It’s the middle of the night in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. A boy named Samuel hears someone call his name, so he gets up and runs to the old priest Eli. “I didn’t call you,” Eli tells him. “Go back to bed.” It happens again, and again, before Eli realises who is calling.

The story is set in a time when, as the writer puts it, “messages from the Lord were very rare.” Many of us could say the same about our own lives. We pray, but we don’t really expect a reply.

This Sunday we begin our new series, Is Anybody Listening? Hearing God in a noisy world, with the prayer Eli taught Samuel: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

This week’s service includes Communion.

Everyone welcome

Remember: Daylight saving starts this Sunday, so remember to put your clocks forward an hour.