Sunday I preached about two types of love. I wanted to contrast the type of love that constantly is seeking the next new thing. Using Gomer and Hosea as a metaphor for these two type of loves. Gomer who constantly seeks the next new experience to try to feel whole or valued. I do think we need to see beyond the gender of Gomer and Hosea as we are caught in the tension between what Gomer felt. How often do we look to our consuming and seeking the next high to try to fill some unmet need? Even churches can get caught in this struggle. We look for the newest way of worship, the newest multimedia event, or newest form of worship that somehow is going to propel us forward.
I donot object to using the technology and music of today to convey the good news. What concerns me is that sometimes we are more interested in doing worship in a particular way whether that would be using contemporary styles, traditional styles, or liturgical styles as an end in themselves. Sometimes I fear that we spend more time trying to please our senses than we do in trying to please God. If you are a member of the church think about how worship is done in your church. Or think about your experiences in the church. Does the church seem connected to your life offering ways of living faithfully to do God's Will?
The church exists to be a place where we can experience the Hosea type of love. The persistent love of God for all creation. The book of Hosea shows us this type of love. A love that forgives, extends mercy even to the unfaithful. That is what the church should be. A sanctuary for the least, the lost, and the lonely. The church neeeds to focus on ways of conveying that type of love to those within and without the walls of the church.
The tension is between meeting my needs and doing God's Will. Our struggle is with this tension, opening our hearts and minds to God. The question we need to ask is where are we along this polarity? If we are closer to Gomer, we need to slow down and begin to pray for only what we need not for everything we want. If we are closer to Hosea, we need to share with others not just in words but also in our actions.

Today I have been finalizing work for the services tomorrow. During this time I continue to reflect on an item that I read for the sermon from the Interpreter's Bible. "Speaking or doing? Words or actions? Which is appropriate in a particular situation? Will God's words be accomplished more by my speaking or by my doing? (vol. VII, 220.)"

I know that there are times that words are not enough and that we need to take action. I wonder at times when to do what. At those times I need to remember to spend time with God in prayer and open my heart and mind.

The Lord's Prayer

Luke 11:1-13 contains one of the two Lord's Prayer. This version seems to be the shortened version compared to the Matthew version. It is interesting to note that Jesus was praying and when he finished the disciples came to him asking to be taught how to pray. Apparently John had taught his disciples a way of praying and now the disciples want to know how Jesus would want them to pray.
The first thing Jesus tells them is to honor God the Father. I know that at times using the masculine names can present problems and has over the many years. It is easy to present this in a politically correct means by identifying God the parent. Even that presents problems especially when one's experiences with earthly parents has been less ideal. Rather than getting so side-tracked about the gender issue, I would believe that we need to honor God as we turn to prayer. For the next part of the prayer is Your kingdom come. I struggle to make prayer more about seeking God's kingdom rather than for my personal needs. The focus of prayer should be on God's kingdom take shape not mine.
In Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible, the commentator states, "For us, it is enough that we get what we need for spiritual and physical sustenance, and that we ground our days in asking for and receiving forgiveness as well as calling for freedom from evil and all that pulls us toward wrong. It is a very bare-bones sort of prayer compared to the many ways we pray today. (125)" There is nothing mentioned here about material wealth or physical health. We need to be more concerned about God's Will not mine.
The other reflection deals with forgiveness. What about the idea that we are fogiven our sins for we have forgiven everyone indebted to us (Luke 11.4 NRSV). I find that type of prayer difficult. I am supposed to be forgiving those who have hurt, disappointed, harmed me. Prayer becomes more than a shopping list to present to God. It requires my willingness to become aware of the way I treat others as I come on bended knee to God. Think how this would be in our lives. Is this not what the Kingdom of God might look like?

Colossians 2:6-15

We continue our journey with the lectionary. I talked about how being persistent is important in our spiritual lives. We are called to remain centered in our life with God. That we are to continue to live in Christ. In the Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible points out "2.8 see to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy. Paul insists that Christ alone is adequate for knowledge of God and salvation. There is no need for special experiences, disciplines, or teachings that argument the gospel he taught." We are to live in Christ rooted in the faith that we have.
In "Awakenings," the writer states, "Roots are nothing if not persistent. They just keep expanding and digging themselves deeper and deeper in the soil from which their health and nourishment come." The author reminds us that we need to remember to not get caught up in form rather than content. "Has your worshipping community ever fallen into the trap of making an idol of form? Have you ever succumbed to that temptations in worship preparation? Do you sometimes forget that there isn't a book comparable to Leviticus in the New Testament?"
Think about the number of arguments that have occurred about the style of praising Christ and God. What are the right hymns that we are supposed to sing? What about the creeds that we are supposed to do? Many a liturgical battle has occurred on form rather than substance.
Paul is reminding us that we remember the simplicity of the gospel free of the frills, rituals, and rules. How much simpler worship can be if we remember that we are not worshipping ourselves but God.
Today reflect on what it might look like if what we did in worship would be Christ centered. Would we care what songs we would sing, what rituals we would do if we would do these for God? I would like to think that we would do whatever we could that everyone not just my preferences or a small group preferences would be able to praise God.

Psalm 85

The lectionary this week seems to be focusing on a theme of grace and maybe mixed in with that is God's enduring willingness to forgive us as well as issues of justice. Hosea starts with God's rejecting the people who have turned their backs onto the Lord. Yet God loves them despite what they do as God asks Hosea to love his wife despite what she does. I was reading an article from The Text This Week talking about Hosea and that there is a pattern in the entire book. It starts with repentance, divine forgiveness, and mercy. This seems to be the pattern of all the scriptures for Sunday. Also for us to remain persistent in our asking.
The Psalm starts with the past when God restored the fortunes of Jacob, forgave the iniquity of the people for their sin, and turned away God's anger. The psalm is a prayer of being restored to God's favor once again. Who is asking and when this was written is unknown though it would appear to be around the time of the exile. Regardless, the writer prays for God's mercy as God has extended it in the past. God will speak to those who turn to him (repentance) and to be faithful. When the people are able to do that then God's glory may dwell in the land. The author offers us a vision of what that would look like. Love and righteousness will meet, righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring from the ground and God will give what is good.
If I am one of the group of sinners (and I am), I want God's mercy and grace to be without limits. The struggle is do I want that for those with whom I disagree or would I like that mercy and grace to have some conditions attached. It is hard to have it both ways. I believe that God extends to us without conditions unmerited grace when we are willing to turn ourselves to God. That grace is extended to all people without strings attached.
Wednesday I will be preaching in our communion service on the topic of hope. There is a connection between what the lectionary is saying about God's grace and our hope. Paul often writes that as we turn to God with faith we receive a new life full of hope and love. We can have that new life because of God's love of us in the past and now and in the future.

Hosea 1:2-10

This lectionary passage for me speaks of a God who has given up on the people. A God who has turned His back on those He has chosen. Yet, at the end of the passage he continues to extend mercy to those he has rejected. For many of us this flies in the face of God's love and mercy and wanting to call us to righteousness. As the author of "Awakenings" states it is one thing to love a spouse who has been unfaithful and quite another to purposely go out and seek someone who intentionally prostitutes themselves. Even if one would look at this as a metaphor for Israel, still it seems to portray God as arbitrary. But if we read the entire book of Hosea, one would read that God never gives up despite the fact that Israel has acted as a prostitute toward God. Hosea no matter how many times Gomer goes back to her profession Hosea is to go and love her. What a message of hope for us to hear today. If God is willing to forgive Gomer, how much more is He willing to forgive you and me.
The tension exists in that it seems unfair that if I act righteously that somehow I don't earn more gold stars than someone else. In "Awakenings," "Where do you (personally or corporately) draw the line in the sand? Does God embrace drug dealers? Pedophiles? Terrorists (whether government-sanctioned or free agents)? Slum landlords? Does God actually forgive those who abuse their children? Who embezzle their employees' retirement funds? Who spew pollutants into air and water and land, bringing disease and death to their neighbors?"
Hosea begins to call us to reflect on who our God is. I had a seminary professor once state to us, "How big is your God?" By that statement he wanted us to think about how we want to place God into a neat package and not struggle with God's grace. I would encourage everyone to read Hosea completely. We need the balance from a viewpoint of God always loving and forgiving. We need to hear the God of Hosea who loves us despite our "whoring around." Yet, know that there is a time of justice. Where are you willing to draw the line?

Starting Monday I will be looking at the lectionary for July 29th. The scriptures are Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19); and Luke 11:1-13. If you can take some time each day this week to read these scriptures as you prepare for next Sunday.
Also we are in the process of getting ready for the Sarpy County Fair. Our worship starts officially at 10 am but the First Church players will be singing at 9:30 and you are invited to come and sing along.

I will be posting on this blog spot ideas and concerns regarding the lectionary for the United Methodist Church. I am a pastor at Springfield United Methodist Church in Springfield NE. Our website is http://www.springfieldmethodist.com/. I would invite all who are interested to learn about us check that website out to see who we are.