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Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod. His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord repay[a] you with children by this woman for the gift that she made to[b] the Lord”; and then they would return to their home. Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people. (1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26) Reflection There are heroes in the Bible to whom I simply cannot relate. The stories of sacrifice in which parents must give up their children “for God” go beyond my ken. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. Hannah’s dedication of her young son to the temple of the Lord, seeing him but once a year. For me, raising my children to adulthood and independence has been possibly the hardest part of parenting. I count on visiting them regularly and seeing them at Christmastime. I cannot imagine not seeing them throughout the year, let alone only one day out of 365. Nonetheless, I must admit that seeing the young men and woman they have become is also the single most rewarding aspect of parenting. Each of them has grown into a person I genuinely like as much as love. I did not raise them alone. The love and guidance of grandparents, teachers, and neighbors contributed to their character. The care and nurture of church family also made a huge difference. Each was baptized and dedicated to God. They are my great blessing, and to that part of Hannah’s story, I can relate. Thanks be to God! --Heather Wolf Prayer Abba, father; Jesus, son; Holy Spirit be my guiding force. May I never take for granted the blessings of family, nor fail to give thanks for them. Amen. Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. In the current season of Advent, we long for Christ’s coming: Christ coming as a baby; Christ coming again; Christ in our lives today.
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