“Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Mark 7:31-37

“Two American tourists are driving through Wales. They decide to stop for a bite to eat in the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

Baffled by the name, one of them turns to a local and asks, “Would you please say where we are—very slowly?” The Welshman leans over and says, very slowly, “Burrr-gerrr Kinngg.”

“Not long after A Long Day’s Dying was published, a man I scarcely knew asked me to have lunch with him. He was one of the ministers who came regularly to preach at the Lawrenceville chapel and whose sermons had a sort of witty, sardonic liveliness to them. Had I ever considered, he said, putting my gift with words to work for—God, did he say? Or the Church? Or Christ? I no longer remember how he put it exactly, and he made no great thing of it but passed on soon to other matters so that I do not to this day know whether this was what he had asked me to lunch to say or not.” (Buechner, Frederick. Listening to Your Life. HarperOne. Kindle Edition.)

“Be opened”, Jesus says – and the man’s ears were opened, and his tongue released. This healing begs the question: are our ears open to the word of G-d? Yes, if we watch worship or read the bible often, we are opening ourselves up to the word of G-d. But that does not mean that our ears often get “stopped-up”. What do I mean? Well one of the disadvantages to growing up in the church, as I see it, is the danger of scripture becoming “too familiar”. How can this be?

Well, when we open ourselves up to hear the Gospels read just on Sunday mornings, then we run the risk of knowing only snippets of the Gospels rather than really immersing ourselves in the Word of G-d. So, how can we hear the bible in new ways? How can the bible be opened to our hearing so that we might hear them with fresh ears?

The best way to hear the Gospel is to hear it in multiple formats – to hear it preached – to engage it in bible study – to hear different interpretations – and to listen for the Holy Spirit as you seek guidance in understanding the scriptures. As Buechner shares in his story above, sometimes we encounter G-d’s impact and power through others – especially in their scriptural understanding.

Take time in 2021 to read the bible daily – especially those parts that are not that familiar.

Pastor Dave

“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 the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening. ¹¹ 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. ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ” 1 Samuel 3:1-6, 10-12

“The infantry training battalion that I had been assigned to was on bivouac. There was a cold drizzle of rain, and everything was mud. The sun had gone down. I was still hungry when I finished and noticed that a man nearby had something left over that he was not going to eat. It was a turnip, and when I asked him if I could have it, he tossed it over to me. I missed the catch, the turnip fell to the ground, but I wanted it so badly that I picked it up and started eating it anyway, mud and all. And then, as I ate it, time deepened and slowed down again. With a lurch of the heart that is real to me still, I saw suddenly, almost as if from beyond time altogether, that not only was the turnip good, but the mud was good too, even the drizzle and cold were good, even the Army that I had dreaded for months. Sitting there in the Alabama winter with my mouth full of cold turnip and mud, I could see at least for a moment how if you ever took truly to heart the ultimate goodness and joy of things, even at their bleakest, the need to praise someone or something for it would be so great that you might even have to go out and speak of it to the birds of the air.” (Buechner, Frederick. Listening to Your Life. HarperOne. Kindle Edition.)

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, is it possible that we can hear the voice of G-d even in the smallest gestures – like someone sharing their meager resources with you.

Frederick Buechner writes: “Sitting there in the Alabama winter with my mouth full of cold turnip and mud, I could see at least for a moment how if you ever took truly to heart the ultimate goodness and joy of things, even at their bleakest, the need to praise someone or something for it would be so great that you might even have to go out and speak of it to the birds of the air.”

We do not have to hear an audible voice to know that G-d is calling us. It can be that inner drive to offer our resources to others, or to recognize the gracious acts of others who feel called to do, or act, or give, or help. And finally, we may even hear that still, small voice of G-d voicing a direction or a path for ministry.

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 – and always be prepared to share your experiences with others.

Pastor Dave