begin to
find that guidance for themselves, within themselves.
The story of Hannah, Samuel, and Eli is a story that helps us think
about our own life as a congregation, the gift of children among
us. It’s a story about the opportunity we have to nurture
and mentor our young people in the things of God. I think parents
quickly recognize First Friends as a place where we honor the vocation
of parenthood, that we see children as a priceless gift. This is
a place where parents can share with one another in the struggles and
joys of raising a family. Tim and our Family Ministries
Commission are so creative and faithful in providing a loving
environment and good religious education for our children. And
our children bring so much joy to all of us. I feel privileged to
have such a good vantage-point up here to watch the children’s
message unfold each Sunday morning.
And there’s some kind of grandparent effect involved here.
Eli’s own sons were grown by the time Samuel came to live with
him. So Eli was old enough to be Samuel’s
grandfather. There’s something about grandparents and other
adults their age that seems more spiritual to a child. Children
and their parents have to go through their power struggles and
day-to-day hassles. And parents are on a learning curve of their
own with each child. Grandparents don’t have to engage in
those struggles so much. Grandparents can just pour on the
unconditional love and indulgence. Grandparents have earned that
right, and they’ve also mellowed a bit more over the years.
There’s something that just seems more spiritual and peaceful
about our elders.
One of the great strengths of a congregation is that we span three or
four generations. We become second family to one another, a
family with lots of grandparents, grandchildren and everyone in
between. Friendship across our generations makes a family of
us. And we’re really all teaching each other along the
way. The children remind the rest of us what is most important in
life.
When we dedicate a child to the life of our Meeting, we don’t ask
you to leave the child here. In fact, please don’t.
Wayne and I have no parental experience, and Tim’s already got
hands full. But we do all dedicate ourselves to that
child’s nurture and spiritual growth. None of us knows what
kind of opportunities we may find to contribute to that purpose.
The opportunities often come in sudden and unexpected ways, maybe a
chance encounter during fellowship time after worship. An
opportunity to encourage and affirm a child. Others are engaged
in the much more extended and taxing work of teaching Sunday School
classes with the children week by week. We are so grateful to all
you teachers that give so generously of your time, energy, and
creativity in that ministry. Others work in planning youth
activities, helping our young people afford the cost of going to Quaker
Haven Camp, attend the Richmond Friends School, or go on to
college.
There are ways for each and all of us to exercise our own particular
gifts in the years ahead, as we dedicate ourselves to the care of
Justin and other children in our Meeting. In our story, Hannah
and Eli each contributed to each other’s redemption in ways they
couldn’t know at the time. But it played out in the way
each was a faithful parent and mentor to little Samuel. And
little Samuel would go on to be a blessing to all of Israel in the
years to come. That’s the drama we play out here at First
Friends week by week. We have little or no idea of the big
picture. We just try to be faithful and loving as best we can, as
the opportunity arises. And kids offer us the darndest
opportunities.
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