Scripture: I Samuel 1:9-17; 20; Luke 1:47-55

She seemed to have everything a woman could ever want.  Her husband was attentive, sympathetic and loving.  In addition to being a good provider, he was a person of faith who treated her with dignity and saw within her the reflection of an angel.

Yet, despite all this, Hannah was miserable.  There were times when the loneliness and despair were overwhelming.  Despite her husband’s unwavering support and undying devotion, she still felt empty and unfulfilled.  Why?  Because the one thing she wanted – the one thing that would have validated her worth - she didn’t have.  Hannah wanted a child. 

While Elkanah was willing to accept life as it was, Hannah was not.  Despite his pleas and well reasoned arguments, she refused to listen or to be consoled.  So, after years of being ridiculed by other women and taunted by Peninnah, Elkanah's second wife, she decided it was time to take action.  So, during their annual pilgrimage to Shiloh, she quietly slipped away from one of the family banquets and made her way into the temple.  As she knelt down to pray, Hannah laid aside the painted smiles, religious clichés, and forced platitudes.  No longer caring about form or tradition, she simply began telling God about her struggles, her disappointments and her pain.    Somewhere in the midst of the tears and the pleading, she began to understand that the happiness and fulfillment she so desperately wanted rested with God and God alone.  When she finally got up and returned to her husband, Hannah knew she had been heard and understood.  As a result, she was willing to leave her future in God’s hands.

And, yes, her prayers were answered. Hannah was given the son she so desperately wanted.  But before we start asking why her prayers were answered – why she was granted a miracle – while other equally important requests seem to be denied or ignored all together; before we attempt to justify God’s right to pick and choose the best thing to do is finish the story.  In do so what we will discover is that God’s blessings – even God’s miracles – do not come with a happy ever after guarantee.

Put yourself in Hannah’s shoes.  Remember the promise she made to God?  You give me a son and as soon as he his weaned, he will be given back to you.  Friends, how do you think she felt every time she held him, fed him, or comforted him?  She knew.  She knew that in just a few short years she would have to take him to the temple and leave him for Eli to raise.  What was she thinking as she rocked him to sleep or watched him at play?  Did she try to memorize the way he walked, the way he looked when he was surprised or amused? 

How did she feel the day she slipped his hand out of hers and told him he had to stay in the temple?  Did he cry?  Did he beg to go home with her?  And when she tucked her other children in at night, did her arms ach for the one who wasn’t there? 

Yes, Hannah’s prayers were answered.  Her life was blessed with a miracle.  But it wasn’t free.  It came at a cost.  Hannah couldn’t just claim the miracle for herself and walk away.  She had to be willing to give it back . . . to share it with the world.

And just in case we miss the lesson this story teaches us; just in case we want to forget the importance of being willing to give back the blessings we receive, then there is another story of another woman whose sacrifice cleared the way for you and I to inherit eternal life.  Like Hannah, Mary was an unlikely choice to give birth to a miracle.  While Hannah’s son would anoint kings, Mary’s son would be the King of Kings.  But if the miracle was to occur, Mary had to be willing to receive and relinquish the gift God was prepared to give.

So how did they do it?  How did both women so willingly give up the blessings – the miracles – that had been given to them?  Where did they find the strength?  How did they develop such a strong faith that even in the midst of great personal loss they continued to believe and to give?

Well, the answer to these questions is simple.  Both women refused to play games.  Hannah did more than ask and promise.  She grieved, meditated, murmured, and lashed out.  She let God know exactly what she was feeling and why she felt wronged.  In other words, she stood before God with her whole self.  She held nothing back and she expected the same from God. 

As for Mary, when it seemed as though everything had been taken from her – as she stood before the cross and watched as her oldest child was tortured, ridiculed and killed – she stood in total silence trusting God was there sharing in her grief.

Hannah and Mary . . . you and me – we have been blessed beyond measure by the One who hears our prayers and receives our pain.  But beware.  For in the words of our Lord:  To those whom much is given, much is expected.  And when our faith is strong, when we both know and are known by God, we can do more than we ever thought possible.  All we have to do is trust, follow, and obey.

To God be the glory.  Amen.