Devotion for the Sunday of the Fourth Week in Advent

Theme for the week: peace

Devotion for the sunday of the fourth Week in Advent (Day 22)

Reading: 1 Samuel 1:9–20 (NRSV)

⁹ After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. ¹¹ She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.” ¹² As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” ¹⁵ But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” ¹⁷ Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” ¹⁸ And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer. ¹⁹ They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.”

REFLECTION:

What does the promise of peace mean in the midst of anxiety?

There are many things that cause anxiety in our society today, just as there were in the time of Hannah and Eli. Some of the great anxiety causers today are illness, unemployment, housing and food insecurity, money, and the inability to achieve desired plans.

Hannah, herself, knew more than a little about the anxiety of unfulfilled dreams. She was in great distress because her plan to bear a child seemed unreachable.

In this last week before Christmas, there are many among us who are feeling great anxiety. Some are anxious because they cannot afford to buy the gifts they think loved ones want or need. Some are anxious because they know that they have already run up credit card bills, that they cannot pay. For others the anxiety arises because they are worried that their attempts to create a “perfect” Christmas celebration will fall short. Some fear get-togethers with relatives. The temptations of parties, along with too much eating and drinking are also a source of anxiety for others.

Is it not somewhat ironic that so much anxiety arises from our attempts to celebrate the birth of a baby, who will be known as the Prince of Peace? It is not this child that causes the anxiety, but rather our own sinful natures arising out of our twinned desires for control and for more of everything. Eli’s promise of peace to Hannah, and God’s desire for peace for us are promises of wholeness and well-being. God desires contentment and an appreciation of living in God’s own abundance for us, rather than anxiety and a craving for more.

PRAYER:

Pray that the Prince of Peace might grant you a sense of shalom--peace, well-being, wholeness, and contentment. Pray that God might help you to treasure what you have rather than seeking additional treasure. Amen