“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; 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!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been  revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:1-10

{While phoning a friend, my grandmother dialed the wrong number. She apologized and tried again, but she got the same number. Once more she hung up and redialed—same result. Now Grandma was frustrated. “Look,” she told the person on the other end, “I’m going to call my friend again. This time, don’t answer her phone!”} (Danielle Gilleland, Louisburg, North Carolina)

How do you hear G-d calling you? This is one of the most important questions a Christian can ask him or herself. Why? Because if we do not hear the voice of G-d calling us, how do we know that we are the right path in our walk with G-d? Now I can hear some of you contemplating the question “What does it feel like or look like to hear G-d’s voice?” Well, now that is a great question. Some will hear the voice of G-d through a situation that happens in front of them, and a sense of acting upon that situation will come upon them. In other words, we can be called by G-d through the situations we encounter on a day to day basis.

I have told the story before about the night my wife and I were on our way home when we witnessed a man getting hit by a car as he crossed the street. I waited for someone to jump out and help the man, but it was a winter night, during rush hour, and we were sitting at a red light – not the best place to abandon your car to help someone. But after waiting for a few minutes, and seeing no one get out to help the man, I jumped from the car, asked my wife to get behind the wheel, and ran over to care for the man until the police or ambulance arrived. The situation of seeing someone get injured, and seeing no one jump to his aid, called me to act. 

We can also be called by G-d through the appeals of others to do, or act, or give, or help. And finally, we may even hear that still, small voice of G-d internally, voicing a direction or a path for ministry. So what is most important? Listening!!!! We need to be certain that we take the time to quiet our minds, so we can hear the voice of G-d. And, do not be surprised when G-d calls you when you least expect it.

Pastor Dave

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

{My grandmother called to tell me she’d gotten an e-mail account. “Great,” I said. “Send me a message so I’ll have your e-mail address.” I waited and waited, but she never sent it. Several days later, an envelope arrived—Grandma had written her info on a piece of paper and mailed it to me.} (Meagan Lundgren, Calgary, Ontario)

The story of Mary and Martha is a story of conflict between the old and the new. Martha was acting in the manner that the old establishment of her culture and society expected her to act. If a teacher was teaching, it would be a man, and the women would be expected to serve the teacher and any other men listening to the teacher. Mary on the other hand was doing something new, and radical. Instead of assuming the role of the servant, she assumes the role of the student – sitting at the feet of the teacher – which would have been the place where only men would gather.

Martha was mailing it in with her works, but Mary was embracing the dawning of a “new thing” – the Grace of Jesus and his teachings. It is the beginning of a new way of relating to G-d – Jesus does not want our works, Jesus wants our ears, our eyes, our hearts and our very bodies in a relationship of faith. Of course, the church needs both Marthas and Marys. We need those who feel called to serve, and we need those who believe they are called to learn. Mary most likely will go on to serve just like her sister, Martha. And Martha will have the opportunity to listen and to learn just like Mary. Our discernment is to know when we should do one or the other – and to make sure our lives are balanced with both.

Pastor Dave