Scripture: Hosea 1:1 – 2:2
Dear Church,
Today we begin a new worship series on the book of Hosea, which has one of the most unforgettable beginnings in all of scripture:
The Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go, and marry a wife of whoredom’
Who talks like that? Apparently, God does.
God commands the prophet to marry a promiscuous woman named Gomer. Everyone agrees she is the last person a prophet should marry; she is unsuitable, uninterested, and incapable of being faithful. Predictably, it does not go well. It isn’t long before she’s left her family behind and returned to her old life.
And let’s get one thing clear from the start, because people have done a lot of damage with this book: the message of Hosea is for all of us.
We are all Gomer; willing to be loved by God, happy to receive all the benefits and blessings of the relationship, thrilled to be chosen–but unwilling to choose, unwilling to return God’s love, serially unfaithful. Like Gomer, we were given a new intimate life with God; but we continually run back to our old life of sin. Like all good prophets, Hosea shines the light, not on our enemies or the people we look down on, but on us. We are the problem. Which makes what happens next all the more breathtaking and astonishing.
I know, I know–nobody wants to come to worship on Sunday morning and hear about how they are unfaithful to God. But, whether we admit it or not, we are sometimes. Knowing that about ourselves is what keeps us humble and welcoming as a church. It’s what keeps our focus on God’s goodness and not ourselves. But most of all, we need to know how God treats unfaithful people, people who take grace for granted, people who screw up BIG TIME–because someday that truth is going to save our lives.
Peace,
Pastor Kate
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