Attitude

by Rev. Deb Worley

“Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle….I am about to punish [Eli’s] house forever…’

“Samuel lay there until morning…afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son….What was it that [the Lord] told you? Do not hide it from me….’ So Samuel told him everything…. Then [Eli] said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.'” 

(1 Samuel 3:10-18…ish…)

The above passage is a significantly abbreviated version of the familiar “Calling of Samuel” passage (cf. 1 Samuel 3), wherein “the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under [the priest] Eli” (1 Samuel 3:1). Prior to what we read above, God had already called three times: “Samuel! Samuel!” And all three times Samuel had gone to Eli, saying, “You called?” The first two times, Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” The third time it hit him: “Ah! GOD is calling you! If it happens again, say, ‘Yes, God? I’m listening.’” 

That’s where we pick up the story: “Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” Often, it seems, the focus of this passage is on God calling, and on listening for God’s call. When I read it this week, however, there were a couple of other parts that stood out to me.

One is just Samuel’s response to hearing what was going to happen to Eli–he “lay there until morning” (cf. 1 Sam. 3:15). So, I’m not the first person (nor, I suspect, will I be the last) to lay awake until morning, my mind spinning over things (especially bad things!) that are out of my control. In fact, not only am I not the first person to spend a sleepless night, fearing what lies ahead, but I’m in good company! 

The other thing that spoke to me was Eli’s response to what Samuel told him. Samuel had just delivered some pretty unwelcome(!) news–that God was “about to punish [Eli’s] house forever” (cf. 1 Sam. 3:13). I don’t know exactly what that would look like–to have your house and family punished by God forever–but surely it’s not a good thing. Surely, in fact, it’s a terrible thing. 

And how did Eli respond? Did he say, “What?? That’s not fair!” No.

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Thanks to the wonderful Holly Herman for reading ALL of your church newsletters and compiling the highlights to keep us up-to-date on the amazing work happening at the Southwest Conference churches.

If you’d like a separate article about your news to appear on the website and The Loop, please submit it to Wende by Thursday at noon to have it included in the following Monday’s Loop.
 

This week we were saddened to learn about Rev. Robert Koth's passing.  Robert worked tirelessly on the Southwest Conference Widening the Welcome Committee. Read more here.

United Church of Santa Fe celebrated a successful holiday drive by sending:

-2 carloads of hygiene supplies to the migrant center in Juarez.
-over 150 pairs of winter socks to keep the feet of Santa Fe’s homeless warm.
-100 calendars and over 400 greeting cards to their prison outreach.

The Women's Group at Desert Heritage collects bottles and cans weekly as a means to fund different outreach programs around the community. 

Rincon's Justice and Witness Ministry Team continues to work with various borderland migrant agencies, including Casa Alitas.  Casa Alitas is preparing volunteers to welcome increased numbers of asylum seekers because of changing federal guidelines.  The next volunteer orientation for Casa Alitas will be offered on Friday, January 29th from 9-11am via zoom. The orientation covers background on Alitas, safety information, covid guidelines, and volunteer opportunities, and is required for volunteering. Anyone interested in attending should contact Sarah Reed at alitasvolunteers@gmail.com.

A Drive Thru Farewell to Pastor James Pennington of First Church Phoenix will be held on January 31, 1-3 pm, in the First Church Parking Lot.  The First Church Band will accompany the farewell celebration.  Pastor James is leaving to head the Back Bay Mission.

A contractor has been chosen to build Hope House of Sedona, a transitional housing project of Church of the Red Rocks.  Construction should be completed this year. A donor has put up $100,000 in matching funds which will complete the construction and contribute to the operating funds.  

Scottsdale UCC shared the following to celebrate last week's MLK Day and Inauguration. CLICK HERE, for "America the Beautiful, 2020 version."
 

Bernie paid a visit to the Labyrinth at The Church of the Palms.