Sermon Tone Analysis

Burger Con Carne

Last night KK and I celebrated our 3-year anniversary.

We had dinner at the Glenn just down the way.

There was a pretty major difference between our “anniversary” meals.

KK, being a vegetarian at a burger place, ordered a wedge salad.

Have you seen these things?

It’s a wedge of a head of lettuce.

Drizzle a little dressing on it.

Sprinkle a tiny bit of chopped tomatoes… enjoy.

Waitress seemed to feel bad, offered to add a little equally sad sprinkle of chopped red onion.

By contrast, my juicy red meat burger was called the “Royal” burger.

That means on top of my beautiful beef patty was a slice of corned beef.

That’s right, beef on beef.

Then on top of that is a runny egg.

And it was messy and huge and glorious and delicious.

I guess what I’m saying is “I like meat.”

Incarnation - Con Carne

“a person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or abstract quality."

Many many years ago, Pastor Rod Henry, who was my mentor and pastor here at Next Step, brought a Christmas sermon that stuck with me.

He talked about “chili con carne” which is literally “Chili with meat.”

That’s what “con carne” means.

And it’s the same root we get our word “incarnation” from.

Pretty much means “with meat.”

And sometimes, we need God “with meat.”

There’s an oft told story:

A little boy who was frightened by a storm one night.

Several times he cried out in fear and his mother would come to his room for comfort and to remind him that God was always with him.

As she prepared to leave the third time her son grabbed her arm, held tight, and said, "I know Mommy, but I want God with skin-on!"

Jesus - incarnational - God himself loving his church.

What is God’s ultimate response to the sin of the world?

To weakness and brokenness?

To darkness?

He enters in.

He takes responsibility upon his own shoulders upon his own body.

“tabernacled among us”.

My favorite Christmas passage.

That’s the incarnation.

While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

That is Redeeming love.

Incarnational Hosea

Hosea is incarnational in his love.

He writes, sure, or we wouldn’t have this book, we wouldn’t have this story.

He communicated what God was saying to him and then through him to the people of Israel.

But more than what he said… is what he lived.

And his wife, Gomer, bore three kids… and then it seems was unfaithful to him, probably repeatedly.

Hosea/God burn with jealous and righteous anger.

But God commands him to go and redeem her… because that is how God loves his people.

“While we were yet sinners, God died for us.”

And Hosea did.

Redeeming love, Relentless love, Reckless?

love, Restoring love, all the things.

That is how God loves us.

How beautiful is that.

Before anything else, we all need to hear that message again and again.

God loves you.

God loves me.

But let’s walk in Hosea’s shoes for a minute.

Or for years… because that’s what this was for Hosea.

Gomer has three kids with Hosea, so we can say three years married, probably more.

KK and I just celebrated our three year anniversary yesterday.

Probably the worst way to illustrate 3-years of marriage, pray for me.

Gomer was possibly unfaithful during those three years, but certainly unfaithful after.

Likely more years after because the letter of Hosea chapter 2 reads as written to a child who could at least read!

So when God commands Hosea to go and love Gomer as an incarnational demonstration of his Redeeming love… he is talking about Hosea’s life!

This isn’t a part-time stunt.

This is life and love and marriage and kids and raising those kids, and persevering past when most folks would be talking divorce...

can you imagine the counseling sessions?

Hosea is the model of God’s love, so maybe he’s perfect, but probably not, he just gets to tell the good parts.

Or if he is perfect, how annoying is that???

But this is the likely the darkest season of Hosea’s life, the hardest road he has ever had to work, the pain of betrayal and loss… the weakness, the shame of being cheated on… and then in that culture the embarrassment of taking her back in to his household.

It was shameful before when she was a former-prostitute, now she is that and an adulteress and “where’s your pride, man?”

That is what God commands Hosea to do.

Go and love her like I love my people.

Live out my love.

That’s a hard mission.

The LORD said to me...

Then, as the rescued, restored, beautiful in-process saint that you are now… God has a mission for you.

We are going through the prophets based on this idea out of 1 Cor.

14:1

So, it isn’t only hearing the message that Hosea speaks… but then seeking to be like Hosea.

Good News: God loves us like Hosea loves Gomer

Hard News: We are to love … like Hosea loves Gomer.

To demonstrate how God first loved us, how He loves them, how He loves all.

Now… fill in that blank.

Does God call everyone to go and marry and love a prostitute?

Nope.

Does God call everyone to love… and especially to love when it’s hardest?

Absolutely.

In fact, Jesus is kind of dismissive of what we usually think of as “love.”

When I really really like someone and like being with them and do I just “like like” them… or do I love them.

That isn’t the model of love Jesus calls us to.

He says “love like I loved you...” which includes “while you were still enemies.

From the Sermon on the Mount:

What reward do you have?

(Talking about Jesus points).

Perfect doesn’t mean “without flaw” so much as “full and complete.”

This is completeness, this is the measure of Christian maturity - to love as God has loved you and has supernaturally empowered you to love others.

Luke captures it:

Peter remembers it:

Paul packs it in in his grand conclusion in Romans 12… all about how we should live in view of his mercies:

Finding Gomer