St John the Apostle Anglican Church

Once upon a time there was an old man named Eli.  He had been young once, but he had forgotten when.  He had been passionate, full of dreams, hopeful that he could change the world, but now he no longer knew what that felt like.

 Ironically, his name Eli means “of God” or “one who glorifies God.”  Once upon a time he had a calling so he became a priest.  He must have had great talent because he was given the prestigious position of high priest at Shiloh, which was the centre of Jewish worship at the time (around 1100 BC).  High priests were revered, and so Eli enjoyed being a significant part of the social establishment and having a very peaceful, comfortable and prestigious life in that community.  Maybe it all went to his head. As he passed through middle age and into his later years, he was content to turn things over to his sons, who had all of his sense of entitlement and importance, and none of his devotion or responsibility. 

Eli wasn’t a bad man; he just wasn’t a good man either.  He was pretty much mediocre—lukewarm.  He had lost his fire.  Somewhere along the way it had just gone out, but he couldn’t remember when or why.  He continued his religious routines, but he knew he was going through the motions.  As often happens when people are deeply unhappy or unfulfilled, he channeled his pain into an addictive behavior, and became fixated on food, and over the years he became extremely corpulent.   

His sons seemed to have lost any residue of decency and purpose Eli might have had.  They didn’t care much about religion, but they did enjoy the material things that came with the position.  Over time, they had drifted so far from the principles and practices of their faith that they were compromising the whole community.   They became abusive to the people who came to the temple to make their offerings, taking advantage of the women, helping themselves to the food offerings, and threatening anyone who attempted to object. 

Eli tried to correct them but they refused to pay any attention to him and eventually he just couldn’t be bothered, consoling himself with the fact that he had a comfortable life, while his offspring became more and more outrageous in their behaviours. Eventually they would destroy themselves, lose the sacred Ark of the Covenant (which contained the original Ten Commandments) to the Philistines, and cause their father’s death. 

The text indicates it was a time of spiritual deadness in Israel, a time when people were not very connected to God, a time when there was no sense of vision or direction.  As if to emphasize that, the story says that Eli had great trouble seeing.  

His lack of insight was made obvious in his encounter with Hanna, Samuel’s mother.  Eli saw a young woman praying at the Temple and because she was praying rather fervently, he automatically assumed she must be drunk and he scolded her for her behaviour.  Once he realized he was wrong, Eli still had enough vestigial grace to offer a blessing for her, and Hanna, who had been barren, gave birth to the child Samuel.  Because she had promised that child to God, little Samuel ended up with (guess who?) Eli. 

The idea of a nearly blind, and very portly, old man being given responsibility for a young child seems ridiculous, and you’d have to think that sharing a home with Eli’s sons must have been more than a bit precarious for the little guy. 

One evening, Eli was sitting in his room, maybe trying to watch a little TV, having an evening snack, assuming little Samuel was sleeping.    But something had woken Samuel up and he didn’t know what it was.  He says, “Here I am,” no doubt to help Eli locate him, because Eli was nearly blind.  But Eli wasn’t there. Assuming Eli must have called out to him from another room, Samuel went to check with him.  Eli was not calling the boy, and, perhaps annoyed at being interrupted, abruptly sent the child back to his room.  

Samuel kept hearing the voice, and by the third time Eli finally figured out what must be happening.  So the third time he sent Samuel back to the solitude of his room, but this time with instruction about how to respond when he heard the voice again.  

 In re-telling this biblical story it becomes a parable. It could be a parable about Mary and Jesus (it’s interesting to note how these themes repeat through history); I could be telling you a parable of the Church; it could be a parable about my own life; it could be about you; or, it could be a parable about our whole society. 

As a parable about our society, it is certainly possible to see in the story of Eli and his sons the lack of continuity between generations and the gradual descent into narcissism and entitlement of a generation raised on the doctrine of materialism. 

As a parable of our church, it suggests the problem of aging congregations and the loss of energy and enthusiasm and vision, and the need to reach new generations. 

As a parable about myself, admittedly it’s hard not to give way to a bit of a jaded view on occasion, and perhaps wonder, after many years, whether anything I say or do makes any real difference.  Most long-term clergy I know have felt that (if they’re being honest), but even Mother Teresa had her periods of darkness and doubt, and like Eli, just had to carry on going through the motions until some enthusiasm returned.  Sometimes, like Eli, it’s just easier to focus on material comforts because the deeper stuff becomes too painful to deal with. 

As a parable about you, well, I think you would have to tell that story, but if you reflect on any biblical story you will find parallels and insights and lessons, things that will illuminate and reveal your own life, because the scriptures are very much stories of human life experiences. 

The parable is about largely about hearing, so we might reflect on what we could possibly hear from this story of Eli and Samuel. 

We may hear in today’s readings questions about what it means to be called by God, and how to respond in a meaningful way when we do hear ourselves being called.  It could encourage us to believe that knowing God in a more direct way is a possibility if not a priority. 

We may wonder how to hear or comprehend or discern God’s voice – what does that “voice” sound like?  As we know, many people who claim to hear voices are actually insane, so just any voice we hear in our heads is not enough.   

We may reflect also on why we sometimes refuse to hear that voice, and choose to disregard our calling and distract ourselves with addictions instead because we fear that God will turn our lives upside down. 

Eli twice told the boy to go back to sleep.  Sleep is a metaphor for spiritual unconsciousness.  Thus Eli urges Samuel to ignore the call to awaken and respond, to remain unconscious instead.  Over the years, Eli had been quite “successful” in remaining oblivious, but Samuel was keen to awaken, and engage this new reality, and claim his mission and purpose in life. 

Knowing the story of what happened to Eli’s sons, we might hear a call to more faithful discipleship – a warning not to drift too far from what we know to be right – a warning not to become complacent about making sure our children, and indeed the next generation in general, is equipped with a meaningful set of values and principles and spiritual practices. 

The story suggests the importance of cultivating and nurturing the life of the Spirit, the presence of God.  We may hear something about how we need to create the conditions or dispose ourselves in order to truly hear God.  Like Samuel, we need to create times of solitude, and silence and to remain open enough that we don’t dismiss the voice that arises out of the dark night. 

We may hear something about the need for proper mentoring and training – people today often lack spiritual mentors or elders or guides.  Eli may have become old and blind, but he had enough experience and wisdom to be able to help Samuel make sense of what he was experiencing and not just dismiss it as a dream or illusion. 

This may speak to the importance of giving people space to share what they believe are spiritual experiences, or any experiences that seem important to them.  People need to talk about the deeper things going on in their lives, but so often they get dismissed out of fear and ignorance, as Eli was initially tempted to do with Samuel.  We need to allow people to tell us about their spiritual experiences, express what is on their hearts – let others know what is speaking to them.  In our culture, the inability and unwillingness to listen, and the frustration over not being heard are like a plague. 

The good news is that God finds ways of breaking through.  Even if one generation is completely oblivious, even evil, God will speak to a new generation.  The image of the new coming into the life of old Eli is a hopeful one.  Even if one generation has gone completely off the rails, a new generation will eventually emerge, so pay attention to the children.  Every New Year is a reminder of the ongoing cycle of birth, death, and resurrection – it symbolizes the reality that we get old, and the young have to take up the torch, and so the New Year becomes a time of renewal, symbolized by a baby.  The Christmas story (which I hope hasn’t faded already) makes us realize that sometimes it is the child who must teach us; it is the child who can offer us the way back into life.  

Samuel went on to be one of the great prophets of that era.  Indeed, he was instrumental in seeing Israel into the next major phase of its development, the adoption of new forms of leadership, and new leaders, the great expansion of Israel under David, the recovery of the Ark and building of the new Temple in Jerusalem, under David’s son Solomon. 

All of this was based on one woman’s faithful prayer, and one little boy saying YES to God.

 I hope we will always be willing enough, to say “Speak Lord, for your servants are listening,” and be prepared to go where God may be leading us.

 The Rev. Grant Rodgers+

APPOINTED READINGS:  

 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)  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.  At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room;  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.  Then the LORD called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 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.  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.”  Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 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. 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.  Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  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.  On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.  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.  Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”  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.
But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.”  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.”  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.”  As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.  And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD.

 Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18   

1 Corinthians 6:12-20   

John 1:43-51