Once upon a time, there was a woman who dearly loved her husband and so truly wanted to give him a child. Try as they may, she was unable to conceive. She and her husband were good people and loved their God and so on a retreat to a holy place, she implored God to give her a child. A religious official at that holy place was observing this woman’s behavior while she was in prayer and assumed she was just babbling away to herself; he even accused her of being drunk at worship! He called her out on it and she assured the official she was simply a heartbroken woman who was imploring God to give her a child. The religious official felt deeply for her and blessed her saying, “The Lord give you the desire of your heart.”

Sure enough, God heard this woman’s prayer and she conceived. In due time, she gave birth to a little boy and was so grateful for him she dedicated him to God. She took the little boy back to the religious official who gave her the blessing and gave him up for the service of God. The momma’s name is Hannah, the religious official is named Eli, and the little boy’s name is Samuel. Turn in your Bible to 1 Samuel 3:1-10. Listen to the Word of the Lord!

1 Samuel 3:1-10

^3.1 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. 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.”

This text coincides with this church’s tradition of setting apart men and women for leadership in our church every second Sunday in January. On the second Sunday in January, we purposefully set apart those individuals we believe God has chosen to lead us and serve us as ruling elders and deacons. Just as the little boy Samuel heard the call of God speaking his name to serve, so these men and women have heard God speak to them calling them into ordained service.

Ordained service. What does that mean? When a person is ordained, he or she is simply set apart for a particular work for God in service to the people of the church. It’s not something they do for themselves; on the contrary, ordination is something that is done to them. The men and women we are going to ordain and install this morning are not more special than any of us gathered this morning. They are not more religious, righteous, or ready to serve in the capacity of elder or deacon than you are but what sets them apart is they, like Samuel, have been called by God to serve. What can we learn about this mysterious thing we name “a call” from our story with Samuel today? At the very least, we can learn three facts about calls to ministry from our text.

To begin with, a call to ordained service is insistent and will not stop until you acknowledge you are hearing it and do something about it. Samuel was just a child and we read how the word of the Lord was rare in those days. But there in the depth and dark of night, he kept hearing his name, “Samuel!” God kept calling him until he finally was able to hear the call for what it was.

It’s a lesson to those of you who have been approached year after year by our Congregational Nominating Committee charged to discern the calls of new elders and deacons. Oftentimes, a person will appear to the nominating folks who would be a perfect fit for the position of elder and deacon but when asked, will say, “You know, it’s not a good time right now. Maybe next year?” Well, next year rolls around and they are asked again, “We would love for you to serve in this capacity because you’re gifted,” and once again they hear in response, “You know, now is not a good time; can you ask me next year?” And on and on it goes.

Friends, the reality is, calls to ministry and service are inconvenient. They never come at a great time, but we also know, when a person is called, those calls are insistently consistent just like it was for the boy Samuel. God kept trying until Samuel was able to figure it out.

The second fact about calls to service and ministry is that it requires someone else to properly hear if the call is authentic or not. Samuel kept hearing his name being spoken and he was not sure who was speaking. He needed Eli. Samuel needed Eli to affirm and confirm that the voice he was hearing was of God. It was only after Samuel got the direction and advice from another that he was he able to discern his call from God.

In Presbyterian speak, we would say that this is the process of testing the call. I may think God is calling me into ministry but unless it’s repeatedly checked, balanced, and affirmed by others, my desire to serve may be a result of my own ego and desire for power. Samuel tested his call with Eli. Those we ordain and install this morning have had their call tested with interviews and with the confirmation of this faith community voting that you agree and affirm their calling.

Third, calls to ministry and service some to those we least expect to receive them. Samuel was a little boy; who would have thought? One of the things I hear every year in elder and deacon training is, “I’m not worthy to be an elder or deacon.” I hear, “I’m not qualified to be a leader in the church.” And to those answers I hear routinely, I say, “You’re absolutely right! None of us is worthy of the task; just ask Peter who denied knowing Jesus at the worst possible time. Just ask the Apostle Paul after he ordered the deacon Stephen to be put to death for believing Jesus if he felt worthy.” Beloved, the fact is none of us are worthy save for God’s patient and loving grace. All members of the church are gifted by God in some way to serve the community and there may very well be those times when God will grab your attention in what may the most inconvenient point in your life and have someone tell you, “You are called to serve.”

“Who? Me”

“Yes, you goofball. God needs you.”

This morning, we are going to set apart for service some men and women who heard God’s voice, have had it affirmed by others, and who are willing to use the gifts and graces God has given them for the benefit of this community and the Church as a whole. Thanks be to God!

In the name of the one who is, was, and is yet to come. Amen.

© 2024 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, 8 West Notre Dame Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 and may not be reproduced or repurposed without permission from the author. All rights reserved.