“Holding on to What Holds Us”

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Rev. Anne J. Scalfaro Pre-recorded Service Calvary Baptist Church 18 October 2020 Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost / First Sunday in Stewardship Denver, Colorado

“Holding On to What Holds Us”

First Sermon in the Six-Week Series: Hold On! – Hold On To Our Identity

1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20; 2:1-10

New Revised Standard Version

What is your favorite song? our lungs, “And I’m Free, Free Whatever it is, chances are it’s Fallin.” Exams were over. End your favorite NOT because it’s of year recitals and concerts a perfect specimen of musical were finished. Final papers genius but because it evokes a were in. It felt like an endless memory or a feeling. Maybe summer was before us as we it’s a song that was played at a drove – “Into the great wide significant event in your life; a open / Under them skies of first date or a funeral. Maybe blue” (to quote another Tom it’s a song that came out during Petty song). a formative era in your life and when you hear it, it takes you Everything about the song Free back there instantly. Maybe Fallin’ evokes a feeling that I you love it because the words long to return to...the feeling of are exactly what you need to freedom from responsibility. hear. Maybe you love it Freedom from expectations. because of the haunting cello Freedom from time restraints line that echoes your and performance pressures. melancholy or the danceability Free Fallin’ is one of my of the beat that just makes you favorite songs NOT because of wanna move. its profound theological significance, but because it One of my favorite songs is reminds me of a really Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty and important feeling in my life – the Heartbreakers. In high relaxation, abundance, joy, school I had a used two door living in the present moment. It black Saturn with a CD player speaks to a part of my identity and a sunroof. I have such a that I don’t live into enough; vivid memory of driving that feeling of being celebrated around in that car with a close just for who I am and not for friend the day after school was what I do. out in late May, blasting Tom Petty as we sang at the top of Even back in bible times, songs being visited by the angel were important reminders of Gabriel, glorifying God for identity too. mercy and great deeds such as bringing down the rich, proud, Miriam – dancer, and powerful. (Luke 1) choreographer, and tambourine player; sister to Moses and The songs of these women are Aaron; Miriam sang a song of powerful reminders of who praise to the Lord, celebrating God is and why we worship. her people’s liberation from God is our Liberator, our slavery after crossing the Red Strength and Deliverer, our Sea. (Exodus 15) Provider; God is the One who Blesses, the One who Calls, the Deborah – prophet, military One who overturns Power and heroine, the only female judge Hierarchy for Peace and of Israel; Deborah sang a song Healing. of praise to the Lord, a victory hymn about defeating her The songs of these women adversaries in battle. (Judges 5) remind us of who we are because they ground us in the Hannah – beloved yet barren identity of Whose we are – wife of Elkanah; Hannah at the God’s. Our identity as God’s dedication of her miracle-son beloved people is central to Samuel, sang a song of praise everything else about us. But to the Lord, expressing while we might hear some gratitude to the God who preacher tell us that we are a answered her prayer of longing, beloved child of God – for most and who hears the longing of us, it’s not something we prayers of others. (1 Samuel 2) actively work to internalize each and every day. The Mary – young teen betrothed to presence of guilt and shame and Joseph, cousin to Elizabeth, the blame and “othering” in our one who would become the culture proves this to be true. Mother of Jesus: Mary sang a Because if we truly understood song of praise to the Lord after our identity as God’s people, 2

God’s beloveds, we would also Then take professional roles as understand that everyone else is another example. Treating God’s beloved too and we’d patients is what makes someone treat them as such. Instead we a practicing doctor, not just a focus almost every other kind licensed one. Having a of identity as a way to classify classroom of students makes a one another, as a way to credentialed educator a differentiate ourselves from Teacher. I may always be an others rather than seek to ordained minister, but having understand one another. people to whom and with whom I minister is what makes Think about the many me a pastor. A grocery bagger “identities” that we have; the only has a job as long as people roles and titles and positions we are coming into the story hold. For example, we are born buying groceries for them to into roles in our families and bag. You get the point. inhabit those for much of our lives. We are daughters, sons, And political parties – which siblings, cousins; we are feel all-consuming these days – partners, wives, husbands; we republican or democrat, liberal are fathers, mothers, or conservative – have become grandparents, aunts, uncles. like identities too. They’re Those identities all require the defined by contrasting one set presence of another person. We of values against another set of cannot be those things without values and people defend and someone else. If my brother advocate for their party even didn’t have two sons, I more than they do the values wouldn’t be an aunt. To be a they are supposed represent. grandparent requires that your They are almost like brands. So child has a child or that a child it’s no wonder we have a “adopts you and sees you” as political “identity” crisis of their grandparent figure. (I sorts. Am I democrat if the realize not all family ties are person who defines that party blood ties.) right now doesn’t fully represent my values? Does it 3

change my republican values if ourselves: Who am I if I am not I vote democrat in one election? at work 24/7? Who am I if my If I stand up and speak out kid is now out of the house and against someone in my party at college? Who am I now that I and hold them accountable, am not a caregiver anymore? does that reflect poorly on me since they are in MY party? Do In these moments and in these I defend them because the are times it has never been more an elected leader who I am important to look at the ONLY supposed to respect or do I identity we hold that can never stand up for the values and change – no matter what: You people they are supposed to are a beloved child of God, represent? created by God in love, with purpose and intentionality. You All this is to say, when you are never NOT God’s child. think about it, many of the You are never NOT loved by ways we identify ourselves in God. When everything else this world are defined by around you feels uncertain, people and things external to God’s got you. And God will us, which means they are fluid. never let you go. And because of that, when something changes – when a Hannah understands this. She relationship is broken or a understands that she is God’s, loved one dies, when we lose a first and last. That doesn’t job or change careers or retire, mean her life is easy, by any when our political party is not means. But it means that as she in power or is unrecognizable, lives her hard and stressful life, then that creates stress. And in she knows she’s not alone. our experience of all this stress we can start to feel like we have I’m preaching this sermon in nothing to hold on to…like the nursery here at Calvary nothing is certain and because Hannah longed for a everything is shifting. It can child, and she was surrounded feel like we are losing our grip by reminders of what she did on faith, or life, or even not have all the time every day. 4

She was surrounded by kids, showered her with more that were not her own. affection and attention than Remember as we discussed a Peninnah. The text makes it few weeks ago with Abram and clear that Hannah was Sarai, children meant there Elkanah’s favorite; Hannah’s were people to farm your land name itself suggests as much, and take care of you in your old as it means “favored” or age. Children represented “gracious.”1 blessing by God. The inability to have children was always So from what we know of seen as the women’s fault back Hannah when we meet her in in those days, and in Hannah’s today’s text, she has three case the longing was intensified pretty notable identities. In by the fact that her husband Elkanah’s adoring eyes, she is Elkanah’s OTHER wife could the beloved, favored wife. In have kids and did. Lots of Peninnah’s jealous eyes, she is them. Yep, that’s right. We the hated “other woman.” And didn’t read that part of the in the judging, nosy, none-of- story, but Hannah’s husband your-business eyes of everyone had another wife. Peninnah was else in the community, she is her name, which literally means the pitied and looked down “fertile” or “prolific.” Talk upon barren woman. about rubbing salt in an open wound! That’s a lot for Hannah to be carrying around and processing. Peninnah had nurseries full of Plus, she is also grappling very children and she often deeply with her own longing reminded Hannah of her closed for a child. So deep was her womb. We have reason to grief, she had stopped eating. believe that Peninnah was so And Elkanah, trying to comfort cruel to Hannah because she her, asks her just before today’s was actually jealous of how text: “Hannah, why do you Elkanah treated Hannah. He weep? Why do you not eat?

1 Sara Koenig, “Commentary on 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19- https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?com 20; 2:1-10,” Working Preacher (16 Oct. 2016), mentary_id=2985. accessed on 16 Oct. 2020 at 5

Why is your heart sad? Am I God, if you just grant me this not more to you than ten one thing, a son, I will dedicate sons?” (1:8) Elkanah, like any him to you completely, I will earnest friend or loved one who not hold on to him, I will turn says “not-so-helpful” things to him over to you to serve you.” us with the intention of “trying- to-be-helpful,” is trying to find You may or may not remember a solution for Hannah. Elkanah from your favorite book of the doesn’t understand that she can Bible, Numbers, that a nazirite get all of her husband’s love was a person who vows to and more and still grieve the abstain from three things: love she does not have from a partaking of grapes or any of its child. His love cannot fix her by-products, cutting one’s hair, longing. His goodness cannot and touching corpses (Numbers heal her grief. 6:3–9). That last one’s not so bad, and really, the first two But even in this low place, aren’t either in the grand Hannah’s faith and strength is scheme of life. Nazirite is from , ריִזָנ ,remarkable. She knows in her the Hebrew root nazir depths that her identity is first which means “to separate or and foremost as God’s child. dedicate oneself.” This And so, she goes to the Temple. classification is part of the She does not turn to her Priestly Code (Num. 6:1–21) husband. She does not turn to and gives any layman who her pastor (she actually walks abides by these tenets a status right by Eli, the priest, who’s resembling that of a priest, on the Temple steps). Hannah without actually being a priest turns to God. (since priesthood was a lineage one was born into back then Hannah prays with earnestness and could not choose). and honesty and as our biblical Essentially, to be a nazirite is to friends often do, she bargains take a vow to be “holy to the with God. Hannah prays, “Look Lord.”2

not belong to you. This child is Now that’s all fine and good, God’s gift to you for a season. but if you stop and think about You are stewards of their life.” it, what Hannah is doing is This child, for Hannah, was not quite powerful. She longs to about “holding on to an have a son, she longs to be a identity” to filling a gap or mother. And yet what she is wound in her life or trying to saying to God is that if God find a purpose for herself by answers her prayer, if God being a mother, it was about gives her a son, she will give “letting go” and trusting in faith BACK to God the VERY thing that no matter whether she had that would change her status in a child or not, the child was to her community and in her first and foremost be God’s. home. To dedicate her son in Just as she herself was God’s. this way means she would not be raising him in the home, she In fact, I wonder if Hannah’s would not get to shape his longing and prayer was really learnings and leanings, she about learning to accept her would not get to see and share own identity as God’s child and in all his accomplishments, she that being enough, even more would not get to be seen with a than about having a child to son out in public – with the give her that sense of identity man who would give her life and purpose as a mother. It’s purpose and value according to probably a mix of both. Our society. The very thing that most fervent prayers are often would have changed her full of so many complex “status” or “identity” in the emotions. eyes of others – having a child – is ultimately not what Hannah It turns out that God answered was longing for…at least, it Hannah’s prayer in a very doesn’t seem that way. concrete and specific way, and Hannah was true to her word. Her example reminds us of Hannah returned the answer to what we say to parents at child her prayer back to God. Her son dedications, “This child does was God’s child first. And 7

maybe in that act of letting go But interestingly, Hannah does of her son, she was able to not even mention Samuel as finally really hold on and she sings. Instead, she focuses believe in her own identity as her praise on the identity and God’s daughter. Who knows. character of God, "There is no Holy One like the LORD, no Hannah names her son, Samuel, one besides you; there is no which means “God heard,” Rock like our God" (1 Samuel because she felt God heard her 2:2). Because she doesn’t make prayers. Of course this text it about herself, even if inspired brings up many emotions for by events in her own life, those of us who also pray with Hannah's song becomes an earnest longings to God and yet anthem for EVERYONE who it seems as though God does finds themselves in despair and not answer our prayers with the hopelessness. She sings on same direct result that we ask behalf of the people. Not on for. I wish I knew why that was behalf of the people whose the case. I don’t. But I believe prayers are answered or whose that God does hear our longings identities have placed them in and our prayers even when they positions of power or privilege, are not answered as we would rather Hannah sings on behalf want them to be answered. And of the feeble, the hungry, the that’s what Samuel’s name barren, the poor, the low, and reminds us of – not that God the needy,3 (vs 4-8). answers, but that God hears. Her song reaches a culmination The heart of this text is with the bold proclamation in Hannah’s song to God as she verse 8: “The Lord raises up dedicates Samuel to the Lord’s the poor from the dust; he lifts service in the Temple. We the needy from the ash heap, to would expect her song to center inherit a seat of honor. For the around the concrete miracle of pillars of the earth are the the birth of Samuel, HER son. Lord's, and on them he has set

3 Roger Nam, “Commentary on 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19- https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?com 20; 2:1-10,” Working Preacher (14 Oct. 2012), mentary_id=1447. accessed on 16 Oct. 2020 at 8

the world.” This is God’s Young Samuel grows up to world. It is how God sees us emerge as Israel's next leader; that defines us. he’s the hinge between the era of judges and the era of kings. Hannah’s song reveals that for He prepares the way for the her, divine power triumphs institution of monarchy which over the social circumstances of will follow. As scholar Roger her time that marginalize barren Nam notes, “Royal origins of women.4 Not only does God Mesopotamia and Egypt reach out to the powerless, but typically begin with kings God elevates them. The poor, descending from the heavenly barren, and desperate can hope deities, placed on the thrones of in the power of God when the earth to steward the will of the powers of the world betray gods. But for ancient Israel, the them, ignore them, forget them, beginnings of monarchy or oppress them. By reading emerge with the earnest, and singing Hannah’s prayer, desperate prayer of a powerless we join a community of people second wife. But of course, this throughout history who have will not be the last time when seen and experienced despair, greatness begins with a birth only to be lifted up by God in narrative of humility.”6 ways that the world does not.5 It is fitting that Hannah’s song, The world Hannah sings about which reminds us of God’s is not the reality she knows or identity as One who loves all that we know, but it is the people and is always near to vision in which we all hope those who are suffering the nonetheless, and it is the vision most, is the song that births the for which we all work our era that culminates in the whole lives long. Until it is “on coming of a king like no other, earth as it is in heaven.” a humble servant. Jesus came to earth to teach us what God’s love looks like lived out day to

4 Nam, ibid. 6 Nam, ibid. 5 Nam, ibid. 9

day. And Jesus’ ministry change every single interaction reveals to us that God’s image we have each and every day if and identity is most acutely we let it. It’s the kind of change mirrored by those on the we ourselves need, the kind of margins. By those who have change our world needs. It’s the deep and unfulfilled longings. kind of change that brings about the kin-dom of God. It’s It is a time of deep uncertainty the kind of change that we are and struggle. We all long for about here at Calvary. It’s why the world to be different than it we need one another, why we is. Truly, God only knows what need our church, our people, is to come tomorrow and so in our community. the coming weeks and months, so Calvary, we need to continue I know it’s rough right now to do what people of faith have Calvary. Hold On. Not to your done for generations – through fear. Not to who the world tells many an answered prayer and you you are. Not to who you many, many more tell yourself you need to be. UNANSWERED prayers: we Hold on to the One Who Holds need to “Hold On!” Today, and You. Who you are to God is the week after week, as we worship most true thing about you. You through screens and smart are loved. Just as you are. You phones, we say thank you to are God’s child. And God never Hannah, who reminds us to leaves God’s children to Hold On to What Holds Us: journey alone. The good news Our Identity as God’s Beloved doesn’t get much better than Children. that. Now we just have to believe it. You are God’s child, first and last. You are loved. When Amen. everything else is stripped away – that remains. And if YOU are loved by God, that means everyone else is loved by God too. That’s a truth that will 10