Surely, it is God who saves me

Canticle 9 The First Song of Isaiah
Isaiah 12:2-6 Ecce, Deus

Surely, it is God who saves me; *
I will trust in him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *
and he will be my Savior.

Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *
from the springs of salvation.

And on that day you shall say, *
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;

Make his deeds known among the peoples; *
see that they remember that his Name is exalted.

Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *
and this is known in all the world.

Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *
for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.

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.

Surely, it is God who saves me

Canticle 9 The First Song of Isaiah
Isaiah 12:2-6 Ecce, Deus

Surely, it is God who saves me; *
I will trust in him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *
and he will be my Savior.

Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *
from the springs of salvation.

And on that day you shall say, *
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;

Make his deeds known among the peoples; *
see that they remember that his Name is exalted.

Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *
and this is known in all the world.

Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *
for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.

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.

He delights in us, Psalm 18:20

Psalm 18:20

20 He brought me out into an open place; *

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Here's the thing, we spend so much of our time believing and living as if we need to earn God's love, we spend so much time and energy wondering if we are, truly beloved. All too often we live shallow lives, we live half-way, getting only our feet wet in the great ocean of life. Here's the thing, God delights in us! God delights in you! God delights in me! God experiences joy because of us. God experiences joy because of you. God experiences joy because of me.

We have spent a great deal of time in the thickets of life, climbing the dark trails of the incline, but God has brought us each into an open place, a place of salvation, a place of joy, a place of bliss. God has brought us each to an open place of salvation, not salvation as a thing that happens after we die but salvation as the quality of life that is given to us through God's grace and love. God delights in us, and we no longer need to live as if we were only half-way there. God has brought us to an open place, God has rescued us because he delights in us!

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

God's house of gladness, Psalm 122:1

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1

This short line from Psalm 122 is often used during Morning Prayer as an opening sentence, to bring the people to worship and to signal the start of the prayer service. I used it often when I was a chaplain at an Episcopal School, leading worship each day of the week to begin the day. To begin the day affirming that we are "glad," that we have a deep sense of gladness, of deep and rooted gratitude is a rich way to begin the day. Gladness, I suppose, is something like happiness, but it is less fleeting, richer, and deeper. It is common, these days, to tend toward the quick fix, the breezy statement, and the shallow. However, I believe that the richness of the Christian tradition offers us a depth and a rootedness that is sorely needed in our time.

The Psalm has this wonderful affirmation, this nearly-imperative statement of "let us go to the house of the Lord" which offers us gladness, and is an enthusiastic call to us, an invitation to come and see and to taste and see what the Lord has done and has given. Of course, we don't need to go to any particular "house" to go to God, for God is with us at all times, and is nearer to our heart than we can imagine, and knows us inside and out. While we don't need to go anywhere to be with God, the image of God's house, points us to God's Kingdom, to the way of life that God calls us to live, the "place" that God has prepared for us, where we experience gladness of heart and mind and soul. We don't need to go on a pilgrimage across the world (though that is a wonderful thing to do), we don't even need to leave the chair where we are sitting. The gladness is there for us, is here for us.

"I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!"

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Psalm 146: True happiness

Psalm 146 Lauda, anima mea

1	Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my soul! * I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
2	Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, * for there is no help in them.
3	When they breathe their last, they return to earth, * and in that day their thoughts perish.
4	Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! * whose hope is in the LORD their God;
5	Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; * who keeps his promise for ever

"Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!

whose hope is in the LORD their God."

As often as we may read the scriptures, pray, and go to church, it can become easy to place our hope in earthly things. Of course, this is quite natural, because earthy things are all around us, the government, the corporation that helps to bring power to my house, the trees which offer me shade, the birds that sing outside my window, the people who built my car to keep my family safe as we drive the highways and byways. We are surrounded by earthly things, and we rely on them, we trust them, we even may say that we have "faith" in them.

However, earthly things do fail, and then we are left with the sense (perhaps) of our hope being rattled and shaken. The world is full of beautiful things, and yet, we are all too aware of the ways that rulers, nations, corporations, and even nature can cause suffering and be deadly.

The psalm this morning offers another way of thinking. The psalm offers a song of praise for the Lord, and reminds us as we pray it that the Lord made heaven and earth and if we truly want heavenly happiness, we are to place our hope in God. For someone who's world is jammed full with the things of the world, this may sound insane - "I can't see God," "I can't sense God," "How can I put my hope in God?" However, offering praise for God, and entering into a place where we can experience the Glory of God will, indeed, embolden our hopefulness, and will offer us true happiness.

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Lantern for feet and light for paths

Your word is a lantern to my feet * and a light upon my path. ~Psalm 119: 105 While on a hiking trip in North Carolina with Outward Bound, the first day we left the bus that brought us to the woods and after sorting through our bags and stuff we headed out to our first campsite. We left at about 8pm and were hiking until at least midnight. Luckily, I had bought both a fancy headlight and a small "lcd" flashlight. We hiked through the darkness and chatted with our new friends and tried to avoid twisting our ankles and busting our heads on low-lying branches. Luckily, I carried my flashlight which I could point down the path and I had my headlight to bring light to my feet. In darkness, having just a bit of light can make all the difference. Likely, the writer of Psalm 119 had done his or her fair share of night walking, and knew the importance of having a lantern for one's feet, as well as a light for one's path. When walking along, we need to both see that our feet are properly set on the path, and also that we have a good sense of where we are going. Psalm 119 is a long hymn to the law and word of the Lord, which do provide a lantern to our feet and a light to our path. In the Hebrew scriptures, the law is not merely the rules and regulations for daily living, but also a great gift from God, a reminder that God's people have a particular role, and are to rely upon God - not on any human construct - for their trust and Faith. In our rapidly changing post-modern world, it may seem old-fashioned or out of date, but turning to Holy Scripture as our light and lantern makes a great deal of sense. Of course, many of us are out of the practice of knowing how to read, mark, and inwardly digest the scriptures - but a great place to begin are the Psalms. The Psalms were the "prayer book of Jesus" as well as the prayer book for 20 centuries of monastics and other church mothers and fathers. I pray that we may each find the light and lantern that God provides for us when we are in dark and rocky places. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

He put a new song in my mouth - Psalm 40

"he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure"

Thoughts on the Psalm from this morning's Morning Prayer, Psalm 40...


While we are deep in the midst of the season of Pentecost, Ordinary Time, we are also always in a season of expectation, a season of Advent, a season of expectation. We are in a season of some unrest, .... unrest economically, unrest politically, unrest in the world situation, unrest in our hearts, unrest in our homes, in the mist of this ordinary season of unrest and expectation we are called to "wait patiently upon the Lord"....for the Lord will "lift us out of the desolate pit and make our feet sure."

God will provide, even, and especially, when we are in the midst of the pit, God will provide. Not only that, the story of our Faith is of a God who sends a Son, a God who stoops down to our desolate, ordinary level, who reaches down to us and cares for us, picks us up and "puts a new song in our mouths!"

Thanks be to God!

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey



Psalm 40 Expectans, expectavi

1 I waited patiently upon the LORD; *
he stooped to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay; *
he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God; *
many shall see, and stand in awe,
and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Happy are they who trust in the LORD! *
they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods.
5 Great things are they that you have done, O LORD my God!
how great your wonders and your plans for us! *
there is none who can be compared with you.
6 Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! *
but they are more than I can count.
7 In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure *
(you have given me ears to hear you);
8 Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, *
and so I said, "Behold, I come.
9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *
'I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep in my heart.'"
10 I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; *
behold, I did not restrain my lips;
and that, O LORD, you know.
11 Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; *
I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the great congregation.
12 You are the LORD;
do not withhold your compassion from me; *
let your love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever,
13 For innumerable troubles have crowded upon me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see; *
they are more in number than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.
14 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; *
O LORD, make haste to help me.
15 Let them be ashamed and altogether dismayed
who seek after my life to destroy it; *
let them draw back and be disgraced who take pleasure in my misfortune.
16 Let those who say "Aha!" and gloat over me be confounded, *
because they are ashamed.
17 Let all who seek you rejoice in you and be glad; *
let those who love your salvation continually say,
"Great is the LORD!"
18 Though I am poor and afflicted, *
the Lord will have regard for me.
19 You are my helper and my deliverer; *
do not tarry, O my God.

Who is your stronghold? - Psalm 46

While praying the Daily Office this morning, Psalm 46 came up as the reading for this day of Epiphany. If ever there were words that we need to hear in anxious times, it would be Psalm 46, which begins: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." And, of course, we all are in "trouble" and "fear" at times in our life. Things in our life do cause the "earth to be moved" and trusted mountains "topple into the depths of the sea." Whether it is our present uneasiness with the current economic crisis, or our confusion and sadness about ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the seemingly intractable conflict between Hamas and Israel, events seem beyond our control, and peace and security seem so far away. Where is our stronghold? Where do we go for strength? Psalm 46 makes the striking and audacious claim that we are to turn to the Lord, quite an amazing claim in the somewhat relativistic and atheistic (or at least agnostic) and secular age!

"The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold." This assertion is repeated three times in this psalm, are we ready to turn to prayer, are we willing to "turn aside" as Moses did when he passed the Burning Bush? Are we willing to recognize the great gift that God has given us, the gift of God's presence, the gift of God among us - Emanuel?

We move to the end of the Christmas Season, and into Ephiphany, but the miracle and the wondrous gift of the Incarnation is with us still, and abides with us always. God is our stronghold, and is a very present help in trouble! God has been through this with us, and we will get through it as well (whatever "it" may be).

God is our stronghold!

May we have the curiosity and courage to "turn aside" and see this very present help in trouble!

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey


Psalm 46 Deus noster refugium

1	God is our refuge and strength, * a very present help in trouble.
2	Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, * and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea;
3	Though its waters rage and foam, * and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.
4	The LORD of hosts is with us; * the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
5	There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, * the holy habitation of the Most High.
6	God is in the midst of her; she shall not be overthrown; * God shall help her at the break of day.
7	The nations make much ado, and the kingdoms are shaken; * God has spoken, and the earth shall melt away.
8	The LORD of hosts is with us; * the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
9	Come now and look upon the works of the LORD, * what awesome things he has done on earth.
10	It is he who makes war to cease in all the world; * he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the shields with fire.
11	"Be still, then, and know that I am God; * I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth."
12	The LORD of hosts is with us; * the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

John 10: 10 "I came so that [you] might live, and live abundantly!"

From today's Morning Prayer, John 10:7-17, which contains one of the key summary verses from John, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Also can be translated, "I came so that YOU might live, and live abundantly." Quite some words to live by! John's gospel makes it clear that Jesus came from the Cosmos to live among us, to be "incarnate" - to be "enfleshed" here amidst us, coming from the Father, but now amidst and among and within us. And, because of his work on the cross, to follow God obediently, Jesus has taken up our failings, our brokenness, our hurt, our sin, and we are left with the promise of an abundant life here on earth, and a fuller abundant life in the beyond that Jesus has opened up for us. "I have come so that YOU might LIVE, and LIVE ABUNDANTLY." In these days of "New Year's Resolutions," of handwringing over the economy, of strange hope in the new year based on wordly leaders taking power, we would do well to remember that Jesus came so that we might have abundant lives, and so that we might have these abundant lives NOW, beginning NOW, and no New Year's resolutions are needed to receive this gift.
What would this mean in our family lives? What would this mean in our work? What would this mean in our giving to others? What would this mean for the Church? What would this mean for our local churches? What would this mean for the Anglican Communion (whatever, indeed, that is?)? What would this mean for racial reconciliation? What would this mean for our work for peace with justice? What would this mean for the stewardship of creation?

"I came that they [you] may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10

I pray that we all will have the eyes to see and the ears to hear these words so that we can receive the gift of abundant lives today, and in this New Year, and in every year!
Peace and Blessings,
~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

John 10:7-17 (NRSV)

7So again Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came
before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate.
Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief
comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly. 11'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming
and leaves the sheep and runs away-and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The
hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good
shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know
the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to
this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock,
one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to
take it up again.

Encountering the Mystery of God: Reading Stephen Cook's, "Conversations with Scripture: 2 Isaiah"

One of the brilliant teachers I was blessed to have in seminary was Dr. Stephen Cook, who is a wonderful Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) scholar, as well as a great teacher and writer (also, check out his blog HERE). He published "Conversations with Scripture: 2 Isaiah" this year and I have browsed it just a bit until this point. Being the final day of the year (at least in the Julian Calendar), and being that this is a day "off" (though occupied with watching children, cleaning the house, etc), I picked it up again. This book has a wonderful discussion and exposition of 2 Isaiah, the 2nd part of the book of Isaiah, a book of the Old Testament that (along with the Psalms) is quoted the most in the New Testament, and one that we hear often in the Christmas season. It is a good read, and Cook is brilliant in helping us to see this book with new eyes, not making the complex overly simple, but giving some "onramps" into this incredible text.

The "mystery" of God is central to 2 Isaiah, and Cook has helped me to encounter this "awe-ful" aspect of God in new ways, here is just an excerpt from the Introduction:

"Awe before Isaiah's God refreshes our reverence. It submerges the ego, paving the way for owning up to our frailty. It turns us outward from concern with self to the need and suffering for others, especially the poor and peripheral. As we repose ever more deeply in God's mystery, the Lord who is absolutely sufficient for our succor increasingly works through us to relieve others' brokenness. Simultaneously, the Holy transforms us into ever more reverent advocates of the natural world."

Just brilliant, thank you Dr. Cook!

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

"you comforted me" -- Isaiah 12:1-6

from this morning's Daily Office:

...give thanks...you comforted me...I will trust...will not be afraid...Give thanks to the Lord...sing for joy!...

Isaiah 12:1-6

NRSV

Isaiah 12:1 You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Vision of the Lord's appearing - from today's Morning Prayer - Isaiah 35:1-10

Isa. 35:1-10 (NRSV)

1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you."

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but
the redeemed shall walk there. 10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Reflection on the manna from heaven - Exodus 16:2-15

The Lord heard the complaints of the hungry Israelites in the wilderness, and He gave them bread to eat that came from heaven - manna. This manna was bread that lasted just for the day, there was no way to preserve it beyond the day, and I always imagine that the fit and the healthy had to work hard in order to gather the manna to feed the sick, the old, and the young. Working together, there was enough food for all to eat, and there was no reward for trying to hoard the food - the food would not remain beyond the day. One of the miracles of the manna was that it helped to bring together a gripy and complaining crowd, and helped transform hungry individuals into a community. There was enough for all to eat, no one went hungry as long as the members of the community helped those who could not help themselves, and there was no reward for hoarding food for tomorrow. I wonder if this could serve as a parable for us in the 21st century as we strive to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger in the world? While we complain and gnash our teeth about our financial institutions in this country, perhaps we should save a bit of our creativity, our willingness to offer up "bail outs" and our compassion for those who are hungry and suffering mightily.

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

From today's lectionary readings...

Exodus 16:2-15

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days." So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against us?" And Moses said, "When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him-- what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD."

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, `Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.'" And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. The LORD spoke to Moses and said, "I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, `At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat."

Visualizing the Bible

Last week, amidst my "Lambeth News" reading, I ran across this fascinating article at The Episcopal Cafe on "visualizing the Bible." In these images, one sees the connections between the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the New Testament. The colorful arches reach across the centuries and show in a wonderful visual way the ways that the Hebrew Scriptures informed the New Testament witnesses to the Good News of Christ. I will look forward to more work in this area, but I will be sure to use the images in my classes in the Fall.

The Rev. Peter M. Carey

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from Episcopal Cafe...

VisualComplexity offers this very interesting way to visualize the cross references in the Bible. Here is the explanation:

This visualization started as a collaboration between Christoph Romhild and Chris Harrison. As Chris explains: "Christoph, a Lutheran Pastor, first emailed me in October of 2007. He described a data set he was putting together that defined textual cross references found in the Bible. He had already done considerable work visualizing the data before contacting me. Together, we struggled to find an elegant solution to render the data, more than 63,000 cross references in total. As work progressed, it became clear that an interactive visualization would be needed to properly explore the data, where users could zoom in and prune down the information to manageable levels. However, this was less interesting to us, as several Bible-exploration programs existed that offered similar functionality (and much more). Instead we set our sights on the other end of the spectrum - something more beautiful than functional. At the same time, we wanted something that honored and revealed the complexity of the data at every level - as one leans in, smaller details should become visible".

This process ultimately led them to the multi-colored arc diagram shown here. The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Books alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect.

Read it all here. Chris Harrison has a website that shows and explains this project, as well as others involving the Bible, here.

Sermon on Hosea and the Whore

I heard a wonderful sermon today at St. Paul's Memorial, Charlottesville, VA - just great! Well worth a read. It is also HERE, online.

Hosea and the Whore

The Rev. David McIlhiney, Associate Rector and Chaplain

email: david@mcilhiney.net

July 29, 2007

Perhaps it’s just a modern legend, but it’s said that when “Gone with the Wind” opened in 1939, hundreds of movie-goers across the South fled their theatres upon hearing Rhett Butler’s parting words to Scarlett O’Hara, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Back then, in those more innocent days, the word “damn” was considered sufficient to scandalize many polite citizens.

I think it’s safe to assume that no rector of the time ever chose today’s Old Testament passage as his sermon text. He could have pointed out to his congregation that its startling word—“whoring”—came straight from the Bible. But such a rector would have had a very short tenure, I suspect. There are some things nice people just don’t talk about.

In fact, no Episcopalian anywhere has ever heard a sermon on this text before, because—until this year—these words from Hosea have never been included in any Anglican lectionary. Yet here they are this morning, thanks to our Church’s recent embrace of the Revised Common Lectionary. Now the Presbyterians, the Methodists, and the Lutherans have all been using this lectionary for years without becoming too obviously depraved. Maybe our Church has decided that we’ve finally grown up, too. But I wonder how many Episcopal preachers today will choose to ignore this reading altogether.

And that would be a pity, because Hosea’s relationship to his unfaithful wife is one of the glories of the Old Testament. The story is this: Hosea has fallen in love with Gomer, a woman with a bad reputation—she’s slept with so many men that everyone calls her a whore. Despite this, Hosea makes Gomer his wife. Marriage doesn’t improve Gomer’s behavior, however, and soon she’s presenting Hosea with children whose paternity is at best debatable. Hosea gives them names indicating that he’s not their father—a daughter is called “Not Pitied,” for example, and a son “Not My People.” Then, when we read beyond today’s passage, we learn that Gomer eventually runs away with another man, abandoning her husband and children. Yet Hosea seeks her out and brings her home again. Perhaps to mollify her, Hosea renames his rejected children: from now on, “Not Pitied” is called “Loved One,” and “Not My People” becomes “My People.”

The symbolism is obvious. Like Gomer, Israel has been repeatedly unfaithful to God, whoring first with one strange god and then with another. That’s the message Hosea—like all the prophets—has been preaching to the people, warning them of God’s coming judgment. But gradually Hosea realizes that just as he always takes Gomer back, so God is always willing to have Israel return. God uses Hosea’s own family to teach the prophet how much he, God, loves Israel.

This theme of family runs throughout Hosea’s prophecies. Toward the end of his book, he gives us the sweetest picture of God in the whole Old Testament. Here Hosea shows God despairing over his wayward child, Israel. “I brought her up from infancy,” God says. “I taught her to take her first steps. I lifted her and held her against my cheek, I bent down and fondled her. How can she do this to me?” We can all understand God’s question. Many of us have asked it ourselves.

Last week I talked with a woman who had been paying the college bills for her niece and her nephew until she lost her job in the dot.com collapse. As soon as she couldn’t pay their bills any longer, her niece and her nephew stopped talking to her. I know a family here in Charlottesville whose seventeen-year-old daughter ran off with a boy nearly twenty years ago. They haven’t heard from her in all that time; they have no idea where she is today. Many of us have stories like these in our own families—we know what Hosea was going through. The prophet is showing us, through his own life, what the love of God is like.

Our gospel lesson continues the theme of family. “Is there anyone among you,” Jesus says, who, if your child “asks for an egg, will give [her] a scorpion?” Just as we love our children obsessively, to the point of distraction, so God loves us in the same way. “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” We learn what God is like by looking at our own families. It’s no wonder that Jesus teaches us to begin our prayers with the words, “Our Father.”

Now this is not a complete picture of God. Moses emphasizes—as do all the prophets—that God will judge us for our behavior. But the picture of God as our judge can get out-of-hand. My Presbyterian grandfather—the son of immigrants from Belfast—thundered constantly about God’s fearsome judgment on our unworthy souls. My grandfather’s mentality seems to have infected even some quarters of the Episcopal Church recently. We hear Episcopalians quoting Leviticus at us, invoking God’s anger at gay people. Against all this—against judgmental Hebrews of his own time, against my grandfather, against all our new Episcopal nay-sayers—Hosea confronts us with his realization: God loves us just as the prophet loves Gomer. She’s not worthy of anybody’s love. Yet Hosea loves her, and God loves us in the same way. It was a necessary correction in Hosea’s time. And it may be a necessary correction in ours.

The next time you hear someone invoke God’s ire, think of Hosea. Think of the God who says, “When Israel was a child, I loved her. I taught her to take her first steps. Whatever she’s done, I love her still.” Whatever they do, we continue to love our children. Whatever we do, God continues to love us.

In some ways it’s a dangerous message, for it could lead us to think that whatever we do doesn’t matter. But if we’re faithful Christians, Hosea can inspire us to another conclusion. If God loves his children to distraction, if God loves us so much, then we want to live in such a way as to be worthy of that love. May you and I take heart from Hosea, and may we resolve this morning to become more and more deserving of that love, the love of the One we call “Our Father.” Amen.