CALL DISPLAY

January 18, 2015

Epiphany 2

1^st Samuel 3:1-10

John 1:43-51

(prayer)

About a month ago (14Dec2014) - during a sermon - I mentioned the social media hashtag 'firstworldproblems'. 

A first world problem is something that doesn't typically bother 60% of the people on this sphere. 

They include the issues that we (in the first world) are bothered by, like: when one of the kids has an exorbitantly long shower and there is no hot water left for you (unless you are willing to wait for twenty minutes); or when the cable goes out for two minutes right in the middle of that Seinfeld episode you love and have seen a half dozen times before; or when the steak comes to the table closer to medium-well than the medium you had ordered; or when you have to wait for the plane to be de-iced in January when you really want to be on the way to Cancun.

#firstworldproblems

As I said in December, first world problems are funny and sad at the same time.

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I don't mention this to heap judgment on anyone - not to preach that we should all throw away the iPads and wallow in perpetual guilt.  I include myself among the privileged elite of the world - I did not earn this; it was the chance circumstances of the location of my birth.  The path of human history already had created this divide among people.  I did nothing to deserve this lifestyle.  I am simply here.

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You can see by the image on the screen and the title for my message today, that I have chosen a decidedly first world metaphor with which to explore today's scripture readings.

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I suspect that quite a few of us have a call display feature on our phone - where we are able to see the phone number (and sometimes even the name) of who is calling us.  And I will boldly assume that everyone of us with call display has heard the phone ring, looked at the name and number, and chosen not to answer.  We are by the phone, we could answer - and was prepared to answer... until we saw who was calling.  Yes, I know that we have all 'screened' a call here and there.
Let's admit it.

And, at the same time - we should accept the inevitable fact that, at sometime or another, someone we know has chosen to ignore our attempt to call.

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We have our reasons for doing this.

·        We might be tired.

·        We might be busy with something else.

·        And hey, we are allowed to unavailable if we want to be.  There should not be the expectation
that we must respond instantly to people's beck and call.  Afterall, usually included in the phone add-on with call display is voice mail - 'if it's important leave me a message'.

·        Maybe the number looks like it is a telemarketer - we may not want to be a ‘consumer’ in that moment.

·        And… let's face it we all have that friend with whom there cannot be a short conversation.  Maybe you're that friend.  That's okay, but we need to make sure the moment is right; when we have enough time and energy to take that call.

Yes, #firstworldproblems.

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What are we doing when we screen our calls?

We are saying a pre-emptive "no" before we even know what the question is.

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Today, in our bible readings, we heard about three separate 'calls' and how the recipients chose to answer.

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Samuel's mother had placed her son in the care of Eli in the Temple.  By the time our story today takes place, the old priest had lost his ability to see and relied on young Samuel to assist him in his duties.  So, when the boy heard his named called in the middle of the night, he assumed it must have come from Eli.

After being woken up by Samuel, the priest assumed that his young aid was hearing things.

They both made the same assumptions when it happened again.

'Here I am for you called me.' 

'I did not call you.  Go lie down.'

When Samuel woke him up for the third time, Eli set aside his intial assumption in favour of a new theory: 

Although mystical, spiritual experiences were rare in those days, perhaps it was God calling the boy.  Eli told Samuel how to respond if it happened again. 

It did.

When God first called Samuel, he never answered and so the conversation never got started.  Samuel assumed that the old trusted patterns were repeating themselves, so he couldn’t understand the call to learn something new.

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The gospel of John relays Jesus’ gathering of disciples slightly differently from the other gospels, but some familiar names appear - the first to be called is Andrew and an unnamed person (who are said to be disciples of John the Baptist).  Andrew (like in the other gospels) is said to be the brother of Simon (later called Peter), who is also introduced to Jesus.

Today’s reading picks up the story right there:  The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee [and] found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’

Apparently he answers the call.  The text implies that Philip knew Andrew and Peter, so it is fair to assume that they had recruited Philip.  Philip does the same with Nathanael.

But this new potential recruit is a little more cautious - especially when he learns that Jesus is from Nazaeth: “Nazareth!?  Nothing good can come out of Nazareth!”
Apparently, there was a Boston-NY or Edmonton-Calgary kind-of rivalry between Bethsaida and Nazareth.

Nathanael has screened the call and he’s not sure he wants to answer, yet.  He’ll take a closer look.

Then, we get to read about a characteristic of Jesus, we don’t talk about very often - Jesus becomes the schmarmy salesman.  When Nathanael comes to Jesus, Jesus pipes up - “wow, I can tell you are truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”  Jesus throws an exaggerated compliment Nathanael’s way like an oily used car sales man - “I can tell that you are someone who knows a good deal when you see one.  What do I need to do to put you in this car today?”

I can’t believed it worked.

“No deceit?  Yeah, that’s me.  Hey, how did you get to know me?”

“I was watching as Philip was talking to you over by the tree.”

In fairness, maybe Jesus had overheard Nathanael’s comment about Nazareth and Jesus was simply sharing and appreciation for his honesty.

Either way, Jesus saw something in Nathanael that he liked.
And Nathanael liked that.  He answered the call and joined the group of Jesus’ followers.

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At the moment, we get the call we make certain assumptions about what it might be about.  Whether our assumptions are based on our past experiences, or rumours shared by others, or our own intuition, we cannot know for sure where the conversation will go unless we answer.

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Being open to new spiritual experiences requires a level of vulnerability that we are not always comfortable with.  It is a risk to say “Here I am”.

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When Samuel listened for God, he was told that God was about to do amazing things - if we had read a few more verses in 1^st Samuel 3, the phrase is I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.

That sounds a bit like Isaiah 43: I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth.

Or from today’s reading in John: You will see greater things than these.

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I know that we all lead busy lives and we look for what is safe and comfortable. 

It is a question for each of us to wrestle with: do we have time and energy to be open to a deeper relationship with our God?

That may call us to examine past assumptions and begin new journeys.

It can be quite exciting to ignore the call display and just listen for the Spirit.

Who knows what we will learn?

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Let us pray:

God, you, who see us more completely than we know, give us the capacity to see the beauty in all people and all creation. Enable us to trust the power of your transforming vision for our world, so we might be disciples of your love and justice. Amen.

#581VU “When We Are Living”