Luke 13:31-35 - by Don Neuendorf
Thursday, February 25, 2010 :: 151 Views ::
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"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"
Have you ever tried to plan a party, but no one could come?
- The siblings couldn't agree on a date for a family reunion.
- The office staff couldn't find a date for a Christmas party.
- The weekend of your child's birthday didn't work out for his friends.
What a bummer. When you had food purchased, and the house was clean, and the plans were made, but then your guests called to say, "Hey, something came up." It makes for a very depressing evening...
Imagine how God feels.
The fourth SPOTS devotion (that stands for "St. Paul On The Same page, for those of you who are new to this) focuses on the hymn, "Listen, God is Calling." It seems painfully appropriate to this text.
- Listen! Listen, God is calling
- Through the Word inviting,
- Offering forgiveness,
- Comfort and joy.
Through the Word, Jesus, God was calling - inviting - offering. But the people of Jerusalem would not have it. As Jesus says in his parable, the King held a wedding banquet, but one had bought a new field, another had a new yoke of oxen, etc. My reaction to this story used to be outrage. Like the king in the parable, I thought that God was, first of all, angry.
God is angry at our rebellion, but his first emotion, his primary response is grief. Sadness. After all, these are not just wedding guests who won't come. It is the Bride who is rejecting him. In Hosea, and in many other places in Scripture, we are the bride whom God loves and has come to redeem.
Now set aside the stubbornness of Jerusalem, or ancient Israel, and focus on today. Jesus desires to meet with you. He comes to you as he came to Jerusalem. He longs to gather us all together to be the Bride of Christ. Do you desire to be a part of that?
Pastor Wentzel and I met this morning and thought about our worship last night. The weather was bad and attendance was poor. We understand. And yet there is a sense of grief because we do see many who ought to be with us but who stay away. We would like to gather them together and nurture them with God's Word, but they don't desire it.
"Listen! Listen, God is calling - through the Word inviting - offering forgiveness - comfort and joy."