“
I will plant her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,’ ‘You are my people’;
and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”.
(Hosea 2:23Hosea NIV)
This past Saturday, my daughter, Joanna, and I drove her sister, Vicki, back to the University of Pittsburgh for the fall term. For about 12 hours, we rode encased in an SUV hurtling the length of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
At one of the rest areas, a farmer had set up a small stand. Thinking that fresh fruits and vegetables would benefit Vicki in her dorm room, I checked out his wares. Among the mason jars and home-grown produce, I discovered a container of Dilly Beans. Never having encountered Dilly Beans before, I asked the farmer about them. He said they were extremely popular, delicious, and he sold lots of them. I took a chance and bought a jar, leaving it in the SUV during the move-in process and long drive home.
Joanna plugged a contraption called an iPod into the sound system in the SUV, and we listened to her prodigious collection of music. After my requests were exhausted, she played some of her favorites by Hillsong United, one of which bore the title “Scandal of Grace,” which certainly grabbed my attention. After listening to it a few times, I asked Joanna about the meaning. She said that the most accurate translation for the Greek word “skandalon” would be “stumbling block.” We discussed the Book of Hosea, which I had never read. God abandons Israel in anger due to their idolatry and sinfulness, yet He offers redemption.
Grace always seemed a gift freely given by God, not something meant to trip people up. Maybe the concept of Grace can serve as a stumbling block, because some people feel unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness, or don’t have the faith and strength to turn away from self-destructive behavior.
When we arrived home late that night, we opened the mysterious Dilly Beans, which tasted even better than advertised. My daughter finished the jar by the next morning, and retrieved a recipe from the Internet. I promised to try to prepare them, though the canning and preserving process seems totally alien, and nothing I have ever attempted. Fumbling and learning hopefully lead to Grace.
Too much to make sense of it all
I know that your love breaks my fall
The scandal of grace, you died in my place
So my soul will live.
(Excerpted from “Scandal of Grace” by Matt Crocker, Joel Houston)
Contributed by Carol
Monday August 26, 2013
Liturgical Year C: Week 39
Liturgical Color: Green
Sunday Gospel reading: Proper 16
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost