Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Kingdom Meditation

 I’m not convinced we’ve ever truly understood JesusAt least not as deeply or fully as he intended- not “as deeply,” because we tend to stay on the surface• we read the words and verses without penetrating their depth• we grab at interpretations that make immediate sense◦ and we settle for simplistic "commentary" explanations- I don’t think Jesus taught in riddles – sometimes, perhaps• he did not teach in a secret code that required deciphering• but it's possible that his intent was that the meaning of his message would be revealed to us◦ and only then will we be able to live it in truth and deed

Conspiracy Fears - Isaiah 8:11

 I’ll finish reading the verse in a moment, but first we will pause here- every morning when I open my Bible, I don’t jump into it• but at the entrance to the Scriptures, I take a moment to slow my breath, and focus my attention◦ I bring awareness to God’s presence and let myself hear him say,“at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you to speak to you there" (Ex. 29:42)• so before I even begin reading, I’m already listening to God◦ and there is always something in my reading worth writing◦ (though not necessarily worth sharing with others)- yesterday morning, when I began, I felt a familiar frustration• my desperate longing is to actually hear God,◦ for his voice to be so clearly in my brain, there’s no doubt I'm hearing him◦ anyway, the first words I read yesterday were, “And the LORD spoke to Moses . . . .”• normally, my eyes would have glided over that phrase,◦ especially because what follows is long and repetitious◦ anyway, reading the opening line, I may have felt a twinge of jealousy▫ but then, like from a small inner voice I heard, “See, I do speak to you. Wasn't this what you were just now thinking? Desiring?” 

Hosea 11-12

Friday morning, near the end of a long walk,I passed by a mother and her toddler son- he was on a small four-wheel bike, perfectly fitted to him• he was poised to move from asphalt to a dirt slope◦ I said, “Looks like you’re about to go off-roading,”◦ more for his mom’s sake than his• he looked at me with the most engaging smile◦ it was the loveliest moment of my morning- I kept walking, but he didn’t take his eyes off of me• he turned his head as I passed,◦ so I had to walk backwards to hold his gaze◦ his mom was quiet, but enjoying her son’s response• if cherubs were small, toddler-looking angels,◦ he could have been a model for the prototype

Hosea 9-10

As we make our way back into Hosea this morning,Let’s remember the passion running through the entire book- it isn’t what we’re likely to feel when reading the bare words• what it sounds like, is the ranting of an enraged deity◦ but that is not the correct tone of voice• if God were like one of the pagan deities of mid mid-east or Greece,◦ he wouldn’t bother to rage at his rebellious people,◦ he would just annihilate them- this prophetic book, in fact, is the message of a wounded lover• a husband who’s been disrespected, betrayed, and discarded◦ yet for all that, he continues to try to reason with his wife◦ he is not ready to give up, and he will not let Israel go• so, we are not hearing the voice of anger, but of heartbreak

Hosea Chapters 7-8

Imagine you're walking through an art gallery, and standing nearby is the artist whose work you admiring. So you point to an object in one corner of an especially beautiful painting, and ask the artist, "Why did you put this right here? What does it mean?" The artist--if a true artist answers, "Well, if I could explain it, I would not have had to paint it." You would get a similar answer from a poet, a composer, a sculpture, and most any other artist. "If I could explain it, I would not have had to write it, compose it, sculpt it." Their work does not always begin with an idea, but oftentimes with an inspiration.Intro: I’m not trying to avoid jumping into HoseaHowever, I want to enter Hosea's by way of Matthew's gospel“When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt. 9:36-37)- this is a simple observation, the Lord saw something, and it made an impression on him