23rd March 2023
Tear-aways
Rend your hearts and not your garments.
Joel: 2:13 (NIV)
The header scripture comes from a section where God is calling the nation of Israel to repentance. But it is often read in churches at this time of year, as we approach the commemoration of the death of Jesus.
Rent garments were quite the fashion a few years back when young shoppers of fashion spent many pounds on jeans with holes. In fact, some had so many rips and holes that they may have been more costly than the material in the garment.
However, in the Old Testament times rent clothing was not a fashion statement but a very expensive and dramatic emotional response of mourning, sorrow, anger or shock. Clothes were not mass produced as ours are today. The vast wardrobes of clothing we have – with or without holes – would astonish our ancestors. Clothing was costly and valuable. When Joseph revealed who he was to his brothers and sent them back to collect Jacob, he gave them all a present of clothing, and to Benjamin he gave 300 shekels and five new outfits. (Genesis 45:22). So the habit of ripping up garments was not cheap, especially at the high end of the market.
But God is clearly not bothered about how we give vent to our emotions and he certainly doesn’t want empty gestures. It’s what generates our response to him that matters. It is a matter of the heart.
It’s interesting to see how the verse in Joel continues: ‘Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.’ (Joel 2:13).
That’s the heart of our God. And he has given us a heart to respond to him. There are times we look into our hearts and find something we don’t like and it’s time to get rid of it. It may seem to us to be a costly experience. However, it won’t leave a hole like those fashionable jeans – or some of our socks. It will be filled by the Spirit as we are transformed and renewed, as we become conformed to the image of Christ – the Lord of our heart, the One who loves us and gave his life for us.
Prayer
Father, may we have the courage to look into our hearts and desire to cut out everything that is contrary to being your children in Christ. Amen.
Study by Hilary Buck
About the writer:
Hilary Buck is a minister and pastors the Lewes congregation of Grace Communion International.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion in Lewes
The House of Friendship
208 High Street
Lewes
BN7 2NS
Meeting time:
Sunday 11:00 am
Local congregational contact:
Hilary Buck
Email: lewes@gracecom.church
Like us on www.facebook.com/GCLewes
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church