This week we have a guest writer for “Words from the Rector”, Laura Chin.  She and her family have been attending Mariners’ Church for three years.  Her and her husband, Jeff, have four children whom they homeschool (Theo, Naomi, Asher and Ozzy).  In addition to homeschooling her kids, Laura is studying to earn her Masters of Divinity and discerning a call into vocational ministry.  Please enjoy the insights Laura brings about Scripture, not only from her education, but also from a lifetime of walking with God.

Blessings and peace,

Rev. Todd

——————————————

Greetings Mariners’ Family!

The Old Testament reading for Tuesday is the story of Hannah, a woman, once barren, whose womb was filled by God with Samuel. Previously in Hannah’s story, while overwhelmed with grief because of her empty womb, Hannah prayed,

“Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life…”

If God granted her a child, Hannah vowed to return him to the Lord, dedicating him to a lifetime of service to God and the people of Israel.

The Lord heard her prayer, and in time Hannah gave birth to Samuel—the child who would grow to become Israel’s great prophet and the one who would anoint David as king.

I often wonder what Hannah thought when she held Samuel for the first time. As she cradled him in her arms, breathing in that familiar newborn scent and tracing the softness of his tiny hands, did she remember the promise she had made? Did she feel a sense of dread knowing that one day she would have to give this precious child back to God?

Scripture does not tell us what Hannah felt. It simply tells us that, after Samuel was weaned, Hannah kept her promise.

I cannot help but wonder whether she was tempted to change her mind. Did she ever think, “This is too hard. Surely God would understand if I kept him.” We are never told. Instead, Scripture simply records Hannah’s quiet faithfulness. She brought Samuel to Eli, fulfilled her vow, and placed into God’s hands the very gift she had once begged God to give.

Then she prayed.

Our lectionary reading concludes before we encounter Hannah’s prayer in chapter two, but it is worthy of discussion. What strikes me most is that her prayer is not filled with bitterness or regret. Hannah does not ask God to release her from her promise or explain why obedience can be painful. Instead, she praises the holiness and faithfulness of God. She rejoices that the Lord raises the poor, feeds the hungry, lifts up the lowly, and remains steadfast toward his people.

As Prayer Book Christians, Hannah’s prayer sounds familiar. Every evening in Evening Prayer, we pray Mary’s song, the Magnificat. In a sense, Mary returns the word of God back to God as her prayer echoes Hannah’s prayer: both women proclaim that God scatters the proud, lifts up the humble, fills the hungry with good things, and remembers his covenant.

When Mary found herself carrying the Messiah, she reached instinctively for the language of Scripture. Hannah’s prayer became the pattern for her own praise. When she needed words, she discovered that God had already given them.

This is one of the quiet gifts of the Daily Office. Day after day, we are formed by words that have been prayed by the communion of saints who lived generations before us. On days when our hearts overflow with gratitude, the Psalms give us language for praise. On days when grief leaves us speechless, they lend us words for lament. Week after week, the canticles place Hannah’s faith and Mary’s trust upon our lips until, almost without realizing it, their prayers become our prayers.

Perhaps that is why the Church continues to pray these ancient words. They teach us that our faith is not built upon finding the perfect wordsourselves but upon receiving the words God has already given his people.

Hannah and Mary each surrendered a son to God’s greater purposes. One released the son she longed for; the other received the Son she never expected. Both entrusted themselves and their children to God’s faithfulness.

Their witness invites us to ask a gentle but searching question: What are we holding so tightly that God is asking us to place back into his hands?

Perhaps it is a child, a vocation, a dream for the future, a relationship, or a carefully laid plan. Like Hannah, we may not feel ready to let go. Like Mary, we may not understand where God’s invitation will lead. Yet both remind us that faith is not the absence of uncertainty. It is choosing to trust the One who remembers his people, even when the path before us is hidden.

And when our own words fail us, we need not pray alone. We join the communion of saints, praying with Hannah, with Mary, with the psalmists, and with the whole Church, returning God’s promises back to God and trusting that the One who has been faithful in every generation will be faithful still.

Grace and Peace to you,

Laura Chin