Dec. 13 – Thoughts on Hosea 12-14 & Rev. 4

One of the most vivid descriptions of worship in the scriptures, Rev. 4 has become a much quoted passage when it comes to all things earthly worship.  I’ve heard it used to defend contemporary worship and traditional worship, contemplative worship and ecstatic worship, corporate worship and solitary worship.  Whatever the use, this passage is well known, even by those who don’t know scripture very well.

From the Throne of God surrounded by rainbows to the glassy sea before it, from the four living creatures to their chant, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come,” we know these images.

In a lesson on this passage once, a comment from a friend about this worship service struck me.  “The greatest encouragement I have for worship,” he shared, “is that I am not worshiping alone, but am joining with an eternal worship service ALREADY IN PROGRESS.”  I love that image.  When we worship, we are joining a service that has been going on from the beginning of time.  The songs we sing are not right or wrong, they are God’s.  The prayers we share are not one-time offerings but our temporary connection with the goings-on of heaven.

Youth regularly tell me, “if heaven is just one big worship service, count me out.  I can barely stand an hour a week!”   They are not alone in this feeling.  But if we truly understood and participated in worship, we would want nothing else.  And while I don’t believe heaven is just one big worship service like we know it, I wouldn’t mind that, either.

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Daily Devotions and Reflections Available

This year as we read the bible together all the way through, click here or check out the “Pastor’s Blog” tag below for daily readings and reflections on the day’s texts.

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It’s the 2018 Christmas Program!

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Dec. 12 – Thoughts on Hosea 9-11 & Rev. 3

We still fallaciously believe that God owes us something.  We still heretical believe that we should be able to control God’s actions.  We still childishly believe that we hold all the cards in this relationship rather than the other way around.  Forgive us, Lord.

In today’s reading, and in the days before, Hosea has stated for God that He does not love us anymore.  9:15 says, “I will no longer love them.”  He tells Hosea to name his daughter Ruhamah as a condemnation of Israel, a name that means, “not loved.”  And we read this and cry foul!  God HAS to love us; He said so.  God loves everyone so He can’t not love us.  Isn’t that what grace is?  “Undeserved love”?  If God doesn’t love us, then He’s no God I want to follow!

But we never stop to listen to ourselves.  We never stop to think about what we’re saying.  Who are we to dictate terms to God?  Who are we to command God to do anything, let along feel anything?  Who are we to make such statements?

Since the beginning of time, we’ve ignored God, turned away from God, cheated on God, disobeyed God, crucified God… and yet still we command Him to love us.  We are like abusive spouses, who beat God with our words and attitudes and then declare that He’s not a good spouse unless He does everything we demand of Him.

What if God came to us today and told us that He is done loving us?  Does God have a right to do that?  Can He just stop loving us after the history of abuse we’ve put Him through?  Of course He can!  He’s God!  He can do whatever He likes!

But the good news, the Good News, is that He doesn’t.  He keeps on loving us in spite of our abuse and unfaithfulness.  1:7 says, “Yet I will show love to Judah… I, the Lord their God, will save them.”  Not because He has to, or because He owes us, or because we have demanded it, but out of His own well of love for us.  We need to drop the privileged children act and recognize God’s love and forbearance for what it is – mercy given by one who doesn’t need to give it.  And then, in humility, come with gratitude before Him and praise His name.

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Dec. 11 – Thoughts on Hosea 5-8 & Rev. 2

As we move through John’s Revelation, we’re going to be meeting some recurring characters.  Besides Jesus Himself, and of course John, today we meet the Nicolatians, one of John’s favorite targets.  He mentions them a few times here and they will show up again, but who were they to receive such vitriol form John?

We have to go back to Acts 6:5 and the founding of the modern day Deacon.  Seven men were appointed to be Deacons and to serve the poor and widows, freeing up the apostles to preach and teach rather than wait tables.  One of these seven was Stephen the Martyr, stoned to death for his witness as Saul (later the Apostle Paul) looked on approvingly.  Another was Nicolas, who became the founder of the Nicolatians.

Jump forward to the book of Revelation and we find these people rebuked by John the Apostle.  Why?  At the time of Revelation, Domitian was Emperor and required everyone to worship him as a god.  Christians obviously wouldn’t, so any that he noticed were persecuted.  The persecution continually increased until Domitian was rounding up Christians, dipping them in tar and then lighting them on fire to be used as torches to light his great feasts.  Loved ones were killed, children taken, and so the book of Revelation is partially a call to endure.

The only place to purchase anything was an open market called the Agora, and to enter it, one had to burn incense in worship of Domitian.  Since Christians refused to do this, they could neither buy nor sell in the Agora.  The Nicolatians decided that if they burned the incense but just pretended to worship Domitian, then that was ok.  Essentially they “crossed their fingers” as they entered the Agora and so didn’t have to suffer for their faith.  Among the rest of the church who were losing loved ones to Domitian, you can imagine the hatred they developed for these “traitors” and “pretenders”.

Are there any ways that we are living like the Nicolatians today?  Where are we giving in to our culture instead of facing the difficulty of standing against it for our faith?

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