Hosea 14
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
2 Take with you words
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
the vows [the fruit] of our lips.
3 Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.”
4 I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
6 his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
7 They shall return and dwell beneath my [his] shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you [him].
I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.
9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning,
let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.
I once met two men, playing a part to make money and not very happy about it. Attorneys in a poor area of the country. Men who'd traveled down a path to honor their own father and felt the road had led them a path where their Dad had not gone. The older brother had responsibilities and teenagers who needed cars. He was business like and detached. Firm in his professionalism and cold as a man about to pull teeth. His brother was 15 years younger and dressed to look like my brother. He was remorseful. And at one point he tried to talk his older brother out of the play, or part, by almost becoming twelve years old and leaning over the table to talk about "Dad."
The absolute embarrassment of the older brother silenced the younger brother. Dad had been indeed invoked, but the sacred stiff upper lip rule of Dad had Been Broken. Forgotten was Dad's mercy, invoked was propriety. The day went forward as arranged. Actually, by the end of the day, the older brother was the more sorrowful. And much more fearful.
I wondered about them for almost two decades. I wondered if the younger brother had now seen too much. As Edward & I spent the day listening to the good natured, socially conscious, embarrassed racist, openly jealous of someone with the potential to own property, all the while trying to appear to be a young professional - I wondered what his first 'big client' story would tell him about himself. I could tell his older brother couldn't decide at the end of the day - should he bring his younger brother 'in the house like a good dog' or should he "let sleeping dogs lie to shake it off" - which would be more effective.
Over the next few weeks, the older brother let the younger brother be 'bad cop.' So. He let him hang.
It was explained to me that there just are too many rabbit holes.
And I know a former city attorney of El Paso who'd tell you that, sure, we can build a fence as a border between us and Mexico. But there is an endless supply of labor. And in reality - there are as many 50 mile tunnels between Mexico and El Paso as a good Swiss Cheese. Or a bad Swiss Cheese.
And of course - it is all an analogy for - seen too much, done to much to cope and exist and now - no one is good and no one is pure and it is all polluted.
Pollution. There never was a better analogy for sin. And what is sin, other than shame.
No one can forget or forgive.
One can. The Only One Who is Good.
We all have someone in our lives who has brought us that feeling of Home. Not the sentimental place. The real place. Similar to the way we liked George Burns as God. Or Morgan Freeman.
For me it was my Grandmother. It's called unconditional love.
Tonight Clark stood up there and it dawned on me. He is just a bit like John Wayne. A bit more like John Wayne with Princeton or Yale or Ole Miss - Woody Allen - twist. (Must be the Jewish portion, I have as well.) And Clark stood up to do what Jesus does. He said that is what Church is for, what ministry is for. It is to come in, be who you are. To be in God's House. To be able to fold your arms across your chest if you feel angry. To snort.
Next time, to feel really like you wish it was a better fit. To look at the floor with a troubled brow. To go home more frustrated because there was a glimmer of something, but it just stirred up the idea that it'll never be better. A heaviness, how is life gonna keep on pressing you.
Why, because this is what is needed:
Psalm 139:12
Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
I've had years where Church was more of a hope than a family. And I've had Sundays were it dawned on me, the trouble was the nature of man in me. And I see the reality Church can be used for a social vehicle for friendship only, or self promotion only, or dollar promotion only or status only.
Yet the real truth is this. It is an eternal truth:
John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life
And what happens when the hard work is done. The unconditional love is there with faith:
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
2 Corinthians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort
<><
I once met two men, playing a part to make money and not very happy about it. Attorneys in a poor area of the country. Men who'd traveled down a path to honor their own father and felt the road had led them a path where their Dad had not gone. The older brother had responsibilities and teenagers who needed cars. He was business like and detached. Firm in his professionalism and cold as a man about to pull teeth. His brother was 15 years younger and dressed to look like my brother. He was remorseful. And at one point he tried to talk his older brother out of the play, or part, by almost becoming twelve years old and leaning over the table to talk about "Dad."
The absolute embarrassment of the older brother silenced the younger brother. Dad had been indeed invoked, but the sacred stiff upper lip rule of Dad had Been Broken. Forgotten was Dad's mercy, invoked was propriety. The day went forward as arranged. Actually, by the end of the day, the older brother was the more sorrowful. And much more fearful.
I wondered about them for almost two decades. I wondered if the younger brother had now seen too much. As Edward & I spent the day listening to the good natured, socially conscious, embarrassed racist, openly jealous of someone with the potential to own property, all the while trying to appear to be a young professional - I wondered what his first 'big client' story would tell him about himself. I could tell his older brother couldn't decide at the end of the day - should he bring his younger brother 'in the house like a good dog' or should he "let sleeping dogs lie to shake it off" - which would be more effective.
Over the next few weeks, the older brother let the younger brother be 'bad cop.' So. He let him hang.
It was explained to me that there just are too many rabbit holes.
And I know a former city attorney of El Paso who'd tell you that, sure, we can build a fence as a border between us and Mexico. But there is an endless supply of labor. And in reality - there are as many 50 mile tunnels between Mexico and El Paso as a good Swiss Cheese. Or a bad Swiss Cheese.
And of course - it is all an analogy for - seen too much, done to much to cope and exist and now - no one is good and no one is pure and it is all polluted.
Pollution. There never was a better analogy for sin. And what is sin, other than shame.
No one can forget or forgive.
One can. The Only One Who is Good.
We all have someone in our lives who has brought us that feeling of Home. Not the sentimental place. The real place. Similar to the way we liked George Burns as God. Or Morgan Freeman.
For me it was my Grandmother. It's called unconditional love.
Tonight Clark stood up there and it dawned on me. He is just a bit like John Wayne. A bit more like John Wayne with Princeton or Yale or Ole Miss - Woody Allen - twist. (Must be the Jewish portion, I have as well.) And Clark stood up to do what Jesus does. He said that is what Church is for, what ministry is for. It is to come in, be who you are. To be in God's House. To be able to fold your arms across your chest if you feel angry. To snort.
Next time, to feel really like you wish it was a better fit. To look at the floor with a troubled brow. To go home more frustrated because there was a glimmer of something, but it just stirred up the idea that it'll never be better. A heaviness, how is life gonna keep on pressing you.
Why, because this is what is needed:
Psalm 139:12
Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
I've had years where Church was more of a hope than a family. And I've had Sundays were it dawned on me, the trouble was the nature of man in me. And I see the reality Church can be used for a social vehicle for friendship only, or self promotion only, or dollar promotion only or status only.
Yet the real truth is this. It is an eternal truth:
John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life
And what happens when the hard work is done. The unconditional love is there with faith:
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
2 Corinthians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort
<><
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