Today's Scripture Reading (February
24, 2023): Hosea
6
I admit that I am one of
those people who actually likes a foggy morning. There is something about
getting up, looking out the window, and seeing the fog settling on the ground
around you. Nothing that is far away can be seen, and sometimes you have to
struggle to see even the things that are close to you. For me, there is also a
feeling that the clouds are trying to hold you in their embrace. And,
especially if I can stay inside, I am able to just snuggle into that embrace. But
part of the enjoyable feeling, for me, is that fog is a relatively rare
experience where I live. I also know that most of the time, the fog will
disappear as the sun rises in the sky. There have been a couple of times when
the fog persisted later in the day, but that is not usually the case. Fog is
temporary, and even on those rare foggy days, the fog is delicate enough that
it doesn't last.
As Hosea looks at the
Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, he searches the kingdoms and does not see places
where love is absent. The problem is that while love is present in Israel and
Judah, it is fragile. Love, like the morning mist or dew, quickly disappears as
the day matures and the sun rises. There is no permanence to the love of the
Kingdoms of Jacob. And in many ways, people had stopped expecting love to be a
lasting element in their day-to-day life. They don't give it, and they don't
receive it from God or the gods.
Because love is not a lasting
presence in the Empires, God has no idea how to deal with them. He loves them,
but because love is temporary, so is the people's understanding of God and his
love. Another part of the problem is that love is at the core of who God is. If
we cannot or refuse to understand love, then we will not be able to understand
God. And if we don't act with love, then we will never be able to reflect the
presence of God into our world, which was what God wanted from Israel.
Love is at the center of what
it means to be a follower of Christ. And not just love for those who love us.
Jesus made this point clear.
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you, that you may be
children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil
and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are
not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you
greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even
pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly
Father is perfect (Matthew 5:43-48).
I don't think it is an
exaggeration to argue that we are not followers of Christ if we do not love.
Love is essential to the people we are, even loving those who are not like us,
those who hate us, and those who disagree with us. Christ in us means that we
have decided, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to be beacons of love in our
communities. This is how people will know that we are Christians; because we
love.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Hosea 7
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