"From Depression to Hope to Praise"
Sermon Presented November 19, 2006
1 Samuel 1:1-20
The best argument for monogamy is presented in biblical stories of polygamy. According to our standards, family values weren't the best in those days. In the Bible, the favorite wife usually had no children and the other wife or concubine had many. It's probably human nature that when a woman knows she is loved less than another, she tries to enhance her status by abusing the beloved. In our story this morning, Peninnah, the wife with children, gloats publicly because she has children and the beloved, Hannah, has none.
Our text begins with the yearly family pilgrimage to the temple at Shiloh - a journey of about 20 miles. The entourage consists of Elkanah, his two wives - Hannah and Peninnah, and Peninnah's children. The situation is ripe for conflict and conflict reigns. I'm reading from 1 Samuel 1:1-20.
Depression is often misdiagnosed - even today. Sometimes the person suffering from depression is labeled lazy, self-centered, sickly, or a loner, until the correct diagnosis is made. The central figure in our text, Hannah, is depressed.
This is a story - not only of depression, but of love, pride, envy, desire, meanness and faithfulness to a commitment made to God! The time is before Israel became a nation and before there were kings of Israel. Eli is the priest, and even though he is a godly man, his sons are evil and a disgrace to him. The story begins with depression and the barrenness of the focal character, Hannah.
In that culture, a woman's worth was determined by how many male children she had. A barren woman had no esteem in the community, resulting in no self-esteem. It's likely that Elkanah, her husband, took another wife in order to have children and carry on the family name.
Hannah has no psychologist, psycho-therapy group or fertility clinic, so her grief and depression remain inward until she can hold it back no longer. However, when she lets it out, she knows whom to address and she speaks her grief to God. In her anguish, she makes a vow to God, believing God is responsible for her barrenness and can give her the child she desperately desires. She vows that if God will give her a son, she will give him back to God's service. Samuel, her son, was dedicated to God even before he was conceived.
When Eli, the priest witnesses her anguish, he jumps to the conclusion that she is drunk. Hannah explains that she is crying out to God, and with this understanding, Eli tells her that God will hear her prayer and answer. Hannah believes him, and her outlook on life does an about-face! Her grief is gone. Her appetite returns and she has an inner and exterior joy and peace.
In due time, Hannah has a son, whom she names Samuel. She considers Samuel a loan from God and she honors the commitment she made when Samuel was only a dream. When her son is weaned - probably at the age of three or four, she presents him to Eli, the priest as proof of her promise to God. Over time, Hannah moves from depression to hope to praise as she gives God the credit for answering her deepest desire.
This story affirms the appropriateness of turning to God when our despair is overwhelming. We know we can go to God with our grief, but sometimes we are so hurt and depressed that we either forget to let God in on the situation, doubt that God can or will help, or somehow blame God for the problem. We need to be honest and vulnerable when we come to God and not try to ignore our feelings or fear that God will reject us when we're honest.
The Psalms give us many examples of how to be honest in our prayers. Psalm 6 reads: "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me for my bones are shaking with terror. My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O Lord - how long?"
Psalm 10 says: "Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor - let them be caught in the schemes they have devised." And Psalm 13 reads: "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?"
Like Hannah and the psalmist, we can cry out to God in our grief. In fact, scripture encourages it! When we can't pray ourselves, we can ask others to fill in the gap for us or we can pray the scriptures. We need this kind of honest prayer as we face the trials of being a grandparent, parent, neighbor or citizen of the world. When we release our grief to God, we can be open to receive God's presence in the midst of our trials. Then we have renewed hope.
Even though Hannah takes Samuel to Eli, she doesn't forget him. She makes his clothes and takes them to him when the family goes to Shiloh for the yearly sacrifice. When we release a loved one to God, we don't forget them, but we continue to do acts of love toward them. By the way, according to Scripture, Hannah has five more children.
For Hannah, Samuel is the most important thing in her life, and yet she honors her commitment to God by giving him back to God. What is the most important thing in your life right now? Is it your family, retirement savings, home, job or talent? I invite you to think about this as I tell you a story that was sent to me a few days ago by a friend in Lawrence, KS.
The story is of Kansas City's Secret Santa, who for the past 26 years has given away millions of dollars anonymously. Now he has cancer and wants to begin speaking to community groups about his belief in random acts of kindness, and to do that, he decided to reveal his identity. His name is Larry Stewart of Lee's Summit, MO, and he made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.
Stewart told the Kansas City Star that he is the man who walks up to strangers and hands them $100 bills, wishing them a "Merry Christmas" and then walks away leaving astonished and grateful people. He does this throughout the year, but for him, Christmas is the most joyous time to give. Now he wants to inspire others to do the same. He wants people to know he was born poor, was briefly homeless, dropped out of college, was fired from jobs and once even considered armed robbery.
Stewart grew up in Bruce, Mississippi, where he was raised by his elderly grandparents who survived on $33 a month and welfare staples. After he left home and dropped out of college, he found himself without work. After sleeping in his car for eight nights and not eating for two days, he went to a diner in Houston, Mississippi and ordered breakfast. When the bill came, he acted as if he had lost his wallet.
The diner owner came to him and slipped a $20 bill into his hand saying: "You must have dropped this." He paid, pushed his car to the gas station and left town, vowing to remember the stranger's kindness and help others when he could.
He went to Kansas City because a cousin lived there, got married and started his own company with money from his father-in-law. But the company failed in 1977 and he couldn't pay his bills. At this lowest point of his life, he got into his car with a handgun and thought about robbing a store. But he stopped and went home, where he received a call from his brother-in-law offering him money to tide him over.
After being fired from two jobs on two successive Christmases, Stewart stopped at a drive-in. Although he had little money, he gave a cold and miserable carhop the change from a $20, much to her delight. This is when his mission to secretly give away money at the holidays was born.
Eventually he became a success and started Network Communications, a firm that used independent sales agents to enroll customers for Sprint long-distance service. In 1996, an arbitration panel ordered Sprint to pay Network and its sales agents $60.9 million in commissions it owed. Stewart got $5.2 million.
This poor boy from Mississippi now had a family, lived in a nice house and drove nice cars. So he started giving away more money to dozens of causes, and he also gave away money to needy strangers. He would distribute thousands of dollars during visits to laundry mats, thrift stores, barbershops and diners. And always, Secret Santa moved on quickly to avoid attention.
In 1989, after some people chased his car when they saw the cash he carried, he called the Jackson County Sheriff's Captain Tom Phillips. Phillips said: "I thought, 'OK, this guy's nuts" but at the end of the day, I was in tears - literally - just seeing what he did for people."
Eventually Stewart took his project to other places - New York City after the terrorist attacks, Washington D.C. during the time of the serial snipers, San Diego neighborhoods devastated by wildfires, Florida after 3 hurricanes, and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. He also stopped in Houston, Mississippi where the diner owner helped him so long ago.
For years, Stewart has enlisted elves - George Brett, the late Buck O'Neil, Dick Butkus - and has already inspired copycats. Four other Secret Santas plan to give away $70,000 this year along with another $100,000 of Stewart's Christmas cash. New Secret Santa George Brett got Stewart into a clinical trial at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, and former Kansas City Chief's star Deron Cherry (another elf) says "There're a lot of people praying for him." (Kansas City Star, November 16, 2006)
It would have been easy for Stewart to keep his money because people today tend to live under the mantle of "Scarcity"! What if my wealth suddenly disappears? But Stewart honored his commitment to help others made years ago when someone helped him.
Hannah received a son and gave him back to God. Stewart gained wealth and gives it to others. What is most precious to you? Are you willing to make a new or renewed commitment to God? Pray about it!
