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..." As
Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him...And all Israel...knew that
Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. [1 Samuel 3:10b-11,19-a-20]
Lord you
have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar...You trace my journeys and my resting-
places and are acquainted with all my ways. Indeed there is now a word on my
lips, but you O Lord, know it altogether...Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet
unfinished in the womb... [Psalm 139:1-2, 15a]
But
anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him...do you not
know that your bodies are members of Christ...do you not know that your body is
a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are
not your own? [1 Corinthians 6:15a, 17, 19]
Nathanael
said to [Philip], "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip
said to him, "Come and see..." And [Jesus] said to [Nathanael],
"Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." [John
1:46, 51]
“Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I
can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.” [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.]
We're all invited,
we've all been called ~ what is our RSVP? I think of young Samuel, confused and
wondering, and then, following his instructions from Eli, he answered with Speak,
Lord, for your servant is
listening. Later he grew into a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. Would it be easier to be like
young Samuel again, merely following instructions of an elder? Well, most of us
were at one time, many still are in a way, and few of us have become a trustworthy
prophet. Perhaps there’s more than merely following the directions to
receive the tingle in our ears when God speaks to us. Perhaps we also need to
remember that God knew Samuel, and Eli, and all that was going on. What does
God know about me ~ everything!
There are many Psalms that resonate
within me and Psalm 139, particularly, always has a profound effect on me when
I read it. There is my Creator, my Divine Parent, who knew me while my limbs
were being knitted in the womb and still traces my journeys and my
resting-places. Sometimes, admittedly when I’m not at my best (too often), my inner child tries to lie lower as if not to be
seen or heard by that Parent, especially when those words on my lips are, well,
frankly, quite far from God-like. And then Paul reminds us that our bodies
are members of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. It’s
far easier to intend to live up to those holy standards than to actually do so,
and then I remember that God knows me, more than I know about me or want to.
Could I have been like Philip, readily
follow Jesus and then invite the slightly snarky Nathanael to simply "Come
and see?"
I show up at church regularly, even now
that it’s online. I give to charity, do occasional good deeds for others, I
even pray often and not just for Divine intervention to get myself out of a
jam. But, taking in the readings for this Sunday ~ have I really answered THE
CALL? Have I turned my life over to God, truly followed Jesus, and listened to
the Holy Spirit? Well, God knows.
It is time again to consider how
I am to live my life. It is never too late to begin again ~ even Constantine,
the first Roman Emperor to claim conversion to Christianity, declared
Christianity as a state religion, built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in
Jersualem, the Old St Peter's Basilica, convened the Council of Nicaea in the
year 325 from which we still use the Nicene Creed ~ all that, yet, he wouldn’t
be baptized until his death bed, and he cut it pretty close! Then there’s St.
Augustine of Hippo who said in his Confessions [written between 397-400] that in the early days of
his conversion he asked God to make him chaste and continent (self-controlled) but not yet. SO, when does YET arrive? Or, how many times have I waved
it away? God knows.
What will it mean for my life, how will I have to
change, what will others think, am I ready? Yes, God knows all about where I am.
And as I form the words in my heart: Speak, Lord, for I, that is, - um, er -
your (slightly frightened) servant, is listening. I think that maybe,
possibly, I'm more or less ready to come and see.
And then, when I read these words of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., suddenly I feel a slight tingle, perhaps “yet” has
arrived: Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I
want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself. Oh
my…Ok, Samuel, and Philip, Nathanael, and Martin, will you walk with me, too? And, just maybe I'll
even be able to pass along the invitation to someone else to come and see,
someday, soon. Well, God knows.
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
All-Knowing, All-Seeing God, You have searched us and known us
from before we were in the womb and throughout our earthly lives. Tingle our
ears and awaken our hearts to remember that we are not our own but members of
Christ’s Body and temples of the Holy Spirit. Open us to hear again, to listen
deeply, and follow Your call.
O Lord
Who Calls
RESPONSE: Help us to Listen and Answer
~
All-Knowing, All-Seeing God, guide our path to
truth, integrity, and justice in a world filled with alienation among people
and nations. Grant each of us, and the leaders of this Country, this World, and
our local Communities, the wisdom and selflessness to choose the well-being of
us all, over destructive actions of temporal and temporary power. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Lord Who Calls
Help
us to Listen and Answer
~
All-Knowing, All-Seeing God, strengthen the
faith of all who suffer from debilitating sickness, especially COVID19;
addiction, or depression, and of all who give them care. We now join our
hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O
Lord Who Calls
Help
us to Listen and Answer
~
All-Knowing, All-Seeing God, whisper hope to the
grieving of the joy for those now released from the trials of this life, into
unbounded Glory to live again with You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
O
Lord Who Calls
Help
us to Listen and Answer
~
All-Knowing, All-Seeing God, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
O
Lord Who Calls
Help
us to Listen and Answer
~
All-Knowing, All-Seeing God, we give You special thanks for
those lead us in Your church and guide us on our journey to You. Grant them
wisdom, insight, and hope, and guide them to embolden us to follow and reflect
You with our thoughts, words, and actions in each and every day. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions and in
memory of the witness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bishop Quintin Primo.
O
Lord Who Calls
Help
us to Listen and Answer
The Celebrant adds: O God of Power and Might,
fill us with the courage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bishop
Quintin Primo in seeking the path of Christ in our lives, believing that by our
individual and collective actions, we shall overcome violence,
oppression, and intolerance, to establish unity and equality for all. We ask
through Your Son, Jesus our Christ; and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate; who
together with You reign as One God, One Lord of All, now and forever. Amen
*The Episcopal Church of
Saints Andrew and Matthew in Wilmington, Delaware was formed 25 years ago this
year from two separate parishes, one traditionally white, and one traditionally African-American and with a significant joint history from a century before. We chose to join together as one intentionally diverse congregation. We celebrate the legacy of Dr.
King on this Sunday, and also that of Episcopal African-American Bishop, The Rt.
Rev. Quintin E. Primo, Jr, who had served in our Parish and in our Diocese and who many of us were privileged to know. Following is
a reading from his autobiography. For more information on this unusual faith
community, see: www.ssam.org
A
reading from “The Making of a Black Bishop” by the Rt. Rev. Quintin E.
Primo, Jr. [1913-1998]:
“Thinking of novel ways to
serve the diocese (Rochester, NY) ...on behalf of St. Simon’s Young People’s
Fellowship, we sponsored an annual diocesan-wide choral evensong service for
Episcopal young people. The attendance grew from less than 100 the first year
to more than 500. The event was designed to accomplish two purposes: to revive
the beautiful and once popular sung evening prayer worship service held in many
Episcopal churches during the 30’s and 40-s...; and, to provide safe,
congenial, and non-threatening surroundings for black and white urban and
suburban, small town and rural, middle-class and underclass, and sometimes ‘no
class’ young people to socialize, discuss racial and social problems, and
proffer practical solutions. Participating clergy persons, youth advisers,
parents and the young people themselves benefited enormously from their open
discussions and shared experiences.
“For example, one morning
in Chicago, a young white priest came to my office and asked my secretary to
see me “for two minutes. The thought-to-be- stranger identified himself by
saying, ‘Bishop Primo, as a high schooler and teenager, I participated in your
yearly choral evensong services for young people at Simon’s in Rochester, New
York. I was so inspired by them and you, that I with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, decided to become a priest and professional counselor. I want to thank
you again, and let you know that I am available to serve as a weekend supply
priest should you need me….’
“A few weeks later, the
incident was repeated. This time it was a U.S. Marine Chaplain form Virginia,
who was in Chicago on business. Entering my office, he said, “I have little
time as a taxi is outside waiting to take me to O’Hare Airport. However, I felt
could not leave Chicago without seeing you and telling you that I was a
teenager when you were at St. Simon’s…..Father Dan Bennett brought me up twice
to your annual choral evensong service for young people. I learned a lot about
racial understanding and tolerance, and now I am a champion of human rights for
all.” I was deeply touched by the Chaplain’s surprise visit and testimony of
what those evening prayer services, discussions and socializing had meant to
him. I knew there were others who had had similar experiences that I would
never know about; it supported the fact that if you reach diverse people in
their attitude and behavioral formative years and bring them together for
positive and enlightening interaction, the seeds of racial tolerance, unity and
understanding can be models and references that impact the remainder of their
lives and those with whom they come in contact.”
