Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

I’ll finish reading the verse in a moment, but first we will pause here - every morning when I open my Bible, I don’t jump into it • but at the entrance to the Scriptures, I take a moment to slow my breath, and focus my attention ◦ I bring awareness to God’s presence and let myself hear him say, “at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you to speak to you there" (Ex. 29:42) • so before I even begin reading, I’m already listening to God ◦ and there is always something in my reading worth writing ◦ (though not necessarily worth sharing with others) - yesterday morning, when I began, I felt a familiar frustration • my desperate longing is to actually hear God, ◦ for his voice to be so clearly in my brain, there’s no doubt I'm hearing him ◦ anyway, the first words I read yesterday were, “And the LORD spoke to Moses . . . .” • normally, my eyes would have glided over that phrase, ◦ especially because what follows is long and repetitious ◦ anyway, reading the opening line, I may have felt a twinge of jealousy ▫ but then, like from a small inner voice I heard, “See, I do speak to you. Wasn't this what you were just now thinking? Desiring?”

Friday morning, near the end of a long walk,I passed by a mother and her toddler son - he was on a small four-wheel bike, perfectly fitted to him • he was poised to move from asphalt to a dirt slope ◦ I said, “Looks like you’re about to go off-roading,” ◦ more for his mom’s sake than his • he looked at me with the most engaging smile ◦ it was the loveliest moment of my morning - I kept walking, but he didn’t take his eyes off of me • he turned his head as I passed, ◦ so I had to walk backwards to hold his gaze ◦ his mom was quiet, but enjoying her son’s response • if cherubs were small, toddler-looking angels, ◦ he could have been a model for the prototype

As we make our way back into Hosea this morning, Let’s remember the passion running through the entire book - it isn’t what we’re likely to feel when reading the bare words • what it sounds like, is the ranting of an enraged deity ◦ but that is not the correct tone of voice • if God were like one of the pagan deities of mid mid-east or Greece, ◦ he wouldn’t bother to rage at his rebellious people, ◦ he would just annihilate them - this prophetic book, in fact, is the message of a wounded lover • a husband who’s been disrespected, betrayed, and discarded ◦ yet for all that, he continues to try to reason with his wife ◦ he is not ready to give up, and he will not let Israel go • so, we are not hearing the voice of anger, but of heartbreak

Imagine you're walking through an art gallery, and standing nearby is the artist whose work you admiring. So you point to an object in one corner of an especially beautiful painting, and ask the artist, "Why did you put this right here? What does it mean?" The artist--if a true artist answers, "Well, if I could explain it, I would not have had to paint it." You would get a similar answer from a poet, a composer, a sculpture, and most any other artist. "If I could explain it, I would not have had to write it, compose it, sculpt it." Their work does not always begin with an idea, but oftentimes with an inspiration. Intro: I’m not trying to avoid jumping into Hosea However, I want to enter Hosea's by way of Matthew's gospel “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt. 9:36-37) - this is a simple observation, the Lord saw something, and it made an impression on him

We are returning to Hosea this morning The prophet who had to experience in his own life, with his wife, what God had experienced with Israel – a people who were unfaithful to him, not only by adultery, • but prostituting themselves with other gods • you may have guessed that I’m not comfortable with Hosea ◦ I’d rather be with Jesus in the New Testament, loving and rescuing sinners ◦ instead, Hosea delivers a barrage of condemnations – Israel had a long history of turning their backs on Yahweh • and he repeatedly called them to return to him ◦ when they didn’t return , he withdrew from them ◦ and there were consequences–enemy invasion and crop failure • this time, they were reaching a point of no return ◦ I think it’s okay to say God was desperate to stop them, to reach them and motivate them to return ◦ so he used strong language and threats of calamity

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read 1 and 2 Timothy Still, it was only a few years ago that two words snagged me - here in this passage, Paul refers to the Hebrew Scriptures as “the sacred writings” • I had always believed this regarding the Bible, but never in those precise words • the effect they had was to motivate me to meditate on them ◦ eventually, I spent nine weeks sharing with you what I learned - I’ve decided to tell you what these have done worked in my life since then • what I hope, is to inspire your reading of the sacred writings ◦ and enhance your experience with God’s word in the new year

The Advent theme for today is LOVE I’ve never heard anyone argue whether that theme is appropriate - the words of the previous themes–hope, peace, and joy–are all found in the biblical text • but love doesn’t appear in the details of the Christmas story ◦ it feels right that love should be another theme, but is it right? • does love add a sentimental tone that wasn’t there? ◦ our culture is certainly attached to an “ideal” Christmas ◦ a “Hallmark special” with smooth edges and a soft glow - the initial reaction to the early announcements of Christ’s birth, • given to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, generated confusion and fear ◦ but love isn’t right there on the surface of the page • love only comes in after much theological reflection ◦ the gospels tell the story, theology identifies its meaning--which is: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn. 3:167-17)

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10 Intro: So here we are again, with the angels and the shepherds I chose to read only these three verses, because the story is so well known - but when we circle back to it every year at this time, • we run the risk of treating it as if it only exists for this season ◦ like the tree, and the lights, and the nativity scene with its little figures ◦ the heavenly choir shows up every year for their Christmas cantata • they announce the arrival of Jesus, and with him, joy and peace ◦ the theme for the third Sunday of Advent is joy - who am I to talk about returning to this theme only one day a year? • how often do my Sunday morning talks return to joy? ◦ we weren’t hearing much joy in Hosea! • if anyone needs to be reminded of joy all year round, I’m that guy For my own sake, I decided to explore JOY

The Liturgical Calendar is a sequence of seasons, that organizes the year around the life of Jesus. Liturgical seasons Invite us to take our place in the great drama of the Gospel To take the time to experience God’s love and redemption through Spiritual rhythms and traditions shared across generations and cultures and faith communities. Practicing the liturgical calendar allows a lot of room for variety of expression, and differences between church traditions, but its beauty is to help Christians of diverse backgrounds participate--collectively and individually in observances, prayers and Scriptures that focus on the life and message of Jesus Christ. Advent is the first of the seasons; it is the beginning of Church Calendar year. It’s interesting to me that the beginning of the liturgical year comes as the end of our calendar year, and that its traditions and vibe are so different than the Western New Year. The beginning of January looks forward and is filled with resolutions, plans, goals and energy. It’s new exercise routines and new diets, at least for a few weeks. It screams - Don’t look back, yesterday is done, stay future focused for success.

I think you most likely know that I love the Scriptures The more I read them, the more I get from them, - and the deeper I go, the richer my experience • however, the journey is not always pleasant, and ◦ some parts of the Bible are not as easy to digest as others ◦ Hosea is not one of my favorite books • still, there are verses in it that are among my favorites ◦ other than those few, working my way through Hosea, is like crawling through a long, dark tunnel ◦ but the Bible doesn’t have to please me; I only need to let it speak to me - in chapter 4, Hosea continues to hammer theme of spiritual adultery • it’s like he can’t let go of it–perhaps God won’t allow him to let it go ◦ or maybe his own painful experience haunts him • so far, it’s been the central metaphor of his prophecies ◦ he will move on to other more pleasant analogies, but not yet

Years ago, I was engaged in a conversation with two friends In making a point, one of them quoted a famous evangelist, “People change–but not that much” - okay–so I reacted immediately, but kept my mouth shut • this same person stood in front of large crowds, ◦ promising them that Jesus would transform their lives ◦ that in Christ, they would become a new creation • that is the essence of the evangelical message ◦ it’s what we’ve been singing for the past 250 years “I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see” ◦ could we regard the scope of these changes "not that much"? - what good is my Christian faith if it it isn't thorough? If it doesn’t make me a better person?

Since it has been a couple of weeks, let me remind you . . . The book of Hosea is a love story – but not like a romance novel - it was never meant to entertain • God’s message came to Israel in a graphic illustration, ◦ played out in the life of his prophet • first, God told Hosea to marry a prostitute ◦ the point was to give Israel a living re-enactment of ◦ their history with God – deserting him for another god or other gods - Hosea and his wife had three children who were placed onto the stage with their parents • each of their names revealed an aspect of the unfolding crisis ◦ Jezreel – a place where God would render a verdict, to bring closure ◦ Lo-Ruhamah – No Mercy – God would leave them to their fate ◦ Lo-Ami – Not Mine – God rejected them from being his people • so up till now, the unfolding drama has been harsh

Kelsey Kappauf speaking at Reflexion

If what I read doesn’t match your Bible, there are two reasons First, I’m reading from Robert Alter’s translation of the Old Testament – so obviously that is different from other standard translations • but another reason is that Alter worked from the Hebrew Bible, ◦ and in that version, chapter 1 has only nine verses ◦ in our English Bibles there are eleven verses in chapter 1 • so those two verses missing in chapter 1 are the beginning of chapter 2 in the Hebrew Bible (If you didn’t get all that, just trust me; the texts are basically the same) – reading through this chapter can be confusing • that’s because in the first part God condemns his unfaithful wife • but without warning, in the second part he is romancing her again

Before we began Galatians, I asked for recommendations as to where in scripture to go next A trusted friend suggested we venture through the minor prophets - “minor” because they are relatively short compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel • I hesitated for awhile, then procrastinated, finally hoping to dodge The Dozen prophets at the end of the Hebrew Scriptures • even though the longest of them is only fourteen chapters and shortest is only one chapter, ◦ they still require as much study and preparation as the major prophets ◦ so it’s basically been a matter of laziness - however, we have reached a point in our nation’s history, • in which we need to hear the voice of these prophets • and Hosea in particular

The Galatians were coming to the end of Paul’s letter, And suddenly the handwriting was different – instead of the well-formed characters of a professional scribe, • the printed letters were large and scribbled ◦ this shift was certain to grab their attention ◦ like changing the “font” of a sentence in a document to all upper case or bold print • but why did Paul insist on writing this last bit with his “own hand”? ◦ perhaps this is how he usually signed off (as many commentaries point out) “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write” (2 Thes. 3:17) ◦ or, he wanted to ensure that they took notice, and that is why he drew attention to it

Years ago, and in another life, I had a feisty personal assistant Although she is genuinely compassionate, she had a favorite line: “Get over yourself” - I think that held her together through a hard and complicated season of her life • she said it to herself, to he friends, to people who called the church office for help, ◦ and more than once she said it to me–her boss • but she never said it when I didn’t need to hear it ◦ Paul’s next lesson in this letter to the Galatians is, “Get over yourself” - the chapter break here is unfortunate • his contrast between the works of flesh and fruit of Spirit ended at chapter 5, verse 25 ◦ verse 26 fits perfectly with where chapter 6 ◦ now he begins to stress the importance of caring for each other • “conceit” interferes with that personal care ◦ rather than assisting each other, conceit provokes others ◦ rather than respecting others, conceit envies others “Get over yourself so you can be here for those who need you”

Paul has chased a serious concern through his entire letter So it is not surprising that near the end, he would present an the ultimate challenge of the Christian life - in verse 16 Paul begins last segment of his central message • what follows in chapter 6 is his concluding remarks and directions - what we have in verses 16-25 is this chunk of scripture that tracks one theme • Paul makes this clear by marking where it begins and ends •it begins in verse 16, “walk by the Spirit,” and in ends in verse 25, “live by the Spirit” ◦ in scripture, framing a passage this way is common, and is referred to as an envelope structure or closing circle ◦ anyway, the literary structure reveals the heart of the passage–it’s one key point

I assume most of us are familiar with The Message Bible One of the more popular versions, and easiest to understand – Eugene Peterson did not set out to write a new translation • beginning in early 1980’s the U.S. economy went into a slump and mortgage interest rates were rapidly climbing ◦ people in his church were feeling the pinch, and reacting in the same way as people in town Peterson, “Paranoia infected the small talk I would overhear on street corners and in barbershops. To my dismay, all of this seeped into my congregation without encountering any resistance.” • to turn them from worldly concerns and find freedom in Jesus, he chose to immerse them in Galatians

If you ever decide to read the Bible all the way through, At some point, you will find yourself struggling to understand it – even if you’ve been a believer for a long time and read it before (or read a kiddie version) • a passage will confuse you, trouble, or just seem wrong ◦ I’m fortunate to have many helpful resources • however, when even those study aids leave me with questions ◦ then I resort to creative thought experiments; for instance, I ask, “what if” ◦ what if this were meant to frustrate? or be a puzzle? or experienced rather than studied? – there have been occasions when these “off trail” ventures, • have led me to surprising and edifying insights