Anointed: A Prophet is Summoned
/Today we launch summer worship series called “Anointed.” In the coming weeks we’ll draw insight and inspiration from the lives of three figures from the Hebrew scriptures—Samuel, Saul, and David—and we’ll examine more closely the persistent love of God for an often rebellious people.
Today’s scripture reading involves an old priest, a young apprentice, and a time when the worship of God had become corrupted. It was the time before kings; which is to say other nations had rulers—kings, emperors, regents and sovereigns of all kinds, but Israel had God as their ruler. God’s people were in a living relationship with God, and certain members of the community of faith had been given responsibility for overseeing the sacrifices, offerings, and acts of worship that allowed people to know and experience God more fully.
However, the religious practice of God’s people had devolved into a kind of family business…where in the name of God a privileged group of insiders were taking advantage of God’s most vulnerable people. And so God moved, as he always does, to summon a new voice, to authorize a new ministry, to usher in a new work of grace and faithfulness. When God calls new persons to ministry, the faithful answer is “here I am.”