Lord God, you showed your glory and led many to faith by
the works of your Son. As he brought gladness and healing to his
people, grant us these same gifts and lead us also to perfect faith in
him, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]
{1} 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. {2} At that time
Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see,
was lying down in his room; {3} 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. {4} Then the LORD called, "Samuel!
Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" {5} 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. {6} 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." {7} Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the
word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. {8} 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. {9} 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. {10} Now the LORD came and stood there,
calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said,
"Speak, for your servant is listening."[{11} 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.
{12} On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken
concerning his house, from beginning to end. {13} 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. {14} Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that
the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or
offering forever." {15} 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. {16} But Eli called Samuel and said,
"Samuel, my son." He said, "Here I am." {17} 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." {18} 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." {19} As Samuel grew up, the LORD
was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. {20} And
all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy
prophet of the LORD.]
Eli was the priest of the
temple of Yahweh at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3, and passim). Samuel
was the son of Elkanah and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:20). Hannah had vowed
that if she had a son she would "give him to Yahweh" (1
Samuel 1:11), so she brought him to Eli at Shiloh and left him there
saying, "I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is
given to the LORD" (1 Samuel 1:28).
Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phineas, were also
priests, but very bad priests, and "a man of God," a
prophet, told Eli that Yahweh had withdrawn promise of an eternal
priesthood to his family, and would raise up a faithful priest to
serve him (1 Samuel 2:27-35). Following the passage designated for
this Sunday the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines
and Eli’s sons were killed (1 Samuel 4:11). 1-10. the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli:
As the story unfolds Eli advised Samuel to answer the voice that
called him in the night, saying, "Speak Lord, for your servant is
listening." If the reading is terminated here, the point is that
unlike the sons of Eli, whose priesthood was inherited, Samuel was
"called" by Yahweh.
[11-14]: Yahweh told Samuel that he would fulfill his prophecy
concerning the sons of Eli.
[15-20]: In the morning Samuel reluctantly told Eli what Yahweh
had told him. Eli accepted what Yahweh had said. Yahweh was with
Samuel, and he was known throughout the land as a trustworthy prophet
of Yahweh.
If the reading is continued to verse 20 the
contrast is between Eli’s sons who used their priesthood for their
own gain, and Samuel who was known to be a true prophet of Yahweh.
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 {1} O LORD, you have searched
me and known me. {2} You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you
discern my thoughts from far away. {3} You search out my path and my
lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. {4} Even before a
word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. {5} You hem me
in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me…. {13} For it was
you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's
womb. {14} I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. {15} My frame was not
hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in
the depths of the earth. {16} Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when
none of them as yet existed. {17} How weighty to me are your thoughts,
O God! How vast is the sum of them! {18} I try to count them--they are
more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.
The Psalm was selected to
reflect Samuel’s attitude toward the call of Yahweh. The singer
reflects on Yahweh’s involvement in his/her life. Even before (s)he
was born Yahweh already knew everything about him/her, and, by
implication, had determined what (s)he was to do with his/her life. As
the congregation says the Psalm together the ancient words declare our
recognition of God’s deep involvement in our lives, his knowledge of
everything about us, and his purposes for us. Matthew’s Gospel ends
with Jesus’ promise, "I am with you to the end of the
age." The Psalm ends with a similar yet different declaration,
"I come to the end (of Yahweh’s thoughts)—I am still with
you."
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
{12} "All things are
lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All
things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by
anything. {13} "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for
food," and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is
meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
{14} And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. {15}
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I
therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a
prostitute? Never! {16} Do you not know that whoever is united to a
prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two
shall be one flesh." {17} But anyone united to the Lord becomes
one spirit with him. {18} Shun fornication! Every sin that a person
commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body
itself. {19} Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your
own? {20} For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in
your body.
12. All things…: See 1 Corinthians 10:23:
"‘All things are lawful’, but not all things are beneficial.
‘All things are lawful’" but not all things build up."
The words in single quotes are generally interpreted as a maxim
current in the Corinthian congregation, quoted and extended by Paul to
introduce criteria by which Christians should limit their absolute
freedom. In chapter 10 the context is the vexed issue of whether
Christians could eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. In
Revelation 2 eating food sacrificed to idols is combined with
fornication as teachings of Balaam and Jezebel. Paul introduces a don’t
ask rule (10:25). But the question was still at issue in Corinth.
Here the maxim is initially connected with food issues, but then
another major issue at Corinth and the issue connected with it in
Revelation, fornication, is addressed.
The question of fornication comes up in
several places in the Corinthian correspondence: a man living with his
father’s wife (5:1-13), questions about marriage (7:1-40),
extra-marital sexual relations (6:12-20). "Paul’s word (porneia)
means, if strictly taken, prostitution, or traffic with prostitutes;
in the New Testament however it is regularly used for unchastity and
sexual irregularity of almost any kind." [1] 13. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord: The
stomach is meant for food, but the body is meant for the Lord. We will
be raised by the Lord (verse 14); our bodies are members of Christ
(verse 15). We are united to the Lord, we are one spirit with him
(verse 17). A Christian cannot engage in fornication and maintain
unity with the Lord. So, Christians ought to "shun
fornication!" 18. the fornicator sins against the body itself: Our body is
"a temple of the Holy Spirit," so the sin against the body
is also a sin against the Holy Spirit. 19-20. you are not your own. For you were bought with a price:
We do not belong to ourselves, we are slaves, therefore our freedom is
restrained by the will of the one to whom we belong. therefore glorify God in your body: This is the goal of the
Christian life, not the exercise of some sort of personal freedom.
Although Paul distinguishes between
fornication, a sin against the body itself, and other sins, a general
principle is laid down. We do not belong to ourselves, we belong to
God, and our actions should reflect that reality. We are to consider
the impact of our actions on others and act in such a way as to
glorify God (10:31-33).
John 1:43-51
{43} The next day Jesus decided
to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow
me." {44} Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and
Peter. {45} Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have
found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote,
Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." {46} Nathanael said to him,
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to
him, "Come and see." {47} When Jesus saw Nathanael coming
toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom
there is no deceit!" {48} Nathanael asked him, "Where did
you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the
fig tree before Philip called you." {49} Nathanael replied,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
{50} Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I
saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than
these." {51} And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of Man."
44. Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter:
Peter lived in Capernaum (Matthew 8:5, 14). [2] 45. the one about whom… wrote: The one written about in the
Old Testament is the anointed one, before whom the faithful prophet
will go (1 Samuel 2:35). 47. an Israelite in whom there is no deceit: John distinguishes
Nathan, an Israelite, who comes to believe in him, from "the
Jews" who do not accept and believe in him. 49. you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel: The
Lord allowed Samuel to anoint Saul as king of Israel because the
people had rejected the Lord as their king. In Judah the king’s son
was anointed with oil and was adopted by God as his son (Psalm 2:7).
Nathanael recognized Jesus as the true King of Israel and the true Son
of God. It is of no exegetical value, but it is interesting that Nathan
was the name of David’s prophet, and Jonathan was his best
friend. the law and… the prophets: This is the first century
designation of what we call "The Old Testament." 51. you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of Man: Jacob "dreamed that there was
a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and
the angels of God were ascending and descending on it" (Genesis
28:12). The angels ascend and descend on a ladder; Jesus says
they will ascend and descend on the Son of Man, the link
between heaven and earth.
Reflection
In the Prayer of the Day we pray
for gladness, healing and faith. God’s people respond in faith to
God’s thoughts and ways, though they are not what we expect. Though
Eli had served God faithfully, it was Samuel whom God called. Even
though God called Samuel his faithfulness was tested. All things are
lawful for God’s people, but God’s people must have a sense what
is beneficial, what is appropriate and seemly. God will reveal his
will in unexpected ways. Though nothing good can come from Nazareth,
none-the-less from Nazareth does come the Son of God, the King of
Israel.
Between the righteousness of the past and the
freedom of the future, between the honor of those who come from the
proper places and He who calls the least his brothers and sisters,
between human goodness and the goodness of God we will seek to choose
the will of God. We will always fail, in large measure or small. So
our service will always be accomplished by God’s grace.
With One Voice (e.g. 762v), Hymnal Supplement 1991
(e.g. 725s) and LBW (e.g. 32).
E=Entrance; D=Hymn of the Day; I=First Lesson, P=Psalm;
II=Second Lesson; G=Gospel
82 --E--As With Gladness
494 --D--Jesus Calls Us;
403 --I--Lord, Speak to
752v --I--I, the Lord of Sea
311 --P--Wondrous Are Your
770v --P--I Was There to Hear
309 --II--Lord Jesus, Think
492 --G--O Master, Let
177, 335
A: The magnificence of God is never fully known. It is our
delight to pray, "O God of more to come" and quickly add,
"Illumine us, we pray."
A: For the church, that it may not be stalled by the comforts of the
present, but that its people may be ready avenues to Christ. O God of
more to come. C: Illumine us, we pray. A: For all who serve in the
government of Canada, especially our Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien,
that they may know, understand, and practice the craft of
statesmanship to the enhancement of the life of all our people. O God
of more to come. C: Illumine us, we pray.
A: For the Evangelical Lutheran Women, that it may have increased
enrollment, young and old, and that it may find new energy for service
to Christ and his church. O God of more to come. C: Illumine us, we
pray.
A: For the men of the church, that they may not retreat from a strong
and enduring commitment to our Savior, and that they may discover new
and creative ways of discipleship. O God of more to come. C: Illumine
us, we pray.
A: For those entering marriage, that they share the worth of purity
and the joy of fidelity. O God of more to come. C: Illumine us, we
pray.
P: Lead us continually into a greater understanding of who you are,
God. Open to us the greatness of yourself in all we see and do not
see. C: Amen.
Presider or
deacon
Jesus calls on us to follow him in all the world. Let us call on Jesus
for the needs, concerns, and hopes of all peoples. Deacon or other leader
For the church of Jesus Christ in every place.
For N our bishop, for presbyters, deacons, and all who minister
in Christ.
For this holy gathering and for all who are called to follow Jesus.
For this country, for all nations and their leaders, and for those who
guard the peace.
For all those in danger and need: the sick and the suffering,
prisoners, captives, and their families, the hungry, homeless, and
oppressed.
For the dying and the dead.
For ourselves, our families, and those we love. Presider
God of mystery, lover of human kind, hear the prayers of your people
and keep us ready always to serve as prophets and apostles of your
kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
