By the Rev. Kathy Gilpin

It just so happened that it fell to me last year to preach on the calling of Peter, Andrew, Philip and Nathaniel. So this year, especially in light of the presidential inauguration, I would like to focus on an Old Testament lesson.

Samuel was the son of Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah. Sadly, Hannah appeared to be barren. Although her husband loved her nonetheless, Hannah grieved that she could not seem to conceive no matter what she did or how much she prayed.

One year when Elkanah, his wives and children, were at Shiloh on an annual pilgrimage to worship and sacrifice to the Lord, Hannah went off alone to pray. Eli, a priest, observed her and thought that she was drunk — her lips were moving but he heard no voice. When Eli spoke to Hannah, she told him that she was praying to God to end her grief. Eli pronounced a blessing on her, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him.”

Shortly after this, Hannah did conceive, and when the child was born she named him Samuel. In her prayers, Hannah promised the Lord that if she was given a son she would give him to God “for all of his days.” Good to her word, after Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him (along with an appropriate offering) to Shiloh. And as our passage from First Samuel states, “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli.”

Notice what follows — “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” In other words, God was angry with Eli and his sons, whose ancestors the Lord had chosen to serve Him and His people as priests. God refused to speak to His people through Eli and his sons because of the sons’ misuse of their position.

For example, they would take all of the prime cuts of meat for sacrifices and consume them themselves, and they were known to have sex with women who served at the sanctuary entrance. Although Eli rebuked them, he had no control over them; and so, God punishes Eli and his sons, and all future generations of Eli’s family, by taking away their positions as priests.

So the call to Samuel is a call to establish a new line of priests. Even though he was 12 at the time, Samuel is to be a prophet through which God will reestablish His relationship with Israel.

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For some time, I have had the feeling that when I read, or hear read, scriptures that tell of the troubled relations between the Israelites and the Lord, I can’t help but feel that the United States needs to take heed of these stories.

As was the case with the Israelites who were given a fertile land “running with milk and honey,” so the same could be said about the founders of this nation. There are prayers of thanksgiving to God in the Book of Common Prayer having to do with the bountiful land with which He has blessed us. But instead of working the land and protecting it as our ancestors did, in these latter decades we seem to have taken the attitude that the land is ours to do with as we please, to exploit it for what we can get from it with little regard for future generations. And there are those among us who, like the prophets of old, are warning us of the price we will pay if we don’t stop and consider what we are doing.

God’s covenant with Israel was a simple one — “Love Me and obey My commandments, and I will be your God and you will be My people.” When one looks at the early documents the founders of our nation authored, it is evident that they envisioned a nation that would be governed by God’s laws.

And although many of our laws are rooted in the Ten Commandments, we have become a litigious society that seems more interested in debating “the letter of the law” than in living by “the spirit of the law.” (There is a law firm that advertises on television and their catch phrase is “…working justice for you.” Not “working for justice” or “seeking justice,” but “working justice.”)

And when we read prophetic statements by Isaiah and Elijah and others of God’s prophets, we hear them admonishing those who are in power — both the spiritual and temporal leaders. They are told in no uncertain terms that they are in these positions in order to help all those who are under their influence, and yet what God has found is that they are using, or rather misusing, their positions in order to gain influence and wealth for themselves.

When we look around at many of our leaders do we not find the same thing happening? Jesus told His disciples on their last night together that if they wished to be leaders of men then they first had to learn to be servants. The word “minister” means “serve,” and this is something that all who are called to ministry need to keep forefront in our thoughts.

The same is true with elected officials — those who are called “public servants.” Too often we find that those in office seem to have forgotten that their job is to help make life better for those whom they represent.

Several months ago, Fr. Don Nickleson asked if I had read the article on some issue that was taking place here in Florida. I had to confess that I rarely read the newspaper. He looked at me in disbelief; then he informed me that if he was the bishop, he would demand that his deacons not only do the daily office but that they read the newspaper every day.

He shamed me by asking how I proposed to live out my vow “… to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world…” if I was not conversant in current events?

This made me think of a prayer of confession that I had been introduced to several years ago, in which I asked forgiveness for those things that I had done that I should not have done, for those things that I failed to do that I should have done, and (listen closely to this) “for those things done in my name.”

Just as Eli was not exempt from punishment because of what his sons did, so none of us will be exempt from punishment for those things that are repugnant to God that our leaders do in our name. As one Bible commentary puts it:

“We cannot speak of the grace of God, seen growing in Samuel, without acknowledging the wrath and judgment of God, exacting consequences for the sins of Eli’s sons. … Those who would serve God place themselves under both God’s grace and God’s judgment, … Perhaps this episode concerning Eli’s sons can help us to reflect on the risky business of leadership in God’s community. To treat leadership roles in self-serving ways is to treat God with contempt, and there might be more at stake than a job.” (The New Bible Commentary)

We, so it seems to me, have slowly but surely become a nation that is too prideful of its past, and believes that because of it we are free to do whatever we will. Many love to spout the saying, “My country right or wrong” while forgetting the all important second part — “if right to keep it right, if wrong to make it right.”

If we look carefully at the last half of the 20th century and at the opening years of this century, I believe there can be seen clear warning signs that indicate that we as a nation need to check our moral compass; we need to ask ourselves if we are following in our Lord’s footsteps or have struck off on our own path? Are we “following too much the devices and desires of our own hearts?” In the Baptismal Covenant and again in the Confirmation rite we promised to follow and obey [Jesus Christ] as our Lord. We also promised to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”

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If you look up the word inauguration in the dictionary you will discover that the root of this word is auger, which has to do with signs and omens. I hope the change in government that we celebrate every four years is a way for us to make a new start, for us to be aware of the signs, and to take stock of where we are as opposed to where we should be.

One of the definitions of inauguration is “a ceremonial dedication.” I would invite us all this coming Tuesday to consider rededicating ourselves to the service of our Lord. We might even consider saying the concluding prayer of the confirmation rite:

Almighty and everliving God, let your fatherly hand ever be over your servants; let your Holy Spirit ever be with [us]; and so lead [us] in the knowledge and obedience of your Word, that [we] may serve you in this life, and dwell with you in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.