"When God Speaks" - I Sam. 3:1-10 - January 16, 2000

I am sure that everyone has seen the television commercial about E.F. Hutton. There is always a crowd of people and two people are together when one of them says, "Well my broker is E.F. Hutton and E.F. Hutton says...." At that point there is a huge hush over the crowd and everyone turns to listen. Then the advertisement concludes with the phrase, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen."

What about when God speaks? Is anyone listening? Does God have the same credibility that E.F. Hutton has when it comes to important messages? God is actually speaking to us all the time. The problem is that we are not listening.

It wasn’t until the fourth time that God spoke that Samuel understood God was speaking to him. He thought Eli was calling him. Finally, Eli tells Samuel that it is the Lord that is calling him. The next time Samuel hears God calling he says, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."

Samuel was a future leader of the faith community. God needed Samuel to listen. No one else was listening at that time as we hear, "for the word of the Lord was rare in those days."

Is the word of the Lord rare in these times? Or, is God not heard because no one is listening? Samuel could hear but he wasn’t listening. He needed the help of old Eli to tune into the real source of sound; i.e. God.

I believe we would all like to be able to listen to God. To know when God is speaking or to be able to distinguish God’s voice from all others. Its difficult to listen to God in these times simply because there is too much noise.

What are the sounds of life that are impairing our hearing? First, there is avoidance. We can’t hear what we don’t see. By ignoring a problem or denying one that exists we simply look in another direction. Recently I heard about a woman who was remodeling her bathroom. It just happens that her mortgage company is also about to foreclose on her house. She is obviously avoiding reality. She is not listening.

One evening my wife and I were grocery shopping. From a distance I noticed a person who I knew but really didn’t care for because of something that happened years ago. I pretended that I didn’t see them and walked up a different aisle. I avoided the possibility of a conversation. I simply didn’t want to take the chance of talking about something that was uncomfortable. In the process I also negated an opportunity for reconciliation.

Another noise that inhibits our ability to hear is temptation. All those things that we do to make us "feel" better. Those things that sap our time, energy and resources. These are nothing more than distractions which keep us from doing what we really want to do. People are surprised at the large number of cases of flu, especially during the holiday season. In the mid west we have enjoyed rather mild weather. That means that people are taking advantage, going more places, attending more events. The temptation to do it all is too great. What they aren’t doing is resting. When we aren’t rested we get sick. When we aren’t rested we are unable to listen.

There are also sounds of guilt, resentment, failure and shame. We are unable to hear the voice of God when we have blocked forgiveness from setting us free. This past week I read about a father who was suing his son because he was a lousy coach. Is this the kind of society we live in? One that puts such a high price on competition that it destroys relationships between family members?

The one noise that seems to ring the loudest and keeps us deaf is fear. When the noise is like the sound of a train passing by or a thunderstorm on a stormy, summer night, we cover our ears to keep the sound from drowning us. Fear grips us to the point that we can’t move or think.

Ironically, the message that Samuel hears is one that says the house of Eli will fall and give way to the rise of new leadership. It was a harsh message but it was also the truth. The voice of God calls us away from fear and invites us to respond in faith.

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There was a time in his life when M.L.King was hearing the voice of God calling him to stand up for equality and raise the conscience of the American people. In spite of angry threats M.L. King, exhausted and afraid, appealed to God for help. It was at that moment that M.L. King experienced the divine presence of God which gave him the courage and faith to pursue his mission.

Both M.L.King and Samuel heard the voice of God that called them to speak during difficult times. Yet both calls focused on the truth and gave hope to people in despair. God is calling us too, to silence the noise that discourages us and sing loudly words of forgiveness. To broadcast messages of peace and work toward the harmony of the sounds of life.

Anyone can hear the voice of God. Samuel did, only because he slept near the arc of the covenant. In other words he "hung out" at the local synagogue. When we are willing to stay close to the church, to "Hang out" where the word of God is spoken, we give God opportunity to speak.

Another way to look at the story of Samuel is to consider the voice he heard as a voice of authority. Until now, Eli was his authority. Three times, Samuel thought Eli was the one calling him. But, Samuel had come of age and now he had a new authority, the voice of God.

There comes a point in all our lives where the authority of our parents, mentors, or roll models must yield to the one true authority. We depend on the authority of others to direct our lives. They, however will not be with us always. To be true to ourselves, to be authentic human beings, we too come of age and turn our ears to God, listening for our own personal call and tuning in to the voice of God.

The voice of God calls us to be free of whatever holds us back and live with the assurance that God is with us. The voice of the God is the one, clear, still, small, loving voice that speaks with compassion and righteousness. When tuned into that voice we are not distracted by other distorted sounds. When tuned into the voice of God we are willing to take risks and be open to the newness only God can give.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio