A Love That Will Not Quit

It's not a story for light or casual reading, or one that typically makes it into children's Bible story books.  It is a story involving strange divine directives, and expressions of commitment followed by unbelievable acts of betrayal.  A story of a love that persists when most of the love we have known would long ago have ceased.  A story that on one level makes no sense at all, but on another, makes sense in a way that cannot help but transform the lives of those who grasp it -  in ways that cannot be adequately described, but only embraced and experienced.  It is an amazing story that leaves us with a sense of wonder and awe.  

Over and over again, the Old Testament describes our relationship with God with the image of marriage.  Commitment, love, companionship, creativity, shared purpose and more are among the experiences drawn from in painting a picture of how God wants our relationship with Him to be.   But it also even more than that.  It is also an imagery that communicates a depth of compassion and love that endures and remains strong even in the wake of unbelievable unfaithfulness.  The story of Hosea is an amazing one indeed!  It sounds way too good to be true.  But that is just it, it's not!

What would it be like to know that you are loved in the way that is described in this story?  Amazingly, that is exactly what we are invited to discover, and what Pastor Jon invites us to consider as he leads us to reflect on this first in his series on the Minor Prophets.  If you would like to listen to the sermon again, or perhaps for the first time, you can access our sermon library by clicking here.