Rev. George Miller
Oct 13, 2024
1 Samuel 2:1-8
For the past 6 weeks we have been
journeying through the Narrative Lectionary, and we hope that you are
experiencing the sacred texts in a vibrant way.
We have gone from cool breezes to starry
skies; Joseph bringing healing to the family and the Israelites learning how to
navigate what it means to be free.
As Denee, our Communications Coordinator
would say, we are “Exploring God’s Story.”
As such, we are seeing how each scripture
builds upon the other, leading us closer and closer to the Good News of Jesus
Christ.
Today, I am excited because we arrive at a
part of the Narrative Lectionary that can be a big “a-ha! moment” for many
people.
Today, we hear the words and the story of
a woman, and in doing so, we begin to realize that there are way more Biblical stories
and appearances by women than we may have realized or been taught.
Hannah is our focus today, and what a
powerful person she is.
It’s been centuries since the Israelites were
set free. Though they are finally in the
Promised Land, they’re still trying to figure things out.
Because they are still figuring things
out, they are making many mistakes; having moments of chaos and not so good
choices.
But God is still with them, and they are
still pressing through.
In today’s reading, we meet Hannah, a
woman who wants nothing more than to have a child.
Though she has bouts of sadness and doubt,
though she refers to herself as a woman deeply
troubled, she has strong wings of faith that keep her flying forward.
Even when facts seem to go against her,
even when she is disrespected by the local clergy, Hannah does not lose her
focus, she does not lose her faith.
Through a series of events, Hannah has a child,
who she names Samuel, and in an act of unselfishness, she offers him up to be a
Nazirite.
After 3 years, Hannah brings her son to
the House of the Lord, where he will be raised under the guidance of the
priest.
Then, Hannah offers a prayer. And it is a prayer for the ages.
She says her heart is exalted in the Lord;
she finds her strength in God.
She rejoices in her victory, referring to
the Lord as a God of knowledge.
Hannah’s prayer celebrates the feeble who
put on strength; the hungry who are fed; the defeat of enemies, poor who become
rich, and the lowly who are raised up.
Do you hear the power in her prayer? Can we verify the victory in her voice?
This woman, this Hannah, is not passive. She is no victim, she is not helpless, hidden,
or invisible.
She is loud, she is proud, she is present,
and she is HERE!
Hannah becomes a role model for anyone,
any place, any time, who has faced insurmountable odds in which they were
laughed at, scorned, or told to give up.
Hannah is as victorious as any warrior,
any King, as any man we have read about in Scripture.
And Hannah is not the only one.
The Bible is filled with rich stories
about women who speak up, act up, laugh, cry, imagine, make tragic mistakes and
usher in great victories.
Hannah joins the likes of Sarah, who had
the audacity to laugh at something God said, which ushers in the opportunity
for God to say “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?,” one of the most
important statements in the Bible.
Hannah joins Hagar, who in Genesis 6, runs
away into the wilderness, has an angelic experience, and becomes the first
person in the Bible to give God a name.
Hannah joins the likes of Miriam, the
sister of Moses, who sings a song of success in Exodus 15:20.
After crossing the Red Sea, Miriam leads
the women in taking tambourines, and with song and dance, sing to the Lord for
giving them victory and defeating their enemy.
Some scholars say that Miriam’s song may
have been the first part of the Bible ever written down.
We see how Sarah’s laughter inspires one
of the greatest statements about God.
Hagar’s heartbreak leads her to be the
first to give God a name.
Miriam and the women may have inspired the
first written words of Scripture.
And Hannah prays a prayer that sounds like
a mighty warrior, exulting the Lord, focusing on strength, celebrating wisdom,
and showing concern for the poor and hungry.
These are all women; these are all stories
about women.
They have always been there, right here,
in the Bible, to give every one of us courage and strength, focus and vitality,
regardless if we are female or male, old
or young, educated or new to the faith.
And this legacy of Hannah, this legacy of
women like Hagar and Miriam, they continue into the New Testament.
In Luke chapter 1, when the angel visits
Mary, she may ask “How can this be?”
But it allows the angel to remind her
“Nothing will be impossible with God.”
And when Mary realizes the role she will
play in Salvation, what does she say?
Mary says “My soul magnifies the
Lord. God’s mercy is for those who show reverence.”
“God has lifted up the lowly, fed the
hungry, helped God’s people and remembered the promises made to the ancestors.”
Mary’s prayer is much like Hannah, with echoes
of strength and faith, social justice and concern for others.
Mary, Hannah, Miriam, Hagar, and Sarah are
but a few of the women we meet.
Mary, Hannah, Miriam, Hagar, and Sarah are
great role models for us, all of us, as we Explore God’s Story, as we learn
together
-what does faith look like?
-what can faith do?
-how do we lean upon God with wisdom and
action, words and wonder?
The people of God, the women and the men,
have lived such full full lives, and their stories are here to inspire us.
For that we can say “Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment