Today's sermon is the second in a series on transitions. Life is full of transitions--happy

Transcription

1 SERMON TITLE: "Transitions: Give Loved Ones to God" SERMON TEXT: 1 Samuel 1:21-28 PREACHER: Rev. Kim James OCCASION: May 12, 2013, (Mother's Day) at Wesley UMC INTRODUCTION Today's sermon is the second in a series on transitions. Life is full of transitions--happy ones like graduations, new romances, new family members; and not-so-happy transitions like deaths, divorces, and losses of health. And I hope that what I say this morning will help you with whatever kind of personal transitions you might be going through in your life. But, here at Wesley, we're going through a time of congregational transition, as well. So mostly I'm aiming this sermon in that direction. Because I will be moving to Ogden, Utah, in June, and Rev. Emilie Forward will be coming here to Wesley in July, we have some intentional work to do to help us all with the changes that are coming. Sure, we could optimistically stick our heads in the sand and pretend that we won't be affected by grief, loss, and the surprises of new ways of doing things. But we will. Or we could pessimistically insist that this transition will hurt so much we won't be able to bear it. But that doesn't have to be true either. If we plan carefully, and say our good-byes and hellos well, most things will work out just fine. And, when the transition is over, we may all be in a better place, finding that the changes have caused us to grow in our faith and our leadership, giving us renewed commitment to God and the ministries of the church. That's why, last week, we started out with Jesus telling his disciples not to be troubled about his leaving. Today, in the story of mother Hannah and her young son Samuel, we get the message that sometimes the right thing to do is to let go. Let's dive right in and see how Hannah's motherly experience might help us give our loved ones to God.

2 2 1. THE BIBLICAL STORY The early verses of First Samuel chapter one tell us that Hannah was the first wife of Elkanah. Family values were pretty different 3000 years ago, as we can quickly tell from the fact that Elkanah also had another wife named Peninnah. It's quite possible that Elkanah took Peninnah as his second wife because of the fact that Hannah had born him no children. In those days, the value of a wife was largely determined by her ability to bear children for her husband. While Elkanah still loved Hannah, Hannah felt very badly about her lack of children. And her sister-wife, or rival-wife, Peninnah, who had borne many sons and daughters, was more than happy to rub Hannah's face in her maternal failing. Hannah's sense of inadequacy and Peninnah's provocation were all the more poignant during their family's annual trips to the tabernacle in Shiloh. Year after year, when Elkanah offered sacrifices to God on behalf of his sons and daughters, it was painfully clear which wife had the zero score. So, on this one particular occasion, which might have been similar to a Mother's Day worship service, Hannah was feeling especially bad, and she wept and cried out to the Lord in prayer. In her prayer, Hannah made a vow that if God would give her a son, she would give him back to the Lord. Eli the priest noticed Hannah's emotional prayer and told her that God would grant her request--which, in fact, God did. In due time, Hannah gave birth to a son and named him Samuel. That background gets us to the verses Alyce read for us today. In verse 21, it's now time for the first annual trip since Samuel's birth. We might think that Hannah would be eager to go, for now she would finally have a son to brag about. Finally, Elkanah could offer a sacrifice to God for her child. It would be like a victory celebration. But Hannah stayed behind. She said she wanted to wean Samuel first.

3 3 Maybe Hannah, who waited so long for a child to be born, was now being very cautious and protective, to make sure her baby wouldn't get sick and die. Or maybe the wise, older mother somehow knew that infants need to develop strong bonds with their birth parents to avoid having all kinds of problems later in life. Whatever her reasons for not going to Shiloh in that first year or two or three, Hannah eventually did exactly what she had promised. When her son Samuel was weaned, Hannah let go of her precious child. When young Samuel could safely be transferred from her care to that of Eli the priest, Hannah took him to Shiloh and gave her loved one to God. 2. WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM HANNAH I think there are some lessons we can learn from Mother Hannah that will help us when it's time for us to give our loved ones to God. The first one is don't have any regrets. If you are raising children, don't neglect them. Don't put them off. Don't be like the father in the song "Cat's in the Cradle"--the father who never had time for his child until the child was grown up and never had time for his dad. Hannah was right to devote herself to Samuel during his most formative years. Why is it that human mammary glands are in the front of our bodies near our faces, instead of under our bellies like so many other mammals? It's because human children need a tremendous amount of face-to-face time for the intricacies of the brain to develop. Even we children who were mostly bottle fed were usually held in the arms of our mothers. While we infants were nursing, our mothers talked to us and sang to us. They made wonderful eye contact and facial expressions and taught us how to express ourselves. There's nothing better for a baby than that kind of devoted closeness between parent and infant child. When we are sure that such time and attention have been given, it's easier to allow a child to grow up and go.

4 4 Since most of us in this room are not currently raising infants, we can apply this same wisdom to other people and other kinds of relationships. It's always easier to let go well if we have been in relationship well. Obviously, that doesn't mean we have to spend the same kind of time with a casual acquaintance as we do with our children or our spouse. But we should strive to have quality relationships. If we have been kind, compassionate, friendly, and wise while we have known someone, then saying good-bye will go better. If we have been honest, helpful, and established good boundaries, then we won't have bad feelings haunting us after we part company. In April, Sara Carpenter, Skip Ladd, and I went to a Transitions Workshop sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Conference. The leader of that workshop told us about the "ghost" that sometimes hangs around a church after a minister has moved away. That's not a good thing. I sure don't want my ghost haunting you folks. So how do we prevent that from happening? We prevent it by making sure that we have loved each other well while we're together. We prevent it by forgiving each other for any offenses that might still be bothering us from the past. We prevent it by going through the rituals and emotions of closure. And we prevent it by fully engaging in the next relationships--i with my new congregation in Ogden and you with Rev. Emilie Forward here at Wesley. A second learning from this story of mother Hannah is it's OK to give our loved ones to God. I'm not saying this is easy. If our loved ones are pleasant and comforting to us, we want them to stay close. If our loved ones cause us extreme worry and hardship, even then we may feel like we need to keep them constantly in our prayers and on our minds. We may feel like it's our responsibility to solve their problems. We may feel like giving them over to God is giving up on them. But that's not what Mother Hannah teaches us. Hannah teaches us that the ones

5 5 God gives us don't really belong to us. We are only their companions and caretakers for a time. Whether positive or negative, their potential and their destiny are much too big for us to control. These ones that we love really belong to God. CONCLUSION Did any of you watch Orb come from behind to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 4? I don't watch other sports very much, but I do like to watch that annual two-minute Super Bowl of horse racing. I think what got me hooked on the Kentucky Derby was the book and then the movie Seabiscuit. Since we own the DVD, I have watched the movie probably more times than most of you. But maybe you also remember that the majority of the story is about the jockey Johnny "Red" Pollard. Johnny's life began in Alberta, Canada, where he lived with his mother and father and younger siblings. Before the Great Depression hit, the family was comfortable and educated. They had a passion for books and could quote the great authors and poets. Their family life seemed rich and loving. Their relationships were deep and close. But, like so many other families during the Great Depression, the Pollards went on very hard times and were forced to hit the road in search of work and food. So, when Johnny's talent for horseback riding came to the attention of a race-horse owner in need of a jockey, Johnny's dad saw an opportunity for his teenage son to earn a living that they couldn't provide. Despite Johnny's reluctance to leave his family, despite his parents' hurting hearts, and despite the fact that none of them knew for sure what the future would bring--the wiser, more mature parents had to take this risk. The love of father and mother for their son informed them that they had to let Johnny go. For his sake, for the sake of their other children, for the desperate hope that they'd all be better off, they handed Johnny their beloved bag of books and told him good-bye.

6 6 Fortunately, you and I aren't leaving each other under extreme financial duress or any other kind of terrible circumstance. The Staff Parish Relations Committee isn't forcing me out. The bishop and district superintendents aren't making me move against my will. And I'm not leaving mad or unhappy. Fourteen years is a good long time to serve this church, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished together. I hope you feel the same. Without any regrets, it's OK to give our loved ones to God.