Names are very important. They are more than merely a means of distinguishing between people in a conversation. If that were all they were about numbers would do. But people complain and rightly so if they are treated as merely a number and not a name. Names are personal. They not only labels but expressions of who we are. If you say someone is a Hitler you don't mean that they have the name "H-i-t-l-e-r" you mean that they are and evil person like the famous leader of Nazi Germany. I am sure before the 20th century the name Hitler had no bad connotations to it. But now it means more. In the same vein if you say someone is a Mother Theresa you mean more than they are a mother whose name is Theresa. You mean they are a person who loves and cares for the needy.

Let me tell you story about my name. My full name is Scott Alexander Stevenson. Most people are surprised when they find out that my first name is "Scott" because I always go by "Alex." But my father and sister and aunts and uncles and cousins still call me "Scott." Occasionally I will get a phone call and the person at the other end of the line will ask for Scott Stevenson. If I recognize the voice I know right away it is a relative. If I don't recognize the voice it is usually a salesperson who is reading my name off a list.

This brings us to an important point. Simply knowing what a person's name is, is not the same as knowing that person by name. Have you ever asked a salesperson an innocent question about their product and before you know it they are on a first name basis with you. Now I am usually a friendly person but there can be something manipulative about that. They are just pretending to know you on a first name basis so that they can sell you something.

So why am I rambling on about names? Because God know us by name. The author of Psalm 139 praises God by saying, "O Lord, you have searched me and known me." Then they go on to describe how God knows them. God has know them in their sitting down and their rising up. In other words God has known them in all their action. God has even know their thoughts from afar off.

I have been married almost nineteen years now. I probably know Melissa better than I know anyone else. But I still can't read her mind. Maybe this is a "guy" thing, but sometimes I think she is almost able to read my mind. But the Psalmist declares that God knows what he is going to say even before the words are formed.

And God's knowledge is not limited by time. Even before we existed God knew us. Even when we were being formed in our mother's womb God knew us entirely. God knew us because God was the one knitting us together as a Mother lovingly knits booties for a baby. It even says that before we were created God had written our days in a book. God's knowledge of us is so awesome that we mere humans are unable to fathom it.

It doesn't surprise me then that God called Samuel by name. The Bible tells us that the chief priest Eli and his sons had stopped listening to God. As a result the people were wandering away from God. But the temple servant boy Samuel was ready to hear. And God knew more than Samuel's name. The Bible tells us that it was by a miracle of God that Samuel had been born.

God knew Samuel inside and out. He knew that Samuel was one who could listen and convey his message to the people. The Sons of Eli would not listen and Eli was too old to carry on by himself so God called Samuel. The Bible says that Samuel was attending the flame in the temple when God spoke. That flame, like the flame on our altar candles, was a reminder of the presence of God. So he was doing basically the same kind of thing that our acolytes do.

One night God spoke calling "Samuel, Samuel." It is no surprise that Samuel thought it was Eli speaking. Eli had been like a father to Samuel taking care of him and helping him grow. God's voice must have sounded like the voice of a loving Father. God knew Samuel like a loving father and called him by name.

This same God, who knows us by name, is the God that Nathaniel encountered in Jesus. Philip, who had met Jesus just the day before came to Nathaniel and said, "I have found the one. The one that the prophets said was coming - the Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth." Nathaniel was a little doubtful. I mean you know what they say about Nazareth - that nothing good comes from there. But Nathaniel went to see this Jesus fellow anyway.

And when he arrived he was surprised that Jesus already knew him. Jesus knew him by name. He not only knew what his name was, but Jesus knew the kind of man Nathaniel was. He was an Israelite without guile. He was a true Israelite: one who truly looked for the coming of the Messiah and strove to be an example to the nations. And there was no deceit in his heart. But that wasn't all. Jesus even knew where Nathaniel had been before Philip came to him.

"How could this be?" Philip thought. Then maybe he remembered a song from the synagogue. "O Lord you have searched me and known me, you know my going out and my coming in." And in an instant he knew Jesus must be from God because he knew him as deeply as God. And Nathaniel said, "Truly you are the Son of God."

God knew the psalmist by name, God knew Samuel by name, God knew Nathaniel by name, and God knows you by name. Your Heavenly Father has searched you and known you. God knows your comings and your goings - your ups and downs. God is intimately acquainted with your way of thinking. God even knows what you are going to say before you say it.

Now that's scary. The Almighty is aware of things about me that are so dark that I even hide them from myself. I'm afraid that if others knew me like God knows me, they would hate me. But God still loves me. In fact God calls me the serve just as God called Samuel. Each day God calls "Scott, Scott." Not as a mere friend, but as a close relative, a Heavenly Father.

God knows you and God calls you by name too! God has searched you and known you. God knows when you come and go. God is even intimately acquainted with what you think. Don't you think it's about time you got to know God - to search out and know God? Don't you think it's about time that you became acquainted with God's comings and goings. And while you are doing that, take a lesson from Philip, and introduce God to a friend so they can get to know him too! top of this page

John 1:43-51

Christianity is organic! I want us to engage in a little exercise to demonstrate what I am talking about. I need two volunteers who will be willing to come up here. I promise I won't embarrass you.

I want to thank our volunteers first of all for being so brave. In a moment I will ask all of you who can to stand. I will whisper a secret into the two volunteers ears. Then they will go to the first row of chairs and tell them the secret. Once you hear the secret you tell two people near you. So the secret will progress through the congregation. Once you have heard the secret and had a chance to tell it, sit down. Of course we will run out of people so those on the sides and back will not have a chance to tell anyone so just sit down as soon as you hear the secret. To recap: I will tell these two the secret, they will tell two people, each of you will tell two people if possible, then you will sit down.

O.K. everybody stand. (whisper "Jesus is Lord" into volunteers ears. And wait until everyone is seated.) O. K. what's the secret? (Congregation - "Jesus is Lord!") But that's no secret. It's not a secret because you have heard it. But that is how Christianity spreads.

It grows like an organism as one person tells another. An organism grows by adding cells. In the same way the Kingdom of God grows by adding people who have heard and believed that Jesus is Lord.

Let's take a look at that process at work in Jesus' ministry. Our Scripture lesson from John today tells about Jesus calling Philip. Jesus found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." But it also tells us that Philip was from the same home town as Peter and Andrew. This is significant. That means that Philip already knew what kind of people Peter and Andrew were. He understood their character. Just the day before Peter and Andrew became Jesus' followers. When Jesus came to Philip he probably already had heard that Peter and Andrew were following him. That information probably had a profound impact on Philip's reaction to Jesus.

Something had a profound impact because of what Philip did. Philip immediately ran to Nathaniel and said, "We have found the one spoken of by the prophets." You notice he said "We have found..." I suppose that "we" included Peter and Andrew. So Nathaniel came to meet this prophet Philip had told him about.

When Nathaniel came Jesus acted like he already knew him. And we find out that Jesus had seen him sitting under a fig tree before Philip called him. I imagine that when Jesus came to Philip and said, "Follow me" he knew Philip would run to Nathaniel. Jesus could already see Philip talking to Nathaniel under that fig tree.

But that is not all! If you remember, before Jesus called Philip, God had moved Andrew and Peter to follow Jesus. I suppose that God knew what kind of impact their decision to follow Jesus would have on Philip. In a sense God orchestrated this whole series of events. Andrew and Peter decided to follow Jesus. Their decision moved Philip. Philip tells Nathaniel. And Jesus is just standing back watching the dominos fall. And enjoying every minute of it.

This chain of events demonstrates how God reaches people. God uses other people to call us to become disciples. If you look at your past I am sure you will see that. Many people influenced our decisions to follow Christ: parents, relatives, Sunday School teachers, neighbors, maybe even a few preachers. Their commitment to Christ was a testimony to you. And often, when Jesus called you, it was through their words and actions.

I can see that in my own past. I remember a Sunday School teacher, a choir director, Billy Graham, a few preachers. One person who had a profound influence on my spiritual life was my mother. She never preached to me. I never remember her sitting me down and explaining salvation to me. She never served on a church committee or board. She never lead a worship service or taught a Sunday School class. She assisted in Sunday School but she was never the teacher. I don't even remember her praying out loud. But she went to church and prayed. She lived the Christian life right before my eyes. Volunteering for the Red Cross and other benevolent causes. And that quiet life was a powerful witness to me.

But I wasn't the only person she influenced. At my Mom's funeral my Uncle David told about how she influenced his decision to follow Christ. She didn't preach to him or sit him down to read selected Bible passages. He knew she believed in Jesus. But one day he wandered into her bedroom, his big sister's room, and found some tracts. And he read those tracts and accepted Christ. My Uncle David retired a few years ago but is back at work as a minister of Christian Education. But for 30 to 40 years he has been involved in mission work in one way or another. Establishing churches in Venezuela and Mexico, and being an administrator for his mission agency. I wonder how many people my mother's faith has influenced and will continue to influence. I have no way of knowing how many people have been led to Christ through my Uncle's ministry. I have no way of knowing how many will be led to Christ through my ministry. But I imagine that years ago when Jesus said "follow me" to Velma Coots, the sister of David Coots and future mother of Alex Stevenson, he could see my uncle David and me. I also imagine that Jesus could see all the people my Uncle David and I would reach too.

We are all a part of this process. Christ called those people who influenced us. And when Jesus called them he could already see you responding to his call. Who did Christ see when you were called. You may not know who you will reach or when, but you are part of God's plan to reach someone.

What can we do to be faithful to God as we play our part in this plan?

1. Pray: Pray for those around you; your children, parents, friends, neighbors, and so on. We don't lead people to Christ on our own. I have never led anyone to Christ on my own and neither has Billy Graham or any other evangelist or preacher. Jesus uses us, but it is really Jesus through the Holy Spirit that does the leading. We can do nothing apart from Christ, so turn to him first. If you never do anything else, pray!

2. Live: Live a Christian life for all to see. Let people see the joy of your salvation. And don't be afraid to let them know of your pain and disappointment either. They will see your faith and that will influence them. But they will also see God at work in your life.

3. Speak: You don't have to preach to tell others of your faith. You could simply share what God has done in your life. It can be in a formal setting like in a Sunday School class. Or you can giver your testimony at one of our Wednesday night prayer gatherings. As Christians we see the world differently then others, let that point of view influence your speech. If someone says, "It's a beautiful morning" respond "Yes, thank God." Or if you will meet someone say, "I'll be there Lord willing." Tell friends that you have been praying for them. Instead of saying "Isn't she lucky" say "Isn't she blessed." People will pick up on your faith and that will influence them.

4. Invite: When the time is right, invite a friend to follow Christ. Like Philip, run to Nathaniel and say "We have found the one the prophets talked about." Ask them to pray with you or for you. We all need prayer, but we are afraid to ask for it. Someone might think something is wrong. I need your prayers all the time. I need them because I do have a problem. God had called me to carry the Gospel to the people of our community and that job is too big for me, pray for me. Invite them to church.

Jesus comes to you and says "follow me." And Jesus can already see the people you will influence. Go to those people and tell them of Jesus just as Philip told Nathaniel. Then they can come and know the Messiah too.

1 Samuel 3:1-10

Our Story begins with the statement: "The Word of God was rare in those days; visions were not widespread." That seems like an innocent enough statement, but it was serious. The people had no connection with their God. In that Day and time, Eli and his sons were the leaders of the people. But Eli's sons were evil. The Bible tells us they were scoundrels who cared nothing for the Lord. Because their leaders were lost, the people of God were lost. They had no guidance or direction in their lives.

Let's get one thing straight, it says, "the word of God was rare" but that is not because God was not talking. God never intends to leave the people of God with no vision to give them direction. The problem was that the people of Samuel's day were not listening for God's word; they were not looking for God's vision. The leaders were corrupt and cared nothing for God. And the people had followed them into worldliness and disregard for God's will.

But one young man was ready to hear. That is why it is so important to note that the Word of God was rare in Samuel's day. Because God was about to bring that Word to them.

We live in the "information age" so maybe we don't appreciate the weight of this problem. Permit me to explain it to you. You see if the people of God have no vision, then they are lost. With no vision from God to give them direction how are they to know what to do. How can a servant do the master's will if she or he will not listen to the commands the master is giving?

The people of God with no vision are like a group of blind people trying to lead one another. Jesus talked about the blind leading the blind. I saw that one day! On a street in Columbia I saw a blind man and woman. The woman had her hand on the man's arm and he was leading her. But he had a seeing eye dog to lead him.

You see people in general are spiritually blind. People need divine guidance to give them direction. The people of God need God's vision to help them just like that blind couple needed the dog's vision to guide them. If there is no vision from God, the people of God are lost. At best they will not arrive at the destination the master has planned for them. At worst they will fall in a ditch on the way. That is the danger God's people faced when Samuel was a boy ministering in the temple.

Like I said before; it was not God's fault that the Word of God was rare and that the people had no vision. It was the fault of the leaders of the people; mainly the sons of Eli. The Almighty didn't want to leave the people in darkness, so God went about calling a prophet for the people. God decided to find someone who could receive the guidance and the vision that God had for them. Someone who would follow that divine guidance and lead the people.

So there was Samuel. Asleep in the temple. Apparently his job was to attend to the light that burned in the temple. That light was kept burning in the darkness to remind the people of the presence of God in that holy place. In many ways Samuel was performing a task like that done by our acolytes today. Then it happened: God called "Samuel! Samuel!" Now Samuel heard the voice but he did not know it was God who was calling him. He thought it was Eli. So he went running to Eli. But Eli told Samuel it was not him; to go back to bed. Once again the voice came, "Samuel!" Again Samuel ran to Eli and Eli once again told him to lie down. A third time it called and Samuel ran to Eli again.

Now this is where to story takes an important turn. Eli realized that it was God who was calling the boy. When God calls a prophet or leader, God does not expect that person to be passive. When God calls, God requires a response. Eli knew this. So he told Samuel to go back to bed. And when the voice came again he should respond. So once again God called Samuel. And this time Samuel responded, "Speak for your servant heareth. And Samuel became a great prophet and leader of God's people.

This story is appropriate for us today because we today live in an age when the word of God is rare. In the world people are lost. They have no sense of direction. People seek vainly after wealth or power. Or they chase the pleasures of the world. All in and attempt to find something with some meaning or worth. And when they can't, they try to lose themselves in drugs or other indulgences. Without direction people wander into the pitfalls of sin because they are spiritually blind.

I don't think most people realize how serious this is. Without the word of God we as humans are incomplete. In Genesis it describes God creating the first human. It says that God formed the human out of the dust of the earth then God breathed life into it. So human beings are basically the dust of the earth made alive by the breath of God.

But God is speaking and some have listened. God has given a vision of where God's people should be going. This weekend we remember one of those people. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a vision. He had a dream of a world where people are judged by the content of their character and not, the color of their skin. That dream has not been fully realized yet. We have come a long way, but we have not arrived yet.

Where would we be without the guiding vision of Martin Luther or John Wesley or Dietrich Bonheoffer or Martin Luther King, Jr. or others? We would be lost. We would be like the people in Samuel's day. Do you see what I mean?

I personally am particularly drawn to the story of Samuel's calling. When I was a young boy I was an acolyte in Lee Road U.M.C. Like Samuel I had the task of keeping watch over the lights which represented God's presence. From that early time I felt something pulling me to ministry. I didn't know what it was. Like Samuel I did not know it was the voice of God calling me. But there were a number of Eli's who helped me hear God's voice. They were Sunday School Teachers and Choir directors and ministers. They helped me to respond to that calling.

Without a vision of God's will for us, we are lost. But God will not leave us visionless. God is too good to let us grope blindly around in the dark. God is calling people to be prophets and leaders. God is calling young and old people alike. But they need people to help them hear that call.

That task of helping God raise up people to receive the vision and proclaim it to the world is a job for all of us. God is calling all of God's people into ministry. We are here in the temple of God. And the lights are burning. And God calls, "Central! Central!" Will we respond, or will we pull the covers over our head and go back to sleep. And God calls, "Central! Central!" Join me and together we will say, "Master speak, your servant is listening!"