Christmas 1
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
May the Lord repay you with children by this woman for the gift that she made to the Lord.
-- 1 Samuel 2:20
Hannah was an example of faith that trusts in God beyond the ordinary circumstances of life. We first hear of Hannah as the barren wife of Elkanah, who also had another wife, Peninnah, mother of several children. A barren woman was considered a failure in life. Peninnah's fertility not only stood as a reproach to Hannah but also she taunted Hannah for her barrenness. Despite her husband's clear love for her, Hannah felt bereft because of her barrenness.
Then, in response to her repeated prayers, God heard her cry, and she conceived and bore a child that she named Samuel. In response to God's faithfulness to her, she, as a faithful Israelite, offered her first born to the Lord. Instead of child sacrifice, she "lent" her firstborn to serve God for as long as he would live (1 Samuel 1:28). This act of faithfulness in returning to the Lord her most precious gift revealed her absolute trust in God. It echoed the previous story of the offering of Isaac (Genesis 22:1 ff) and foreshadowed God's offer of Jesus. This most powerful symbol of faith comes from "the least of these" -- a woman who at first seemed to have failed at her most significant responsibility. Now because of her faithful response to God, God would bless Hannah with three sons and a daughter. A faithful act that risked that which was most precious to her out of trust in God resulted in an abundant return from God. On this first Sunday after Christmas, while we are still celebrating the gift of Christ, we are reminded that the gifts of God should never become idols that we possess. It is often those who have very little that remind us the gifts we receive point to the faithfulness of God whom we must learn to trust.
-- 1 Samuel 2:20
Hannah was an example of faith that trusts in God beyond the ordinary circumstances of life. We first hear of Hannah as the barren wife of Elkanah, who also had another wife, Peninnah, mother of several children. A barren woman was considered a failure in life. Peninnah's fertility not only stood as a reproach to Hannah but also she taunted Hannah for her barrenness. Despite her husband's clear love for her, Hannah felt bereft because of her barrenness.
Then, in response to her repeated prayers, God heard her cry, and she conceived and bore a child that she named Samuel. In response to God's faithfulness to her, she, as a faithful Israelite, offered her first born to the Lord. Instead of child sacrifice, she "lent" her firstborn to serve God for as long as he would live (1 Samuel 1:28). This act of faithfulness in returning to the Lord her most precious gift revealed her absolute trust in God. It echoed the previous story of the offering of Isaac (Genesis 22:1 ff) and foreshadowed God's offer of Jesus. This most powerful symbol of faith comes from "the least of these" -- a woman who at first seemed to have failed at her most significant responsibility. Now because of her faithful response to God, God would bless Hannah with three sons and a daughter. A faithful act that risked that which was most precious to her out of trust in God resulted in an abundant return from God. On this first Sunday after Christmas, while we are still celebrating the gift of Christ, we are reminded that the gifts of God should never become idols that we possess. It is often those who have very little that remind us the gifts we receive point to the faithfulness of God whom we must learn to trust.
