Today's Scripture
Joel 2:12–13
Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.
“Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.”
I want to know what “even now” means in the context of this scripture. My impulse is to read the larger discourse, perhaps even the whole book, for clues. A Biblical commentary is not out of the question. But in the spirit of these Lenten devotions, let’s resist a more expansive approach to this scripture in favor of a more narrow focus. Even now...
Now is the winter morning dark. No one else is up in the house, and my coffee is still steaming hot. The cat is curled up next to me. The only sound is the humming of the dishwasher. Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart.
I feel I can do that now, so long as I leave the laptop closed. I can sit with my Bible or another book, or even in quiet. But I know that even now will dissipate before I’m ready, into packing up for the day, commuting, emailing, meetings, to-dos, and then — again, before I’m ready — even now will be the day’s end, and I will fight the feeling that I’ve not spent it well. Heart rending is better suited to the late night, even now, than to the early morning one.
God’s invitation to us in all of our even nows is to return, and the prophet assumes this return requires contrition. We live so much of our days and months and years moving away from God. Most of that movement doesn’t feel like a conscious departure, like we’re trying to get away from or ignore God, but rather like we’re going after other things that we hope will assure us of our security and our worth. Our pursuit of success and acceptance and relevance requires us, we think, to check God at the door, confident that God will still be there whenever we remember to go back again. And so we put God out of mind while we live our “real” life.
God will still be there in all of our even nows. Our returning and remembering and recommitting will always be good for us, and it will be best when it is free of shame and self-abnegation. Shame puts our focus on us, when it’s clear to me from this passage that the object of our return should be God, who abounds in love for us.
Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing you have made
and forgive the sins of all who are penitent:
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts,
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(From the 1979 Book of Common Prayer)
Reflection written by Rocky Supinger, Senior Associate Pastor
Reflection © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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