September 12, 2024
The young boy was sure he heard the voice of Eli calling in the darkness. He heard his name whispered: “Samuel. Samuel.” Yet, it was not a whisper he heard with his ears; it seemed to be a whisper to his heart. He sprang up and ran to Eli. The ever-cranky Eli opened one eye, rolled it, and said, “I didn’t say anything. Go back to bed.” Samuel shrugged and trod back to bed. Yet as soon as his head hit the pillow, there was the soft whisper again; “Samuel. Samuel.” He went back to Eli, so sure that he was being summoned. Eli again, this time with even more crankiness, told him to get back to bed. This happened a third time with Samuel poking his head into Eli’s room. Eli was about to really let Samuel have it, when a wave of awareness came over him. Perhaps Eli had heard a similar such voice speaking to his heart in his younger days. This time, Eli softened his voice and said, “The next time you hear your name whispered, say, ‘Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.’”
Have you ever heard your name spoken in such a way? Have you ever heard your name said in a way that seemed to be full of familiarity, of love, of calling?
Each and every one of us has a calling that God has placed upon our lives. And for the next few weeks, we are going to explore that call. The Greek word for “to be called” is the word kaleo. It doesn’t just mean to “call” to someone from across the room; it means “to summon” or “to call someone to a special task.” During this sermon series, we are going to explore the big questions around what it means for us to be called as individuals and for us to be calling as a congregation:
Kaleo: Find Your Call
- September 15 – What is a Calling? (Jeremiah 1:4-10)
- September 22 – Who is Called? (Amos 7:7-15)
- September 29 – Where are we Called? (Ezekiel 1:1-5, 15-17; 2:1-2)
- October 6 – World Communion Sunday; Rev. Christy Edwards preaching
- October 13 – When are we Called? (Esther 4:9-17)
- October 20 – How are we Called? (1 Samuel 3:1-10); Rev. Tammy Stocks preaching
- October 27 – Why are we Called? (Mark 1:14-20)
