Christmas is a little bit like ‘the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains’. It began with a little baby in a crib, in a corner of the world that was of little importance. But then we gradually come to see the local, national, global, even cosmic significance of Jesus. The significance and effect of God coming into the world. Whereas the small stones are at first unnoticed, soon from them a force emerges that no one can stop.

And this process works the same in our own lives. Our journey of faith may have started with some small stones, that we maybe didn’t even notice at the time, maybe a call or a longing that we could not explain, or just a sense that there is more to life than what our eyes can see and our hands can touch.

It was something that set us off on a journey that brought us to come to church this morning.

And perhaps we recognise something of our own journey in the story of Samuel and Eli.

• Every Samuel needs an Eli.

God is calling Samuel, and even though Samuel literally sleeps in the house of God, he does not recognise his voice. He thinks it is Eli who is calling him in the night. And three times he gets up, goes to Eli, and says to him, ‘Here I am, you called me’. And Eli has to say, no, I didn’t, go back to bed.

And Samuel must start to feel puzzled, like a trick is being played on him.

It is Eli, with his many years of wisdom, with his walk with God throughout his life, who recognises first that it is God who is calling Samuel. And he teaches Samuel how to respond to God, ‘speak Lord, for your servant is listening’ – a response of humility and obedience, ready to listen to God.

All of us need someone like this in our lives, to grow in our faith and our love for God, we need another person to guide us, to point us the way, to show us what it means to live a life with God. And most of us can hopefully think of one or two persons who especially played this role in our lives. If you can’t, this may be a good moment to look around you in church and pick someone you’d want to talk to at coffee and tea after the service.

It is this need that is at the core of our mission as a church.

It is very much this that is on our minds as the PCC in the coming months has to decide whether we will appoint an outreach worker for young people and families coming September. 

The challenge, of course as always, is the funding: while we’ve got about 2/3 of the funding to appoint someone for five years, this means we are still short about £10.000 a year. So, please pray for us as we make a decision about this in the next few months, and please be thinking of and praying about how you can support our outreach to young people. Perhaps by offering to help our Toddler Group or our Trackers or something else, or, if you can, by financially supporting this appointment.

This work is just so very important and at the core of our work as a church. There are many young Samuels in Cranleigh, who are trying to make sense of life, and who need someone to help them to hear and understand the voice of God.

• Samuels and Eli’s need each other.

But it is not only for them. It is also for ourselves. Research has shown that intergenerational worship, that means, young and old mixing and experiencing faith together, learning from each other, uniquely nurtures ‘spiritual growth & development in both adults & young people.’ So we need to help children grow in faith not only for the sake of the children, but also for our own sakes. The questioning, the curiosity, the enthusiasm of children has the power to grow our own faith, whereas the experience, the faithfulness, the wisdom of those who have lived with God for a long time can encourage, help, and guide young people.

If we want ourselves and others to grow in faith we will need to encourage, help and guide others and especially young people, but do we also have the faith, the humility and the courage to do the most difficult thing of all? To give them space to grow.

• Do we have the courage, humility, and faith to do this?

Eli actually gets this completely right. Eli simply accepts that God will now speak straight to Samuel rather than through him. He ignores his ego, helps Samuel as much as he can, and then steps away. And the next morning, Eli the priest of the Lord and the leader of Israel goes to the boy Samuel to learn from him what God has said.

The roles are reversed. The mentor becomes the mentee. The mentee becomes the mentor. And Eli, the mentor, has the humility, the courage, and the trust in God, to accept that. 

So, do we have the courage to do this not only in our ministry to young people but in all of our church life? For older people to turn to younger people and for younger people to turn to older people, to have conversations about faith, and to learn from each other?

May this story of Eli and Samuel be repeated in our church many times, and may we be a church where different generations learn from and with each other to listen to the voice of God, help each other, grow in faith together, and share God’s gifts and callings with each other.

Amen.