Another mediocre sermon. I did shorten the I Samuel reading in the Sanctuary service to only go through vs. 11.
Any of the four points could have, perhaps should have, been a stand-alone sermon. The Chapel service went better than the Sanctuary service. The slides on the screens during the Sanctuary service did not seem particularly helpful.
“That Voice” October 11, 2015; FPC, Troy; iPhone theology series; I Samuel 3: 1-18; Genesis 26: 1-4
Introduction: My iPhone does not have a voice speaking to me. That's the problem with getting the hand-me-down phone in the family. I'm always a bit behind the technology.
But like many of you, I have been around phone that have Siri or some other computer generated voice.
Or GPS tools that do. Computer generated voices that speak to us are part of our norm.
In fact, last spring the president of the University of Florida made Siri part of his commencement address.
He noted that Siri had become part of the iPhone technology at the same time that the graduates would have been coming to college as Freshman.
He then took out his phone and talked to Siri. He began by asking Siri to call him “Foxy Gator” to which Siri replied, “From now on I’ll call you “Foxy Gator, OK?”
The president finished by sort of giving Siri an honorary diploma. At least, he told Siri (and showed the graduates on a screen) that he had a special diploma made out for Siri that showed Siri graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanity in the Class of 2015. (https://www.facebook.com/OfficeofthePresidentUF/posts/737595206349174)
Siri and other voices that mark out world of technology have me thinking about the voice of God. A few thoughts.
Move 1: hard to find follow directions if you cannot hear the voice.
a. I have discovered that not having Siri on the phone has a few drawbacks, particularly when trying to use the map function.
1. When one of my daughters or wife is in the car with me, then I can listen to Siri give me directions.
2. If Siri tells me when to turn, that is helpful;
3. if I have to look at the phone to read the directions, that can be problematic, particularly when in traffic, or on country roads, or at night. In fact, I have missed turns more than once because I did not have a voice to listen to and could not look.
b. We have to listen for the voice.
1. Discipleship means following Christ, which also means listening for the voice of God.
2. how do we know where to follow Christ if we are not listening to hear God's call?
3. Lots of distractions in our world.
4. How often during the day do you not have some sound, some song, some TV show, some radio, some people giving directions or telling you something?
5. We live in a world that is full of sounds, many of which are directed at us.
6. Listen for God's voice.
Move 2: Recognize the voice
a. one of the fascinating things that happened when my wife was pregnant happened each Sunday morning.
1. When I preached in worship, the babies in the womb would begin to kick and move around.
2. Maybe it was early rebellion! But it was as if they recognized my voice from the house and wanted to respond to hearing my voice.
b. The Samuel story reminds us of the need to be able to recognize the voice of God.
1. The first three times Samuel hears the voice in the night, he mistakes it for the voice of Eli.
2. maybe a logical assumption.
3. But until Samuel can recognize the voice of God, he cannot learn what God wants from him.
c. Jesus tells us about the sheep who recognize the voice of their shepherd (John 10).
1. this is important for the safety of the sheep because thieves will come in the night and try to coax the sheep to follow them.
2. If the sheep cannot distinguish their shepherd's voice from the thief's voice, they can be stolen.
3. we remember that in the Genesis story when Adam and Eve follow the words of the serpent, Adam notes that he got in trouble because he listened to the voice of his wife instead of the voice of God.
4. Eve got in trouble because she listened to the voice of the serpent instead of the voice of God.
5. We have to learn to recognize the voice of God.
d. Sometimes we need help recognizing the voice of God.
1. Siri comes in lots of different languages: English, French, Korean, Mandarin, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Norwegian
2. The iPhone makers know that for Siri to be effective, she must have a voice that people can recognize and understand.
3. Samuel had Eli.
4. We need people to help us hear God's voice.
5. Infant baptism – parents and congregation take vows to help raise the child in the faith; we recognize the need we have for others to help us in our faith.
Move 3: Siri, the voice that keeps on talking
a. Recently, I was driving with another couple in the car.
1. My wife asked a question about something, and the other wife quickly noted that her husband could find the answer by asking Siri.
2. This began a conversation about how much the husband loves talking to Siri, and how Siri always has an answer ready. How the husband may love Siri more than his wife!
3. finally, the wife laughs and says, “You just can't get away from Siri.”
b. Four times.
1. it took three times of getting it wrong before Samuel finally figures out that it is God calling him.
2. the fourth time, Samuel is able to be in conversation with God.
c. a reminder of the persistent voice of God that keeps on calling us.
1. Even when we do not listen, God keeps trying to engage us, to open up the lines of communication.c. God is that nagging voice that will not go away.
2. That voice you keep hearing. You think you have it all figured out, but then this voice keeps talking to you in your head.
3. Until you recognize what God has in mind for you to do.
Move 4: A final thought – to hear the voice calls us to obey.
a. Shema is the Hebrew word for “hear.
1. Shema means to hear in the audible sense, but also to obey.
2. The Genesis story notes that God makes the covenant with Abraham because "obeyed my [God's] voice" (Genesis 26:1-5).
3. Samuel did not become the great prophet, priest, and judge simply because he heard God's voice.
4. he listened and obeyed.
b. Siri can give directions, but you cannot get to the destination unless you follow the directions given.
Conclusion: the God who is present in our midst, speaks to us. Are you listening?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment