ASLC Devotions - Tuesday

1 Samuel 1:25-28 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. And she said, ‘Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.’ She left him there for the Lord.

Remember Hannah, the crazy praying woman from yesterday? Well, God granted her prayer and she had a son - a son whom she named Samuel.

So in thanks for this beautiful miracle, she brought the child to the temple to be blessed by the priest Eli (the one who thought mom was drunk before) and to sacrifice a bull. But not only does she bring the child for a blessing and a bull-sacrifice and then return home. No. She leaves the child there. She's so thankful for this wonderful gift that God has given her that she returns the gift to God. She turns Samuel over to Eli for service in the temple. Samuel becomes like a super-acolyte... not just showing up 15 minutes before the service on the times when he's scheduled. Samuel lives in the temple and serves and learns.

It seems counter-intuitive or strange to say the least. She prayed so fervently for a child that people around her thought she was drunk. Then... when the prayer was granted and she had a son, she gave him right up. She turned him over to the Lord. Her path need not be followed by all of us, but Hannah demonstrated that she knew where Samuel came from. She knew where all children, all good gifts come from - they come from God and they belong to God. End of story.

In Christ,
Pastor Seth

Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for a full calendar. Plan to join us for Christmas Eve worship at 3 (Family Worship), 5 (Holy Communion and candlelight), and 11 (Holy Communion and candlelight). Pre-service music one-half hour before each service time. Then, we will gather for worship on Sunday, Christmas Day, at 10 am.