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26th Sunday after Pentecost (year b)
Proper 28 (33)

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Texts & Discussion:
1 Samuel 1:4-20 and
1 Samuel 2:1-10 or
Daniel 12:1-3 and
Psalm 16
Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25
Mark 13:1-8

Other Resources:

Commentary:

Matthew Henry,    Wesley

Word Study:
Robertson

This Week's Themes:

Hope in God
Boldness through Christ
The End Times

 



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 Texts in Context | Imagining the Texts -- First Lesson Epistle Gospel | Prayer&Litanies |  Hymns & Songs | Children's Sermons | Sermons


Sermons:


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Answers to Prayer: Yes, No, or Not Yet
a sermon based on 1 Samuel 1:4-20
by Rev. Randy L Quinn

 Most of us can name a time in our lives when there was a change or a transition.  We can remember a time when life was “different” than it is now, or we can point to a date on the calendar and say it was a turning point in our lives.

Ø      Sometimes that transition had to do with work – we either found a job or retired from work.

Ø      Sometimes the turning point had to do with school – we either began a degree program or finished our studies. 

Ø      Sometimes that change had to do with our marital circumstances – we became married or widowed or divorced. 

Ø      And sometimes that transition had to do with children – we gave birth to children, adopted children, or watched the last child leave our home.

We can name a time “before” and a time “after” the event.  The changes were not always what we expected, but there were consequences that took place as a result.  After some changes, our lives become better; while other changes may make things worse.

As I read the story of Hannah, I am struck by the various characters in the story that act as if everything is OK the way it is.  They don’t seem to want anything to change.  Hannah is the only one who thinks there is a need for change; everyone else acts as if there is no need for transition.

Ø      Peninnah likes being able to torment Hannah – she seems to get as much pleasure from Hannah’s reaction as she does her own children (vv. 6-7)!

Ø      Elkanah seems to think his love for Hannah should be sufficient for her – that she doesn’t need anything other than his undying affection (vv. 5, 8).

Ø      Eli doesn’t want people disrupting the worship service – even when he finds out she isn’t drunk, he expects her to leave the premises (v. 7).

Only Hannah wants things to change.

And given the fact that things are not going very well for her, I guess, that’s understandable.  If we think back and reflect on our own lives, I’m sure we can name a similar time when things were not going well for us, a time when we longed for something else.  It may not be as dramatic as Hannah’s desires, but certainly there was a time when you wished things were different.

Ø      Maybe you were struggling through school and wished for easier classes.

Ø      Maybe you were lonely and hoped to meet someone, maybe even marry someone.

Ø      Maybe you had a boss that was overbearing and you longed for a day when someone else would be your boss – or you could be your own boss.

Ø      Maybe you were overwhelmed with commitments from work or school or family and kept looking forward to the day off you had coming.

I know I can think of several of those occasions in my life.  I remember the longing I had to finish the process for adopting Jesse and Mariah [continue]