Chapel Homily: March 3, 2026

"Ready to Listen"

It's pretty ironic that I'm up here offering a message on hearing God's call—operative word, "hearing." My sense of hearing has been on a slow decline for more than a decade. Case in point: From our house to Whitworth, to merge onto Highway 395 we have to make a gentle left turn. The turn crosses traffic, so you have to use a blinker. But it's that type of turn where you rotate the steering wheel only so much, and then the blinker doesn't go automatically off when the steering wheel rotates back to center. And so, in our car, this is what you'd hear, somewhere within a quarter mile or so on the highway: Janice, "You know your blinker's still on? You forgot your hearing aids, didn't you?" "Maybe."
 
You know, I hear a lot better when I actually use the things made to help me with my hearing. I believe Janice just said, "Amen, Brother."
 
Every day for about 20 years, I've done the New York Times crossword puzzle. I especially look forward to Thursday through Sunday because the puzzles get tougher as the week goes on, which makes them more fun.
 
That's how I found myself on a Friday morning at the airport, at an Alaska gate, well before the flight, locked into the puzzle. At some point I'm kind of startled to hear, "Scott McQuilkin, please report to Gate C23 for boarding." I look up. The boarding area is vacant. So, I walk up to the desk and say, "I'm Scott. Am I the only one on this flight?" "No," the agent said, "You're the only one NOT on this flight."
 
I had missed the loud and multiple announcements, people boarding, the fact that I had an entire gate area all to myself. 
 
You know, I would have boarded on time if I had just been attentive to the helpful voice of the gate agent offering guidance.
 
This semester we're taking a look at characters in the Old Testament who hear a call from God, people who actually heard His voice. God's voice was audible and it was specific. So, we've been spending time every Tuesday thinking about what we can learn from their examples.
 
The Bible is full of verses that encourage us about listening to God: Sampler plate.
 
"Whoever has ears, let them hear." (Matthew 11:15)
"Come close. Listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words." (Isaiah 55:3)
"Be still before the Lord." (Psalm 37:7)
"This is my Son. Listen to him." (Mark 9:7)
 
Today, we'll look to learn something from Samuel, a prophet who heard God's call.
 
Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-10
The boy Samuel was serving GOD under Eli's direction. This was at a time when the revelation of GOD was rarely heard or seen. One night Eli was sound asleep (his eyesight was very bad—he could hardly see). It was well before dawn; the sanctuary lamp was still burning. Samuel was still in bed in the Temple of GOD, where the Chest of God rested. Then GOD called out, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Yes? I'm here." Then he ran to Eli saying, "I heard you call. Here I am." Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." And so he did. GOD called again, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to Eli, "I heard you call. Here I am." Again Eli said, "Son, I didn't call you. Go back to bed." (This all happened before Samuel knew GOD for himself. It was before the revelation of GOD had been given to him personally.) GOD called again, "Samuel!"—the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, "Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am." That's when it dawned on Eli that GOD was calling the boy. So Eli directed Samuel, "Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, 'Speak, GOD. I'm your servant, ready to listen.'" Samuel returned to his bed. Then GOD came and stood before him exactly as before, calling out, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak. I'm your servant, ready to listen."
 
Prayer: "Lord, help us to hear what you have for us today. Allow the life of Samuel to speak to us. Amen."

Side note: In the verses after the ones I read, God gives Samuel his first responsibility: Deliver a hard and convicting message to Eli. "So, Samuel, Eli and his family have sinned and ignored me, and I'm bringing down the entire house. Let him know." There's something in there for us—in our lifetimes, good chance that'll be us—Samuel or Eli, probably both. We just might be someone delivering a hard message, or we might be the person on the receiving end of a hard message. Either way, it's no fun.
 
That's not what I'd like us to consider today.
 
Two things struck me. First, the phrase, "Get ready to listen." That suggests that if we are going to hear God well, we have to prepare ourselves to listen. And if you pumped some truth serum in my veins, I'd confess I'm a better disciple when I'm a better listener. I'll bet that's true of you, too.
 
Second, Samuel was counseled by someone he trusted to better help him hear God's call on his life. 
 
So, if we are to "get ready" to listen, how do we do that? Listen to what? To whom? How do we cultivate not just physical, listening ears, but listening hearts? What are the practices we can have that make us more available and attentive to hear what God might be saying to us? And because we are flawed people, how might we all be really careful about relying on just ourselves, our own feelings and emotions, in those moments when we're convinced God is telling us something?
 
Please know this: All I'm capable of suggesting today are things you already know. The next few minutes will be an exercise in familiarity.
 
It seems to me that we should consider at least three ways for "getting ready" to hear: 1) Hearing God through Scripture; 2) hearing the Holy Spirit through disciplined silence; and 3) hearing through the wisdom of trusted friends and mentors.
 
First, about God's word. If it is true—and I believe it is—that Scripture is always talking to us; that God speaks to us through Scripture; that God's word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword... then, it is worth our time to read, listen to, pray about and respond to Scripture. It's worth reading Scripture with a message for YOU in mind, asking a daily question: "God, through your holy word, what are you saying today to ME?" I'm thinking about a friend who does that. He starts every day with the Lectionary, settling and orienting. First things first. A habit of active listening to the Bible.
 
Second, there are a whole lotta things competing for your attention in this noisy, noisy world. In order to be "ready to listen," then, it's worth setting aside time to be quiet, to be still, to eliminate the distractions; to be intentional about creating that kind of space where you might listen for the Lord's gentle whisper and prompting, and like Samuel, be able to say, "Your servant is listening." Sit silently. Go for a walk. Don't talk. Just listen.
 
Maybe our posture for prayer, our actual physical posture, could help. Our Catholic and Anglican friends have something to teach us. Eugene Peterson says that: "While on my knees, I cannot run away. I cannot assert myself. I place myself in a position of willed submission. On my knees, I am no longer in a position to flex my muscles, strut or cower, hide in the shadows or show off on stage. I set my agenda aside for a time and become still, present to God."
 
It's not the worst thing to have calloused knees because of time in prayerful silence.
 
You may have seen the movie A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe as the great and renowned mathematician John Nash. In the movie, we pick up his story at Princeton, where Nash is a graduate student. We meet his roommate, Charles, who helps Nash become more social. We meet Charles' niece, a girl named Marcee. And then a bit later, we're introduced to the mysterious CIA agent Parcher, who enlists Nash on a cryptography project for national security against the Soviets. Over time, Nash's behavior becomes a bit erratic. We learn that he suffers from schizophrenia and that Charles, Marcee and Parcher are not real at all. They are figments of Nash's imagination. He's been hallucinating their existence the entire time. 
 
Now, fast forward to the end of the movie. It's 30 years later. Nash is doing quite well. He's in his 60s and teaching again at Princeton. He comes out of a classroom and is approached by two men in business suits. They say, "Professor Nash, we're from the Nobel Prize committee, and we wish to speak to you about the award." Nash pauses. He stops two students walking past and says, "Do you see these two men." "Yes," they say. "Okay, please go on." 
 
Nash realized that he needed the perspective and vision of others to determine if what he was seeing and hearing was real. We all need people like that, too.
 
What a gift to have counsel from trusted and wise friends, people who care about us. Eli was that person for Samuel, helping him to identify the source of his calling. It's good to have people in our lives, I imagine some of whom are sitting around you today, who can help you discern God's calling in whatever big and small ways the Holy Spirit is acting on your heart.
 
So, what might this mean for you?

I wonder, in that moment before your head lifts off your pillow in the morning, might you reserve just enough time to say, "Lord, I am your servant, ready to listen to what you have for me today." In just that orienting moment, can you be still and say, "Here I am, Lord. Today, my ears and heart are listening for you." And then, might you go about the day expecting to hear from God's still small voice, through Scripture, through silence, or through a wise friend.
 
What might today's text mean for us as a university community?
 
How might we each invite trusted friends into what we are hearing and sensing? How might we each benefit from the wisdom of this great cloud of witnesses, people who can help us discern whatever ways God might be leading us? But to have that sort of trust, we need to inhabit someone else's story. And that will require deep, deep listening to one another. Can we do that for one another? 
 
In so few words, Samuel gives us a great model: "Speak, God. I'm your servant, ready to listen." Amen.
 
Benediction: Pastor Craig Barnes shared about a young man who came to see him for pastoral counseling. The man was in his early 20s, and this man shared that he had been offered two jobs; one was in New York, and the other was in Chicago. Both were good opportunities in neat cities. "What should I do? Which job should I choose? What road should I take?" he asked. Pastor Barnes replied, "I have no idea. But I do know that God owns all the cities. And he owns all the roads that lead to and from all cities. God will have purpose for you wherever you land. He will be with you, wherever you feel called, for however long that season lasts. Be assured of that."
 
Likewise, be assured, however you are called, God will be there with you.
 
Go from here, making time and space to let Scripture speak to you, setting aside moments to be quiet and listen, and be open to the counsel of prayerful and trusted friends.