Reuben's Sermon for The Second Sunday in Epiphany:
Reuben's Theme: "God is calling you - LISTEN!"
(Epiphany 2)
Eucharist at 0900hrs. and Morning Worship at 1045hrs at Cullercoats Methodist Church.
Sunday, 19th. January 2003 Anno Domini.
Morning Services: 1Samuel: 3.1-10 John: 1.43-51 (following the Methodist Lectionary)

January 19, 2003 Cycle B Epiphany 2.

COLLECT
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and, in the renewal of our lives, make known your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

FIRST READING
1Samuel:3.1­10 (NIV)

The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
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 answered, "Here I am."
And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realised that the LORD was calling the boy.
So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

GOSPEL
John:1.43­51 (NIV)

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."
"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you."
Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig-tree. You shall see greater things than that."
He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Reuben's Theme: "God is calling you! - LISTEN!"

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

In the early hours (before the oil for the lamp ran out, as it would at dawn), when he is on duty near the ark, inside the tabernacle, Samuel hears God speak to him for the first time - a message of Judgement for Eli. From this time on, Samuel is God's messenger, and the whole nation knows it, from Dan in the far north to Beersheba on the edge of the southern desert.

Samuel hears God speak to him.

This story, from the history of the Jewish Nation, has always fascinated me.

It's fascinated me since I first heard it in sunday-school...
...and believe me... ...that's a long time ago.

The thing that I like about it is Samuel hears God's call...
...but doesn't know it's God.

That wonderful frustration as you listen to the story...

We know God is calling Samuel...
...but the young Samuel hasn't a clue!

Almost like a pantomime.

As Samuel hears his name being called... "Samuel"
he goes to Eli, "Here I am, you called me"...
and we're in the audience shouting out,

"It's not him - there... ...it's God - over there!"

Eli soon realises what's going on, to the relief of those of us following the narrative, and tells Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'"

How do we know when God speaks to us?
How do we know when God calls us?
How does God communicate with us?

Let me tell you a story.

About eight or nine years ago, some of you may remember, that there was a regular 'Sunday Morning Car Boot Sale' on Beaconsfield - right next to Saint George's Church.
Hundreds of cars would be parked all over the place...
...so many that there wasn't enough room...
...so many that cars were parking illegally; on double yellow lines and even on the pavements.
At Saint George's Church, many people (including myself) spoke out against the terrible encroachment on our worship...
...the inconvenience caused by the volume of traffic...
...the amount of parked cars...
...and the terrible noise.
Things became so bad that yellow lines were painted in on the road alongside the church to help keep the front of the church (and the entrance to the Beverley Gardens) clear.
We all got a little hot under the collar, after all, it was Sunday and people should be at church on a Sunday morning (and anyway, we were there first).
Secretly, I think we were annoyed that so many people were enjoying themselves in the field next to our church when they should have been at church.
I can't imagine many of us complaining if there were cars parked illegally because so many people had turned up for the worship on a Sunday Morning.

Let me leave you with that thought for a moment and tell you about a meeting I attended at about the same time as the 'Car Boot Sales'.

The meeting was organised by Fr. Mike Cattling, our assistant curate at the time, and was a meeting of the 'Worship Planning Group' which had been formed to plan and organise 'one-off' services and services for special events.
I remember that we had just completed the planning for a Saint George's Day Special Service.
All the arrangements having been completed, Fr. Mike asked for any suggestions for other services that might involve people who don't regularly attend church. We all looked thoughtful and after a short while one person (normally quite quiet and shy) said, "What about the 'Car Boot Sale'?".
"Yes," we all agreed, "it was a problem and a terrible nuisance."
"No," she said, "We should look on them as a blessing from God. Why don't we have a special service and go out to them?".
"What?" we all gasped (even Fr. Mike was looking a little anxious).
"Yes," she continued, "surely God has brought these people to us, we should go out to them and share the Gospel".
"Of course we should." "What a wonderful idea."
"Yes marvellous - Just as the Bible teaches us to do."
"Mission and ministry - the Decade of Evangelism."
We all slowly sank into our seats and tried not to look at anyone else in case we were asked to actually do something. Let's face it, most of us have problems plucking up the courage to go knocking on a door for "Christian Aid". It was a case of what a wonderful idea, but - NOT ME!
Well, despite a few attempts to organise such a service, it never happened. Other special services were organised, but not that one. Eventually the 'Car Boot Sale' went away.

Had God been speaking to me?
Was I being called to take the Gospel to others?

As a direct result of that experience, I, an ordinary man, happy to be just one of the congregation, did something I did not want to do.

It started in the Bay Hotel, here in Cullercoats.

I was having a drink with Fr. Colin Patterson.

God spoke to me.

I didn't know it at the time, but God spoke to me.

The words came out of Fr. Colin's mouth...

The voice was Fr. Colin's...

"I think you should put your name forward to train to be a Lay-Reader."

I can tell you now that I came up with loads of excuses why this would be a bad idea, the main one being the fact that I hated the idea.

Me! Stand up in front of people! Lead services! Preach sermons!

No no no no... ...not me!

That night, at home, in bed, I could not sleep.

How could Fr. Colin think I would be any good as a Reader?

I didn't have the skill, the knowledge, or the courage to take such a big step.

I thought about Jonah, who tried to avoid God's call because he was frightened.

I thought about Jeremiah in his early twenties and his reluctance in becoming God's spokesman, as Moses before him.

At least they knew it was God calling them.

Was God calling me?

I thought of Samuel.
He didn't know it was God calling him... ...not at first.
Eli told him.
"Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'"

I found myself dwelling on these Bible passages in my mind.
Just like Nathanael who, in our Gospel reading today, was following Jewish custom and was meditating on the scriptures just before Philip called him.

That's when Jesus came to Nathanael, when he was thinking about his Bible readings.

That's when God comes to all of us, when we do what we are doing now - Thinking about what we have heard in today's readings.

As I lay there in bed I actually said, out loud,

"Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."

I was shaking with nerves.
Was God going to answer me?
Was I about to hear a deep resounding voice calling me, like you see in the movies?
It's amazing what ideas can go through your mind in the middle of the night.

Well, there was no booming voice - nothing.

My mind began to wander.

Then, I remembered the 'Car Boot Sale' and how I felt I had not answered God's call then.
"You're giving me a second chance, aren't you?" I said out loud in the empty room.
"Yes," I could hear in my mind, "you don't want to, but you must do this!"
Something in here told me.
No special effects... No thunder or lightning... No booming voice.
Just a still, quiet voice deep inside... "You must do this!"

So...
I submitted myself to a nerve-racking and rigourous selection committee.
I went through three very hard years of lectures, tutorials, essays, assignments, projects and training...
I became a Reader (or lay minister) in the Church of England - licensed to the Diocese of Newcastle and based at Saint George's Church in Cullercoats.

God speaks to all of us, but we must open our minds to the Bible and open our hearts to Jesus.

...and listen to that little man... ...deep inside.

In 1944 Billy Walker (who directed the film Sunset Boulevard) directed a film based, on a novel written by James M. Cain.
Adapted by writer Raymond Chandler (who wrote "The Big Sleep") the film was called "Double Indemnity".
A thrilling story about an insurance man, Walter Neff (played by Fred MacMurray), who schemes the perfect murder with the beautiful Phyllis Dietrichson (played by Barbara Stanwyck).
Together, they plan to kill Phyllis' husband and make off with the insurance money, but of course, once the deed is done, things go wrong...
The insurance investigator, Walter Neff's boss, is Barton Keyes (played by Edward G. Robinson).
The first time I saw the film, and I've seen it several times since, was over 40 years ago. I would have been almost 10 years old.
The one thing that stuck in my mind, all those years ago, was when Barton Keyes, Walter's boss, said he always knew when an insurance claim was false because there was a little man.
A little man in here. [Holds clenched fist hard against the top of the stomach, just below the chest.]
He knew when something was wrong because that little man would eat away inside him.
He could feel it. [Holds clenched fist hard against the top of the stomach, just below the chest.]
I knew exactly what he meant.
You can tell when something is right, or something is wrong because that little man is there in all of us.

Nathanael knows...
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

and Jesus says, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig-tree? You shall see greater things than that."

He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

'The Son Of Man' is Jesus' favourite description of Himself.
The title was one applied to the Messiah in Daniel 7:13-14.

"I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Jesus was referring of Jacob's dream of a stairway between heaven & earth (Genesis 28:12).

Jesus is Himself a 'ladder' giving us all access to God.

So...

My message to you - today - is that God is calling all of us...

...all of you...

in so many different ways

through so many different situations

and through so many different people.

God speaks to all of us, but we must open our minds to the Bible and open our hearts to Jesus.

Jesus - our stairway to heaven.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.