November 18, 2018

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for November 18th: 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 1 Samuel 2:1-10; Hebrews 10:11-25, Mark 13:1-8; God works with unlikely people 1 Samuel 2: Many times we think of prayer as something that we ask for, but prayer is also a celebration of how God answered us. Hannah had been praying a desperate prayer for years for a child. And when she gave birth, it was her confirmation that God cared for her. She thanked God for what God did for her in the present, but also for what God will do in the future. This prayer was not just about her needs, it was about the needs of her people, and all people of the world. She praises God for all that God is to all of us. And eventually she returns God’s gift back to God- her son is raised to live in the priest house. Just as Mary thanks God when she learns that she is pregnant, this prayer of Hannah is a important poem for our faith. 1 Samuel 1: This week we have another story of a woman who has fallen through the cracks of society. Hannah is married and her husband loves her very much, but she is still unhappy, she still has no status in this society. Her husband had sons by another wife. If he were to die, they would inherit all that he has, and she would be nothing. She feels like a nobody, a third wheel in an otherwise happy family. She has no one to turn to but God. So when the family travels to the temple to pray – she prays for a son. She seeks council from the priest. She asks God to deliver her. She does give birth to a son, so she knows that in God’s eyes she must be somebody. God cares for her. And that is all that she really needs to know. She can return her gift to God and live in peace – knowing that God cares. Questions: How many of us remember to thank God when our prayers are answered? How does God give to the world through your life? Do you think that you are important in God’s eyes? When has God answered an Important prayer for you? How did you say thank you?