Sunday Worship Service June 23, 2024

Prelude
Call to Worship 2 Timothy 3:16
Hymn JBC # 33 Lord, the light of Your love is shining
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Supper
Hymn JBC # 650 Serve the Lord with gladness
Offering
Scripture 1 Samuel 3:1～10
Prayer
Sermon “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 664 Master, Thou callest
Doxology JBC # 673
Benediction
Postlude

The Scripture passage given to us today is a scene from ‘the book of 1 Samuel’, chapter 3. The boy Samuel was serving Eli, the priest.
Samuel, the title of this book, was a boy born to mother Hannah and father Elkanah.
In Samuel 1, we see how Hannah, who was initially childless, prayed desperately before the Lord and was given Samuel.
Samuel was entrusted to Eli the priest to serve the Lord as a servant. In 2 Samuel 2:18, it is written, "Samuel was ministering before the Lord.

Today's passage, chapter 3, verse 1, also says, "The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli."
What these statements tell us is: Samuel worked directly for Eli the priest, and in general it can be said "Samuel was in the service of Eli."
However, based on the faith in the Lord God while Samuel was working under Eli the priest as his assistant, but Samuel was actually "serving the Lord."
A believer in God is a servant of the Lord. A servant serves his master. We, too, should really serve only the Lord God.

I believe that we are respectively in social positions to serve our bosses or our customers at our respective workplaces and other places.
However, they are only meant so in terms of their position in that job or organization, not in the sense that our existence should be subjected to our bosses or customers.
In the New Testament, Colossians 3:23-24 reads as follows.

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

We, as believers, are expected by the Lord to do whatever we do, not to people, but to the Lord, and to do it from the heart.
　That is not to say that we should disrespect people, jobs, etc. Rather, I believe that the more certain we are that we do things from our hearts to the Lord, the more respect we will have for those we serve directly (bosses, customers, etc.).
　In God's eyes, we are all equal. There are only differences in duties and responsibilities. We believers in the Lord should always do what we do from the heart, as we would do to the Lord.
　In today's passage, chapter 3, verse 1, it is also written:

In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
　　We may have the impression that the Old Testament period was a special time when God spoke directly to people (though they were those who were specially chosen) and when God and people were able to interact directly with each other.
　However, today's passage clearly tells us that even in those Old Testament times, there were times when "the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions."
　The original Hebrew word "yaqar" for "rare" in "the word of the Lord was rare," also means "precious."
　The word of the Lord is precious. It is not something we can take for granted.
　We hope that we will remember that the word of the Lord is truly a grace, a "precious" thing given by the Lord for our salvation to those of us who do not deserve it.

　The Word of the Lord surprisingly became a man and was born into this world, that is Jesus Christ.
　The beginning of the Gospel of John in the New Testament says the following statement about God, meaning Jesus Christ as "The Word."

1 John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

　　This means that "God became man and lived together with man." It means that God became man and bore with us in our sufferings and sorrows (as we confirm in the Lord's Supper).
God became human, and He bore the sins of us human beings and died on the cross to forgive us our sins.
In such a way that we cannot even imagine, a way was opened for us people to commune with God again and turn back to Him.
And God Jesus Christ now speaks to us through the words of the Bible.
When we read the words of the Bible with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, each word, each story, becomes a strength to sustain and guide us.
　When we share the words of the Bible with one another, we may receive profound suggestions and guidance that we would never get if we read the Bible alone.

　In this sense, the Bible is a special book for the Christian faith. And for believers, the presence of fellow believers and Churches is essential for mutual growth and maintenance of faith.
And the Bible is not just a record of our faith, but a special book in which God still speaks to us through each word.
　　Samuel, and Eli the priest, were serving God. They continued to serve God in the temple. (The temple at this time was probably a so-called tabernacle (tent-type) temple, unlike the first temple that Solomon would later build.)
　They continued to serve God faithfully even though the word of the Lord did not come to them often. I have experienced something similar in my ministry as a pastor preparing weekly messages.
When I try to prepare a message, a clear message point does not always come to me immediately. In my case, it usually takes a considerable amount of time of meditation and continued reading of the biblical text to finally be given a ray or two of light on the point of the message little by little.
　However, I believe that the ray of light that is given to me in this way is not produced from within myself, but is given to me as a word, from outside of me, by the Holy Spirit.

　It may be rare that the Word of God comes to us. But the Word of God never ceases to come to us. So, let us continue to seek God's voice that speaks to us.
　The Lord called out to Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." Thinking that it was Eli who called him, he ran to Eli.
　As Eli had not called Samuel, he said, "I did not call you. Go back and lie down."
　After this happened three times, Eli the priest finally realized. Eli realized that "the Lord had spoken to Samuel."
So Eli said, "Go back and sleep. If you are called again, say, 'Speak to me, O Lord. Your servant is listening."
　It is a simple statement by Eli, but I believe that his advice to Samuel contains something quite important.
　It is that if Eli had humane and priestly pride, he would not have easily said, "Samuel, the next time you are called upon, say, 'Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening."

　No matter how old he was, if Eli had been caught up in his own pride as a priest, he could have thought, "If the Lord has not spoken to me, how can He speak to this little boy?”
　But Eli was humble in that regard. He must have known that his old age would soon bring the curtain down on his priestly ministry, and on his life's task itself.
　Eli also knew well that the Lord has something to say to everyone He chooses.
Eli was able to accept that "The Lord has chosen Samuel to be the next spiritual leader and the Lord was trying to convey an important message to us through Samuel."
　Therefore, we, too, should know that the Lord sometimes speaks to young children as well, and we should be willing to listen sincerely even to the words of a small child (this is also what the pastor of my home church would often say).

　　Eli told Samuel that the next time he is called to answer by saying "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
　Eli was trying to teach Samuel that he should always serve the Lord as a servant.
　He was telling Samuel to always obey the Lord God as God and as a God’s servant to fulfill his duties as a prophet (one who carries the word of God) without fear of man.
　This is also important for us. We are the Lord’s servants. Jesus said the following.
　‘The greatest among you will be your servant’. (Matthew 23:11)

These words of Jesus are directed especially to those in authority (the pastor would be the first in that regard in the church). But these words are addressed to all the faithful.
　As Jesus said, and as Eli told Samuel, we hope to take the initiative and joyfully practice the way of life as servants of the Lord, serving the Lord God and humbly serving others as well.
　Eli taught Samuel to say, "Your servant is listening." In order for us to hear the Lord's voice, we must have the patience and trust in the Lord to wait for His Word without giving up.
　Then, we have to have the mind to say, "Lord, please speak to me. Your servant is ready to listen to you."
　We should seek the Word with the thought, "Lord, please speak to me, Your servant is ready to hear your word and is determined to do according to your word."

　　With that level of commitment, the Word of the Lord is of great value, immeasurable value, for us to seek.
　Sometimes obeying the Word may be very difficult. It is easy to hear "love your neighbor", but it is obvious to anyone who tries to put them into practice how hard it is.
　Nevertheless, we are to seek the Word of the Lord. We should always keep our hearts open to hear His Word.
　When we seek the Word, hear the Word, and put the Word into practice (standing on the Word), we will surely realize that we are made to walk and made alive through the power of the Word and not by our own strength.
"Speak to me, O Lord. Your servant is listening." With this resolve and determination, let us walk in faith from now on.