"Return to Me" Says the Lord

God Loves Us
God's Pervasive and Sustaining Love

God's Love for Nineveh

Zechariah 1:1-6 The Message

1 1-4 In the eighth month of the second year in the reign of Darius, God’s Message came to the prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: “God was very angry with your ancestors. So give to the people this Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: ‘Come back to me and I’ll come back to you. Don’t be like your parents. The old-time prophets called out to them, “A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: Leave your evil life. Quit your evil practices.” But they ignored everything I said to them, stubbornly refused to listen.’
5-6 “And where are your ancestors now? Dead and buried. And the prophets who preached to them? Also dead and buried. But the Message that my servants the prophets spoke, that isn’t dead and buried. That Message did its work on your ancestors, did it not? It woke them up and they came back, saying, ‘He did what he said he would do, sure enough. We didn’t get by with a thing.’”

For Reflection

God's anger does not turn to revenge, nor does it result in vengeance. God's anger is tied up in God's suffering. When God's human creation turns away from God, God laments, God grieves for God's lost sheep. God honors the freedom of God's people to choose and they suffer the pain of their choices. God responds with a plea for reconciliation and accepts Gods people, without question, without conditions, those who choose to return to the household of God.  God is driven by God's unconditional love of God's creation.

Pray

Pray that all those who have turned their backs on God recognize the results of their action and return to God.  Pray that those who are frustrated with the quality of their lives respond to the joy in your witness to the love of God.