Return to the Lord We
Know
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Return to me,”
says the man to his beloved who has left him. “Return to me. I love you still. I want
you back.” But this evening, these words are not from a man or a woman. They
come from God Himself. “Return to me,”
come back to me. I do not reject you. What good news that is! The truth is, we
deserve to be rejected. Think of our confession of sin. Think of all the times we sin, all the kinds of sin, and—maybe worst of all—how
casual we can be about sin. We act like it’s really not all that important, as
if it really doesn’t matter that we do not listen to God’s Word and instead do what
we want anyway. We think that, but only until the consequences of sin come
crashing down on us. And then we see, and then we shake our fist at God and ask
how He could let this happen, as if it’s His
fault!
Still our God calls to us. “Return to me.” Repent. Turn away from your
selfish desires and return to me. He wants us back, wayward though we are. His love
for us remains. This is wonderful to hear. But we heard other words we heard
tonight, also from the prophet Joel: “Who knows whether
he will turn and relent?” Those sound monstrous. They seem like words
of uncertainty, words that devour, words that plague, words that offer no
comfort at all. It sounds as if Joel is asking, “Who knows whether God will forgive you?”
But that’s not what those words mean.
Would the God who is calling us back to Himself do so with an uncertain
forgiveness? Of course not. He has promised us forgiveness. He has
promised us a Savior. Listen to these verses, all from the Psalms: “I
acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will
confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
“When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.” “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our
transgressions from us.” Our sin offering has been lifted high upon
the cross for all creation to see. Yes, our sins make a mess of things, but in
the sacrifice of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, God is setting us right again.
You are forgiven. This is most certainly true. This
truth, the promise of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus, is the most certain
truth we have.
So when Joel asks, “Who knows whether he will turn and relent?” what
do those words mean? The forgiveness is sure, but His discipline may continue—not
to punish, but to teach; not to push you away, but to draw you closer; not to
put you down, but to lift you up. Just like His forgiveness, this chastening is
from His love. Sometimes you have to love someone enough to say, “No.” He will
end this discipline at the proper time…but only He knows the proper time.
Forgiveness isn’t a guarantee that
life will be good or easy. We know the life of faith is a life of trials,
temptations, and suffering. Our Lord tells us that. But even if the trials and
struggles continue—and we know they will—these things drive us to God and His
love, forgiveness, strength, and faithfulness. They drive us into the Word,
into prayer, into weakness, to
receive the love and life of Christ. When we are weak in ourselves, we become
strong in Christ. We remain confident in the Lord and in His love and
forgiveness: signed, sealed, and delivered by the blood of the Lamb, shed for
you and poured into you.
So tonight, yes, we repent. But even
more that that, we rejoice. We rejoice in His love, love that would cause Him
to send His Son for you. We rejoice in His love that would call you to repentance
time and time again. We rejoice in His love that adopts you as His children,
His sheep. We rejoice in His love that provides you with a Church, with His
Word, and with His gifts. We rejoice in a love that won’t stop, indeed, that
cannot stop. Though our love runs hot and cold, your Father’s love for you
remains constant. So… “Return to the
Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding
in steadfast love.” In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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