 St Alban’s Episcopal Church Bolivar, Missouri Tuesday-Wednesday, July 26-27, 2022 Hosea 11:1-11 Something we did right  Hosea 11:1-11 (If you want to know how Israel understood God – read this. This is pretty maternal, or at least parental, imagery.)When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols.Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led then with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to then like those who lift infants to their cheeks.I bent down to them and fed them.They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. The sword rages in their cities, it consumes their oracle-priests, and devours because of their schemes. My people are bent on turning away from me. To the Most High they call, but but he does not raise them up at all. How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One your midst, and I will not come in wrath. They shall go after the Lord, who roars like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west. They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like the doves from the land of Assyria; and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord. Our very young trees again I have been wondering why most of our baby trees seem to have survived this heat and drought when not much else has. But my English friend sent this – and then I understood. We deliberately didn’t cut any of the grass in the areas where the little trees were starting up – and that seems to have been the secret. We did it for another reason: so that no one mowing would cut them down by accident, but in fact it served an important purpose. NOT cutting that tall grass has not only held water, but has apparently kept the ground temperatures far cooler than if we had cut the grass somehow around them! Look at the difference in soil temperatures! What if we QUIT mowing all our lawns in this drought? What difference might that make?   |
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