Second Sunday in Advent
Comfort & Peace
On a snowy second Sunday of Advent, this year, the sermon was about Hannah, and Eli, the priest, who sees her crying in the temple and accuses her of drunkenness. She tells him why she is praying (she has not been able to have children).
BUT God sees, he listens and he is at work.
As I continued to listen to the sermon, these words came to mind and out onto the page of my journal. My friend, Shirley, calls this “praying at the point of a pen.”
* * * * *
Weeping . . . she pleads Watching . . . he judges her cries Weeping . . . she pleads Listening . . . HE hears He listens to her cries God sees God listens God is at work In this season in all seasons Jesus . . . Emmanuel God with us
* * * * *
I had never noticed before the significance of Hannah’s response to the mistaken judgments of Eli, the priest. She did not cower in front of him. The temptation for me is shrinking back in the face of other’s judgement, going silent, retreating and accepting other’s judgements as truth about me. And in so doing, I lose my voice and shut down any hope of meaningful conversation taking place.
Slowly I am learning others’ observations are from their own perspective; they are seldom the whole truth about me.
And had Eli continued to judge her, I like to think Hannah would have remained undeterred.
Linking with
Kelly Hausknecht Chripczuk and Small Wonder Link-up