Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:

Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!

Here I am, Lord.

Have you ever said this? I know we sing the hymn a few times a year with this refrain, but have you ever thought more about what it means?

Be careful if you do. Ask a prophet, any of them, and you’ll learn that a call from God is not all sunbeams on a golden field or fluffy clouds spelling out your name. (Where did we ever get that idea?) Instead, God’s call comes in times of spiritual desolation, religious corruption, political danger, and social upheaval.

Ask Samuel in our story this Sunday. His call came in the third chapter when “the word of the Lord was rare . . . visions were not widespread.” I would guess every generation feels that way as it experiences a world that does its best to drown out the sounds of God. And if there is any chatter about seeing God at work it is easy to believe that God goes straight to those well-equipped for the task.

I have lived much of my life waiting for such called-upon superstars. I thought I saw them when I was young only to be devastated by their assassinations. I thought I heard them as an adult only to be disappointed time and again. I sit in dismay when leaders claim they have God’s call and blessing, and I can only say, beware. It does not happen this way. Those called by God most often don’t know it at first and want to run away as fast they can once they do.

Like Samuel, a young boy living in a dreadful time when the sons of the priest Eli are corrupt and the Philistines are about to overwhelm Israel. There is a failure of leadership in a crucial time. God calls upon Samuel to give a harsh message of judgment that is necessary if there is ever to be a hopeful new beginning.

The message of this story? That oppressive practices and corrupt institutions need not endure and win out. God opposes them. God will not give in to evil. God announces the end to the House of Eli.

Eli is not the problem. His sons are. He accepts this harsh word and still pays the price. Through the generations the Church has found itself in similar circumstances. It often did not cause the problem but it accepted the corrupt orders from the prevailing power and went along with it. “The word of the Lord is rare,” the Church has often lamented, when it is supposedly the one institution that should have been listening all along.

Despite our history this story proclaims a new day when vigorous new leadership will replace old and corrupt ones. God is always at work initiating new possibilities in the midst of the failure and the passing away of old patterns.

What about our own time? Here it is. Are you ready for it? Instead of one superstar prophet God may be calling you. And me. And all of us. How will you respond?

Grace and peace,

Harry