Prayer of the Day
Almighty and everlasting God, ruler of heaen and earth: Hear our prayer and give us your peace now and forever; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Hosea 2:14-20
{14} Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. {15} From there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. {16} On that day, says the LORD, you will call me, "My husband," and no longer will you call me, "My Baal." {17} For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be mentioned by name no more. {18} I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. {19} And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. {20} I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD.

    It is difficult to grasp the meaning of this passage of Hosea without looking at the context. Hosea is married to Gomer (1:3) who either was or became a harlot (1:1). This improbable marriage is a metaphor for the relationship between Yahweh and his people. Yahweh accuses his "wife" of adultery and threatens both her and her children with destruction (2:2-13). Then Yahweh seems to have a change of heart and determines to reconcile her with himself (14-15).
14. the wilderness: "‘Wilderness’ is more than a place; it is a time and stiuation in which the pristine relation between God and people was untarnished and Israel depended utterly on Yahweh (cf. 13.4f.)…. It represents a point of new beginning (cf. Jer. 2.1-3). In the wilderness Yahweh will ‘make love’ to Israel; the expression is literally ‘speak to her heart’, and we can feel its proper context in the speech of courtship by looking at is use in the talk of a man to a woman whose love he seeks (Gen. 34.3; Ruth 2.13; Judg. 19.3). Measured against Yahwism’s studied aversion for speaking of God in any sexual terms, the picture is astonishing…. It is in this daring kind of protrayal that the passion of God becomes visible—a a passion that does not hesitate at any condescension or hold back from any act for the sake of the beloved elect." [1]
15. Valley of Achor: A valley at the north end of the Sea of Galilee through which the Israelites entered into Palestine at the end of the Exodus. As Israel once entered the Promised Land, so the reconciled Israel will again enter Yahweh’s land of promise. Literally, Valley of Trouble. The Valley of Trouble will become a "door of hope."
16. Baal: "Lord," "owner." "The husband is ‘owner’ of his wife, and therefore b‛l also means ‘husband’ (e.g.in….Gen. 20:3; 21:3, 22; Dt. 22:22; 24:4; etc.)." The Canaanite god of fertility and growth was also called "Baal," "Lord." Many of the people of Israel, hoping to succeed in farming paid homage to Baal. The cult of Baal involved sexual acts in imitation of the hoped for fertilty of the crops and animals. The worship of Baal was condemned by the prophets as a violation of the commandment to have "no other gods." [2]
"In the time of renewal Israel will neither confuse Yahweh with Baal nor turn to the deities of Canaan." [3]
18: "Around the reconciled people, Yahweh will create an environment of peace, the manifestation of his blessing…. The creation of peace affects two spheres. First, Yahweh will make a covenant with all living creatures for the sake of Israel…. Second, Yahweh will eliminate all threat and harm of war so that Israel can live in her land in confidence." [4]
19. forever…in righteousness…in justice…in steadfast love…in mercy…in faithfulness. The language of betrothal is traditional marriage language; "in righteousness," and so on should be "with," and describes the terms of the bride price. See 2 Samuel 3:14.
Yahweh espouses Israel using terms that reflect the Mosaic covenant, righteousness, justice, steadfast love, mercy, faithfulness. But the nature of the covenant has changed. Yahweh alone guarantees its stability.
you shall know the Lord: "To know" is one of the terms for the sexual act. To know God is to be in a true relationship with him. See John 17:3. Knowing God and Christ is eternal life.

Psalm 103:1-13, 22
{1} Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. {2} Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits-- {3} who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, {4} who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, {5} who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. {6} The LORD works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. {7} He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. {8} The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. {9} He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. {10} He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. {11} For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; {12} as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. {13} As a father has compassion for his children, so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him…. {22} Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul.

1-2. Bless the Lord: Blessing in this context is praising and honoring Yahweh for his benefits, some of which the singer ennumerates in the next verses.
O my soul: The singer blesses Yahweh with his whole being.
3-5: The singer’s situation is described. He has been forgiven all his/her sins, redeemed and renewed, crowned with steadfast love, and satisfied with good.
8-9. The Lord is merciful and gracious…: Cf. Exodus 34:6; also Psalms 86:15; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Nehemiah 9:17; James 5:11).
10: "Yahweh’s mercy is revealed above all in its extent and depth by this, that failures are not punished. The incomprehensible extent of this act of goodness is emphasized in v. 11, while 12 describes the absolute separation of the guilt ‘from us’…. These statements about goodness and forgiveness rise to their culmination in the image chosen in v. 13, where the tertium comparationes is the mericful love of the father." [5]

2 Corinthians 3:1-6
{1} Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? {2} You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; {3} and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. {4} Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. {5} Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, {6} who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

1. to commend ourselves: Paul has said some pretentious things about himself. For example, "we are the aroma of Christ to God."
2. You…are our letter: The Corinthians need no testimonial from others, for they are, themselves, Paul’s testimonial to the world.
3. tablets of human hearts: The image was used in Jeremiah 31:33. As the Corinthians are Paul’s testimonial, so they are also witnesses to Christ.
4-5. Not that we are competent: A reference to the last clause of 2:16, "Who is sufficient for these things," that is, to proclaim the Gospel. The word "sufficient" in 2:16 and "competent" in 3:5-6" are both translations of the same Greek word, which means to be adequate or capable.
ministers of a new covenant: Again a reference to Jeremiah 31. "…it was not a sign of a renovated Judaism but of a new chapter in God’s dealing with humankind." [6]
letter…spirit: "The axiom looks like a piece of traditional teaching, introduced to round off the discussion on Paul’s efficacious ministry: the latter imparts life to the responsive hearers (going back to 2:15, and so forming a kind of includio or an envelope framework in which the ending matches the opening. The unbelieving reaction, which leads to death, is what is meant by the gra/mma [gramma, "word"] killing those who stay with it—and so refuse to move on into the era of the new age. The death is the ‘eschatological sentence’ that awaits those who remain in the old eon 4:4)." [7] The "word" is a limited understanding of God’s promises and expectations.

Mark 2:13-22
{13} Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. {14} As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. {15} And as he sat at dinner in Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples--for there were many who followed him. {16} When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" {17} When Jesus heard this, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." {18} Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" {19} Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. {20} The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. {21} "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. {22} And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."

14. Levi son of Alphaeus "Levi" in Luke 5:27. In Mark 3:18, James the son of Alphaeus is included in the list of disciples, and in the present passage James is also read by a variety of manuscripts. Matthew identifies the individual as "a man called Matthew" (Matthew 9:9).
16. the scribes of the Pharisees: These are scribes who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. A similar phrase appears in Acts 23:9 describing those who spoke in support of Paul in the Temple.
Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? The question is not, does he eat. It is an accusation of impurity contracted by association with unclean people.
17. Those who are well…: "The proverb about the physician and the sick was used by the Cynics and by representatives of other philosophical schools, but the comparison is so natural that there is no need to suggest borrowing." [8] Jesus identifies the "well" as the righteous and the "sick" with sinners. There is a flavor of cynicism about Jesus’ response. "Jesus has not come to call men like the scribes, who think themselves righteous, but sinners." [9]
18. the disciples of the Pharisees: This phrase is not used elsewhere. Some Pharisees may have been teachers, but the Pharisees as a party were not, and so would not have disciples. Still, there were "scribes of the Pharisees;" perhaps they may have had disciples.
19. The wedding guests cannot fast…: Jesus response may imply a claim by Jesus to be the Messianic bridegroom. In any case, the situation has changed from that in which John operated.
20. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day: This is in antithetic parallelism with the last half of verse 19. It alludes to the response of the disciples to the crucifixion.
21-22: These sayings point to the qualitative difference between the teachings of Jesus the capacity of contemporary teachers. And that qualitative difference remains. Human wisdom is still not capable to containing the power of the Gospel. Paul puts it this way: "For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25).

Reflection
   No permanent relationship between God and his people can depend on the performance of the people. That is clear from Hosea. Only God can guarantee the permanency of the covenant, for only God is dependable. The psalmist sings of the benefits of the Lord, that he removes our sins from us and does not deal with us according to our sins. Christ’s impact on our lives and our selves is not superficial. He is written in our hearts, our very being, so that we are reflections of his nature. Christ’s nature is reflected in his relationships with the outcast. In Christ, God is doing something new, but also something very old. He shows his love for his people, but accepting them as they are, and making them holy by his own actions.

Hymns [10]
With One Voice (e.g. 762v), Hymnal Supplement 1991 (e.g. 725s) and LBW (e.g. 32).
E=Entrance; D=Hymn of the Day; I=First Lesson, P=Psalm; II=Second Lesson; G=Gospel

Prayers of the People [11]
   Gracious and compassionate God, we praise and thank you that Jesus has come to be our great physician. We are sinners and deserve not your compassion; yet at your hand, in the name of Jesus, we receive compassion. Enable us this day and this week to live with thankful hearts and lives that praise your name. God of surprising light, C. heal us.
    Make us messengers of your love; make us vehicles of your care. Enable us to love out of plain and simple thanksgiving for your love. Give us courage to reach out to others and clarity about the gifts we each bring. Enlighten the working groups of our church as they meet in Winnipeg next weekend; and in order that they might serve you better, give them diligence about their task. God of surprising light, C. heal us.

Presider or deacon
Let us offer prayers to the living God, whose Spirit gives life.
Deacon or other leader
For the people of God in every place.
For all nations, their leaders and citzens,
For all who are oppressed, afflicted, or in need, and for those who work for a just distribution of food.
For married couples every, and for all those in covenants of love.
For the sick and homebound of our community, and for those who visit and care for them.
For all of us gathered at the wedding banquet of the Lamb, and for those who have died.
Presider
God, our Lord and bridegroom, who gives us the new wine of an everlasting marriage feast, hear the prayers we offer you this day and take us to yourself in righteousness and justice; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Notes
[1] James Luther Mays, Hosea: A Commentary. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1969, pp. 44-45.
[2] G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren (eds.), Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Vol. II, 1975, p. 182.
[3] Mays, Ibid., p. 47.
[4] Ibid., p. 49.
[5] Hans-Joachim Kraus, Psalms 60-150: A Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1989, p. 292.
[6] Ralph P. Martin, 2 Corinthians. Waco, Texas: Word Books, Publishers, 1986, p. 54.
[7] Ibid., pp. 54-55.
[8] Vincent Taylor, The Gospel according to St. Mark. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1955, p. 207.
[9] Loc. Cit.
[10] http://www.worship.ca/text/wpch0203.txt
[11] http://www.worship.ca/text/pray_b1.txt
[12] http://members.cox.net/oplater/prayer.htm