PENTECOST 4, A – June 8, 2008

SCRIPTURES – Ps. 50; Hosea 5:15 – 6:6; Rom. 4:13-25; Matt. 9:9-13

Last Sunday’s Norwalk Hour had a column by Andy Rooney titled, “I haven’t read it.” In it Andy says:

   “There are two bibles on my bookshelf and I hope I don't go to hell for saying so, but the Bible (I'll give it the capital B) is very difficult to really read. People spend more time talking about reading the Bible than they spend actually reading it. There are a lot of great things in the Bible, but there's a lot of dross, too. I pick it up to read quite often, but more often than not, I can't understand what I'm reading.
     I have just opened my Bible at random now. Here's the paragraph I'm faced with:

"While Israel dwelt in Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifice of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and the Lord said to Moses, 'Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.'"

What am I missing that leaves me not understanding any of that? It doesn't even make the Lord sound like a very nice person.”

Now, I know that Andy Rooney is not the only one who has difficulty understand-ing the Bible. It can be a difficult book. I would guess that, for most of you, today’s reading from Hosea made little sense. We can, however, understand these words of God: “What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.” Your love is fleeting. Like the dew that is on the grass in the morning, it quickly disappears.

None of us would want God to say that of our love for Him. “Not me, Lord! I’m not like those people!” But, are we so different? Read Hosea carefully (pages 1396 & 1397 in pew Bible) and you will find that:

q   The people were prosperous. “I was the one who gave her the grain, new wine and oil, who lavished on her silver and gold,” God says (2:8). “She decked herself with rings and jewelry” (2:13).

q   They also were religious. They joyfully worshiped, celebrating yearly festivals, New Moons, Sabbath days and other feasts (2:11).

They sound rather like us, don’t they? And yet, God says of them, “What shall I do with you? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.” And so, He punishes them: “I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light. For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

How can you be different from them? How can you have a steadfast love for God, love that is strong and lasting, instead of a fleeting love? Well, there are a couple of things that we need to keep in mind. 

First, don’t be content with a cursory faith, with just doing the bare minimum in your faith and worship. Laziness, doing the bare minimum, is deadly to fervent faith and steadfast love.

q   As it is to a marriage. The love of spouses often dies because of laziness, an unwillingness to make time for each other.

This is part of Andy Rooney’s problem. The Bible passage he quoted in his column is not really difficult to understand. All he needed to do was a little research on what the Bible teaches about God and worshiping Him and compare this with Baal worship and what it proclaims Baal to be like. He also needed to learn what the end result of each would be. Since he did not, or would not, do this, it’s no surprise God’s response to the people’s worship of Baal seemed mean and made little sense to him. Laziness leads to confusion and the death of faith.  

What about your faith and worship? How often do you take the time to read and think about what the Bible says and how it applies to you? When was the last time you carefully read your Catechism, the brief summary of the Bible’s central and most important teachings? And, what do you do during worship? Do you participate: speak and think upon the confessions, pay attention to the readings, join in the hymns? If you do not sing well, do you at least open to the hymn and read through the verses as they are sung that you might benefit from the words? Or, do you just sit there like a bump on a log, counting the minutes until the Service ends? “I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds,” God says in the Introit. In other words, God will not be pleased with or accept such worship. He won’t give you joy and happiness, and will take away peace of mind and heart. He will even withdraw His gracious presence from you. This is a discipline; He is trying to get your attention and turn you from your sin. He wants you to be discontent, unhappy with a cursory faith, with the bare minimum. Pay attention, and devote yourself to His Word and worship, and God will bless you with faith and love!

What else can you do to foster a steadfast love for God? Remember who you are: a sinner in need of God’s mercy, just like everyone else in this world. This is so vitally important to remember and confess! The Pharisees forgot this and so they turned away from the tax collectors and other sinners. In doing so they turned away from God.  Jesus quoted Hosea to them – “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice’ ” – because God is a God of mercy, of love. He desires mercy and love from His people because He Himself is merciful. Mercy is where love for God is seen.  

Mercy begins with lowering oneself, knowing and confessing that you are sinful like everyone else and in need of God’s mercy. But, we don’t like lowering ourselves, do we? Lower yourself in this competitive world and you get stepped on. You don’t get recognition at work; you get taken advantage of and used by selfish people; you end up doing more and more while others do less. This even happens at church and at home. 

Nevertheless, if you want to foster a steadfast love for God you need to confess your sinfulness and lower yourself. Remembering who you are – a sinner – and confessing your need for mercy is so important. Confessing our sinfulness is not for the purpose of making ourselves feel bad, but  that we might take our eyes off of ourselves and put them upon Christ. 

For who is Jesus? He is the helper of the lowly, the One who is not ashamed of their lowliness but comes to take it upon Himself and free them from its burden. Just consider Matthew. What a burden he bore as a Jew who was also a tax collector. He was hated by his fellow Jews, considered a traitor and thief. The religious leaders of the people shunned him and would offer him no help in turning from his sin. Even if he wanted to change, they would offer him no help. He would have to go it alone and prove himself before they would accept him. 

But, along comes Jesus, a teacher of the people and mighty prophet of God. Earlier that day He had shown His greatness by healing a man who was paralyzed and unable to walk. This Jesus, this great and holy prophet, goes to Matthew, this sinful and despised man, and calls him to be His disciple. Jesus then even went to eat at Matthew’s house, to be in the company of other tax collectors and known sinners! Their bad reputations caused people to wonder about Jesus and think less of Him. “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 

God isn’t put off by our sins and bad reputations. Out of love for us Jesus came to be a doctor, one who would enter into our sickness and heal us. God is a God of mercy, a God who longs above all to be merciful and so who will never forsake the sinner who knows his need for mercy. By confessing our sins and embracing His mercy with thanksgiving we enter into His mercy. He will then even make us merciful, and the love He pours out upon will be poured out upon others through us. 

“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ ” Jesus says. Go to His cross, where the holy Son of God bears the sins of the world and pays for our sins. There is mercy. There you will learn mercy, and God will fill you with His love.