The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The 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. Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Have you ever heard of “the word of the year”? I didn’t know that there was such a thing. A few years ago the USA Today newspaper had an article on it. What made it interesting was that the word of the year was really a non-word. There was no such word. But, because the news media was having trouble with the facts, a new word was coined. That word was “truthiness”. So just what does “truthiness” mean? You could probably guess “truthiness” means: “truthy”, “not facty”. The argument then is who’s got the truth and who’s got the facts. By the way, neither “truthy” nor “facty” are words either. They are now, but probably not before this article was written.
Now we (that is, the church), are not in the business of truthiness. We are—if you will—in the business of truths and facts. We believe the Bible to be the inerrant and infallible Word of God. It is a Book of facts and truths. The Bible is not a book of stories. Rather we view it as a book of history. A book of history authored by God. All of life’s questions are answered in this Holy Book. As Christians we know who we are, why we are here, and where we are going.
But there are many in this world—including many who claim the Christian faith—who deny this truth. So, the questions of life—Who am I? Why am I here? And where am I going?—remain unanswered for them. It follows that many are searching for meaning and purpose in life. Consequently, many are trying to find God. So, they go to churches that teach truthiness. These churches satisfy the itching ears of their hearers. For example, did you know that many churches deny the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible? Did you know that many churches teach that the Bible is full of myths? Did you know that many churches support abortion? Did you know that many churches accept evolution as a fact? Did you know that many churches teach a salvation by good works? And there are many other such falsehoods. And this creates problems. Why? Try as we might we cannot find God.
Rather it is God who finds us and calls us to be His own. He does this through the Word. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament attest to this fact. In 1st Corinthians we are told, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” It is God Who determines when, where, and how He will encounter us. He chose us in eternity, before the foundations of the world were laid. He calls us in this life by the power of the Spirit through Word and Sacrament. Those who seek God are assured that in the Word and Sacraments their quest is fulfilled through God’s initiative. The Word is spoken by those God has called to speak for Him: priests, prophets, apostles, and pastors. Additionally, all whom God has chosen and called serve to proclaim the Word.
And with the proclamation of the Word, there is always an urgency. It must be done today not tomorrow or the next day. Why today? Simply because tomorrow won’t come for some, and today may be their last chance. Think of someone you know, someone who claims to be a Christian but never goes to church. This could be a friend, neighbor, relative, co-worker, or classmate. Think of all the opportunities we’ve had to tell them about Jesus. We could have invited them to worship and opened the door for the work of the Spirit, but, we didn’t, and then that person dies. If he didn’t know Jesus, if he didn’t believe, then he is lost forever.
Perhaps all we would have had to do was to invite him. Maybe not, but maybe so. But we didn’t. To have the opportunity and not tell is a sin, a sin of omission. That is not doing what we should. Yet, we remember that when Jesus died he paid for all sins, sins of commission and sins of omission.
Now it is God Who chooses the places where He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth. Where does God call us? Where does He call you and me? He calls us at the baptismal font to be His very own. He calls us as we gather for the Holy Supper, where He offers us His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. He calls us from the pulpit where we hear His Word proclaimed. The Divine Service is where our risen Lord speaks to us.
Samuel actually heard the Lord call him. He heard the voice of the Lord. Samuel responded as Eli instructed: Speak, for Your servant is listening. God still calls. He calls us through the Word. There is no call without the Word of God. Pastors are called to be servants of the Word, yet all Christians can confess the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel. The call takes place where and when the Word is spoken. For where the Word is, there the Holy Spirit is at work. There is a primary place where the Word is proclaimed and the sacramental Word is administered, and that’s in the weekly Divine Service. Therefore it is vital that every word spoken and every hymn sung be properly biblical and Christological, that is, Christ-centered. Clarity is imperative. Samuel was confused about who was speaking. He looked in the wrong direction, namely to Eli, instead of to God. Therefore he did not hear the message at first.
There are important parallels for us today, as we gather to worship in the Lord’s sanctuary. Scripture tells us, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.” The church centers on and revolves around our Lord and Savior. And, that includes the music. The function of music is to be the handmaid of the words of the service. There are often competing and confusing voices in many of today’s sanctuaries. Some new liturgies and “relevant” sermons are at best vague and inane, and at worst anthropocentric, that is, man-centered, and heterodox, that is, unorthodox. The words and deeds of those who hear them will be of the same character. Rather, we should listen to what God tells us, 1 Peter 2:2, “Crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation”. Worship should not be dull or boring. Simply recognizing that God is speaking to us makes it exciting and meaningful.
We all must ask ourselves, Why am I here? For what purpose has God called me? These questions assume many forms in our daily lives. What is the purpose of life? What is the meaning of work? Ecclesiastes 2:22-23, “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.” Many people work merely for survival. Others work so they can live high on the hog. The meaninglessness of life without a calling from God is captured in this epigram: “I read in a book that a Man called Christ went about doing good. It is very disconcerting to me that I am so easily satisfied with just going about.”
For what purpose are we called? We are called that we might enjoy fellowship with God through Jesus Christ, now and in eternity. Fellowship with God puts us immediately in fellowship with the entire communion of saints. Our entire lives are directed by our call from God to serve. This applies first of all to serving others within the household of faith. It’s been said, “Unless Christians take their calling seriously within the church, there is not much hope of their taking it seriously in the world outside the church.” Numerous passages in the New Testament exhort us Christians to live in a manner worthy of our high and holy calling. For example, Ephesians 4:1-6, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” And, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We have been called to declare the wonderful deeds of Him Who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We do this by living good lives—that is Christian lives—among unbelievers, so that they can see our good works and glorify God. It may even involve suffering after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:21-25, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
In the New Testament the word denoting God’s call never refers to a specific job in life such as plumber, doctor, computer operator, homemaker, etc. Paul never refers to his occupation as tent-maker as his calling. When used concerning God’s call, it refers only to the offices of the Word: prophet, apostle, pastor, teacher. Yet, God calls all of us believers to holy living, regardless of our station in life. This involves all our relationships with others, including our occupation. We are called to live holy lives at church, at home, at work, at school, as fathers, mothers, children, citizens, students, employers, employees, etc.
What is our calling in life? God the Father, the Triune God, is the one who calls. His voice is directed to us, the ones He has chosen from eternity to be His own. Like a parent calling his children home for dinner, God calls His children home to gather in a feast of celebration. The Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the heavenly feast to come. At God’s table we have fellowship, both with Him and with our brothers and sisters in the faith. We are called home to the Lord’s house, to church, to regular worship, where God forgives our sins and assures us of eternal life. And then, He sends us out into the world as His messengers.
Our calling makes our life so much more than merely going about. We go about doing good to the glory of Jesus Christ. So we needn’t mess around with concepts such as truthiness. We don’t need—nor do we have—a Gospel that is “truthy” or “facty”. We have the Gospel, which consists of the truth and the facts given to us by God. God is love. God in Jesus Christ paid for our sins. He opened heaven’s door to all who believe. That’s it. That’s what we need.
By the way, the word of the year for 2011 is “occupy”. We can make it positive by occupying the church every Sunday, occupying the Word of God in our homes, occupying our time by telling others of Jesus and what He’s done for us, and occupying our time inviting others to come and worship with us.
Amen.