A Listening Heart

 HOMILY, ST. PAUL’S, FOLEY – 2 EPIPHANY, YEAR B

JANUARY 17, 2021

 

TEXT:                        1 Samuel 3:1-20

 

 

            The story of the boy Samuel hearing God’s call – though originally mistaking it for the voice of his master, Eli – is famous.  Thanks to the calm guidance of Eli, Samuel went back to his sleeping mat and heard the message God was seeking to convey to him.  The story of the mysterious voice calling, “Samuel, Samuel” is well-known.

 

            But less well-known is what that divine message was.  Less well-known is Samuel’s honesty in delivering it.  And less well-known is the elderly Eli’s response to that message.

 

            It was not good news.  In fact, for Eli, the news was very bad.  Calamity would strike his house and his sons.  His lineage would become like the dust of the desert – lost forever in the sands of time.

 

            But once the boy Samuel had received it, he conveyed it.  And once the elderly Eli had heard it, he accepted it.

 

            The news was that Eli’s sons had been blaspheming God and Eli had not corrected them.  We are to assume that they were godless and corrupt, taking advantage of their father’s position in society.  And he had not reproved them.

 

            The message was not what either Samuel or Eli had expected.  It was contrary to the way they saw things.  It did not fit into their world view.

 

            But isn’t that the way God can be?  In my days at Camp Bratton-Green in Mississippi, one of my favorite campfire songs included these words: “Surprise! Surprise! God is a surprise! Right before your eyes! It’s baffling to the wise! Surprise! Surprise! God is a surprise! Open up your eyes and see.”

 

            God does not fit into our preconceived notions.  He does not bear the same grudges, have the same political views, or dislike the same people. It is not automatic that God agrees with you or your thoughts about another person’s actions or attitudes.

 

            The challenge is for us to open our spirits and hearts – to truly hear what God is seeking to tell us.  It will not be what we expect.  It will not confirm our own prejudices.  It will call us into new relationships with him and one another. We should be humble in our preconceived expectations.

 

            It is a truly rare person who knows all that God is seeking to tell us. In fact, so rare that I don’t think that person has yet existed.  Even Jesus learned as he walked the roads of his earthly life.

 

            Can we expect to do less?