Through Zechariah God declares, "Return to me and I will return to you.” The call to return is central to the prophet Hosea’s message, as we heard today, “Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt.”
Hosea wants Israel to recognize that it has stumbled and fallen into spiritual and moral decay due to its disobedience to God. The weight of sin has caused Israel to collapse—like a house whose roof has fallen in, or a body collapsing because it is exhausted and fatigued and sick and burdened or staggering drunk. The call to return to God is the invitation to allow God to raise you up, to restore your strength, to restore the foundations of your house, of your life, to set you back on your feet after you’ve fallen.
“I will heal their defection, says the LORD, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily.” Notice that the return to God involves healing and a deepened experience of love and freedom, refreshment, renewal, and new growth. Why would we ever deprive ourselves of the benefit of returning to God to be made whole again?
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to the scribe about the great commandment to love God and neighbor.
Returning to God allows us to love as we were designed to love. God is the ultimate source of love. When we are in right relationship with Him, we are more connected to His love, which then overflows into our relationships with others. The more we abide in God's love, the more capacity we have to love others.
When we have returned to right relationship with God, the we experience His loving forgiveness and grace enables us to extend forgiveness and grace to others. It allows us to let go of resentment, bitterness, and judgment, fostering reconciliation and harmony in relationships.
Jesus exemplified perfect love through His sacrificial service. Returning to a right relationship with God aligns us with the example of Christ, who came not to be served but to serve. When we prioritize our relationship with God, we are empowered to serve others selflessly, meeting their needs and seeking their welfare.
As we journey through this Lenten season, let us heed the timeless call to return to God with our whole hearts. Just as the prophets of old urged Israel to turn back to the Lord, so too are we beckoned to recognize our stumbling, our spiritual fatigue, and our guilt, and to seek restoration in the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father.
Let us embrace this season of return as an opportunity for spiritual rejuvenation and growth, trusting in God's faithfulness to heal our wounds, to refresh our spirits, and to lead us into a deeper communion with Him. May our return to God be marked by a renewed fervor to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves, thereby fulfilling the greatest commandment and bearing witness to the transformative power of God's love in our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment