But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off…
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The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. From 1 Samuel 16:1-13, NRSV Having had the unenviable…
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And Samuel said,‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord?Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry.Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he…
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The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” From 1 Samuel…
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When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, ‘Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my people.’ From 1 Samuel 9:1-4,17-19,10:1, NRSV Having allowed the people to decide that they wanted a king to rule over them, God now led Samuel to meet the young man…
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Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’…
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So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, and they fled, everyone to his home. There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot-soldiers. The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. From 1 Samuel 4:1-11, NRSV Today’s reading speaks of a time…
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Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord. From 1 Samuel 3:1-10,19-20,…
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She (Hannah) was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. 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…
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Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. From Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7, NRSV Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord when, as Luke’s gospel tell us, the Holy Spirit descended on…
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