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Hosea 11:1-11
Several years ago Jackie was traveling with her two young children to visit her parents who lived an hour's drive away. As they arrived in the city during rush hour, which made her nervous, Jackie heard a strange noise coming from her car. The car started bumping. She pulled off to the side of the road and confirmed that she had a flat tire. She remembers taking a deep breath and thinking to herself, "It's only a flat tire. You can change a tire." She retrieved the jack out of the truck and began struggling with the spare tire.
She looked up in time to see a car stopping. She was apprehensive. The driver asked if he could help. Jackie says part of her wanted to say, "No thank you," while another part knew she could use the help. In five minutes the stranger had the tire changed. When Jackie offered to pay the man he refused telling her, "I serve a Savior who allowed me this opportunity to serve you. I do not need the pay."
As Jackie continued her trip to visit her parents she reflected on the experience. God used that young man's words to speak to her. She had been slipping away from the Lord. "In that moment," Jackie explains, "I realized God had not walked away from me and was calling me to greater faith and commitment."
She said a prayer of thanksgiving for the young man who stopped to help her as well as the love he had for God.
The prophet Hosea wanted the people to see the error of their ways and return to God. "The more I called them," God spoke through Hosea, "the more they went from me." God continued to love the people and desired for them to whole-heartily return. The same is true for us. God never stops loving us but continues to love us even when we stray. The heart of God is filled with love for all people.
Tim S.
Hosea 11:1-11
Fred Rogers was invited to be the baccalaureate speaker for Boston University's class of 1992. During the address he shared from one of his favorite books, The Little Prince. The passage he cited discussed that which is most important about people "is invisible to the eye." Personal significance is not found in honors and prizes but in integrity. He then asked the class this question, "What is essential about you that is invisible to the eye?" He then paused for a considerable amount of time, allowing each student and faculty member to ponder the question. Even the president of the university, sitting to his side with his tasseled cap and impressive gold medallion, was gripped by the question. It was a time not for self-absorption, but one for self-reflection. Rogers then broke the silence and answered his own question by singing the song, "It's You I Like." Everyone sat in silence, and some even cried, as they listened to these lyrics, "It's you I like. It's not the things you wear. It's not the way you do your hair, but it's you I like. The way you are right now. The way deep down inside you. Not the things that you hide – not your diplomas, they're just beside you. But it's you I like. Every part of you." This is the love of total acceptance, blemishes and all.
Love. That is the message from our lectionary reading for today. Hosea shares how God loves Israel like a father loves a son. God loves every part of them, even when they wander away to worship Baal and other false idols. We read of God's sadness that the children of Abraham that he raised like a parent have forsaken him. God will continue to call to his children and one day they will return to him, swiftly running like lion cubs to their mother.
Ron L.
Hosea 11:1-11
One of the most traumatic experiences a family can have is when a child runs away. Many parents have gone through sleepless nights wondering where their little boy or girl would be. While it is hard to get specific numbers, one study had the number of homeless children in America range anywhere from 500,000 to more than two million, all of them with loved ones who pined for their safe return.
God knows all too well the misery that comes with a child running away. The whole nation of Israel, a nation he had chosen for his own, left him. Through Hosea, God portrays Israel as his child: "Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms" (v. 3). Despite that tender loving care, Israel wanted nothing to do with God: "My people are bent on turning away from me" (v. 7).
Craig K.
Colossians 3:1-11
An anonymous author expressed what it means to come to Christ and discover the wonderful experience of salvation.
He asked:
Let a person go to a psychiatrist and what does he become? An adjusted sinner.
Let a person go to a physician and what does he become? A healthy sinner.
Let a person achieve wealth and what does he become? A wealthy sinner.
Let a person join a church, sign a card, and turn over a new leaf in life and what does he become? A religious sinner.
But what happens when a person goes to Jesus? If he/she comes to Christ in sincere repentance, confessing their sin and receiving Christ by faith through the cross of Calvary, that person becomes a new creature in Christ, forgiven, reconciled, and adopted into the family of God, with a new vision, mission, meaning, and purpose to life. That person will also find achievement, fulfillment, and direction in God's will and call in life!
(Albert Wells, Inspiring Quotations [Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988], 174)
Derl K.
Colossians 3:1-11
In the classic musical My Fair Lady, Professor Henry Higgins bets a friend that he can transform Eliza, a flower-peddling lower-class street woman, into a lady elegant enough to fool the upper class into thinking she is one of them. With a few lessons in comportment and speech -- "the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain" -- and a new wardrobe, Eliza is unrecognizable from the flower peddler that Professor Higgins met at the beginning of the play. By training herself to adhere to a higher set of standards and by trading her old attire -- both in clothing and in attitude -- Eliza becomes the equal of any upper class aristocrat.
Leah T.
Luke 12:13-21
John D. Rockefeller Jr. believed in the United Nations. He also thought it was not proper for such a distinguished and important agency to be meeting in a skating rink in Queens. He was so disturbed when no site could be located to build the needed structure that he took it upon himself to locate the perfect place for the headquarters of the world's institution for peace. He searched for property coast to coast, but his secret desire was to have the United Nations in New York City. Unable to locate any suitable property in Manhattan or elsewhere, he called a family conference. The Rockefeller family decided to donate 2,000 acres of their own land in Westchester County. Plans for the new building were about to commence when Rockefeller balked on his offer, still believing the United Nations should be in New York City. Once again he searched the map for an appropriate site. He discovered a place along the East River that would be excellent, but it was a property on which William Zeckendorf planned to build his $150 million "Dream City." Three hours later, Rockefeller arrived unannounced at Zeckendorf's wedding reception. He arrived toting a map of the city. After a short conversation he convinced Zeckendorf to sell the land for $8.5 million, which Rockefeller paid himself. The next day Rockefeller's son, Nelson, delivered the seventeen-acre gift to the United Nations Site Committee. The only comment that the elder Rockefeller would make regarding his gift was: "I hope it helped."
Rockefeller, with his countless wealth, understood the futility of building yet another barn. He was willing to share his gains for the welfare of all. Let us employ our financial and material resources in such a way that we are able to say, "I hope it helped."
Ron L.
Luke 12:13-21
I remember when I was younger hearing the story of Howard Hughes, one of the richest men of his day. He was a test pilot, an engineer, and a Hollywood heavyweight. He had everything anyone could ever want. Yet at the end of his life, he became a shell of a man, isolating himself in hotel rooms, allowing his fingernails and beard to grow long, watching the same movie over and over again, finally dying of kidney failure in 1976.
So many of us in the Western world aspire for wealth and possessions. Yet Jesus warns us of the dangers of that mindset in this parable. After all this man did to acquire more and more, he finally got what he wanted only to realize that he would die that night, without having done any lasting good in his life. Do we really want to make that same mistake?
Craig K.
Luke 12:13-21
Eric will admit that he is a collector who hates to throw anything away, even if the clothes no longer fit or he has no use for something. He has forty years of model railroad magazines scattered throughout his house. There is a stack of them in closets and even in the high kitchen cabinets that reach to the ceiling. One day Eric noticed that several of the cabinets were pulling away from the ceiling. If the cabinet came loose it would make a mess, with broken glassware and china as well as food and his beloved magazines. Quickly he gathered all his magazines.
He called repair service. It took two workers and cost nearly $500 to reattach the cabinets.
The next day a friend stopped by as Eric was sitting on the floor looking at his magazines. His friend challenged him, "Maybe this is a lesson for you to throw them away." "No," Eric replied, "there are valuable." His friend continued to challenge him asking how they were valuable. Eric said he may need to refer to an article and wanted to have the magazines close to him. What convinced Eric that he needed to make some changes was when his friend said, "Take your faith seriously. Jesus was not burdened with belongings."
That's how Eric began to shed things. He donated clothes he would never wear again and books he would never read to a local charity. Old programs and magazines he took to recycle. He was just beginning to let go of things.
In the "Parable of the Rich Fool," Jesus warns his followers, "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
Tim S.
Hosea 11:1-11
Several years ago Jackie was traveling with her two young children to visit her parents who lived an hour's drive away. As they arrived in the city during rush hour, which made her nervous, Jackie heard a strange noise coming from her car. The car started bumping. She pulled off to the side of the road and confirmed that she had a flat tire. She remembers taking a deep breath and thinking to herself, "It's only a flat tire. You can change a tire." She retrieved the jack out of the truck and began struggling with the spare tire.
She looked up in time to see a car stopping. She was apprehensive. The driver asked if he could help. Jackie says part of her wanted to say, "No thank you," while another part knew she could use the help. In five minutes the stranger had the tire changed. When Jackie offered to pay the man he refused telling her, "I serve a Savior who allowed me this opportunity to serve you. I do not need the pay."
As Jackie continued her trip to visit her parents she reflected on the experience. God used that young man's words to speak to her. She had been slipping away from the Lord. "In that moment," Jackie explains, "I realized God had not walked away from me and was calling me to greater faith and commitment."
She said a prayer of thanksgiving for the young man who stopped to help her as well as the love he had for God.
The prophet Hosea wanted the people to see the error of their ways and return to God. "The more I called them," God spoke through Hosea, "the more they went from me." God continued to love the people and desired for them to whole-heartily return. The same is true for us. God never stops loving us but continues to love us even when we stray. The heart of God is filled with love for all people.
Tim S.
Hosea 11:1-11
Fred Rogers was invited to be the baccalaureate speaker for Boston University's class of 1992. During the address he shared from one of his favorite books, The Little Prince. The passage he cited discussed that which is most important about people "is invisible to the eye." Personal significance is not found in honors and prizes but in integrity. He then asked the class this question, "What is essential about you that is invisible to the eye?" He then paused for a considerable amount of time, allowing each student and faculty member to ponder the question. Even the president of the university, sitting to his side with his tasseled cap and impressive gold medallion, was gripped by the question. It was a time not for self-absorption, but one for self-reflection. Rogers then broke the silence and answered his own question by singing the song, "It's You I Like." Everyone sat in silence, and some even cried, as they listened to these lyrics, "It's you I like. It's not the things you wear. It's not the way you do your hair, but it's you I like. The way you are right now. The way deep down inside you. Not the things that you hide – not your diplomas, they're just beside you. But it's you I like. Every part of you." This is the love of total acceptance, blemishes and all.
Love. That is the message from our lectionary reading for today. Hosea shares how God loves Israel like a father loves a son. God loves every part of them, even when they wander away to worship Baal and other false idols. We read of God's sadness that the children of Abraham that he raised like a parent have forsaken him. God will continue to call to his children and one day they will return to him, swiftly running like lion cubs to their mother.
Ron L.
Hosea 11:1-11
One of the most traumatic experiences a family can have is when a child runs away. Many parents have gone through sleepless nights wondering where their little boy or girl would be. While it is hard to get specific numbers, one study had the number of homeless children in America range anywhere from 500,000 to more than two million, all of them with loved ones who pined for their safe return.
God knows all too well the misery that comes with a child running away. The whole nation of Israel, a nation he had chosen for his own, left him. Through Hosea, God portrays Israel as his child: "Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms" (v. 3). Despite that tender loving care, Israel wanted nothing to do with God: "My people are bent on turning away from me" (v. 7).
Craig K.
Colossians 3:1-11
An anonymous author expressed what it means to come to Christ and discover the wonderful experience of salvation.
He asked:
Let a person go to a psychiatrist and what does he become? An adjusted sinner.
Let a person go to a physician and what does he become? A healthy sinner.
Let a person achieve wealth and what does he become? A wealthy sinner.
Let a person join a church, sign a card, and turn over a new leaf in life and what does he become? A religious sinner.
But what happens when a person goes to Jesus? If he/she comes to Christ in sincere repentance, confessing their sin and receiving Christ by faith through the cross of Calvary, that person becomes a new creature in Christ, forgiven, reconciled, and adopted into the family of God, with a new vision, mission, meaning, and purpose to life. That person will also find achievement, fulfillment, and direction in God's will and call in life!
(Albert Wells, Inspiring Quotations [Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988], 174)
Derl K.
Colossians 3:1-11
In the classic musical My Fair Lady, Professor Henry Higgins bets a friend that he can transform Eliza, a flower-peddling lower-class street woman, into a lady elegant enough to fool the upper class into thinking she is one of them. With a few lessons in comportment and speech -- "the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain" -- and a new wardrobe, Eliza is unrecognizable from the flower peddler that Professor Higgins met at the beginning of the play. By training herself to adhere to a higher set of standards and by trading her old attire -- both in clothing and in attitude -- Eliza becomes the equal of any upper class aristocrat.
Leah T.
Luke 12:13-21
John D. Rockefeller Jr. believed in the United Nations. He also thought it was not proper for such a distinguished and important agency to be meeting in a skating rink in Queens. He was so disturbed when no site could be located to build the needed structure that he took it upon himself to locate the perfect place for the headquarters of the world's institution for peace. He searched for property coast to coast, but his secret desire was to have the United Nations in New York City. Unable to locate any suitable property in Manhattan or elsewhere, he called a family conference. The Rockefeller family decided to donate 2,000 acres of their own land in Westchester County. Plans for the new building were about to commence when Rockefeller balked on his offer, still believing the United Nations should be in New York City. Once again he searched the map for an appropriate site. He discovered a place along the East River that would be excellent, but it was a property on which William Zeckendorf planned to build his $150 million "Dream City." Three hours later, Rockefeller arrived unannounced at Zeckendorf's wedding reception. He arrived toting a map of the city. After a short conversation he convinced Zeckendorf to sell the land for $8.5 million, which Rockefeller paid himself. The next day Rockefeller's son, Nelson, delivered the seventeen-acre gift to the United Nations Site Committee. The only comment that the elder Rockefeller would make regarding his gift was: "I hope it helped."
Rockefeller, with his countless wealth, understood the futility of building yet another barn. He was willing to share his gains for the welfare of all. Let us employ our financial and material resources in such a way that we are able to say, "I hope it helped."
Ron L.
Luke 12:13-21
I remember when I was younger hearing the story of Howard Hughes, one of the richest men of his day. He was a test pilot, an engineer, and a Hollywood heavyweight. He had everything anyone could ever want. Yet at the end of his life, he became a shell of a man, isolating himself in hotel rooms, allowing his fingernails and beard to grow long, watching the same movie over and over again, finally dying of kidney failure in 1976.
So many of us in the Western world aspire for wealth and possessions. Yet Jesus warns us of the dangers of that mindset in this parable. After all this man did to acquire more and more, he finally got what he wanted only to realize that he would die that night, without having done any lasting good in his life. Do we really want to make that same mistake?
Craig K.
Luke 12:13-21
Eric will admit that he is a collector who hates to throw anything away, even if the clothes no longer fit or he has no use for something. He has forty years of model railroad magazines scattered throughout his house. There is a stack of them in closets and even in the high kitchen cabinets that reach to the ceiling. One day Eric noticed that several of the cabinets were pulling away from the ceiling. If the cabinet came loose it would make a mess, with broken glassware and china as well as food and his beloved magazines. Quickly he gathered all his magazines.
He called repair service. It took two workers and cost nearly $500 to reattach the cabinets.
The next day a friend stopped by as Eric was sitting on the floor looking at his magazines. His friend challenged him, "Maybe this is a lesson for you to throw them away." "No," Eric replied, "there are valuable." His friend continued to challenge him asking how they were valuable. Eric said he may need to refer to an article and wanted to have the magazines close to him. What convinced Eric that he needed to make some changes was when his friend said, "Take your faith seriously. Jesus was not burdened with belongings."
That's how Eric began to shed things. He donated clothes he would never wear again and books he would never read to a local charity. Old programs and magazines he took to recycle. He was just beginning to let go of things.
In the "Parable of the Rich Fool," Jesus warns his followers, "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
Tim S.
