Hosea 2:16-23
Acts 21:1-14
Luke 5:12-26
The words of the leper in Luke 5 are an example of sincere faith. “Lord,” he says to Jesus, “if you choose, you can make me clean” (Luke 5:12). Jesus does choose to make the man clean just as he chooses to forgive the sins of the paralytic later in the chapter, and then to heal this man as well. “Lord, if you choose…” In Acts the same sentiment is expressed, though in slightly different words. The apostle Paul is determined to go to Jerusalem and face whatever may happen there, even over the objections of his friends. “Since he would not be persuaded,” says Acts, “we remained silent except to say, ‘The Lord’s will be done’” (Acts 21:14). Lord, if you choose… The Lord’s will be done… in each case there is a willingness to allow God to work as God sees fit, because God can!
The prophet Hosea looks at a nation full of idolatry and far removed from its own God. And yet this same prophet can affirm God’s intention to “make for (Israel) a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground…” (Hosea 2:18). War will cease and all people will live in peace and safety. How can this happen among such faithless and fickle people? Lord, if you choose… The Lord’s will be done… The prophet knows that God will because God can!
What problems do we see in our world? What circumstances seem beyond hope? What difficulties lie in our path? Is there nothing that can be done about the violence that erupts so often? Is there nothing that can be done about human divisiveness and isolation? Is there no healing to be found for the ill? Is there no hope to be offered to the lonely? There is: Lord, if you choose… The Lord’s will be done… We, like the prophet, like the man with leprosy, like the friends of the paralytic, like Paul’s companions, may lay claim to the good news that God will because God can address our needs with mercy and grace! It may not be exactly what we want. It may not be exactly the way we saw things happening in our own mind, but the truth is that faith in God is never misplaced. God’s choice is to stand in relationship with God’s people, to hold us accountable, but also to meet our needs in ways that only God can know. God chooses. Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, may we be guided to trust in you and your love for us, that all the days of our lives may be lived in faithfulness. When we falter, Lord, give us the courage to move ahead. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Showing posts with label Hosea 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hosea 2. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Fighting Spiritual ADD
Hosea 2:2-15
Acts 20:17-38
Luke 5:1-11
What a contrast we find between the Old Testament reading from Hosea, and the two New Testament readings from Luke and Acts! In the words of the prophet God laments that Israel has played the whore with idols and other gods. As a result, “She shall pursue her lovers, but not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them” (Hosea 2:7). But in Luke’s account Simon Peter, James, and John are called to fish for people as followers of Jesus. And “when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). And finally, in telling his friends from Ephesus goodbye, Paul affirms that he did not “count (his) life of any value” as long as he could finish the ministry given to him by the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:24).
The actions of Paul and the disciples do not indicate that all of God’s people have given up their idolatry, nor will these individuals themselves escape from their own sins entirely. But the invitation that Jesus offers, the one accepted by fishermen and Pharisee alike, is to be transformed from worldly concerns to those of the coming reign of God. Wherever their emphasis may have been placed, whether worshipping idols, running a successful business, or persecuting the church, Jesus called these men—and thus all people––to refocus on what is really important, and to give up everything else.
This is not an easy call to accept. We all know this because we all have our idols and our lives are distracted by many things, a sort of spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder. The good news is that God has no such ailment. God’s gaze remains firmly fixed on us, on our lives, on our needs, on our feeble efforts. The call to discipleship isn’t really about giving up. It’s about waking up, and seeing the good news all around us. In Jesus we are freed to live life the way it was intended. And while we will struggle mightily with that call, God remains steadfast in faithful mercy towards us.
Prayer: O God, help us to focus our lives on you and your will so that we will not be distracted by the idols that are so common in our world. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Acts 20:17-38
Luke 5:1-11
What a contrast we find between the Old Testament reading from Hosea, and the two New Testament readings from Luke and Acts! In the words of the prophet God laments that Israel has played the whore with idols and other gods. As a result, “She shall pursue her lovers, but not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them” (Hosea 2:7). But in Luke’s account Simon Peter, James, and John are called to fish for people as followers of Jesus. And “when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). And finally, in telling his friends from Ephesus goodbye, Paul affirms that he did not “count (his) life of any value” as long as he could finish the ministry given to him by the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:24).
The actions of Paul and the disciples do not indicate that all of God’s people have given up their idolatry, nor will these individuals themselves escape from their own sins entirely. But the invitation that Jesus offers, the one accepted by fishermen and Pharisee alike, is to be transformed from worldly concerns to those of the coming reign of God. Wherever their emphasis may have been placed, whether worshipping idols, running a successful business, or persecuting the church, Jesus called these men—and thus all people––to refocus on what is really important, and to give up everything else.
This is not an easy call to accept. We all know this because we all have our idols and our lives are distracted by many things, a sort of spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder. The good news is that God has no such ailment. God’s gaze remains firmly fixed on us, on our lives, on our needs, on our feeble efforts. The call to discipleship isn’t really about giving up. It’s about waking up, and seeing the good news all around us. In Jesus we are freed to live life the way it was intended. And while we will struggle mightily with that call, God remains steadfast in faithful mercy towards us.
Prayer: O God, help us to focus our lives on you and your will so that we will not be distracted by the idols that are so common in our world. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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