1 St. James United church Hosea 1: 2-10

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1 1 Prayer: God of Grace, open your Word to us this day. Help us to hear in ancient words the stirrings of your Spirit alive for us today. Open us to your holy wisdom that we may be moved from word to action that draws us closer to you, in Christ, we pray. Amen Sermon: GREETING Peace be with you! (And also with you). Welcome one and all, to this service of celebration and remembrance. PURPOSE We gather here today, in this sacred space, to celebrate 2 people and a very special occasion; the renewal of wedding vows of our dear friends Hosea and Gomer. While these 2 were married many years ago, today is a time to celebrate their journey together, to give God thanks for all that he has done for them, and to ask God s continued blessing upon them in the future. Today we will have the opportunity to pray for them and for ourselves as they renew their marriage vows to each other. Let us pray PRAYER Gracious God, your generous love surrounds us and everything we enjoy comes from you. In your great love you have given us the gift of life, and in life the gift of marriage. Bless Hosea and Gomer as they once again pledge their lives to each other; that their love may continue to grow and be a true reflection of your love for all the world, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE

2 2 Marriage is appointed by God. The church believes that marriage is a gift of God in creation, and a means of grace in which two people are united and become one in heart, mind and body. Marriage is given that they may enrich and encourage each other in every part of their life together. Marriage is a way of life that all people should honour; it is not to be entered into lightly or selfishly, but responsibly and in the love of God. Gomer and Hosea, many years ago, committed their lives to each other, and to God, in this sacred bond of trust, which God has created and Christ has blessed. Therefore on this day, we are called to celebrate with them, and to rejoice in the life God has given them. SCRIPTURE READING I would like to call upon (NAME) to offer a reading. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a) HOW THEY MET? Theirs was an unexpected union. I don t think any of us who knew either of them would have guessed they d end up together. They were so different; Hosea was cerebral, a scholar and writer. Gomer the gritty, fun-loving party girl. But, ask Hosea and he will tell you, God had a hand in this. Hosea, remember his name means Yahweh has saved, always had a heart for seeking out those in need of saving, a soft spot for each lost and wounded bird who came his way.

3 3 Ask Gomer and she ll be the first to tell you, it was God who graced her life in bring Hosea to her that day. Before then, before him, it was all about the fun, living for the moment, living for yourself, do what feels good and gets you ahead no matter what the consequences. Hosea showed her life could be about something more. WEDDING And their wedding day. Many of you were here that day. It was a warm spring day. The sun was shining. Everything seemed so beautiful. I remember gathering with the groomsmen in the vestry, praying with them, asking God to calm anxious nerves and bless the day with joy. The music swelled. The groom s party entered the church. The ceremony began and everyone turned to behold the beautiful bride. Bubble-gum coloured bride s maids dresses might have been the first clue this wouldn t be your usual wedding. Then came Gomer; glowing not with love but from an overabundance of lipstick and eye shadow, more concerned about her hair than the one to whom she was giving her heart, more interested in the party to follow than in the vows she would make. I know many of you were thinking it wouldn t last, and yet here we are, and thanks be to God for this day! FAMILY God blessed to them 3 children; Jezreel the competitive one now enjoying a successful career in politics, daughter Lo-ruhamah the strong-willed and independent one (like her mother), and the youngest Lo-ammi who has always kept people wondering where he came from as he looks like no one in the family. In fact that is true for all 3 of them. But know that they are loved and their parents are very proud of them. LIFE S TRIALS

4 4 Life s journey brings us to where we are. And each of us is more than the sum total of the steps we have taken; each of us shaped by the twists and turns in the road we have traveled, as well as by the grace of God. We cannot celebrate today with our whole hearts the journey of marriage these 2 have made without also acknowledging that it has not always been an easy one. Gomer was so very young when they married and it is not easy, given the naiveté of youth, to hold to honour the commitments we make especially when times get hard. We make mistakes, forget what is truly important, defer to old habits, and sometimes lose ourselves along the way. There were other lovers. More than once Gomer was heard to rage at Hosea in anger, Forget you! I will go after my lovers; they give me bread and water, wool and flax, my oil and drink. (2:5b) They give me what I want. Who needs you? There were other gods. Gods like Baal, master of the land, who could always be counted on, given enough worship and sacrifices, to prosper the harvest and fill the fields with good things. Gods and idols made of stone and wood and fashioned by men to do what man wanted, and they do not know the Lord. (5:4) And other sins too, gluttony, drunkenness, unfaithfulness, turning away from her betrothed and her family. Time and time again Gomer would fall to temptation, wander off, and time and time again Hosea would search for her, seek her out until he found her, and bring her home, safe again. LIFE S JOYS But there were many joys too. Happy times with family and friends, building a home and a life together, sharing moments of trust and intimacy together that made memories of the other all fall away.

5 5 He always knew, could always see, the goodness that was in her, even when she couldn t see it in herself. Those shared moments of joy and gratitude that always followed the times she ran away; they were precious. The joy Hosea took in forgiving her, welcoming her back, and loving her as if nothing had else had ever happened. That joy made it all worthwhile. (2:7) She would never know that all the gifts those other lovers had given her, that she had thrown in his face, that they were from him. (2:8) The gratitude and love Gomer felt has Hosea wrapped his loving arms about her, dried her tears, and whispered words of peace and comfort to her. The safest she ever felt was in his arms. And there was a settledness of spirit that always came to her in knowing that no matter what he would always be there for her. It is that joy, the joy of a lifetime of forgiveness granted (2:23) and love accepted, of mistakes forgotten and new beginnings planted, has made the journey all the richer and is what has brought them here today. REDEMPTION So great was Hosea s love for Gomer that when things were at their worst, when it seemed that even her very soul was lost to him, and that her sinful ways held her captive and would not ever let her go, he gave everything he had, gold, silver, barley and wine, to buy her back again and win for her release. (3:2) [turn the signs] There was nothing he wouldn t do, wouldn t give to save her, and prove his love for her was true. IN CHRIST In Christ Jesus, God gave everything to save us. And not gold, silver, barley or wine, but his very own son he gave up on a cross that we

6 6 might know the depth or God s love for us and the redeeming power of his grace. To think that someone loves us, loves you, that much, can be hard to believe sometimes. For some it is an seems an impossibility; not worthy, not deserving, not necessary. How lonely that must be; to go through life thinking you don t need love. Easier to put our trust and hope in ourselves, our own efforts, tangible things like money, success, and power, or to tell ourselves it doesn t matter (I can go it alone). Hard too is going through life trying so hard to be worthy (win the love of family, friends, colleagues, strangers, self, like Gomer), if I just do this, be good enough, be what they want, then I ll be happy. But love that forgives and never fails, that kind of love only comes from God in Jesus Christ. Only his love has the power to free us from even our most sin-weary selves. Only his love will never let us go, never forsake us, never stop seeking us out in all the dark and hurting places we hide our true selves. In Jesus Christ we are redeemed and receive the gift of endless second chances at a new life, one in which true joy is found in intimacy with the God who keeps on searching for us when we are lost, wrapping his loving arms around us, and leading us home again, and again and again and again. Hosea, which means saved by God, Hosea saved Gomer. And maybe she in her own way saved him too. Depth of love one for another is discovered in the movements between joy and suffering, sin and forgiveness. Yes it was I who helped you to walk. I took you in my arms, but you did not know that it was me. I led you with cords of human kindness, and with bands of love, said the Lord. (paraphrase, 11: 3-4) In Christ Jesus, God saves us too, and only in the journey of faith, that ever-present tug-of-war between our frail broken selves and our

7 7 complete need for and reliance upon divine mercy do we discover in ways no words can ever express the depth of God s love for us and our love for him. THE VOWS We have come this day to witness the renewal of marriage vows between Hosea and Gomer, between God and his people, between Christ and his church. These are the vows of the bridegroom as recorded in Hosea 2: And I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know me, says the Lord. We are the bride, God s own beloved, the body of Christ. If you would like to renew your vow of love for God this day, I invite you to open the card you have received and say these words with me Gracious God, thank you for your grace and mercy to me always. Thank you for your love that will never let me go. Forgive me when I stray, when I turn away from you to seek my heart s desire in other places, other loves, and false gods of my own making. Forgive my anger, disappointment and sadness when I do not understand your way for me, or when I trust more in myself than in you. God, your grace and mercy are more than I can comprehend. That you should love me, that Christ should die for me, it is too much for me to understand. You are the God Most Holy, the One to whom I can lift up my hopes and fears, and trust my prayers are heard. Today Lord, I offer you my whole life. I pledge to you my love and faithfulness, from this day forward; for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. I promise to love, honour and cherish you, this day and always, in the name of your own dear son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

8 8 Gracious God, thank you for your grace and mercy to me always.

9 9 Thank you for your love that will never let me go. Forgive me when I stray, when I turn away from you to seek my heart s desire in other places, other loves, and false gods of my own making. Forgive my anger, disappointment and sadness when I do not understand your way for me, or when I trust more in myself than in you. God, your grace and mercy are more than I can comprehend. That you should love me, that Christ should die for me, it is too much for me to understand. You are the God Most Holy, the One to whom I can lift up my hopes and fears, and trust my prayers are heard. Today Lord, I offer you my whole life. I pledge to you my love and faithfulness, from this day forward; for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. I promise to love, honour and cherish you, this day and always, in the name of your own dear son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen Gomer & Hosea Renewal of Marriage Vows

10 10 January 3, 2015 DO NOT OPEN HISTORY: Hosea was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8 th century BCE. War is a constant threat. In fear and uncertainty Israel s people turn to other gods (Baal). Hosea likens their idolatry and unfaithfulness to Yahweh to that of a prostitute. Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who will not let them go, and who continues to seek them out in love and redeem them. This redemption ultimately comes through Jesus Christ.

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