Here Am I

6/3

Beverley Church

Eugene has been working for hours on the feast he is preparing for the congregation that has welcomed him. He has used the fallen branches form the last heavy storm as fuel for his fire. Cut the chicken into little pieces. Prepared the sausages. Marinated his meet. His barbecue will be a gift. 

Eugene at work

After reading the scriptures, from First Samuel and Mark, I share my reflection: 

Today, again, the verses from First Samuel are one of my favorite passages. I read that passage, The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread and I say, yeah, tell me about it. It feels so true...but is it? All I have to do is think about Rev. William Barber and his partner, our Presbyterian sister, Liz Theoharris, and their leadership of the Poor Peoples' Campaign, and I think, maybe not. Maybe the word of the Lord is not rare, maybe it's becoming more present, more here, and we just need  to pay attention. They are trying to bring a new (renewed?) moral perspective to our life together as a society. 

What our Samuel  story is about is the call of Samuel, his call to ministry, to witness. It took 3 times for Samuel to figure out it was the Lord who was speaking to him and not Eli. And is answer is, Here I am. When Eli finally figures out what is going on, he tells him to say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” And in the end we are told, 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.

So I'm thinking about this and trying to figure out what it means. At the  least, it means being ready to answer when you hear the call. And I guess being alert enough to hear the call when it comes. 

I think of  the hymn, Here I am Lord...

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go, Lord, if you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart

That is Samuel's song. 

I spent last week in Chile working with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Chile. (Even that title has meaning, as in in the world, not of the world...)Back in 1973, their country had been taken over by a military junta under General Pinochet. They began to feel that some of their Presbyterian  leaders were not only not resisting but were actively collaborating with the junta. So a significant portion of the church decided to leave the denomination  and create a new church. 

They also drafted a creed that defines them as a church. And here's the important point to remember...they aren't radicals...they are in many ways very traditional evangelical Presbyterians. But their declaration that their obedience was first and foremost to  Jesus Christ had profound political implications, even as it did for the Confessing Church under Nazi Germany. Sometimes simply seeking to be faithful can take courage.

Yesterday I was in Greensboro, North Carolina. Do you know the names  Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond. And what happened in Greensboro? On February1, 1960 four college students from North Carolina  A&T went to the Woolworths store.

The Greensboro Four

Bought some school supplies. Then sat down at the lunch counter. And ordered coffee. What happened next was not the first but was the most influential sit in inspiring a whole wave of sit ins. At the end of an exhibit featuring the history of the civil rights movement, there's giant mural made of the  faces of people engaged in the civil rights struggle. There are several blank  spaces. Those are reserved for you. For me. For us. For our faces. The point they make, from Rosa Parks on, individuals do make a difference. What one person does, what you do...or don't do...makes a difference...

Where the sit-ins began

What happens to us when we hear God's voice calling in the night? Do we hear God's voice calling in the night? 

We each have our individual calling. Each of us has our unique ministry that no one else can do. Can we say here am I ? Can we help our brothers and sisters answer their calls?

Here am I....

After the sermon, we share our communion. And then go downstairs for our feast. Even though Eugene has brought all the tables up and out, it is too cold and windy so we will eat downstairs. There are sodas from the Republic of Georgia on the table. And salads of cucumbers and tomatoes (without leaves, Irina the musician says...) Someone has made fresh banana pudding. It is truly a feast. 

sharing a feast and breaking bread together

As we wait for the meet to arrive, I ask how people came to this church.  A lot of it has to do with proximity. Family.  People have come from American south. And Guyana. And now Russia. Pastors are remembered fondly yet with each's departure, members have left. Like so many small churches, there is sadness over what has been lost. Community members no longer here.  And yet, this faithful remnant steadfastly keeps their tradition of breaking bread together after worship. I am happy to be part of that. 



First Reading 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

1Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. 2At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 3the 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. 4Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 5and 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. 6The 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.” 7Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8The 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. 9Therefore 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. 10Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

19As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.



Second Lesson 2 Corinthians 4:5-12

5For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 11For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. 12So death is at work in us, but life in you.