Today's first reading can seem odd and leave you wondering what it has to do with Christmas until you introduce a single word, Nazirite. Samuel's mother made a vow that if God would grant her a son he would be dedicated to God. And so from his birth he was a Nazirite, from the hebrew word meaning set apart or consecrated.
There is still some debate when the New Testament says Jesus was a Nazerene, does it mean from Nazareth or a Nazirite or both?
Samuel is not only a Nazirite but he also represents a turning point in the history of Israel. He is considered to be the last of the Judges and the first of the major prophets.
As Christians, we read the story of Samuel and we see a foreshadowing of what God is going to do in Jesus. In Jesus we have more than a prophet speaking the word of God. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, the Word incarnate, the definite Word. He is not a child dedicated to God. He is the child who is God.
He is fullest expression of God's love for us.
