Mark 2:23-3:6

Everyone was still wondering about Jesus. He had just begun his ministry. He had been going around preaching that the Kingdom of God was at hand. He had cast out demons, healed the sick, cleansed lepers. At one point he even appeared to claim to have the power to forgive sins then he healed a man to prove his power.

People were trying to figure Jesus out so they kept a close eye on him. They asked him questions and they watched what his disciples were doing hoping to understand the ultimate end of all his teaching and miracle working. Then one Sabbath as Jesus and his disciples were walking to the synagogue, the disciples were seen breaking grain off the stalks as they walk through a field and eating them. Of course as travelers the laws of Moses gave them that right, but on the Sabbath.!? Was Jesus teaching his disciples not to keep the Sabbath Holy?!

Some of the Pharisees confronted Jesus about this hoping to put a wedge between him and the people who followed him. But Jesus made it clear that God saw the necessity of satisfying human hunger even on the Sabbath. He even pointed out that David had acted on that basis when he as a refugee and those fleeing with him ate Sacred bread. Then Jesus said, "God created the Sabbath for people not people for the Sabbath." In other words God considered keeping people more important than keeping the Sabbath.

With these thought and words still in the people's minds Jesus entered the Synagogue. There was a man there with a withered hand and the Pharisees wanted to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath. When Jesus saw what was happening he called the man forward and asked the Pharisees "Is it lawful to do good or bad on the Sabbath." Of course it is always lawful to do good and not to do bad but they were silent because their hearts were hard. So Jesus told the man to stretch out his hand and he did and was healed. The people probably thought, "The Pharisees couldn't heal the man but Jesus could! Maybe Jesus knows what he is talking about and the Pharisees are the ones in the dark."

It seems silly to us that so much was made of the Sabbath by the Pharisees, but consider it from their point of view. God had declared that the Sabbath was holy and should be kept holy. It would be proper for them to be concerned that some new teaching might compromise that belief in the people. So they were concerned when the disciples appeared to be breaking the Sabbath. Which raises and issue for us. How do we keep the Sabbath? Well, as Christians we keep the Lord's Day not the literal Sabbath. "Sabbath" means 7th and the seventh day of the week is Saturday. We Christians worship on Sunday because that is the day of the week that Jesus rose form the dead.

But what does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy. In the Bible the word "holy" means set apart. Holy things are set aside for divine purposes. The temple was holy because God set is apart for sacrifice and worship. Israel was holy because God set them aside for a divine purpose. So the Sabbath, whether on Saturday or Sunday, is holy because it is a day set aside for divine purpose. So even though we Christians should worship everyday and the church holds service at other times our main worship service as a congregation is held on Sundays. But how do we keep this day holy - set aside for divine purpose?

Jesus' words help us understand the true meaning of the Sabbath for Christians. Jesus said that God created the Sabbath for humanity not humanity for the Sabbath. God did not declare that we keep one day out of seven holy just to lay an extra burden on us. God knows that we need that time. We need to be able to stop and focus on our real purpose for living. In our day to day lives we tend to love sight of that so we need to be reminded every week.

God knows that people need to eat so he provided food. God knows that people need clothes so he provided fibers from which clothing can be made. God knows that people need shelter so God provided materials and knowledge for making shelters. God also knows that we need spiritual rest and nourishment so God established that one day in seven should be set aside.

The problem is most people know Jesus said that the Sabbath was created for humanity so they decide they can do with it as they please. They decide that since God gave it to them they can use it as they see best. But Jesus didn't say that we are lords of the Sabbath. Jesus said, "The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." "Son of Man" is a title for the Messiah. Jesus is saying that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Then he proved he was Lord of the Sabbath. He used the Sabbath to help a man with a withered hand by miraculously healing him and also thus proving his authority over the Sabbath.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. So does that mean it is wrong to work on Sunday? We can all agree that Doctors and nurses and Pharmacists and emergency workers need to be on the job on the Sabbath. People who work in nursing homes or who operate other essentials need to be on the job. But what about restaurants, or grocery stores. Is it a sin to mow your yard on Sunday. Someone once asked if it was proper to go fishing on Sunday given that you have gone to church first. Someone else responded, "No, as long as you don't catch anything. If you catch something you have to clean it and that is work." And what about blue laws. Should Christians work on Sundays?

Well, is it lawful to pluck grain on the Sabbath or to do good or bad? The real issue is, "Is Jesus Lord of your Sabbath?" I think Christians should avoid working on the Sunday if at all possible. I place the burden not on the people who work in a factory on the Sabbath. I place the burden on those who make them work on the Sabbath. I think Christian business owners should be willing to close on the Sabbath so that their workers don't have to come to work instead of going to church. If a Christian works on Sunday morning they should find alternatives to Sunday morning worship. Many churches have services at other times during the week. People who work on Sundays can also hold services in their work place during a break. There are many options!

What is important is that time is set aside as holy - for divine purpose. Under special circumstances I believe that God set aside times other than Sundays for people. Christians need to take those times for worship and spiritual renewal.

But all this talk of working on Sunday is skirting the real issue: "Is Jesus Lord of your Sabbath?" What do you do on Sunday? (Let congregation answer the question.) You all have come to church this Sunday. That is good. One would consider that a good thing to do to keep the Sabbath holy. But why did you come to church? Was it to worship God and become a better disciples throughout the week? Or did you come to see friends or be seen? Did you come to relax in beautiful surroundings, to hear some pretty music, and maybe an eloquent message? You remember that the Pharisees were in the Synagogue on the Sabbath just as Jesus was. But they came to accuse the Son of God. Jesus, on the other hand, came to serve God by healing a man. Do you come to church for Jesus or for yourself?

Some of us get together with family for Sunday Dinner. That can be good. In an age when the extended family is being pulled further apart it is good and a Godly thing to try to hold those relationships together. But is the purpose of that Family time to glorify God or to serve self? And does that family time prevent you from going to church or participating in congregational activities?

Is Jesus Lord of your Sabbath? Do you wake up on Sunday with the goal of focusing on him and being refreshed and nourished by his presence. Or do you see Sunday as another Saturday with an hour at church - sometimes. If you are not sure whether Jesus is Lord of your Sabbath then there is a larger issue at hand. If Jesus is not Lord of your Sundays, then who is Lord of the rest of your life?

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 may 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!"

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 an 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.

This brings us to an important point. Simply knowing what a persons name 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 ten 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 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. 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 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 Nathanael encountered in Jesus. Philip, who had met Jesus just the day before came to Nathanael and said, "I have found the one. The one that the prophets has said was coming - the Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth." Nathanael was a little doubtful. I mean you know what they say about Nazareth - that nothing Good comes from there. But Nathanael 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 Nathanael 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 their was no deceit in his heart. But that wasn't all. Jesus even knew where he 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 a instant he knew Jesus must be from God because he knew him as deeply as God. And Nathanael said, "Truly you are the Son of God."

God know you by name. Your Heavenly Father has searched you an 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 friends 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!