Samuel Gets His Ears On

(Edited extracts of last Sunday's Family Service Sermon)
1 Samuel 3: 1-19 “Samuel Gets His Ears On”

I wonder how many of you have seen The Dukes of Hazard? There’s a phrase from the old series that I really love. It seems that whenever one of the characters is trying to contact someone else on the CB radio, they invariably asked “Have you got your ears on good buddy?” Obviously it means “are you listening?” Or “are you tuned in?” And the question I want to ask this morning is...have you got your ears on?

As I’m sure you remember...Samuel was a small boy, working in the Temple of the Lord. In those days, boys who were learning a new trade would leave their home, and stay with their new master. In Samuel’s case, that was Eli - the old Temple Priest.

One night, while he was trying to go to sleep, Samuel heard God’s voice calling him. Only, at first, he didn’t know that it was God...he thought it was his master, Eli, calling fro the next room. So Samuel got up three times, on hearing God’s voice, and goes into poor old Eli’s room. Eli couldn’t work out what was happening...but after the third time, the lights came on.

“I know what’s going on!” he said. “It’s God who is calling you! Listen - the next time you hear that voice calling your name, sit up and say “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”. Which is precisely what Samuel did.

It took him a while, but eventually Samuel learned to hear God’s voice. Eventually, he got his ears on. And there’s a lesson for us in that fact - because it takes time for us to tune ourselves to God’s voice too.

God doesn’t speak to many people in a audible voice… even in Samuel’s day, as the story told us, “the word of the Lord was rare”. But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t speaking. God speaks to us in all sorts of ways. He speaks through creation - the hills, the mountains and the sea are living words, telling how wonderful a creator God is. He speaks through circumstances - leading us along life’s path, teaching us wisdom through experience. He speaks through our families and friends - it is God, by his Spirit, who lodges good and wholesome things in our hearts from what others say to us.

And crucially, he speaks through the pages of the Bible. God has a way of speaking to my heart as I open the bible. When I read Jesus’ teaching about how much he loves me, and I should live my life, it isn’t just something that lodges in my brain...it sort of sinks into my soul...becomes a part of me...changing me, little by little, to be more like him. (Mind you...there’s a long way to go yet!)

So the first point I want to make is this: Let’s be alert to God’s voice as he speaks to us through creation, through circumstances, through our friends and family, and through the pages of the Bible. That’s a message for all of us...but my next messages are a little bit more specific…

We heard in the story that God was continually calling Samuel...but it took another person, Eli, to point out what was happening. In other words, if Samuel had been in a desert, without Eli to guide him, he might never have worked out that the voice came from God at all. Verse three of the passage said that “Samuel was lying down in the Temple of the Lord”.

In other words, Samuel got his ears on in the community of faith… in the Old Testament equivalent of the Church. It is in the church that we too can learn to hear God’s voice. Let me try to explain what I mean…

Does anyone here like football? My Dad likes football - or at least he did until this year when Torquay United went down to the Conference! Now my Dad will tell you that I know nothing about football. Even though I’m told that he sat me in my baby bouncer in front of the 1966 world cup...I’m afraid that the game leaves me cold. I just don’t get it...I can’t get excited about it...no matter how often my Dad, my brother, and my boss, Simon - try to persuade me otherwise.

But I do get one thing about football...which Simon has taught me. And that is that playing football is like being a Christian in some ways. If you want to learn to play football, you have to practice, practice, practice. You’ve got to do lots of kicking against noisy garage doors. I’m told that you especially have to practice something called ‘keepy-uppy’. But. But. How ever good your ball skills might get, you will never be able to call yourself a footballer, until you’ve played in a team.

The church is like that. You can believe in God. You can even read your Bible and pray on your own...but until you have become a member of a church...you cannot truly call yourself a Christian. And that’s because God has designed us to be people who live together in a family. We need each other. We are, in the Bible’s words, ‘the body of Christ’. It is only by joining that body, being one of its members, that we can truly call ourselves followers of Jesus...Christians.

So, my second point is this...If you want to learn about God, if you want to hear his voice, like Samuel...the best place to do it is in Church. There is simply no substitute for learning from each other within the community of faith.

And so to my final point. Let me quote from verse 19: "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground." The Lord was with Samuel throughout all the years that he grew up. By becoming an adult within the body of the Temple, surrounded by good people who taught him of God...he became a great man of God himself. Samuel's early start in the community of faith meant that he walked with God throughout his life.

Grown ups - the message of this passage is clear: how we build faith in our young people is vital…as parents, and as leaders. You may not be aware of this...but we actually have a little bit a crisis going on in our town at the moment. There are children all over this parish who never darken the doors of this, or any other church. These are children who will may never have the opportunity to know that they are loved by God. These are children who are learning how to be adults through television and peer-pressure. These are children who, unless we reach out to them, will never have the chance to grow up, as Samuel did, within the community of faith.

We - and all the churches, are doing what we can. Our summer play-scheme has well over a hundred children. Messy Church often breaks through the 90 barrier as well. Our choir continues to attract young voices and much talent. And our young church and Pathfinders groups have continued to serve our young people in all sorts of creative and different ways. But...I say BUT...we need to do more.

Simon and I will be talking this month with the PCC about how we can expand our vision for the church’s work with young people. There is talk in the town of churches working together to provide activities for the young. Perhaps in the future we might consider employing a youth minister - if we, the people of God in Emsworth, could get behind such an initiative with our wallets. But in the meantime, many more people are needed to continue our work with young people.

So let me ask you this (if you are a member of this parish). If you are not already involved with our ministry to children and young people...could you be? Please ask yourself whether God may be calling you to be an Eli...someone who could be important in the life of a child. I’m not going to ask for a show of hands...what I am going to ask is that each one of us should take some time to pray about how we can be involved in the church’s mission to ensure that more young people grow up to be like Samuel...mighty men and women of God.

So - to summarise. Let’s be alert to God’s voice, as Samuel was, in all the ways that he is speaking. Secondly, like Samuel, let us never forget that the best form of Christian growth takes place in the community of faith...in the church. And finally - let each of us begin asking God what part he may be calling each of us to play in the task of building the next generation of young Samuels.

Amen