Homily preached at Presbyterian Manor on January 14, 2024. Based on 1 Samuel 3:1-10.
What does it mean to be “called”? In the story of Samuel’s calling, he is sleeping next to the Ark of the Covenant, the holiest possible place, and God literally called his name. Even with this obvious calling, Samuel did not understand at first, and it took his mentor, Eli, three times to figure out what was going on. Fortunately, God was persistent and kept calling until Samuel answered.
I suppose there are still some people who hear the literal voice of God calling them and telling them what to do. Not to be overly cynical, but a lot of people who claim to hear God are actually schizophrenic and hear something that is a product of a diseased brain. Most people who claim to know what God wants don’t literally hear God speaking to them. Rather, they intuit what God wants from their life experiences, from what they read, and perhaps from what other people say to them.
A former colleague of mine tells this story. At the time it occurred, he was already in academia, but unsure of his future. Two different strangers approached him and told him that he should be a professor. He interpreted that as a divine intervention keeping him on the path he was on, instead of veering off to do something different with his life.
The story of my calling is a little different. I grew up in the church, then fell away in college, as many people do. I came back to the church shortly after I quit drinking and right after moving to Rolla. Ten years later, our pastor, Lou Ellen, got sick one Saturday and asked me to deliver her sermon. Now, I’m an experienced public speaker, so reading a sermon was no big deal. But I took her sermon and added a personal story to it, just to make it a little bit my own.
The next year, Lou Ellen had to travel for some reason and asked me to preach for her. This wasn’t just reading her sermon, but writing my own. I wouldn’t say that it was the best sermon I’ve ever preached, but the process and the result felt right. I just had a feeling that I was doing what God wanted me to do.
So, I kept going down that path. I took some classes from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. I kept preaching, occasionally at my church and then at First Presbyterian Church of Cuba. My brother-in-law, a retired seminary professor, gave me some tips along the way that helped me to grow into the preacher that I am today. When Lou Ellen left, I stepped up and started preaching even more and growing into a larger leadership role in the congregation.
I think that’s the main way that God calls us. Rarely do we hear a voice calling to us in the night. Rarely do we have a vision, or a dream. More often, we have a feeling, a sense of purpose, a sense that what we are doing is aligned with God’s will. Sometimes, we will get prodded along that path by people who know us well, or sometimes by strangers who see something in us. I also write an article quarterly for the Phelps County Focus, and my last one really resonated with people. That showed me that I was onto something, that I had glimpsed the Truth, God’s Truth, and that I could perhaps illuminate the world for others.
So, what is God asking you to do? I know that you are limited now by age and health. But everyone here is beloved by God and has the capability of sharing God’s love with others. How can you share God’s love and help to build God’s kingdom? May God bless you with insight, courage, and wisdom to participate in God’s work in the world. Amen.