Lenten Daily reflection 2021-03-13
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Hosea 6.1-6
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed 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.
I know this winter has been an especially difficult time for many people. I’m grateful to be able to work from home, but because it gets dark so early in the evenings, during the week I tend to work late and often don’t go outside. After being indoors for days at a time, I start feeling stir crazy. Last weekend, while my partner was shopping at a mall I found myself waiting outside in the parking lot. I was suddenly overjoyed to just bask in the sun and look up at the clouds. And yet my struggles seem small compared to the people in our city who are homeless, hungry, or unemployed. What right do I have to lament?
So, I feel like the prophetic vision of Hosea is especially powerful during this time. A God who will bind us and raise us up, as sure as the spring rains water the earth. Unlike apocalyptic preachers of the past, I don’t believe that the coronavirus is divine retribution for our sins and I don’t believe the end is nigh.
But I do believe that this season of Lent, and this time of struggle, is an opportunity to reconsider our priorities; to remind us of what’s really important in our lives. I want to try not to take so much for granted, to concentrate on the things I can control; instead of the mindless chatter of social media or politics. To work on building community and strengthening friendships. I am encouraged by the last line of the the scripture, where God does not care about transitory things like burnt offerings or sacrifices, but instead desires love and knowledge. And so in that spirit, I think that this is an opportunity for us to strive to love, and to learn, to marvel occasionally at the clouds, while we to await the first signs of spring. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."