Reflexion Connexion

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Teach us kindness
Real world
Flesh and blood kindness
With messy people
full of fear and shame
Angry sometimes
Broken sometimes
Defended
Resistant

Grant us the courage
To be vulnerable enough to care
To be considerate
To slow down
And look up
From our own preoccupations
To learn about their joys
To learn about their pain

And let us be as open
To receive kindness
As to offer it
So we can put aside our
Pride
And our defenses
And our need to control
And enjoy the pleasures
Of being loved
And of loving
And we can experience the joy
Of your life
Your fruit
Growing
Day after day
Coming to life
In the real world
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: If there were ever to be a roll-call of Christian heroes,

We’d find a wide assortment of characters throughout history
– and, for all the controversy surrounding his life,
• I’m certain Lonnie Frisbee would be among them
◦ in our first encounter I experienced someone with uncanny
◦ it was like bumping into a New Testament apostle
• Lonnie was the most effective hippie preacher in the Jesus Movement (in my opinion)
– a friend of mind attended a large meeting where Lonnie was speaking
• he later told me, Lonnie quoted the Bible, rambled a bit,
◦ then, fell silent, a few moments later he suddenly, shouted, “Get saved!”
• instantly, a third of crowd jumped to their feet

I’m going to suggest, that the essence of God’s word to Hosea was “Get saved”
– only it is more than what Lonnie meant
• in the narrow evangelical context “saved” means ” from something
• but the broader biblical meaning means to be saved into something
◦ for instance, into a new life with God
◦ and into the potential person God sees when he looks at you
– God presented a living parable through Hosea
• he played back Israel’s history as he viewed it through his divine eyes
◦ he told stories, painted pictures, spoke through poetry,
◦ and delivered an number of prophetic threats and promises
• God wanted his people to see what they had become,
◦ but also what they could have been, and could possibly still become

In today’s chapters, God adds the last pieces of the puzzle

In these verses we learn how Israel failed their destiny
When Ephraim spoke in trembling,
he was a prince in Israel,
but he was guilty with Baal and died.
And now they continue to offend
and make themselves molten images
from their silver in their form of idols
all of it craftsmen work.
To them they say:
sacrifices of man, calves to be kissed.
Therefore shall they be like a morning cloud
and like early dew that melts away,
like chaff whirled out from the threshing floor
and like smoke from a chimney Hosea 13:1-3

I remind you, “Ephraim” was the chief tribe in the north, and is understood as Israel
– there was a period when he “spoke in trembling”; that is to say with reverence
“Hear the word of the LORD,
you who tremble at his word” (Isa. 66:5)
“Do you not fear me? declares the LORD.
Do you not tremble before me?” (Jer. 5:22)
• but their devotion to God disappeared when they went over to Baal
◦ and with that move, the nation experienced a sad loss of status and wealth
• you think they would realize their decline and return to Yahweh, but,
“And now they continue to offend” (v. 2)
◦ do you remember in chapter 7, they did not discern they were in decline?
“Strangers consumed his strength,
but he did not know.
His hair turned suddenly gray,
but he did not know” (v. 9)
◦ Hosea picks up another theme already mentioned in chapter 8, that idols are the product of human hands (v. 6)
“a craftsman made it, and it is not a god”
– there are many people living in denial regarding the state of our nation
• it amazes me that they cannot see how we are rapidly sliding downhill
◦ we’ve become a divided and troubled nation, and a disgusting nuisance
◦ I wonder how much ruin it will take for more people to wake up

This opening stanza ends with a list of similes (or metaphors)
– all four represent something transient, that quickly evaporates, flies away, or disappears

God’s response to Israel’s deterioration
Yet I am the LORD your God
ever since the land of Egypt,
and no God save Me shall you know
and no rescuer except for Me.
I knew you in the wilderness
in a parched land.
When they grazed and they were sated,
the were sated and grew proud.
Therefore they forgot Me.
And I will become to the like a lion,
like a leopard I spy on the way.
I will meet them like a bear robbed of her cubs
and rip the sinews round their heart.
And I will devour them there like a lion,
the beasts of the field shall tear them apart Hosea 13:4-8

While they were decaying from being misled by pagan gods and idols,
– the Lord says, “Yet I am the LORD your God”
• here is the same warmth of affection we saw last week
◦ from the time they left Egypt, they were to know only Yahweh
◦ and in the wilderness Yahweh traveled with and knew them
• the Hebrew word translated “know” has several meanings
◦ all related to being “informed” and “familiar with”
◦ I think here we’re to understand in this instance it is an intimate knowing
– v. 6, when Israel settled in Canaan, they became spoiled by God’s blessings
• sadly, God had previously and explicitly warned them of these very things Hosea addresses
“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God . . . lest when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied, then your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt . . . and go after other gods and serve and worship them” (De. 8:7-20)
• like the previous stanza this one also concludes with a list of similes
◦ these illustrate the harsh nature of God’s punishment
◦ their shepherd through the wilderness becomes like predatory animals when they’re settled in the land

Now we learn who is to blame for Israel’s ruin
You are ruined, O Israel,
for who will come to your aid?
Where is your king then?
Let him rescue you in all your towns.
And your leaders to whom you said,
“Give me a king and nobles.”
But I will give you a king in My wrath
and take him away in My anger.
Ephraim’s crime is bundled up,
hidden, his offense Hosea 13:9-11

The “usual suspects” include kings, their appointed leaders, and all other religious and civic authorities
“Woe, negligent shepherds, who scatter the sheep of My flock, said the LORD. Therefore, said the LORD God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd My people, you have let my flocks scatter . . . and did not attend to them” (Jer. 23:1-2)
“Woe, shepherds of Israel who were shepherding them. Will not the shepherds [feed] the flock? . . . You did not strengthen the weak ones you did not heal nor bind up the one with a broken limb nor bring back the one that had wandered nor did seek out the one that was lost. And by force you held sway over them with crushing labor.” (Eze. 34)
– God locates the fault of Israel’s failure in the realm of human government
• but the people are not innocent either;
◦ these were the leaders they clamored for,
◦ and they stood by them even when abused and led astray
– again, this is relevant to our nation at this dangerous moment in history
• I don’t feel I need to explain or elaborate, it is all too obvious
Those who have ears to hear, let them hear

Israel’s destiny would be a day of debt collection
Birth pangs come upon him,
and the child is not wise.
For now he shall not last
on the birth-stool for children.
From Sheol shall I ransom them,
from death shall I redeem the?
Where are your words, O Death,
where your scourge, O Sheol?
Regret is hidden from My eyes.
Though he put forth fruit in meadows,
the east wind shall come, the LORD’s wind,
from the desert rising up.
And his fountain shall dry up
and his spring shall arid be.
It shall ravage treasure,
every precious vessel Hosea 13:13-15

First, there will be difficulty with pregnancy and,
– the child born will be defective – and not survive
• the way Robert Alter’s translation reads verse 14, is that God is asking Israel these questions
• if the nation waits to turn to God only when they finally recognize disaster that has come upon them,
◦ will they expect him to rescue their children from Sheol?
(Sheol was the grave, the underworld, the abode of the dead)
– God’s empathy and mercy throughout the Hebrew Scriptures is overwhelming
• but there is a limit – and when Israel has is resisted him to the very end,
he says, “Regret is hidden from My eyes” – no empathy, no recovery
◦ this tragedy is what God had been trying to spare them

This verse belongs to the previous chapter
Samaria is guilty,
for it rebelled against its God.
They shall fall by the sword,
their infants shall be smashed,
and their pregnant women split apart Hosea 14:1

When Israel would finally be defeated by the Assyrian army,
– their enemies would deal with them brutally, and showing no mercy to anyone

Now, at the end, Hosea’s does not end in despair
Turn back, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled in your crime.
Take words with you
and turn back to the LORD.
Say to Him, “All crime You shall forgive.
And take what is good,
and we shall offer our speech instead of bulls Hosea 14:2-3

We will hear three voices in this chapter
– first, the voice of Hosea, urging God’s unruly children,
“Turn back, O Israel, to the LORD your God”
• having taken the wrong path for so many years,
◦ they “stumbled” in it, and that is where they now find themselves
• they need to go to God and say what needs to be said
◦ that doesn’t mean their speech is insincere,
◦ or that they’re trying to talk God into accepting them

What comes to mind is the parable of the “Prodigal Son,” who when returning home prepares a speech to deliver to his father. His words are sincere and his willingness to live by them is authentic. This is what Hosea has in mind for Israel. An authentic confession of their need for him and willingness to give him all that he asks.

• the problem is, the rituals of sacrifice no longer work
◦ they had devoted those gifts to pagan deities, and now they’ve become corrupted and meaningless
◦ what they have to do is speak the truth
– there’s a psalm that covers this perfectly:
“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps. 51:16-17)

Next, we hear the voice of the people
“Assyria will not rescue us,
on horses we shall not ride.
And we shall say no more ‘our God’
to our handiwork,
as in You alone the orphan is shown pity” Hosea 14:4

They renounce all the empty commitments they had embraced
– they are orphans, knowing only God would adopt them

Then, third, we hear God’s voice as he imagines welcoming them home
“I will heal their rebellion
I will love them freely,
for My wrath has turned back from them.
I will be like dew to Israel.
He shall blossom like the lily
and strike root like Lebanon.
His branches shall go forth
and his glory be like the olive tree,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
Those who dwell in his shade shall come back,
they shall give life to new grain,
and like the vine they shall blossom.
His fame is like Lebanon wine.
Ephraim—‘Why more should I deal with idols?
I have answered and I espy Him
I am like the lush cypress.
From me your fruit is found.’” Hosea 14:5-9

They will flourish, as God has always wanted them to flourish
– living in his presence, enjoying his goodness
– and his promise! “I will love them freely”
• there are many days when I need to be loved freely
• loved generously, without deserving it, built up by it
“love edifies”

Conclusion: The very last verse is not at all in the prophetic style

It is, in fact, straight out of the wisdom literature; that is to say, like the Book of Proverbs
Who is wise and can grasp these things,
discerning, and can know them?
For straight are the ways of the LORD,
and the righteous shall walk on them,
but rebels shall stumble on them Hosea 14:10

In other words, Hosea requires a careful and intuitive reading
A major portion of the book is analogy,
and some parts have more than one layer of meaning
When we go back over it, we must read each passage with both our mind and heart
But for now, we are invited to run into God’s arms, and belong to him
Only, let’s make certain we are walking in HIS ways
Frederick Buechner, “We have only one life, and the choice of how we are going to live it must be our own choice, not one that we should let the world make for us.”
To “get saved” in this way is not me becoming a better version of myself
Rather, it’s about becoming the person God dreams me to be
And his dream for us, if difficult, or painful, or seemingly impossible, is still fantastic

Podcast

Welcome and prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
If the proof is in the pudding
Then the pudding for us
Is how we treat other people.
We can claim you love us
And set us free
And made us whole
And we can claim we love You
With all we are
It is easy.
And the words can be
Dead empty

Help us to love those
Near to us
Giving up
Our desire to be right
Or one up
Instead treating them with tenderness
Patience
Gentleness
Kindness
Bearing their burdens
Lightening their loads
Standing with them
Standing up for them
Sharing their joys
and fears

And let us
Do good for all people
Defending the vulnerable
Feeding the hungry
Welcoming the stranger
granting hospitality
Sacrificing for others
No longer standing in the way
But letting justice roll down
Because we really do love you
And honor your love
And your sacrifice
For us
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: Friday morning, near the end of a long walk,

I passed by a mother and her toddler son
– he was on a small four-wheel bike, perfectly fitted to him
• he was poised to move from asphalt to a dirt slope
◦ I said, “Looks like you’re about to go off-roading,”
◦ more for his mom’s sake than his
• he looked at me with the most engaging smile
◦ it was the loveliest moment of my morning
– I kept walking, but he didn’t take his eyes off of me
• he turned his head as I passed,
◦ so I had to walk backwards to hold his gaze
◦ his mom was quiet, but enjoying her son’s response
• if cherubs were small, toddler-looking angels,
◦ he could have been a model for the prototype

My mind kept returning to him as I prepared for this morning
– that’s because we have come to an unexpected twist
• God drops the unfaithful wife theme and shifts to a paternal analogy
• there is a gripping message here of God’s intense love
◦ only now it is not for his wife, but for his son
– chapters 11 and 12 paint a picture of God as parent and Israel as child
• the focus of chapter 11 is on the parent – God
◦ the focus of chapter 12 is on the child; who is both:
◦ Jacob the man and Israel the nation–moving back and forth from one to other
• and as we read these chapters, we wonder, how God could love these people as deeply as he does

God opens his heart in a rare display of vulnerable love
For Israel was a lad and I loved him,
and from Egypt I called to My son.
They called to them,
yet they went off from them.
To the Baalim they sacrificed,
and to the idols they burned incense.
Yet I taught Ephraim to walk,
took him by his arms,
but they did not know that I had healed them.
With human cords I tugged them,
with bonds of love,
and I became to them
like those who lift an infant to their cheeks,
and I bent over them and fed them Hosea 11:1-4

In chapter 12, God will explain that he communicated with Israel though his prophets
“[with] many visions [and] showed forth images”
– we also see that much of the prophetic word was cast in the form of poetry,
• which is the expressive language of the human soul
◦ poetry is meant to speak to our experience, move our emotions, and inform our thoughts
• here, at beginning of chapter 11, Israel is a lad, God’s son
◦ and God’s comment regarding him goes right to my heart, “and I loved him”
◦ this is a love poem to from God to his people
– he called his son out from Egypt
• the “they” in verse 2 probably refers to God’s agents who called to his people
◦ e.g., Moses, Aaron, and the prophets
• but after leaving Egypt, Israel went off from them,
◦ making sacrifices and offering incense to the Baal gods (Canaanite deities)

Yet I taught Ephraim to walk
– this is a big moment for every parent – their baby’s first step
• one that mom and dad enjoy sharing together
◦ those wobbly steps take clumsy steps forward, as their brain creates new neural pathways
• and in this particular instance, we watch God as he’s bending over his toddlers,
◦ holding onto their arms to steady them
◦ sharing his children’s joy as they develop this new skill
“but they did not know that I had healed them”
– I imagine God thumbing through his photo album
• we begin to see a pattern: God acts in love for Israel, but they fail to reciprocate
• of course, teenagers don’t remember learning to walk
◦ they hardly understand how much attention they received when very small

“I became like those who lift an infant to their cheeks”
– it is not just that an infant’s cheeks are smooth and soft,
• but the skin of a parent’s cheek is more sensitive than their calloused hands
◦ this physical touch communicates love and connection
• then the human cords and bonds of love become critical factors in the child’s care
◦ the psychology of attachment formation has taught us,
◦ how our ability to form healthy relationships later on,
depends on these interactions between child and care giver

Again, the pattern of this chapter, as God loves and the child pulls away
No! He turned back to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria was his king,
for they refused to come back to Me.
And the sword shall swoop down on his towns
and destroy his limbs
and devour because of their counsels.
And My people cling to rebellion against Me.
When they call him on high,
he does not rise up Hosea 11:5-7

To me, this looks like adolescent rebellion,
– when our children don’t feel they need or want our help
• what they go through may be a normal phase of maturing
• but it’s a phase that if not carefully approached, in wisdom and love, can become a way of life,
in which they habituate a fixed attitude of fighting and rebelling

If we don’t read this next passage well, we are like to get wrong ideas|
How can I give you over, Ephraim
surrender you, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah,
set you like Zeboiim?
My heart churns within me,
My compassion altogether is stirred.
I will not act in My blazing wrath,
I will no more destroy Ephraim.
For I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I do not desire to root out.
After the LORD they shall go,
like a lion He shall roar.
When he roars,
the sons shall hasten from the west.
They shall hasten like a bird from Egypt,
like a dove from Assyria’s land
and I will settle them in their homes, said the LORD Hosea 11:8-11

The Bible is not at all embarrassed by representing God as human
– he is clearly not human, but infinitely more and “other than” human
• but if his true nature is transcendent, and beyond our experiencing, or knowing, or understanding,
◦ how can we say anything about him?
◦ our human words and concepts will always be inadequate, and if inadequate, then wrong
• God presents himself to us with ideas, pictures, analogies, metaphors, parables, and so on
◦ the human aspect of these stories are meaningful to us, because they fit in our world
◦ so God’s self-revelation is generally:
anthropomorphic: as having a human form
anthropopathic: as having human feelings and emotions
– this is how God reveals himself to us in these verses, and it is overwhelming

God reveals himself as torn up by an intense inner turmoil
– he knows, if he can create in us a feeling of total frustration,
• then we’ll understand something about his experience with Israel
“How can I give you over? How can I surrender you?”
• he can’t bring himself to let go of his people or see them destroy themselves
◦ his love for them won’t allow him to give up on them
◦ Admah and Zeboiim were two cities that were destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah
“My heart churns within me,” God says
◦ we might say, “My stomach is in a knot”
This is a frustration so great that it is felt in the deepest regions of the body
– then God comes to a decision, “I will not act in My blazing wrath”
• how can he do this? How can he suspend judgment?
• he is able to come to this decision on the basis of who he is
“For I am God and not a man” – God always has the ultimate and final say
◦ he leans on his own authority to determine how he will respond to Israel

What God is saying in verses 10-11, is that when the lion roars, it is call its cubs to come running. This reminds me of the way Dad would signal my brother to rush home. He could whistle so loudly three specific notes, that we could hear him from several blocks away and would immediately race home. Both Isaiah and Zechariah make reference to God’s whistle:
“He will raise a signal for nations far away,
and whistle for them from the ends of the earth;
and behold, quickly, speedily they come!” (Isa. 5:26)
“I will whistle for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and they shall be as many as they were before” (Zech. 10:8)

Chapter 12 offers us a different way to review Israel’s history

It is biography of Jacob–wrestling: with Esau in womb; with Laban; and with God
– in his third contest, God renamed him Israel
• the biography splices together Jacob and nation of Israel,
◦ moving from one to the other and back again

“Ephraim encircled Me in denial,
and the house of Israel in deceit.
But Judah still stays with God
and with the holy ones is faithful.
Ephraim herds the wind
and chases the east wind all day.
Lies and plunder he multiplies
and seals a pact with Assyria,
oil to Egypt is brought” Hosea 12:1-2)

This is a brief introduction to the chapter
– the two halves of the nation went different ways–Israel to the north while Judah remained in the south
“Ephraim herds the wind” is a way of saying they will come to nothing but futility and emptiness (v. 12)

From their births on, Jacob was a “cheat”
“And the LORD has a cause against Judah
to make a reckoning with Jacob for his acts,
by his deeds He shall pay him back.
In the womb he cheated his brother,
and with his power he strove with God.
He strove with the Messenger and prevailed—
he wept and pleaded with him.
At Bethel he did find him,
‘And there he spoke with us’” Hosea 12:3-5

– Bethel is prominent in Jacob’s story for two reasons:
• first, he rested there on his way to Laban and again returning home twenty years later
• second, God appeared to him and spoke to him both times

God had a destiny for Jacob other than what he engineered
“And the LORD God of Armies,
the LORD is what He is called.
As for you, to your God you shall turn back,
faithfulness and justice keep,
and hope for your God always” Hosea 12:6-7

“the LORD God of Armies” is a title for God found many times in the Psalms and Prophets

A one word description of Israel
“A huckster in whose hand are cheating scales
loving to exploit!
And Ephraim said,
“’Why I have grown rich,
found power for myself.
All my gains do not expose for me
a crime that is an offense’” Hosea 12:8-9

The Hebrew word translated “huckster” (or merchant) is the name of the land of Canaan
– situated along three important trade routs, Canaan was naturally a land of merchants
• God named his people “Israel,” but they became Canaan
• and Jacob, likewise, was a clever and unscrupulous trader
– previously we’ve seen how materialism has become a deity that competes with God for our hearts
• what is sad about Ephraim, is the justification they used to exploit others to expand their riches
“All my gains do not expose for me
a crime that is an offense”
• if we’re making lots of money, we need to ask ourselves, “Who is benefitting and who is burdened?”
◦ lots of people (even some ministers) assume their material success proves that they’re pleasing God
◦ a believer may think, “I happen to be good at what I do,”
while God observes them and says, “Huckster”

God was determined to bring Israel to their appointed destiny

“But I am the LORD your God
from the time of the land of Egypt
Once more will I settle you in tents
as on the festival days.
And I spoke to the prophets,
and I framed many visions
and through the prophets showed forth images.
If Gilead does wrong,
they become an empty thing.
At Gilgal they offered bulls.
Their altars, too, are like heaps of ruins
in furrows of the field.
And Jacob fled to the field of Aram,
and Israel labored for a woman,
(referring to Jacob serving Laban for seven years in exchange for his daughter, Rachel, to be his wife)
and for a woman he guarded the flocks.
But by a prophet the LORD brought up Israel from Egypt,
and by a prophet it was guarded” Hosea 12:10-14

Whereas they boasted their wealth, God was going to again settle them in tents
– at the end of the chapter, Jacob is contrasted to Moses
Robert Alter, “There is an antithesis here: Jacob labored for a woman, but it was by Moses that God rescued the Hebrews from slavery. . . . . The guarding of the people by a prophet is a nobler thing than the guarding of flocks by Jacob.”

Conclusion: Of course, Hosea can’t leave us on an up note!
“Ephraim was bitterly vexing,
and his bloodguilt shall be set upon him,
and his Master shall pay him back for his shame” Hosea 12:15

But then again, we do have to make a decision regarding God’s faithful love
Will I make my home in the world’s iniquity or God’s intimacy?

My first real encounter with Hosea (and it was life-changing)
occurred when reading a devotional book by the Reverend G. Campbell Morgan:
Hosea: The Heart and Holiness of God
Morgan explains that the right thing to do with Israel, would be to abandon them,
to leave them to the destructive consequences of their sins
God knew what they deserved, but something was holding him back
G. Campbell Morgan, “It was not something in Israel, but something in God.”
The same thing is true of all of us
“As God is my witness, I cannot see it when I look at myself. That is the amazing thing. Because of what God is, He sees me, and sees my possibility….”
He sees our possibility, because he placed it there within us
And through the wrenching ordeal his love for us caused him,
he will preserve, promote and perfect that possibility
until it is the shining characteristic of our life in him

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Together
We come
Our hearts full
And we offer
Our gratitude
Our thankfulness
Our praise
For all of it
Every joy
Every lament
All of it

We are ready to sing
Every smile and giggle
Every surprise
Every blessing
Every sweet memory
That have filled our days
For us
This is easy

Let us,
Cause us to also
sing our sorrows with you
Of our losses
Of our hearts being torn
Of lives broken before our eyes
About cruelty
And injustice
And destruction
We are seeing
Experiencing
Of lies being told
And repeated
And repeated
And repeated

And show us the way
Back to joy
And justice
And peace
And we will come along
And sing that song too
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr

Imagine you’re walking through an art gallery, and standing nearby is the artist whose work you admiring. So you point to an object in one corner of an especially beautiful painting, and ask the artist, “Why did you put this right here? What does it mean?” The artist–if a true artist answers, “Well, if I could explain it, I would not have had to paint it.” You would get a similar answer from a poet, a composer, a sculpture, and most any other artist. “If I could explain it, I would not have had to write it, compose it, sculpt it.” Their work does not always begin with an idea, but oftentimes with an inspiration.

Intro: I’m not trying to avoid jumping into Hosea

However, I want to enter Hosea’s by way of Matthew’s gospel
“When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt. 9:36-37)
– this is a simple observation, the Lord saw something, and it made an impression on him
• but Matthew provides more than the bare details of the narrative.
◦ he includes a description of how the people looked to Jesus: “like sheep without a shepherd”
• we’re not supposed to read this literally
◦ Jesus was looking at people, not sheep,
◦ and they appeared to be leaderless, but they did not need a shepherd
– we refer to literary analogies like this as metaphors
• if we’re going to be technical, this instance is not a metaphor, but a simile
◦ that is, a comparison of an act or object to something unrelated using words “like” or “as”
(metaphors do not use those words)
◦ but since we’re not writing an essay, and I’m not going to be graded on this, I’ll use only the word metaphor
• there are two ways that I want to demonstrate how metaphors assist the reader:
◦ first, comparisons can add a different dimension of information that clarifies a statement
◦ second, metaphors appeal to emotion and generate feelings regarding literal statements
(That is what I like about this example of Jesus; seeing through his eyes we’re able to feel what he felt)

Hosea, chapters 7 and 8 are peppered with metaphors

Those will be our way points through these chapters
– we’ll see that most of them are introduced with “like a . . .”
• for instance, in 7:4 (the first of our metaphors) reads, “All of them are adulterers like a burning oven”
• let’s get started

When I would restore the fortunes of My people,
and I would heal Israel,
Ephraim’s crime is laid bare
and the evils of Samaria,
for they have acted in lies;
the thief comes within
and the gang raids outside.
And let them not say in their heart
that I have recalled all their evil.
Now their deeds have turned them around —
before My face they are.
In their evil they gladden the king,
and with their deceits, the nobles.
All of them are adulterers,
like a burning oven.
The baker ceases from stirring,
from kneading the dough till it rises.
On the day of our king
the nobles made him sick with poisoned wine.
He had set his hand with the scoffers.
For they drew near in their ambush,
their hearts like an oven.
All night their leader sleeps,
in the morning he burns like a tongue of flame.
They all grow hot like an oven,
and devour the judges
All of their kings have fallen,
none among them calls to Me Hosea 7:1-7

The phrase “restore the fortunes” occurs many times in Hebrew Scriptures
– it is the promise that God would bring Israel to the blessings they once enjoyed in a previous era of prosperity
(a promise of healing, repair, and renewal of their covenant relationship)
• if some of Israel’s people were held captive in foreign lands, “restore the fortunes” would mean their return to their own land
• if the nation had been looted by enemy invaders or devastated by crop failure, “restore the fortunes” would mean God replenishing Israel with new blessings
– by far, the majority of times this phrase appears is in the books of the prophets
• mostly Jeremiah and Ezekiel, though we also find it in Deuteronomy, Job, and the Psalms
• God is saying that he was prepared to do this again for Israel — and it was long overdue
◦ however, their spiritual and moral failure got in their way
◦ theirs was a society compromised by lies (e.g., “the deceits of the nobles”)
• and the corruption was internal as well as external
“the thief comes within
and the gang raids outside”
• and God had not even “recalled all their evil”
◦ we might hope that the nation’s rulers would put a stop to the lies and corruption
◦ but those sins “gladdened the king” and their deceits pleased his nobles
▫ that is, those who shared and enforced his rulership

This brings us to our first metaphor,
“all of them are adulterers
like a burning oven”
– heat is introduced here and becomes theme for several verses
• but the metaphor will have different applications
◦ here, the heat refers to sexual passion (like an “animal in heat”)
◦ next, it is their hearts that are “like an oven,” cooking up plots and conspiracies
◦ then their leader responds when he wakens in the morning, burning “like a tongue of flame”
• as this metaphor fades, we learn why we don’t play with fire
“All of their kings have fallen”
◦ this was the fate of every king in northern Israel
◦ and why had they fallen? We’re told, “none of them calls to Me”
– this completes the thought that began in verse 1
• God was ready to restore their fortunes
◦ but none of their leaders were seeking God or his help
◦ so the restoration had not occurred

In the next metaphor Israel appears as a half-baked nation
Ephraim among the nations —
it is he who mingles.
Ephraim is like a loaf
not turned over.
Strangers consume his strength,
but he did not know.
His hair turned suddenly gray,
but he did not know.
And Israel’s pride bore witness against it,
yet for all that they did not seek him. Hosea 7:8-13

“Ephraim” became the leading tribe of northern Israel
– here Ephraim represents the entire nation
• God set Israel apart from all the nations, but they mixed in with them
◦ they were compromised by their idolatry and pagan gods
• the next metaphor is,
“a loaf
not turned over”
◦ and refers to a flat bread, like pita, baked over coals
◦ if it isn’t turned, it bakes on one side and is raw on the other
– half-baked devotion to God is a divided loyalty
• Jesus’ lesson comes to mind, “No one can serve two masters”
◦ but what is really scary about this condition, is that,
◦ the nation was deteriorating, and no one noticed it!
“Strangers consumed his strength,
but he did not know.
His hair turned suddenly gray,
but he did not know
(Who doesn’t notice when their hair turns gray?!)
• do we get a clue as to why they were unable to see their demise?
◦ it was their “pride [that] bore witness against it”
◦ and they continued down this road because “they did not seek him”

Two more impressive metaphors
And Ephraim became like a
foolish senseless dove.
To Egypt they called,
to Assyria they went.
Where they go
I will spread my net upon them.
Like the fowl of the heavens I will bring them down.
I will bind them as their kinfolk listen.
Woe to them for they have wandered from Me.
Disaster for them, as they rebelled against Me!
Shall I redeem them
when they have spoken against Me lies?
And they did not cry out to Me from their heart,
but they wailed upon their couch,
over grain and new wine they gashed themselves,
they swerved away from Me.
I braced, I strengthened their arm,
but against Me they plotted evil.
They go back to what is worthless,
they are like a faulty bow.
Their nobles shall fall by the sword
because of their angry tongue,
which is their mockery in the land of Egypt Hosea 7:14-16

How was it that Ephraim was “a foolish senseless dove”?
– first it flitted off to Egypt, and then flew up to Assyria
• in other words, they lack a dove’s powerful homing instinct
◦ they can’t find their way back to their dove cote
◦ their true home was God and not in the other nations
“Woe to them for they have wandered from Me”
• what does God do about this silly dove, flying in circles?
“I will spread my net upon them”
◦ obviously, nets were used to snare birds
◦ then, with another metaphor,
“Like the fowl of the heavens I will bring them down”

And then:
Woe to them for they have wandered from Me.
Disaster for them, as they rebelled against Me!
– wandering away is one thing, rebellion is another thing altogether
• but wandering can easily evolve into rebellion
• implies they had indeed cried out to God, but not from their heart
(that is, not sincerely, not to prepared to surrender to him completely)
◦ I’m going to be blunt regarding how this appears relevant
◦ ninety percent of what I see posted in social media that is meant to represent scripture or the mind of God, is either wrong, offensive, or nonsense
– there are many people who assume they are Christians, doing God’s will
• but if you don’t even know God’s will, how can you possibly be doing it?

The last metaphor in the chapter, “they are like a faulty bow”
– with a warped or broken bow, you’re going to miss the target or possibly harm yourself

Chapter 8 begins with something like an air-raid siren
A ram’s horn to your lips!
—he is like an eagle against the LORD’s house.
For they have breached My covenant
and rebelled against My teaching.
To me they cry out —
“We know you, O God of Israel!”
They set up kings but not through Me,
installed nobles but without My knowledge.
From their silver and their gold
they made themselves idols,
that they might be cut off.
Your calf rejects you, Samaria,
My wrath against them flares.
How long will they fail to be clean?
And it—a craftsman made it,
and it is not a god.
For shards it shall become,
the calf of Samaria.
For they sow the wind
and harvest a storm.
Standing grain that has no sprouts,
it will not make flour.
If it should perhaps make some,
strangers will swallow it up.
Israel has been swallowed,
now they have become among the nations
like a vessel no one wants.
For they have gone up to Assyria,
a wild ass on its own is Ephraim,
they have made courtship’s plea.
Though they give gifts among the nations,
now will I gather them up,
and they will soon tremble
from the burden of kings and nobles.
For Ephraim made many altars
an offense they were for him,
altars to offend.
I wrote for him My many teachings —
like something strange they were viewed.
The sacrifices I gave they slaughtered,
it was flesh, and they ate.
The LORD did not accept them favorably.
Now will their crime be recalled,
and a reckoning made for their offense.
They shall go back to Egypt.
And Israel forgot his Maker
and he built palaces.
And Judah made many fortified towns,
but I set fire to his towns,
and it consumed his citadels Hosea 8

I think we’ve caught the rhythm of Hosea’s poetry,
– so we’ll move faster through this chapter
• the first metaphor, “like an eagle” appears here in contrast to the silly dove
• Israel attempted to defend themselves, “We know you, O God of Israel”
◦ but God immediate exposes the shallowness of that claim
“Israel rejects what is good”
◦ I think there is an equivalent of this error today, when people who think they’re Christians assume they can dispense with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount
• another big problem is when nobles were installed without God’s knowledge;
◦ this doesn’t mean knowledge of God, but not adhering to the truth God had revealed
“I wrote for him My many teachings” (v. 12)
◦ they either rejected it or ignored it in making decisions and running the country
– God has an ultimate word regarding their idols:
“a craftsman made it,
and it is not a god”
• in my opinion, this could apply to a lot of religious products and productions

Let’s look at three more metaphors

the metaphor in verse 7:
“They sow to the wind
and harvest a storm”
– Paul filled out this metaphor a little more in Galatians: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal.6:7)
the metaphor in verse 8:
“now they’ve become among the nations
like a vessel no one wants”
– a misshapen pot, perhaps, or a jug that was leaky
– in context, this would be a prostitute with no clients
the metaphor in verse 9:
“a wild ass on its own is Ephraim”
Israel did not fit in anywhere in the world
Robert Alter, “The wild ass figures in biblical poetry as a creature that cannot be
tamed, living solitary in the wilderness.”

For me, the final verses in this chapter describe a sad and tragic situation
– people think that they’re worshiping God by performing religious rituals
• they pour themselves into it with out knowing God is rejecting it
• stoked up emotions in worship cannot replace daily service to God
◦ caring for the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the sojourner
– when all is said and done, Israel “shall go back to Egypt” (v. 13)
• a centuries-long journey only to end up where they began — a tragic waste

Conclusion: I’m going to suggest something – something “creative”

At the risk of sounding really lame, let’s try our hand at poetry
Find a moment to sit in stillness and reflect on your life
This is exactly what Israel failed to do – and it has often been one of our failures
Have you achieved your life’s work and so retire now?
Or does it seem like there’s still much that is missing or unfinished?
Create a metaphor to describes where you find yourself at this moment in life
It doesn’t have to be clever, beautiful, or awesome
It only has to be carefully thought-out, true, and sincere
Then make that metaphor your prayer for this week
And may God use this to take us further on this amazing journey

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Sometimes
Our good intentions
Fall flat
Miss the mark
Fail
Sometimes our disappointments
Gather together
Pile up
Envelope us

Please Lord
As we face this
Let us find our shelter in you
Let us find our peace in you
Let us find our way in you

Instead of nurturing resentments, teach us to praise
Instead of complaining, teach us to ask
Instead of judging, teach us to be still
Instead of fear, teach us to love

Show us the path to be like you
To grow whole
To heal
Show us how this life is for loving
And let us know
And experience
Your great love
All along the way
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Hear this, you priests,
and listen, house of Israel,
and the house of the king, bend your ear,
for against you is the judgment.
For a trap you have been to Mizpah,
and an outspread net against Tabor,
and have dug a deep pit at Shittim,
but I am a chastisement for them all Hosea 5:1-2

Intro: We are returning to Hosea this morning

The prophet who had to experience in his own life, with his wife, what God had experienced with Israel
– a people who were unfaithful to him, not only by adultery,
• but prostituting themselves with other gods
• you may have guessed that I’m not comfortable with Hosea
◦ I’d rather be with Jesus in the New Testament, loving and rescuing sinners
◦ instead, Hosea delivers a barrage of condemnations
– Israel had a long history of turning their backs on Yahweh
• and he repeatedly called them to return to him
◦ when they didn’t return , he withdrew from them
◦ and there were consequences–enemy invasion and crop failure
• this time, they were reaching a point of no return
◦ I think it’s okay to say God was desperate to stop them, to reach them and motivate them to return
◦ so he used strong language and threats of calamity

Haven’t we done something similar raising our children
– are we cruel or unloving to tell them, “Don’t run into street. If you do you could be killed”?
• or, “Don’t play with matches, because if you do you could suffer severe burns or destroy our home”?
◦ is it cruel to make clear the potential consequences of wrong or dangerous actions?
• there are natural consequence for a society in moral decline
◦ what God does through his prophets, is to make those natural consequences personal
– God doesn’t have to cause the suffering
• it’s enough for him to withdraw his presence and let the chips fall where they may
◦ Israel needed God’s warnings, yet his prophets were hardly ever well received
The Israelites “are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD;
who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’
and to the prophets,
‘Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
prophesy illusions,
. . . let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel’” (Isa. 30:9-11)
• I’ve learned to be thankful for God’s “severe mercy”
◦ I am grateful when he pulls in the reins

5:1-2, God begins here by calling out Israel’s leaders

First, Hosea identifies three sets of people, then three places, and then adds his remarks on them
v. 1: priests – house of Israel – house of the king
– they are to hear – listen – and bend your ear
v. 2: a trap – an outspread net (for catching birds or wild game) – a deep pit
each snare is related to a place: Mizpah – Tabor – Shittim
– then a final statement, “but I am chastisement for them all”
• verse 1, average citizens were sandwiched between priests and rulers
◦ they were subject to clergy and king – religion and politics
◦ but that doesn’t make them innocent
• God frequently comes down hard on Israel’s leaders
“Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been wronged. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place” (Jer. 22:1-3)
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” . . . “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds” (Jer. 30:1-2)
“prophesy against the shepherds of Israel . . . and say to them . . . Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep” (Eze. 34:1-10)
◦ last year, reading through the Bible, I was amazed at how the messages of the prophets fit the time in which we live
“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness,
and his upper rooms by injustice,
who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing
and does not give him his wages,
who says, ‘I will build myself a great house
with spacious upper rooms,’
who cuts out windows for it,
paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermillion.
Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar?
. . . But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain,
for shedding innocent blood,
and for practicing oppression and violence” (Jer. 22:13-17)
– God begins at the top of the social structure – those in charge get hit the hardest
• I cannot see how many North American preachers and politicians
◦ will avoid answering for what they have done,
◦ removing necessary provision for poor, infirm, and resident aliens while enriching themselves

God calls Israel out – he knows their betrayal
I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from Me.
For now you have whored, Ephraim,
Israel is defiled.
Their acts do not let them
turn back to their God.
For the spirit of whoring is within them,
and the LORD they do not know.
And Israel’s pride bore witness against him
and Israel and Ephraim stumbled in their crime,
Judah, too, has stumbled with them.
With their sheep and their cattle they go
to seek out the LORD.
But they do not find Him.
He slipped away from them.
The LORD they betrayed,
for alien sons they bore.
Now the new moon shall consume them,
together with their fields Hosea 5:3-7

Verse 4, God identifies a tragic condition that results from habitual sin
– and that is when indulgence becomes an addiction
• it’s no longer an enjoyable activity, but a necessity
◦ the New Testament word for addiction is slavery
“Their acts do not let them
turn back to their God”
• there is a pathetic moment in Jeremiah’s ministry
God told his people to stop wearing themselves out chasing after other gods;
“Keep your feet from going unshod
and your throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
for I have loved foreigners,
and after them I will go” (Jer. 2:25)
– so, while God knows their betrayal, “the LORD they do not know”
• we’ve seen that knowing is a persistent reminder in Hosea’s prophecies
◦ and their ignorance of God’s will is their own fault
“My people is destroyed without knowledge,
for you—you rejected knowledge” (Hos. 4:6)
◦ I’m surprised at the biblical ignorance of so many Christians today
• people post Bible verses online without any idea of what they mean
◦ perhaps they’ve never read or understood the passage from which the quote is drawn
maybe they’ve just heard preachers use the quote, so they assume they understand it
◦ they assume they’re making a point, but in reality they’re missing the point

There is a scene in verse 6 that is sad, and also, again, very much like today
– the people go off with their sacrificial animals to seek Yahweh,
• but they don’t find him – he’s “slipped away from them”
◦ I don’t think they realize, he’s not present to them
◦ since they’ve lost touch with God, don’t realize when he’s not there
“this people draw near with the mouth, and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me . . .” (Isa. 29:13)

When the church I planted in Dana Point went from hymns to contemporary songs of praise and worship, there was a backlash–and especially so when we rolled in the drums. But we began to meet God in a way we never had before experienced him in worship. Now every new church has a band and hundreds of praise songs. I can’t judge anyone else’s experience, but I’ve heard from new believers exposed to moving experience standing, lifting their hands, and singing along with a loud band, that the emotional energy is almost identical to a rock concert.
When we transitioned to music and intimate expressions of our longing for God and love for Jesus, we made learning the biblical concept and theology of worship a central focus. I don’t think any true believer is interested in worshiping “what you do not know” (John 4:22). At that time, I taught on worship as we came to it from one end of the Bible to the other.

◦ We can be very religious and assumed we have pleased God, and yet be far from him
◦ we need to be aware of the worship and service we offer is that which God chooses
• for instance, what we offer him in worship (i.e., “mercy and not sacrifice” Hos. 6:7)
◦ and the kind of fasting that he chooses (Isa. 58)

Notice that God has included the southern kingdom of Judah and brings his charge against them as he had the northern kingdom of Israel
– he will continue to include Judah in the remainder of the chapter

God has an announcement for Hosea to make
Sound the ram’s horn at Gibeah,
the trumpet at Ramah.
Shout out at Beth-Aven:
“After you, Benjamin!”
Ephraim shall be a desolation
on the day of stern rebuke.
Among the tribes of Israel
I have faithfully made it known.
The nobles of Judah have become
like those who remove boundaries.
Upon them I will pour
My wrath like water.
Exploited is Ephraim,
and crushed in justice,
For he undertook to go
after an empty thing Hosea 5:8-11

– like a town crier ringing a bell
– only here, a ram’s horn is blown along with a shout, but to the same effect
• Israel is doomed, and they have only themselves to blame,
• because, God has given them fair warning, “I have faithfully made it known”

God uses a cluster of metaphors to describe how he will destroy them
And I am like a moth to Ephraim
and like rot to the house of Judah.
When Ephraim saw his sickness
and Judah his running sores,
Ephraim went off to Assyria
and sent out to King Jareb.
But he cannot cure you
and will not give you healing.
For I am like a lion to Ephraim
and like the king of beasts to the house of Judah.
I, I will maul the prey and go off,
bear it away and no one will save it.
I will go, return to My place,
until they sense their guilt and seek Me.
when in straits they shall search for Me Hosea 5:12-15

First, God is “like the moth” – moths that ruin clothing and crops
Second, he is “like rot” – perhaps an internal decaying bones
Third, “sickness” and “running sores” – a miserable illness
Fourth, God is “like a lion” – mauling his prey then dragging the carcass off to his lair
– and so the chapter ends with God abandoning Israel
• but it is not that he intends never to reunite with them
• he will wait until they feel the loss and then begin an authentic search for him

So the next message Hosea delivers is a call to exactly this–seek God
Come let us return to the LORD,
for He mauled but He will heal us,
He struck but He will bind up.
He will revive us after two days,
on the third day raise us up,
that we may live in his presence,
and that we may know, pursue knowing the LORD.
Like daybreak His emergence is sure,
and he will come to us like the rain,
like the latter rain He will shower the earth Hosea 6:1-3

I love this invitation!
– there would be punishing hardship, but there will also be healing
• I can imagine that Israel’s greatest pain was mental anguish over what they forfeited
◦ being abandoned generates psychological misery
• remember the message of the formulaic three that began chapter 5?
◦ Israel’s healing corresponds to their illness — from revival to restoration
Their previous problem: they didn’t know Yahweh; now the solution is for them to pursue knowing him
(cf. Php. 3:7-12)
Their previous problem: they had lost sight of Yahweh; now the solution is to live in his presence
– God’s cure works quickly–after just two days they would be up and walking around
• again God uses metaphors, but these are very different from than before
Like daybreak His emergence is sure,
and he will come to us like the rain,
like the latter rain He will shower the earth
◦ we see here Hosea’s absolute certainty of God’s restoration
• did the sun rise this morning? was the earth refreshed with rain today?
(“Yes” to both here in S. Orange County, CA)
◦ so certain is God’s return to his people

Conclusion: This chapter ends with God’s dilemma
What shall I do for you Ephraim,
What shall I do for you, Judah,
When your trust is like a morning cloud,
like early dew that melts away?
Therefore I hacked among you your prophets,
slain the with the utterances of My mouth,
and your sentence will come out like light.
For trust did I want and not sacrifice
and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
But they like humankind breached the covenant,
there they betrayed me.
Gilead is a town of criminals,
covered with tracks of blood.
And like gangs who lie in wait for a man
is the band of priests.
They murder on the road to Shechem.
Why, debauchery the perform!
In the house of Israel I have seen a horror.
There the whoring is Ephraim’s,
Israel is defiled.
Judah, too, He sets a harvest for you Hosea 6:4-11

God’s dilemma is that when Israel returns to him, he must ask “What am I going to do with you?”
Every time they had returned to God, it had always been short-lived
And it had been more religious than relational
What he wanted was
“mercy and not sacrifice
and knowledge of God more than burnt offering”
Anyway, whatever the problem, the solution is always the same:
“Come, let us return to the LORD”
Wherever we find ourselves, no matter how far from home
at any moment in our lives, we can choose to return to God
We are never stuck!

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Intro: I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read 1 and 2 Timothy

Still, it was only a few years ago that two words snagged me
– here in this passage, Paul refers to the Hebrew Scriptures as “the sacred writings”
• I had always believed this regarding the Bible, but never in those precise words
• the effect they had was to motivate me to meditate on them
◦ eventually, I spent nine weeks sharing with you what I learned
– I’ve decided to tell you what these have done worked in my life since then
• what I hope, is to inspire your reading of the sacred writings
◦ and enhance your experience with God’s word in the new year

Through contemplative prayer, I have experienced remarkable relief from clinical depression

But one fragment of it still remains
– every morning I wake up in a dark mood
• as I get dressed, feed the cats, and prepare something to eat
◦ my thoughts are intensely gloomy – even desperate
◦ I want to escape–everything; especially responsibility
• then I take my protein drink to our room and sit in my chair
◦ I do some warm-up reading, then grab my Bible and open it
◦ the next moment is the most important

I’m going to pause my story here to provide a backstory

In Exodus, God lays out instructions for a daily offering
– the same offering is made both in the morning and evening
• once, when talking with Fr. Romuald about liturgical worship at the hermitage,
◦ I mentioned how I enjoyed lauds in the morning and vespers in the evening
◦ he then referred to them as “the cosmic hinges of the day”
day and night swing on those pivotal moments
• “morning” is neither day nor night–it is in between the two
◦ the same with evening – both of them are thresholds
◦ Israel was to pause in the thresholds and remember God
(Do you remember – God’s words written on their doorposts and gates?)
– but that isn’t all – God had further instructions:
• the daily morning and evening offerings were to be made
“at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there” (Deut. 29:42)
◦ the “entrance” was another threshold
• God designated thresholds as spaces for encounter – to meet with and speak to his people

So, now back to my story

With my Bible open on my lap, I am located in the threshold – the sacred liminal space
– I haven’t “entered” the scriptures yet, but I’m about to begin
• slowly inhaling, I silently say, “here” – and exhaling I say “now”
◦ if a thought lingers in my mind, I stop thinking it and look at it, then let it pass
◦ I am sitting in a state of awareness
▫ I scan my body to see if any part is calling attention to itself
▫ if so, I hold it in awareness
• my goal is to bring my awareness to God’s presence in the here and now of this moment
◦ I allow myself to hear God say,
“Here I will meet with you and speak to you” as of standing at the entrance to the sacred tent
(only, I am at the entrance to the “sacred writings”
◦ THIS ISTHE MOMENT IN MY MORNING WHEN MY MOOD BEGINS TO TURN
– cultural anthropologists have a term for what happens when a community, village, or subculture converts to Christianity
• typically, conversion includes upgrades in integrity, responsibility, and simplicity
◦ this results in cultural improvements in their standard of living
◦ they experience upward social mobility as well as spiritual development
• the term sociologists use for this improvement in physical well being is “redemptive lift”
◦ every morning I experience a “redemptive lift” in my mood as well as my spirit
◦ that’s because God speaks to me every morning

I wouldn’t say that what I receive is always profound
– or that it is worth sharing with anyone else
• but it is always what I need – my morning therapy
◦ and it always brings me out of the pit
• and, then again, many times, it is worth sharing with someone else
◦ it becomes spiritual counsel that I share with others
– the poet who wrote Psalm 73 experienced something like this
• he tells a story of having a really bad day
“. . . my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped
For I was envious ot the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Ps. 73:2-3)
◦ he goes on to describe an romanticized view of a sinful life
◦ through cheating and conniving the wicked enjoy good health and wealth (or so he assumed)
• he continues in the vein for more than half the psalm
◦ when he is finally overwhelmed with negativity,
◦ he winds down, and says, in effect,
“This was my outlook
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end” (v. 16)
• in God’s presence, his mind cleared and his vision improved
◦ by the end of his poem he is able to say,
“But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works” (v. 28)
• that is my daily routine in the morning: unhappy “until” I hear what the Lord has to say to me
◦ we might think of it as an “attitude adjustment”
◦ but it is much more – and it is God who does this for me

The entire Bible is our “sacred writings”

That doesn’t mean that everything in is of equal value to us
– at different times in our journey,
• some parts will speak to us with more relevance than others
◦ some parts may never win our interest at all
◦ but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing in all the sacred writings for us
• if you find yourself bored with a certain place in the Bible,
◦ don’t push yourself through it, as if you have some spiritual obligation to finish it
– and read a version of the Bible that you can understand
• the Message Bible is popular – and I still like The Good News Bible

But listen: I don’t want you to read Bible because that’s what Christians do
– if we consider all the centuries of Christian history,
• the majority of Christians never had a Bible and many could not read
◦ this is not the only way God speaks to us
◦ many people read meditations of godly men and women, that are drawn from the Scriptures
• but do ask advice from people who know the Bible well

Bring to the Bible whatever you have in the moment

I sometimes come to it with questions
– some are serious, as for others I’m simply curious
• then other times, questions come up as I’m reading
◦ then it is like having a conversation with God
• frequently, I come to a mystery that I cannot unlock
◦ perhaps a little bit of light may shine on a verse or perhaps a lot of light
◦ but I’m okay if some things remain a mystery
I trust God to take me as far as it is pleasing to him
If there’s anything I must know, he will reveal it
– when I open my Bible, God has his own intention for me
• that is more important than whatever I want to receive from it
◦ so I believe there are words he wants me to notice
◦ often it is something that confuses or upsets me – so I pay closer attention
• feelings also rise and fall as I read, which is at times pleasant, but not always
◦ our feelings are one of the ways we experience scripture

Conclusion: I want to leave you with a few thoughts regarding
how to listen for God’s voice

Keep in mind, the Bible is the candle and the Holy Spirit is the flame
– we need both to see by its light

First, when you read, don’t “preach” – at yourself or anyone else
Too many people read as if they’re supposed to come up with a sermon
(or an exhortation or rebuke)
We must be careful not to moralize everything we read

Second, ignore feelings of failure, blame, or condemnation
Those emotions do not build us up, or encourage, or strengthen us
If you realize you have done wrong, be grateful
You are receiving helpful correction and discipline
Your Father is showing you the right way to do things
He is not trying to discourage you!
He is pouring his love into you and drawing you closer to himself

Third, listen for his mercy, his support, his reassurance
God will affirm his love to you every day – if you listen

I’m not urging you to make any New Year’s resolution
I’m encouraging you to check your mail box every day
There may be a love letter in it waiting for you

Podcasts

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Gladness we have
Sometimes.
And we thank you for that.
Happiness we find
From time to time
In this world
When circumstances please us
When expectations are met
When plans work out
And our gratitude rises up
And bubbles over
When we are paying attention

But joy is your gift
Your fruit in our lives
Nourished in us
With your abiding presence.
Transforming us
No longer focused on
and rehearsing
our disappointments
Or fears
Or resentments
But fully alive
To your good great love
Celebrating
Your coming
Your coming again
And with you now
moment by moment
Emmanuel
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10

Intro: So here we are again, with the angels and the shepherds

I chose to read only these three verses, because the story is so well known
– but when we circle back to it every year at this time,
• we run the risk of treating it as if it only exists for this season
◦ like the tree, and the lights, and the nativity scene with its little figures
◦ the heavenly choir shows up every year for their Christmas cantata
• they announce the arrival of Jesus, and with him, joy and peace
◦ the theme for the third Sunday of Advent is joy
– who am I to talk about returning to this theme only one day a year?
• how often do my Sunday morning talks return to joy?
◦ we weren’t hearing much joy in Hosea!
• if anyone needs to be reminded of joy all year round, I’m that guy

For my own sake, I decided to explore JOY

What I first realized, is that I don’t have a category for it
– to say joy is a feeling or an emotion seemed too shallow
• C. S. Lewis wrote an entire book on this subject entitled, Surprised By Joy
◦ “surprised,” because joy came to him without warning and from unexpected sources
• he describes three extraordinary experiences of joy and then writes,
“I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that anyone who has experienced it will want it again.”
– someone who knows more joy and happiness than I, could probably give a better explanation of the difference between the two
• but it seems that joy occurs naturally and happiness occurs artificially
◦ for instance, laughing at a joke is somewhat artificial (or contrived), because the joke was meant to evoke laughter
• I think also there’s a difference between the laugher of happiness and the laughter of joy (Psa. 126:1-2)
◦ we don’t have do anything to produce joy (Lewis said, “Joy is never in our power”)
◦ it’s more like we have to remove obstacles to let joy in
(obstacles like fear, self-consciousness, and ambitions–for money, power, popularity)

What I finally decided regard Joy is that it is a rare, “sublime” experience
– sublime is what we could call a “threshold experience”
• “subliminal” refers to activity that occurs below the threshold of consciousness
◦ sublime moments bring us all the way to the threshold,
◦ as high as it is possible to go in this life
• sublime is an unexplainable overwhelming sense of awe, wonder, bliss
– joy is sublime – it’s is a state beyond words or concepts

What sort of experiences bring us to sublime states of joy?

I can think of five:

1. Relationships – other people are a source of joy
   • observing infants or toddlers, intimacy with a lover, the closeness of a friend or pet,
   • even a place or moment that brings back the experience of a memory
   • we also share our joy with others – Jesus’ parable of the shepherd and the lost sheep
     “when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me . . . .’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance’” (Lk. 15:5-7)
2. Beauty – in nature (a single tree in the forest, a single flower in garden or field)
   • in the arts (painting, poetry, music)
   • for some people, philosophy and the sciences (there are not just a few mystics among physicists)
3. Grandeur – the sky stretching out into the universe
   • mountains, oceans, deserts (as we see in Arizona Highways magazines)
4. Completeness or wholeness – a full stomach, enough warmth
   • a finished project, and the realization that nothing else is needed
5. Communion with God – belonging to him, being filled with his spirit
   • any time we have a strong sense of God’s nearness
     “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15:11)
     “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Pet. 1:8)
     “You make known to me the path of life;
     in your presence there is fullness of joy . . .” (Ps. 16:11)

Is it possible that in the “pursuit of happiness,”
– what we’re really hoping for is to experience joy?
• maybe we settle for less; for pleasure or happiness,
◦ because we can manufacture those experiences
◦ and they’re close by and provide instant gratification
▫ no working or waiting is required, and certainly no maturity is necessary
• we may choose to flood our brains with a surplus of neurochemicals
◦ and for a brief duration we get the thrill, the buzz, the hit
◦ but we don’t reach the sublime, nor do we relish the memory
– joy leaves a pleasant aroma

I have come across joy over the years of reading the Scriptures

So I’ll share with you a few impressions I felt regarding joy

From the prophet Habakkuk:
“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17-18)
My meditation: Wow! Not, “I will still trust you,” but “I will rejoice in You.” Terrible things will happen; unexpected things like financial setbacks, illnesses, or the death of someone we love. I am learning that I can trust God regardless of what happens, but to rejoice in him, no matter what? That is a new level of trust.
And yet—regardless of what is given to us or taken from us, there is always the joy that comes from living in God, the joy of his very being, joy from revelations received, and the joy of his love and faithfulness.

From Psalm 89 — the first half is about God’s goodness and faithfulness, but then:
“How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?” (Ps. 89:47-48)
My meditation: First, a history of God watching over Israel, but now, sad echoes of the previous psalm. The temporal limits of one’s own life crashes into the eternity of God’s promise as it unfolds through the long expanse of time. I doubt that we are given an answer to our question, “How long?” Or maybe we’re only reassured, “Don’t worry, this current state will not last forever.”
We want relief now. The fulfillment of promises now. The restoration of all that is good now. But sometimes to survive without losing hope, and perhaps by hanging on to a song of joy in our hearts, we have to fix our eyes on the future, the eternal, and on our God who holds all of space and time in his hands. We may not see it in our lifetime, but it will come—and we’ll be there

From the Book of Job:
“[Where were you . . .]
when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7)
My meditation: There is a primeval joy of creation that, as I perceive it, began when God said, “Let there be light” and was diffused into and through all that exists. This is the original joy. The divine joy that vibrated in all things because all things were “good.”
God alone has this memory of the first canticle, the first vocalization of the infant universe; not a cry but a shout of joy.

From the Gospel of John:
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” And, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (Jn. 16:16;22)
My meditation: I wonder how much of my “sadness,” my depression, stems from not seeing Jesus now. I can imagine the joy I would have if he were to reveal himself to me—in this world. I know that the kingdom of God is “joy in the Holy Spirit” (Ro. 14:17), but that has been elusive for me—I accept the blame for that. Still, an invisible, intangible, and often entirely silent Spirit is not the same as having, in the flesh, the Word that became flesh. I know, I know, “more blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed,” but oftentimes I would be pleased to settle for the lesser blessing. (Please forgive me, Lord Jesus, for saying this. I am blind and foolish, and I really, really miss You. I have a great deal of the sorrow, and very little of the joy.)
Having a bad day? You don’t have to “shout for joy” when faced with setbacks and hardships (there are other prayers for those problems). But you can always “shout for joy In the LORD.” Or at least, whisper for joy, or even weep with joy. Whatever your current state, it will not last forever.

Conclusion: Here’s the best I have to offer you: Choose joy!

Nurture the joys that come to you – take a moment with them, quietly give thanks for them
The more you celebrate joy, the more joy you will discover
As for my last word on joy, and this is personal, and it applies to you:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 Jn. 4)

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
In a world of sadness and strife
It is sometimes hard to imagine
A universe of peace and goodwill

Caught up in our fears and struggles
We fight to get what’s coming to us
but you came to break that way of living
So today we ask for peace
In our own hearts
So we might bring peace to others
No longer rehearsing our resentments
No longer nourishing bitterness and fears
But being peace
And bringing peace
And living peace
Becoming peacemakers
With our kindness
And gentleness
And patience
And sacrifice
As needed
When needed
Because of you
And the peace
The wholeness
The shalom
You have brought to us.
Amen

Morning Talk: Esther Dewitt

The Liturgical Calendar
The Liturgical Calendar is a sequence of seasons, that organizes the year around the life of Jesus.
Liturgical seasons Invite us to take our place in the great drama of the Gospel
To take the time to experience God’s love and redemption through Spiritual rhythms and traditions
shared across generations and cultures and faith communities.
Practicing the liturgical calendar allows a lot of room for variety of expression,
and differences between church traditions,
but its beauty is to help Christians of diverse backgrounds participate–collectively and individually
in observances, prayers and Scriptures that focus on the life and message of Jesus Christ.
Advent is the first of the seasons; it is the beginning of Church Calendar year.
It’s interesting to me that the beginning of the liturgical year comes as the end of our calendar year,
and that its traditions and vibe are so different than the Western New Year.
The beginning of January looks forward and is filled with resolutions, plans, goals and energy.
It’s new exercise routines and new diets, at least for a few weeks.
It screams – Don’t look back, yesterday is done, stay future focused for success.

Advent is different

It isn’t linear in time.
Advent looks back in wonder, looks forward in anticipation
and opens us up to experience Christ in our present moment.
Advent means the arrival, or the coming. Advent is sort of the prelude to the ministry of Jesus.
It’s a bridge, a liminal in-between space. It prepares us for the coming of Christ.
As Tish Harrison Warren describes it “Advent collapses time. The past, the present and future join together in a single season of waiting for Immanuel, God With Us.”
Advent invites us beyond our time-bound experience and into the fuller history of the people of God.
In Advent we join the story with the Ancient Jews as they wait and long for the Messiah prophesied.
We reflect not only on the incarnation, on His birth,
but on how Jesus continues to work in the world today, and we look forward to His return.
As the early church crafted the season of Advent, knowing that Christmas has its own season – coming quickly – Advents sets the birth of Jesus into a historical and prophetic context.
Throughout the four weeks of the season, not just on the four Sundays,
believers are invited to reflect on the story–from the prophesies of the Messiah to John the Baptist
announcing the start of the public ministry of Jesus.

Today begins the second week of Advent
The theme of the second week is Peace.
It doesn’t leave the theme of the first week Hope behind; it builds on it.
Some of you have a lot more experience and history with liturgical practice.
For some of us they are new or foreign.
This Sunday I would like to incorporate a few of the traditions.
Many faith communities incorporate a collective prayer–called a Collect–to gather the intentions of the community into a single prayer.
I’ve chosen one from the Contemporary Collects.
Please join me in this reading Collect out loud together.

Second Sunday of Advent
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to
preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

The practice of Advent doesn’t fit very well with my own church cultural training and experiences.
My biblical upbringing was verse-by-verse and chapter by chapter. Advent jumps back and forth.
Forgive me if it feels a little disjointed to you as well – but it has a purpose.
It sets the stage – paints a backdrop for reflecting on the life of Jesus.
Advent denies us permission to be New Testament only Christians as it draws us into a larger context.

The first reading of the second week of Advent is one of the great Messianic prophies of Scripture, from Isaiah 11 verses 1-10
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

This prophecy is beautiful, poetic, and bewildering.
It’s a prophesy, not just of the first coming of Christ, but of the second coming of Christ as well.
It’s bewildering to me now, probably more than any other time in my walk with the Lord.
It paints a picture of a peace we don’t yet see or experience.
Where justice is practiced, the needy and poor cared for.
It promises a future we have very little context for at our current point in time.
The liturgical seasons are relatively New to me – my Christian upbringing is a combination of what Sara Bessey calls a “Happy Clappy” Evangelical practice with a fundamentalist legalistic approach to the Christian life.
From my family of origin, my church culture and my Baptist college I was formed to place a heavy emphasis on theology and doctrine, and on correct interpretations and practices.
Understanding, interpretation, getting things right has always been very important to me.
I’m a product of the information age, the digital age.
I generally don’t know what to do with things I can’t wrap my head around.
One of the great gifts that the practice of Advent offers is the space to reflect, to wonder, to be confused, and not have that shake us.
I need that space as I prepare myself to enter into the Christmas season.
In Luke 2 :4-14 We read an account of the birth of Jesus
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

As I mentioned before: The theme of the second week of Advent is Peace.
Historians place the time of the birth of Jesus as during the time of Pax Romana. The Peace of Rome.
But it surely didn’t feel like peace for everyone.
Joseph and Mary have to travel to Bethlehem to register for taxes.
Herod is a murderous leader looking to kill anyone who threatens his power.
The religious leaders have added so many rules and regulations to the lives of the people of God that they are burdened.
There are poor and marginalized people whose suffering is acknowledged in the pages of the Gospel.

It’s not the peace we expect

When the Angels are declaring Peace on Earth, we can find ourselves wondering with the shepherds, and all who heard the story “What peace”? What does that mean. What does “Peace on Earth to those Whom God is Pleased” mean?
Isaiah refers to the coming Messiah as the Prince of Peace. The arrival of Jesus is the arrival of Peace. Through Jesus we can be reconciled to God, and at peace with Him.
And Jesus calls us to be Peacemakers, here on earth, in our time and our communities, through our acts of love and forgiveness, justice and mercy, we can be a part of Peace on Earth.
But it can be confusing.
Conflict in the world still exists.
Conflict between Believers exists.
Right now, it feels, based on my own work and experience, that conflict is thriving.
About twenty years ago I was the host of a Christian radio show. I loved the job for a lot of reasons, but one was that I got to do some really fun interviews.
Personally, I was in a lot of turmoil towards the end of that season and did not know I was approaching the end of it.
I was really struggling – beginning what now is often called “deconstruction.”
The certainty and structure that I had always taken for granted and had been very comfortable with, was crumbling.
One of the last few interviews I recorded was with Chuck.
In that interview he said two things that have stuck with me through the years, and which have been touchstones that I come back to over and over again in the last two decades.
He said, “God is not limited by our interpretation of Scripture.”
It was profound for me at the time, and it is still profound to me.
It is profound as I contemplate the birth of Jesus, and the prophesies from Isaiah 11.
The parents of John the Baptist, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Joseph and Mary would have been very familiar with these prophesies, and they must have been confused by their own experiences.
From the Scriptures it is clear that Mary often did not know how to process what she was hearing and experiencing.
They are honest that she wondered, pondered, marveled, was troubled, and treasured what she saw and heard.
The Message Bible phrases it that Mary held these things dearly and deeply within herself.
I can identify with Mary in Luke 1, when she is troubled and wonders at the words of Gabriel when she hears she will be the mother of the fulfillment of the prophecy.
I can identify with Mary when in Luke 2, she ponders the experience and words of the shepherds.
I can identify with her and Joseph when they marvel at the blessing and prophecy spoken by Simeon over the new baby they were presenting to the Lord.
And again, I can identify with her, twelve years later, when she treasures Jesus’ undoubtedly confusing words in her heart.

Many of the Ancient Rabbi’s interpreted the prophecies to be promising a very different kind of Messiah than Jesus.
For around four centuries they had come up with interpretations.
But that did not place a limitation on God, and the way He intended to fulfill His promises.
God is also not limited by my understanding of the Scriptures or what He is doing.
While I do think there is a lot of value in gaining understanding, in what 2 Tim. 2:15 calls “rightly dividing the Word of Truth,” I need the humility to know that I will not get it all correct.
I want the humility to wonder, to ponder, to marvel, to sometimes be troubled and sometimes be amazed; and to form the habit of holding the things of God dearly and deeply within myself, even when there are things I don’t get – even when circumstances around me don’t make sense.
Advent takes the time and makes the space to sit with the paradoxes of our faith.
As Kathleen Norris expresses the “Advent Season breaks into our lives with images of light and dark, first and last things, watchfulness and longing, origin and destiny.”

I started the calendar year 2025 troubled

It felt like a heavy season.
For the most part, in general, me and mine were doing okay – all things considered.
But a lot of people were struggling.
People we know, and people we don’t know were going through difficult times, and from what we could see on the horizon, the storm was growing.
I personally don’t usually have a Bible verse of the year.
(That feels like a confession.)
It has not been my normal experience that God would give me a verse or word for the year as a theme.
I know lots of people who do, but It’s just not been my own experience.
But last January I found myself crying out to the Lord, asking what I can I do in the middle of all that is going on.
At different times in my life, I have found myself in positions where I felt like my work, my ministry, could make a difference, on at least a moderate scale, that gave me a sense of purpose when the world seemed chaotic.
This year, I didn’t have that.
I found myself in the book of Micah, the picture it paints is not good.
Everything is a mess; politically and culturally it’s bad.
The leaders and the prophets have completely lost the plot.
It’s bad.
And then, tucked in chapter 6, verse 8, the people are reminded that God has already told them what He wants them to do.

“He has shown you – O People- what is good,
and what the Lord requires of you.
To Act Justly, and to love Mercy,
and walk humbly with your God.

It became my guiding verse for the year.
As I have been confronted by a very challenging year, on a lot of fronts, when I am trying to figure out how to walk forward, what to do – I am reminded
“He has shown you – O People- what is good,
and what the Lord requires of you.
To Act Justly, and to love Mercy,
and walk humbly with your God.
It’s a verse I’ve marinated in. I even made a playlist of different versions of this verse in songs.
I needed it.
Our world is messed up – and the world we step into in Advent, the part of the story where we begin the liturgical year, just prior to the birth of a Savior, that world is messed up.
The world being messed up is one of the through-lines of the story.
It’s why we need a Messiah, a Savior.

As we reflect on what the world was like at the birth of Jesus and in the years leading up to the start of His ministry we don’t see a world that feels like it is at peace as far as the people of God are concerned.
King Herod is a dangerous and violent leader.
Pontious Pilate is the governor of Judea.
History records that as a ruler he provoked and persecuted his subjects, especially the Jews and Samaritans.
John the Baptist spends his ministry time calling people away from their sins.
It wasn’t an easy time to be alive, or to follow to God.
But in this part of the story, the prelude to the ministry of Jesus, we see some examples of people who are not swallowed by the chaos and messiness around them, who choose to live as God has shown them.
In Luke 1:5 -7 when we meet John the Baptist’s parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth we are told they live together honorably before God.
The International Children’s Bible translation says “Zechariah and Elizabeth truly did what God said was good.”
what is good
In Matthew 1:19, when we first meet Joseph, we are told he is a just man, and a man of mercy.
do justly, love mercy
Our introduction to Mary in Luke chapter 1 gives us the picture of a young woman willing to do what God asks her.
walk humbly with your God
We see glimpses of faithfulness in a culture where that isn’t easy.
We see a desire, by at least some, that matches ours, to live well.
In Luke 3, as John the Baptist preaches, calling people to reject hypocrisy, and to produce good fruit in their lives, people ask the same question, I often find myself asking:
Then what should we do?
His answer:
Share with those in need,
Be honest,
Don’t take advantage of people
This feels to me like a paraphrase, an echo of Micah 6:8 – act justly, show mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
In these stories we see examples of people aligning themselves with God’s story, and we see some practical ways that we can do that.

This is a part of the gift of the season of Advent

We aren’t asked to fit the story of Jesus in to our lives, we are invited to fit our lives into His story.
We can acknowledge that the world we live in is troubled and that hope and peace can be difficult to experience.
We don’t have to manufacture peace on earth, we look for the ways it has come through Jesus, we look forward to the ways He will bring peace when He returns and we can look for ways we can be a part of His work now.
So back in the radio interview I did with Chuck, twenty years ago, the second thing he said was “I want my life and legacy and ministry to be marked by Mercy, that is the impact I want to have on people’s lives.”
It struck me because there wasn’t a lot of talk about being merciful, engaging in acts of mercy in the church community I was a part of.
We talked a lot about God’s Grace, and we talked about God’s Mercy on us, but very rarely was there an emphasis on being known for mercy.
Mercy is showing kindness and compassion to others.
It’s extending forgiveness when we aren’t obligated to.
It requires a heart of generosity towards others.
Showing mercy in our personal lives is a way we walk out our faith, we follow through on what God has told us to do, it’s a way that we participate in God’s work here on earth.
Advent doesn’t require us to be Scrooges, or anti- Western Christmas tradition.
We can still enjoy our Christmas cookies, Christmas music and decorations without being in conflict with Advent.
There is room for celebrations with family and friends, even as there is room for contemplation.
Through it all, there is the opportunity to participate, to as much as in our power, bring peace and mercy to those around us.
I appreciate that Advent teaches us to look back, lean forward, and to be present but does not require us to have it all figured out.
There is mystery, and wonder.
In Advent we are starting the year organizing our life around Jesus.
Advent invites into a story we know, to look at it from different angles and different perspectives.
It begins the liturgical year preparing us for Christmas, Epiphany, lent, Easter, and Pentecost.

I’d like to end this morning with an Advent Prayer by Henri Nouwen
Would you join me in reading it out loud together?
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparation for Christmas.

We who have so much to do
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.

We who are anxious over many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for
the complete joy of your Kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy
seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people,
walking in darkness yet seeking the light.

To you we say
“Come, Lord Jesus.”
Amen.

This morning, I would like to leave you with a blessing from the book of Numbers:
(6:24-26)
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you.
May He be gracious to you,
Show you His favor, and give you His Peace
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Amen

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come, Lord, join us here today
For those who are weary we ask for hope
For those disappointed we ask for hope
For those discouraged, beaten down, struggling, and drowning we ask for hope
For those who are afraid
For those who worry
For those who cry out we ask for hope
For the broken hearted and the tenderhearted
For our grieving family
For our aching ones who feel alone
For our sick
For our dying
For our whole community
Pain and sorrows unspoken
We ask for hope

We ask to be reassured of your care
Of your knowledge
Of your gentleness
Of your consideration
Of your touch
We ask that you meet us
In your good, great love
That your coming not be in vain
That our yearning for your return not be folly
And that our trust in you
Emmanuel
God with us
That our trust in you will be satisfied
And our hope fulfilled
And our hearts made whole
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Psalms 42

Intro: Thanksgiving is now behind us, so we have a green light

We can, legitimately, start preparing for Christmas
– pull out boxes of ornaments, wreaths, and other decorations
• this is the time when we think our smart neighbors,
◦ were the ones who left their lights up all year
• getting ready can be a meaningful time of fond memories;
◦ so long as we’re not competing for the “Griswold Trophy”
– as Christians, we have a long history of preparing for Christmas
• in fact, 4th century believers took Christmas very seriously
◦ they observed it with six weeks of fasting and prayer
◦ Christmas day was a time for new believers to be baptized
• it was about two hundred years later that Christmas turned to celebration
◦ the four weeks leading up to Christmas became Advent, which incorporates two events:
1. rejoicing in the long-awaited arrival of Jesus our Messiah born in Bethlehem
2. seriously preparing ourselves for his return
◦ Christmas marks the “in between” time; when we meet Jesus in the here and now

Today is the first Sunday of Advent – and the theme is HOPE

There are many beautiful and inspiring verses regarding hope in the Scriptures
– but my favorite is found here
• I cannot be sure that you will enjoy this psalm as much as I
◦ when a person has lived with depression as long as I have,
◦ you naturally connect with confessions of despair
• then, when you find what helped someone else,
◦ it becomes a promise of hope for yourself
◦ at the very least, you cheer for them and their successful escape from darkness
– the poet apparently found that he could best express his experience with liquid metaphors
• he begins panting for God as a deer pants for flowing streams
• staying with that theme, his soul is thirsty
• until now, his salty tears have been all he consumed day and night
• what he does in his poetic prayer is he pours out his soul
• the poet seems to have an ambivalent relation to water in verse 7
◦ the waterfall’s depths calls to his soul’s depth
◦ but near the ocean, its breakers and waves roll over him
– water was both a necessity to life and a danger if one did not know how to navigate the ocean

As we listen to the psalm, notice if it speaks to you and if so, how
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?^[b]
3 My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember,
    as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    a multitude keeping festival.

⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation ⁶and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
    therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
    from Mount Mizar.
⁷ Deep calls to deep
    at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
    have gone over me.
⁸ By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.
⁹ I say to God, my rock:
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
    because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰ As with a deadly wound in my bones,
    my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God. (ESV)

The major concern of the poet, in his words, is “my soul”
– he begins and ends with the condition of his soul
• the soul is our inner self – the person you perceive yourself to be
◦ our entire mental or psychological self
it is all your needs and wants
all your dreams and disappointments
all your joys and sorrows
◦ sometimes our souls rejoice, sometimes they grieve
often times our souls thirst and other times they’re cast down
• the soul can become agitated, anxious, and upset
◦ and when it does, the psalmists may talk to their soul
◦ for instance:
“Return to your rest, O my soul;
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you” (Psa. 116:7)
– our poet has questions
• his first question is “When shall I come and appear before God”
◦ he feels distant from God – cut off,
◦ and that has intensified his desire, his thirst for God
• meanwhile, his enemies pour salt on his wounds,
◦ asking the very question he is asking, “Where is your God?”

When we become severely grieved or disturbed over a situation,
– specific memories tend to surface and haunt us
• for the poet, he remembers a time of festive joy
• he recalls past pleasures approaching the temple,
◦ with a joyful crowd, he sang praise to God on their way to the temple
– in his current state, to think of those things, only reminds him of how empty he feels
• and how far he is from everything good and important and matters most to him

The poet’s next question, he asks of himself,
“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?”
– he asks himself (his soul, that is) but gets no answer
• perhaps he doesn’t know why his inner self is cast down
• perhaps the problem is too obscure, or the pain is too deep,
or his soul is too confused or too stunned to answer
– what typically happens in a depressed state,
• is that the soul raises bothersome questions
◦ and rather than find answers, the questions just echo in endlessly in the mind
◦ but one feels that the question must be asked, or the worrisome thought must be repeated
• if you ask a depressed person why they’re in such despair and sadness
◦ nine out of ten times, they don’t know

Even if the poet cannot find an answer to his question,
– he eventually realizes what he must do: “Hope in God”
• this rushes into his soul as if the clouds suddenly parted, and the sun’s bright light reveals a clear path
• the poet’s soul has been dis-located – literally!
◦ it has been located in some place distant from God
◦ but now he can see the way back to where he wants to be
he can see himself again among the crowd of worshipers
he pictures himself praising God for rescuing him

This, then, is today’s Advent theme: “Hope in God”

Advent is an adventure
– a journey we make from a place of turmoil to rest
• a return home from a place of danger to our place of safety
• a journey from heartbreaking chaos to hope
– the first Christmas began as an adventure
• at least that’s how Matthew and Luke tell the story
• both of them describe scenes of conflict or tension
◦ then our heroes face strange surprises and difficult challenges
◦ for awhile, we’re held in suspense, but then comes a resolution to the turmoil,
and for a time, the stories settle down to a manageable pace

Hope is the adventure of a lifetime

I’m going to quote a verse that doesn’t fit the context of this psalm
– but it makes such a good point, I can’t resist including it
• it’s in the Book of Ezra (who is the main character)
◦ at this point near the end of his story, he is practically hysterical in his overreaction to a problem
He says, “As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled.”
And a short while later we find him “weeping and casting himself down before the house of God” drawing the attention of a large crowd (Ezra 9:3 and 10:1)
• then one of the more level-headed leaders came to him
“We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this” (Ezra 10:2)
– that’s it! That’s the line!
“We screwed up! We made a mess of everything. Our circumstances could not be any worse, but even now there is hope in spite of this”

Conclusion: Advent hope is not a “natural” hope

It does not appear as a result of a change in seasons,
or political adjustments,
or new cures for mental or physical illnesses
Advent hope comes from the outside
outside the system,
outside the science lab,
outside the march of human progress
Advent hope is not an old hope,
taken from a warehouse, warmed up, and repackaged for the current century
Our hope is brand-spanking new, “born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”
Advent hope is not wishful thinking
it doesn’t require us to create a world of fiction – a fairy land or sci-fi planet
Does it seem lately that the days are too short and dark? That maybe tomorrow the sun won’t rise?
Hope in God;
for we shall again praise him,
our rescuing presence and our God

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf” (Heb. 6:19-20)