Hannah

1 Samuel 1:1-14 (NRSV)

There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Now this man used to go up year by year from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

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. She 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 a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.”

It is with the narrative of Ruth that we begin in earnest to move toward the story of King David.

Following the book of Ruth, we get to 1 Samuel, and Samuel's mother, Hannah: a character like Sarah and Rachel in her barrenness, and like Mary in her praise.  A mother like Elizabeth who out of faithfulness will give her son to God's service.

So with Hannah, we get many themes that are repeated throughout scripture.

And the one that maybe stands out is accused drunkenness!

Another place we hear of God's followers being accused of public drunkenness is in Acts at Pentecost.  Like Jesus' apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, Hannah is lost in her prayer and so seems to the priest, Eli, to be drunk.

And it makes me wonder just how tame my own faith seems in comparison.

Growing up Lutheran, you get to know the cliche of the stoic, emotionally repressed Scandinavian Lutherans who don't want to see too much excitement in church (maybe Eli was a Swedish Lutheran?).

And it makes me wonder - as we face a time when the church is facing all kinds of challenges in dwindling membership, as well as a loss of significance in influence, whether some of the loss we are facing is because unlike Hannah and the Apostles, we ourselves aren't getting lost in our faith.  

I'm not saying ever act of prayer or worship needs to be like Pentecost or Hannah's prayer.  Really, they can't and all have integrity.

And yet, I wonder what it would be like if someone saw me and couldn't help but say: "there's another one of those drunken fools for Christ. I want what she's got!"

Good and gracious God, you've given me much to be crazy about.  Help me not to be afraid to show how crazy I am about you and your wide, wonderful world!  Amen