The House Of Hope
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle B
A friend of mine lives in a remote area of the United States which has a very low emotional quotient. Because of this, alcoholism is rampant, incest is above average, and spousal abuse is prevalent. One of the dominating social ills is the abuse suffered by teenagers. In a recent study released by the state where my friend resides, a survey revealed that one out of every three teenagers has been abused sexually.
In order to help these teens who have suffered mentally, emotionally, and physically because of sexual abuse, the communities, with the help of the state, have opened a facility called "The House of Hope." This house offers counseling, as well as long-term housing, for those who are trying to find healing from the indignities perpetrated upon them. It is the feeling of the small communities involved in this caring venture that many teens will find hope and help which will enable them to overcome the horrific damage and pain they have encountered. The House of Hope is a lighthouse in the darkness in which many young sexually-abused victims find themselves trapped.
Hosea the prophet found himself in darkness due to the unfaithfulness of his wife Gomer, who left him to engage sexually with multiple partners. He was heartbroken and had to be the caregiver for their bewildered children who cried nightly for their mother. The prophet's brokenheartedness over his wife's unfaithfulness is a picture of a faithful God who is heartbroken over the unfaithfulness of his people Israel.
Out of the prophet's dilemma, God gives a picture of a "House of Hope" which is the story of Gomer's return and restoration. Also, this is a picture of God wooing his people back from their infidelity and restoring the marriage relationship which had existed between himself and Israel.
Just as Hosea will woo Gomer and bring her back to his "House of Hope," so God will seek after unfaithful Israel to bring her back to his "House of Hope." This House of Hope which Hosea speaks of will be ...
A Place Of Grace
This Old Testament lesson begins with "therefore." This is not the first time that "therefore" has been used in Hosea 2. The two previous "therefores" were succeeded by two announcements of punishment. However, this third "therefore" does not have any announcement of punishment. Instead, it opens with grace abounding. This grace is unconditional, and it is God who does the changing and reveals the "House of Hope" as a place of grace.
God does this in the language of courtship, "I will allure ..." (v. 14). The future of Israel is not of destruction, disaster, and death, but it is a future of life. In his grace, God will do four things: God will allure, God will bring, God will speak, and God will give. These words are words which speak to the joys of courtship and its happiness. They bring the hope of a new beginning.
When old Madison Square Garden was constructed in 1890, a statue of the Greek goddess Diana crowned New York's first indoor arena. Diana, in Greek mythology, was a goddess of the woods who later was depicted as a huntress and patron of women. The sculptor who fashioned the statue of Diana found a lovely girl to serve as a model for the statue. After the statue was finished, and it was placed on the top of Madison Square Garden, it became a huge success. Because of the artistic beauty of the sculpture, the model became famous. Her beauty was stunning, and everywhere she went, people recognized her as the model for Diana. Fame is fleeting, and personal tragedies caused the world of the lovely model to collapse. Eventually she became a derelict and a recluse.
Years later a broken, homeless woman made her way into a Salvation Army kitchen in a seedy New York neighborhood. This woman begged for something to eat. As she quickly gulped down her food, the Salvation Army officer who was on duty observed her. Something about her seemed familiar to the officer. He approached the woman and asked her name. To his amazement he discovered who she was. He exclaimed, "You are Diana!" She smiled a crooked smile which revealed missing teeth. She was pleased that someone remembered and recognized her. Yet, she was ashamed of what she had become. She quietly responded, "I was Diana."
This Salvation Army officer was able to look beyond what this woman had become. He did not see a bedraggled, care-worn recluse. Instead he saw the beautiful Diana. What this man did was a picture of grace. He looked at her and saw not her ugliness, but the beauty hidden beneath her ragged edges.
The grace of God will erase the unpleasant memories of the past. Hosea mentions the Valley of Achor, which has always been associated with failure and trouble. Achan was disobedient and took a valuable robe, 200 shekels of silver, and a gold bar. He hid them under his tent. Not knowing any of this, Joshua led the army of Israel in an attack on a place called Ai. Instead of the anticipated easy victory, the army of Israel was repulsed. God revealed to Joshua the reason for the defeat, and Achan and his family were executed for their disobedience. This judgment took place in a valley which was subsequently named the Valley of Achor, or "trouble." It was a place of terrible failure. The people of God in the eighth century were in their Valley of Achor because of their corruption, idolatry, and rejection of God. In spite of Israel's forgetting God, God now, in an act of grace, states that he will transform Israel's repetition of the sin of Achan into a place of grace.
God's promise to ancient Israel has deep personal meaning for us. We all have memories of sin and failure. The good news of grace is that the One who offered a door of hope to Israel came in Jesus Christ to be that door. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, the cross and resurrection became our "House of Hope," a place of grace.
A Place Where Broken Relationships Are Restored
Israel had broken her relationship with God, and in the breaking of that relationship, worship had disintegrated to the point that the name of God (Yahweh) and Baal were being used interchangeably. Worship in Israel reached its lowest point when God was worshiped as Baal. When the broken relationship between God and his people was restored, Israel called her God, "My Husband." This is the language of endearment and intimacy. It is language which has the implication of ownership and lordship which God's people lavished and squandered on the Baals.
God, in restoring the broken relationship between himself and Israel, will take the name of the Baals from Israel's mouth and memory. A restored relationship will result in total transformation and a new inner nature. Israel will no longer be distracted from her devotion to God. Can this happen? Is it possible for human nature to be changed? Is liberation from false gods possible? Yes, by the transforming power of redemption -- a redemption that includes a place called Golgotha, an empty tomb, and a Savior who is alive. The miracle is that God in Christ gives us the gift of faith to accept his love and forgiveness.
Josh McDowell in his book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, writes of this love and forgiveness. He states that his father "epitomized everything I hated ... He was the town drunk. My high school friends would make jokes about him making a fool of himself around town. Sometimes when we had company, I would tie Dad up in the barn and tell them he had to go on an important call." When McDowell became a Christian, God's grace was able to transform his hatred for his father into love. Shortly after his conversion to Christ, McDowell was injured in an automobile accident. His father came to visit him in his hospital room. At one point as they were talking together, he broke down and said, "Josh, I've been the worst kind of father to you. How can you love a man like me?" "Dad," said McDowell, "six months ago I couldn't. But now, through Jesus Christ, I can love you." He explained to his father the meaning of God's grace in his life. Before leaving that hospital room, Josh McDowell's father had committed his life to Jesus Christ. He was a changed man! Scores of people who saw the change in his life also came to know Jesus Christ. A year later this changed man died at peace with God and at peace with his son.1
God is a faithful God who seeks to restore broken relationships which is part of the structure of "The House of Hope."
The House of Hope is a place of grace, a place where broken relationships are restored, but it also is ...
A Place For The Renewal Of Wedding Vows
Hosea has wooed Gomer and renewed their wedding vows. The prophet sees in his renewed relationship with Gomer a picture of God renewing his marriage vows with Israel. It is a portrayal of the bride and groom standing before the minister. The days of courtship and wooing have come to an end. The bride and groom will renew their vows and their marriage will be legal, binding, and irrevocable. The renewal of the marriage vows begins with the formal vow, "I will take you for my wife forever" (v. 18). This vow is repeated three times. It is not a period of engagement, but of marriage, for this vow is "forever."
As the groom stands with his bride to renew their wedding vows, he knows that he can expect nothing from the bride. As they stand together at the altar, the bride is asked to promise nothing. Only the groom makes promises. The promises of the groom are fantastic, unconditional, and anchored firmly in God's unchanging nature. The vows of renewal contain some of the greatest themes of scripture. Righteousness is that aspect of the wedding vow which is the foundation on which the "House of Hope" is built. God fulfills the vows he has made. Justice is the next aspect of the vow renewal. This defines how people live in relationship to God and each other. These vows celebrate God's loving kindness. God acts to maintain the relationship he has established. God's love is reliable. God also vows to be faithful. He will be constant in word and deed toward his bride, his beloved Israel. God is simply stating, "This is what I am like and what you can depend on me to be to you."
Finally, the ceremony has ended, and the vows have been renewed. The greatly anticipated moment has arrived, and the bride and groom will honeymoon. On the honeymoon they will know the joys of a renewed wedding night in which "they will know each other." We too must know God. A true sign of our knowledge of God is that we are able to express righteousness, justice, loving kindness, and mercy. This all begins with the personal acknowledgment of God's reign over all and our devotion to him. God's wedding gifts of righteousness, justice, loving kindness, and mercy come to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Singing is heard because of the recommitment of a husband and a wife to their original wedding vows.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years by the South African government. While he languished in prison he never lost his hope for a new South Africa. As the day for his release drew near, Mandela's only daughter was allowed to come and see him. When his daughter came to visit her father, she carried in her arms the granddaughter Mandela had never seen. She wanted her daughter's grandfather to name her. "I don't think a man was ever happier to hold a baby than I was that day," he wrote in his memoirs. The name Mandela gave his granddaughter was Zaziwe, an African word for hope. He called her Hope, he said, because "during all of my years in prison, hope never left me -- and now it never would." Nelson Mandela had built a "House of Hope."2
God is our bridegroom and will help us build, out of the ruins and wreckage of our waywardness, a "House of Hope." The only true hope we have is in God and God alone.
____________
1. Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Arrowhead Springs, California: Campus Crusade for Christ, 1972), p. 374.
2. Adapted from Lewis Smedes, Standing on the Promises (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998), p. 39.
In order to help these teens who have suffered mentally, emotionally, and physically because of sexual abuse, the communities, with the help of the state, have opened a facility called "The House of Hope." This house offers counseling, as well as long-term housing, for those who are trying to find healing from the indignities perpetrated upon them. It is the feeling of the small communities involved in this caring venture that many teens will find hope and help which will enable them to overcome the horrific damage and pain they have encountered. The House of Hope is a lighthouse in the darkness in which many young sexually-abused victims find themselves trapped.
Hosea the prophet found himself in darkness due to the unfaithfulness of his wife Gomer, who left him to engage sexually with multiple partners. He was heartbroken and had to be the caregiver for their bewildered children who cried nightly for their mother. The prophet's brokenheartedness over his wife's unfaithfulness is a picture of a faithful God who is heartbroken over the unfaithfulness of his people Israel.
Out of the prophet's dilemma, God gives a picture of a "House of Hope" which is the story of Gomer's return and restoration. Also, this is a picture of God wooing his people back from their infidelity and restoring the marriage relationship which had existed between himself and Israel.
Just as Hosea will woo Gomer and bring her back to his "House of Hope," so God will seek after unfaithful Israel to bring her back to his "House of Hope." This House of Hope which Hosea speaks of will be ...
A Place Of Grace
This Old Testament lesson begins with "therefore." This is not the first time that "therefore" has been used in Hosea 2. The two previous "therefores" were succeeded by two announcements of punishment. However, this third "therefore" does not have any announcement of punishment. Instead, it opens with grace abounding. This grace is unconditional, and it is God who does the changing and reveals the "House of Hope" as a place of grace.
God does this in the language of courtship, "I will allure ..." (v. 14). The future of Israel is not of destruction, disaster, and death, but it is a future of life. In his grace, God will do four things: God will allure, God will bring, God will speak, and God will give. These words are words which speak to the joys of courtship and its happiness. They bring the hope of a new beginning.
When old Madison Square Garden was constructed in 1890, a statue of the Greek goddess Diana crowned New York's first indoor arena. Diana, in Greek mythology, was a goddess of the woods who later was depicted as a huntress and patron of women. The sculptor who fashioned the statue of Diana found a lovely girl to serve as a model for the statue. After the statue was finished, and it was placed on the top of Madison Square Garden, it became a huge success. Because of the artistic beauty of the sculpture, the model became famous. Her beauty was stunning, and everywhere she went, people recognized her as the model for Diana. Fame is fleeting, and personal tragedies caused the world of the lovely model to collapse. Eventually she became a derelict and a recluse.
Years later a broken, homeless woman made her way into a Salvation Army kitchen in a seedy New York neighborhood. This woman begged for something to eat. As she quickly gulped down her food, the Salvation Army officer who was on duty observed her. Something about her seemed familiar to the officer. He approached the woman and asked her name. To his amazement he discovered who she was. He exclaimed, "You are Diana!" She smiled a crooked smile which revealed missing teeth. She was pleased that someone remembered and recognized her. Yet, she was ashamed of what she had become. She quietly responded, "I was Diana."
This Salvation Army officer was able to look beyond what this woman had become. He did not see a bedraggled, care-worn recluse. Instead he saw the beautiful Diana. What this man did was a picture of grace. He looked at her and saw not her ugliness, but the beauty hidden beneath her ragged edges.
The grace of God will erase the unpleasant memories of the past. Hosea mentions the Valley of Achor, which has always been associated with failure and trouble. Achan was disobedient and took a valuable robe, 200 shekels of silver, and a gold bar. He hid them under his tent. Not knowing any of this, Joshua led the army of Israel in an attack on a place called Ai. Instead of the anticipated easy victory, the army of Israel was repulsed. God revealed to Joshua the reason for the defeat, and Achan and his family were executed for their disobedience. This judgment took place in a valley which was subsequently named the Valley of Achor, or "trouble." It was a place of terrible failure. The people of God in the eighth century were in their Valley of Achor because of their corruption, idolatry, and rejection of God. In spite of Israel's forgetting God, God now, in an act of grace, states that he will transform Israel's repetition of the sin of Achan into a place of grace.
God's promise to ancient Israel has deep personal meaning for us. We all have memories of sin and failure. The good news of grace is that the One who offered a door of hope to Israel came in Jesus Christ to be that door. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, the cross and resurrection became our "House of Hope," a place of grace.
A Place Where Broken Relationships Are Restored
Israel had broken her relationship with God, and in the breaking of that relationship, worship had disintegrated to the point that the name of God (Yahweh) and Baal were being used interchangeably. Worship in Israel reached its lowest point when God was worshiped as Baal. When the broken relationship between God and his people was restored, Israel called her God, "My Husband." This is the language of endearment and intimacy. It is language which has the implication of ownership and lordship which God's people lavished and squandered on the Baals.
God, in restoring the broken relationship between himself and Israel, will take the name of the Baals from Israel's mouth and memory. A restored relationship will result in total transformation and a new inner nature. Israel will no longer be distracted from her devotion to God. Can this happen? Is it possible for human nature to be changed? Is liberation from false gods possible? Yes, by the transforming power of redemption -- a redemption that includes a place called Golgotha, an empty tomb, and a Savior who is alive. The miracle is that God in Christ gives us the gift of faith to accept his love and forgiveness.
Josh McDowell in his book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, writes of this love and forgiveness. He states that his father "epitomized everything I hated ... He was the town drunk. My high school friends would make jokes about him making a fool of himself around town. Sometimes when we had company, I would tie Dad up in the barn and tell them he had to go on an important call." When McDowell became a Christian, God's grace was able to transform his hatred for his father into love. Shortly after his conversion to Christ, McDowell was injured in an automobile accident. His father came to visit him in his hospital room. At one point as they were talking together, he broke down and said, "Josh, I've been the worst kind of father to you. How can you love a man like me?" "Dad," said McDowell, "six months ago I couldn't. But now, through Jesus Christ, I can love you." He explained to his father the meaning of God's grace in his life. Before leaving that hospital room, Josh McDowell's father had committed his life to Jesus Christ. He was a changed man! Scores of people who saw the change in his life also came to know Jesus Christ. A year later this changed man died at peace with God and at peace with his son.1
God is a faithful God who seeks to restore broken relationships which is part of the structure of "The House of Hope."
The House of Hope is a place of grace, a place where broken relationships are restored, but it also is ...
A Place For The Renewal Of Wedding Vows
Hosea has wooed Gomer and renewed their wedding vows. The prophet sees in his renewed relationship with Gomer a picture of God renewing his marriage vows with Israel. It is a portrayal of the bride and groom standing before the minister. The days of courtship and wooing have come to an end. The bride and groom will renew their vows and their marriage will be legal, binding, and irrevocable. The renewal of the marriage vows begins with the formal vow, "I will take you for my wife forever" (v. 18). This vow is repeated three times. It is not a period of engagement, but of marriage, for this vow is "forever."
As the groom stands with his bride to renew their wedding vows, he knows that he can expect nothing from the bride. As they stand together at the altar, the bride is asked to promise nothing. Only the groom makes promises. The promises of the groom are fantastic, unconditional, and anchored firmly in God's unchanging nature. The vows of renewal contain some of the greatest themes of scripture. Righteousness is that aspect of the wedding vow which is the foundation on which the "House of Hope" is built. God fulfills the vows he has made. Justice is the next aspect of the vow renewal. This defines how people live in relationship to God and each other. These vows celebrate God's loving kindness. God acts to maintain the relationship he has established. God's love is reliable. God also vows to be faithful. He will be constant in word and deed toward his bride, his beloved Israel. God is simply stating, "This is what I am like and what you can depend on me to be to you."
Finally, the ceremony has ended, and the vows have been renewed. The greatly anticipated moment has arrived, and the bride and groom will honeymoon. On the honeymoon they will know the joys of a renewed wedding night in which "they will know each other." We too must know God. A true sign of our knowledge of God is that we are able to express righteousness, justice, loving kindness, and mercy. This all begins with the personal acknowledgment of God's reign over all and our devotion to him. God's wedding gifts of righteousness, justice, loving kindness, and mercy come to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Singing is heard because of the recommitment of a husband and a wife to their original wedding vows.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years by the South African government. While he languished in prison he never lost his hope for a new South Africa. As the day for his release drew near, Mandela's only daughter was allowed to come and see him. When his daughter came to visit her father, she carried in her arms the granddaughter Mandela had never seen. She wanted her daughter's grandfather to name her. "I don't think a man was ever happier to hold a baby than I was that day," he wrote in his memoirs. The name Mandela gave his granddaughter was Zaziwe, an African word for hope. He called her Hope, he said, because "during all of my years in prison, hope never left me -- and now it never would." Nelson Mandela had built a "House of Hope."2
God is our bridegroom and will help us build, out of the ruins and wreckage of our waywardness, a "House of Hope." The only true hope we have is in God and God alone.
____________
1. Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Arrowhead Springs, California: Campus Crusade for Christ, 1972), p. 374.
2. Adapted from Lewis Smedes, Standing on the Promises (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998), p. 39.
