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Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
October 4, 2024
Invitatory
Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Resist him, firm in your faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9a
Glory to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Hosea 10:1-4, 12-15
Israel is a luxuriant vine
that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased
the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
he improved his pillars.
Their heart is false;
now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars,
and destroy their pillars.
For now they will say:
‘We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord,
and a king—what could he do for us?’
They utter mere words;
with empty oaths they make covenants;
Sow for yourselves righteousness;
reap steadfast love;
break up your fallow ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
You have ploughed wickedness,
you have reaped injustice,
you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your power
and in the multitude of your warriors,
therefore the tumult of war shall rise against your people,
and all your fortresses shall be destroyed,
as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle
when mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.
Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel,
because of your great wickedness.
At dawn the king of Israel
shall be utterly cut off.
Meditation-Rebecca Northington
Wow-this is the Old Testament many think of, where God is vengeful and the consequences to our sinfulness are great. But it is important to see this passage within the full context of Hosea’s messaging. As the Northern Israelites prosper God would hope their sense of thanksgiving might increase, but instead, as today, a growing entitlement and sense of self control develops. The pillars they build are not for God, but wreak of idolatry to many gods, or an infidelity that Hosea’s own marriage mimics. This is not a new theme for God’s people, as we saw before the flood, and throughout the Old Testament and New. To what extent do we, as God’s people, celebrate our success by turning to God in humility? The truth is the more we have, the more self-sustained we believe ourselves to be, the less we consider God’s grace in our lives.
Many years ago when Michael Palmisono was an associate here he held a Q and A with parishioners on the topic of their faith. It was fascinating and for the most part truly revealing. I was one of the interviewed and I remember vividly being asked about how I saw Jesus in my life. To my surprise I had a rather emotional response. It was difficult for me to reply as I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I blundered through some articulation of this gratitude and a sense of giftedness in all that I have and do. For me, Jesus is at the center of this. Someone in the audience asked if I had been through a particular tragedy or trauma that had helped guide me to this perspective on Christ in my life. I have not. But I have been given so much.
Much of the Old Testament represents a tension between God and us, with laws and consequences attempting to keep us in check. With Christ comes a new law, and a new covenant, that liberates us through unconditional love and forgiveness. As I read this passage and consider that adult forum, I realize that many still today, as in the Old Testament times, come to God through need or fear, not gratitude. Jesus hoped to disrupt this formula. The New Covenant offers God’s love regardless of our deserving it. This is not only liberating but should be breathtaking. God is with us-always, rooting for us, hoping for us. Just as a good parent works to be a lighthouse guiding their child, God guides us by the Holy Spirit, helping us to know the right direction or the right choice. We just have to be humble enough to listen. Grateful enough to trust in God, over and beyond even ourselves.
Prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
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