A bit of a fixer-upper - September 28

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 89:1-18; PM Psalm 89:19-52; Hosea 2:14-23; Acts 20:17-38; Luke 5:1-11

There was one holiday weekend when the kitchen sink malfunctioned and, instead of flowing down the drain, water poured out of the side of the house and onto the driveway. According to the plumber, Sam and I had two options: pull out the kitchen cabinetry to access the pipes or take off a portion of the vinyl siding so that the plumber could fix the faulty drain system from the outside.

While I longed for a renovated kitchen, that improvement (and inconvenience) was not in the budget. The plumbing was a relatively quick fix but addressing the exterior of the house was a different story. In its earlier days, wood siding surely added to the 1925 bungalow’s charm. If we took off one part of the vinyl siding, would we have to take it all off? To remove the vinyl meant revealing what lay beneath it, dealing with whatever we found, and investing time and resources to restore the exterior of our house.

I felt terrified. Sam stood there, waiting. Okay, yes! We agreed to take off the vinyl, and started prying. Beneath the grey sturdy plastic sheets were some horrified roaches and well-preserved wood siding in surprisingly good condition! Taking the plunge into home restoration became a many-month endeavor. Sam did the work himself, replacing boards, priming and painting our house. At its conclusion, we felt hope and satisfaction as we admired the restoration!

There is another type of restoration in Hosea 2 today, requiring more than lumber and paint. Israel had attributed the bounty of her crops to the influence and favor of Baal, one of the Canaanite gods. Israel was unfaithful to the Lord. We read of that infidelity and punishment, cast in the light of a metaphorical marriage between a strong male (God) and the promiscuous female (Israel). Our excerpt omits the references to whoring, nakedness, and punishment; we hear what follows the anger: “I will now allure her…and speak tenderly to her.” There is restoration of joy and peace. There is hopefulness of a deep relationship rekindled between Israel and God, with closeness and covenant, leaving behind Baals and betrayal. What does that restoration look like? Relying on the Lord, moving away from violence, and living in righteousness and justice, steadfast love and mercy (v. 18-19). In this restoration of relationship, blessing is also promised: the Lord will send gifts from the earth of grain, wine, and oil.

As I reflect on Hosea, I wonder how this time of physical separation has been a season of restoration…and not in an easy sense of the word. To restore, we must take inventory of where we are before moving forward. We have been staring at walls, reminded of our loneliness, fear, and division. We have been mourning what we have lost or let go. We have been facing the hard concerns of depression and addiction, more apparent in prolonged stress. As in Hosea, we’ve been in the Valley of Achor (Trouble), and God promises to make it a door of hope. The promise is still there. God will have pity on us, even when we feel we are beyond compassion. God will reclaim us in our indignance, saying, “You are my people,” and we will say joyously, “You are my God”.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

What troubles bring you concern today, around you and inside yourself? What signs of hope do you see?

Daily Challenge

What in your life needs restoration? Name one flaw to take to God in prayer and write it down. Spend five minutes in silence. Repeat the phrase “You are my God” when you find your mind wandering. Listen for God to reveal truth, hope, and next steps in faithful living.