This morning I was reflecting on Matthew 9:13 and 12:7 and Hosea 6:6, where God says, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” There is so much wrapped up in that small but powerful statement. God gives mercy to us as a gift. It’s up to us to unwrap that gift. And as I take off layer after layer, and open box after box, I am handed more and more truth about what is meant by this statement, by this gift, given to me by a God who wants to be known, who wants to be loved, and who wants to love without restraint. Here are the layers I’m discovering as I untie the bows, cut the ribbons, tear off the paper, and open the boxes:
I desire mercy and not sacrifices.
I desire a steadfast love, not more religion.
I desire a love that lasts, not church attendance.
I desire acts of mercy, not pious morality.
I desire to be known by you, not your feeble attempts to please me.
I desire for you to look in the face of suffering, not turn your back on the weak.
I desire for you to be out on the streets, not stuck behind the walls of a building.
I desire relationship, not more prayer meetings.
I desire a warm invitation extended to the outsider, not a coddling sermon for the insider.
I desire a flexible heart, not an inflexible ritual.
Relationship…mercy…love…these are the words that keep running through my mind and knocking at the door of my heart. And I’m trying to let them in. I’ve opened the door a crack. May I learn to open it wide and let them swarm in and overtake my life and my will and my ways.
“Mercy is God’s innermost being turned outward to sustain the visible and created world in unbreakable love.” (Cynthia Bourgeault) God extends that mercy to us, and God invites us to extend it to those around us. That is what life should be about.
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