I ate an oatmeal raisin cookie yesterday, was so good, was left at my work kitchen counter in a bag of half a dozen. Yum. And it reminded me of the days at work that we had less and shared more, especially our time and comradery as a whole group and not a pocket here or there. This moment was late on a Friday and I was hanging signs for the festive fall “do something different” week we are planning for some old time fun, from dress up to wackiness and of course costumes on the day of 10/31… I hope we are bringing old-fashioned joy and the spark of spirit into work. I hope people participate! I try to remind folks that now “these are the good ole days” for our future. 

Clinging to “it used to be this way” should not prevent us from “let’s try this new thing”… Most of all, we long-timers must be aware of how fast thing move and how changes are inevitable – don’t cling to the world – cling to God and His Hope.

If I have the hope of rekindling the feelings of old, I can’t even imagine God’s feelings for His children of Israel, those of the time of writing in Hosea, the prophet, and of the whole of His children to return to looking towards Him, like a return of the commitment between a husband and wife, where the husband already knew before marriage (portrayed in the Hosea 1-2 scenarios) of the unfaithfulness that wife would have. This is Hosea portrayed as the Lord, on purpose for the writing and teaching, as a faithful one bringing her back for a price, forgiving and forever-ing the relationship. 

Look, the pagan worship gave raisin cakes, such an unusual tidbit to point out,  but surely God will give (and did give) the whole vineyard! God gave it and then took it back at great price. I didn’t read the scholars, I just like sitting in my mind and fingers writing with the idea of Jesus, the vine being God’s payment to buy us back from sin and death as a price unfathomable. Jesus the Vine, us the branches, God the Vinedresser trimming and making stronger – and the fruit that is fresh and alive always coming from His growth of spiritual fruit on us. 

And now is still of course the time to think about the FUTURE goodness, God-promised goodness, the goodness of His Name, the realness of His Truth, the Wholeness of realizing the Oneness with God. We should stay loyal to God in these growingly “later” days.

The children of Israel, and us too, a blessing to turn from the world and refocus upon Him, upon what we can do, how we can live. A focus to focus on Him.

A raisin cookie or raisin cake? Nothing compares to the fruitful life with the Lord.

Amen

—

Hosea 3 NKJV

Israel Will Return to God

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”

For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.