Setting All The Idols Down
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series II, Cycle B
Setting All The Idols Down
Idolatry. It's not an issue that crowds the agenda of the contemporary church today. Most people really don't give it much thought. If asked about idolatry, some will respond with some comment about worshiping graven images instead of God. The more biblically astute will point to the golden calf story in Exodus (32:4). The unfortunate reality, however, is that most people would point to a popular television show called, American Idol. In modern parlance, an idol is a celebrity. An idol is someone who is "worshiped" by his or her fans. It's not uncommon to hear a teenager say that some celebrity or rock icon is his or her "idol." Recently, one teen was overheard saying with pop-eyed enthusiasm, "Oooh! He's my idol!" She was referring to some currently popular singer, of course.
This is nothing new. The language of faith has long been subsumed under the weight of secular culture. The word "martyr," which means "to witness," grew in church tradition to refer to ones who gave up their lives rather than give up their witness, and now refers to a psychological malady. Have you heard anyone accused of having a "martyr complex"? Similarly, preaching has taken on a negative connotation in secular circles. Preaching is now the equivalent of nagging or offering an unwelcome opinion. "Quit preaching at me!" The concept and meaning of idolatry has met with a similar fate.
For we who inhabit the Judeo-Christian tradition, idolatry refers to a painful historic tendency for our ancestors and ourselves to pursue other gods. Idolatry is the pursuit of gods other than Yahweh the God of Creation, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham and Sarah or Ruth and Esther, the God of Moses, and the God who Christians have experienced in the person of Jesus Christ. In Greek, the word refers literally to the worship of images. In Old Testament understanding, the concept includes the worship of alien gods.
The story related in chapters 1-3 of Hosea has long been the subject of academic debate. For the sake of our focus today, we will not explore all of the arguments concerning this. For our purposes, we will assume that it is idolatry that is at the top of Hosea's list as we approach this passage for today. In chapter 2, verse 14, we pick up the story at the point of reconciliation. But prior to this, we see Gomer substituting for Israel, as the prostitute being unfaithful to her husband.
The comparison easily made here is about a nation being unfaithful to its God.
Of particular concern was the influence of the Baal cults that were the religion of the original inhabitants of Israel. In this passage we see a restored relationship between husband and wife, where the prophet writes, "On that day, says the Lord, you will call me, 'My husband,' and no longer will you call me, 'My Baal.' For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth ..." (Hosea 2:16).
The people of Israel struggled with the strange gods they found when they inhabited the promised land. A sociologist would write it off as some sort of melting pot, where an advancing people couldn't help but be influenced by native religion. Yet this is not how we receive it. For us, the relationship with God is primary. It is focused, and not shared. In fact, in Exodus 34:14, the people are warned to "worship no other god because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." There are at least nine other Old Testament references to God's jealousy.
We understand our relationship with God as a covenantal relationship. We love God in response to God's saving action, both in liberating the people from Egypt, and then in liberating us from our sins in Jesus Christ. This is an exclusive relationship with our Creator and our Redeemer. No room for others.
So we see how Hosea addresses this concern using the story of his marriage. We see a people gone astray after other gods. And we see God's forgiveness upon their return. It begs the questions: Is our relationship with God solid? Do we bow down before idols today? Do we cede power and control in our lives over to entities and processes that are not of God? If so, what are the details? What are the idols?
What are the idols that we worship today? What foreign gods do we follow? Perhaps the biggest one is money, wealth, and comfort. Could it be that we pursue material well-being and comfort at the expense of our relationship with God? What does it mean to worship an idol? What does it mean to offer our allegiance to some entity other than the God who came to us in Jesus Christ?
How does that happen? What does it mean?
One historic form of idolatry is the governments we create to help us through life. We believe that God is the giver and taker of life, and yet governments throughout history have tried to usurp that power; often taking God's name in vain to do so. How many armies have marched to the slaughter in the name of Jesus Christ? Far, far too many. Another historic form of idolatry has to do with claiming other gods before our God. In many churches today, for example, the influence of so-called New Age thinking has shifted and changed the focus of our worship of God.
Now, I can hear the questions coming. Is pastor against New Age religions? Well, I don't agree with them. Personally, I see them as an outgrowth of an already overly narcissistic and selfish culture, but I certainly acknowledge their right to exist outside of the Christian church.
The question that might be worth taking home today is a little more focused. Where in your life have you given your sense of self, your power, your allegiance over to someone or something that isn't God? Are there things in our common life that push us away from our covenant relationship with God? What might they be? How might we address this?
Wherever we are in the context of this struggle, God's voice is still calling us. If we have strayed into giving our attention and our loyalty more to our standard of living than to God, the voice calls us. If we have strayed out of community and covenant with our sisters and brothers, the voice of the holy calls us. If, in our church life, we have become more concerned with our buildings and our meetings than with our relationship with God, the voice of the holy beckons to us. It is difficult to live in a strange land and not be touched by its influence.
Yet, we are here today as ones still in that covenant relationship with God (Genesis 17:7), worshiping, striving, praying, singing, and dancing in celebration of what God has done for us. We are here today, not to browbeat or to goad, but to offer the whole of our beings to this God of the Exodus, this God of the promised land; this God who stands with the outcasts and the brokenhearted; this God who comes to us in Christ Jesus.
Let us take an inventory this week. Each day, let us raise our level of conscious commitment to God. Let us cast out the idols of our lives, even if they seem trivial or unimportant. For us, an idol is more than a singer on television. An idol is more than a celebrity. It is a distraction from our true purpose of living out our lives in faithfulness to our God and our redeemer. Let's not be distracted! Let's focus. Let us live lives that are themselves an act of worship.
Amen.
Idolatry. It's not an issue that crowds the agenda of the contemporary church today. Most people really don't give it much thought. If asked about idolatry, some will respond with some comment about worshiping graven images instead of God. The more biblically astute will point to the golden calf story in Exodus (32:4). The unfortunate reality, however, is that most people would point to a popular television show called, American Idol. In modern parlance, an idol is a celebrity. An idol is someone who is "worshiped" by his or her fans. It's not uncommon to hear a teenager say that some celebrity or rock icon is his or her "idol." Recently, one teen was overheard saying with pop-eyed enthusiasm, "Oooh! He's my idol!" She was referring to some currently popular singer, of course.
This is nothing new. The language of faith has long been subsumed under the weight of secular culture. The word "martyr," which means "to witness," grew in church tradition to refer to ones who gave up their lives rather than give up their witness, and now refers to a psychological malady. Have you heard anyone accused of having a "martyr complex"? Similarly, preaching has taken on a negative connotation in secular circles. Preaching is now the equivalent of nagging or offering an unwelcome opinion. "Quit preaching at me!" The concept and meaning of idolatry has met with a similar fate.
For we who inhabit the Judeo-Christian tradition, idolatry refers to a painful historic tendency for our ancestors and ourselves to pursue other gods. Idolatry is the pursuit of gods other than Yahweh the God of Creation, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham and Sarah or Ruth and Esther, the God of Moses, and the God who Christians have experienced in the person of Jesus Christ. In Greek, the word refers literally to the worship of images. In Old Testament understanding, the concept includes the worship of alien gods.
The story related in chapters 1-3 of Hosea has long been the subject of academic debate. For the sake of our focus today, we will not explore all of the arguments concerning this. For our purposes, we will assume that it is idolatry that is at the top of Hosea's list as we approach this passage for today. In chapter 2, verse 14, we pick up the story at the point of reconciliation. But prior to this, we see Gomer substituting for Israel, as the prostitute being unfaithful to her husband.
The comparison easily made here is about a nation being unfaithful to its God.
Of particular concern was the influence of the Baal cults that were the religion of the original inhabitants of Israel. In this passage we see a restored relationship between husband and wife, where the prophet writes, "On that day, says the Lord, you will call me, 'My husband,' and no longer will you call me, 'My Baal.' For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth ..." (Hosea 2:16).
The people of Israel struggled with the strange gods they found when they inhabited the promised land. A sociologist would write it off as some sort of melting pot, where an advancing people couldn't help but be influenced by native religion. Yet this is not how we receive it. For us, the relationship with God is primary. It is focused, and not shared. In fact, in Exodus 34:14, the people are warned to "worship no other god because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." There are at least nine other Old Testament references to God's jealousy.
We understand our relationship with God as a covenantal relationship. We love God in response to God's saving action, both in liberating the people from Egypt, and then in liberating us from our sins in Jesus Christ. This is an exclusive relationship with our Creator and our Redeemer. No room for others.
So we see how Hosea addresses this concern using the story of his marriage. We see a people gone astray after other gods. And we see God's forgiveness upon their return. It begs the questions: Is our relationship with God solid? Do we bow down before idols today? Do we cede power and control in our lives over to entities and processes that are not of God? If so, what are the details? What are the idols?
What are the idols that we worship today? What foreign gods do we follow? Perhaps the biggest one is money, wealth, and comfort. Could it be that we pursue material well-being and comfort at the expense of our relationship with God? What does it mean to worship an idol? What does it mean to offer our allegiance to some entity other than the God who came to us in Jesus Christ?
How does that happen? What does it mean?
One historic form of idolatry is the governments we create to help us through life. We believe that God is the giver and taker of life, and yet governments throughout history have tried to usurp that power; often taking God's name in vain to do so. How many armies have marched to the slaughter in the name of Jesus Christ? Far, far too many. Another historic form of idolatry has to do with claiming other gods before our God. In many churches today, for example, the influence of so-called New Age thinking has shifted and changed the focus of our worship of God.
Now, I can hear the questions coming. Is pastor against New Age religions? Well, I don't agree with them. Personally, I see them as an outgrowth of an already overly narcissistic and selfish culture, but I certainly acknowledge their right to exist outside of the Christian church.
The question that might be worth taking home today is a little more focused. Where in your life have you given your sense of self, your power, your allegiance over to someone or something that isn't God? Are there things in our common life that push us away from our covenant relationship with God? What might they be? How might we address this?
Wherever we are in the context of this struggle, God's voice is still calling us. If we have strayed into giving our attention and our loyalty more to our standard of living than to God, the voice calls us. If we have strayed out of community and covenant with our sisters and brothers, the voice of the holy calls us. If, in our church life, we have become more concerned with our buildings and our meetings than with our relationship with God, the voice of the holy beckons to us. It is difficult to live in a strange land and not be touched by its influence.
Yet, we are here today as ones still in that covenant relationship with God (Genesis 17:7), worshiping, striving, praying, singing, and dancing in celebration of what God has done for us. We are here today, not to browbeat or to goad, but to offer the whole of our beings to this God of the Exodus, this God of the promised land; this God who stands with the outcasts and the brokenhearted; this God who comes to us in Christ Jesus.
Let us take an inventory this week. Each day, let us raise our level of conscious commitment to God. Let us cast out the idols of our lives, even if they seem trivial or unimportant. For us, an idol is more than a singer on television. An idol is more than a celebrity. It is a distraction from our true purpose of living out our lives in faithfulness to our God and our redeemer. Let's not be distracted! Let's focus. Let us live lives that are themselves an act of worship.
Amen.
