The Hound of Heaven
Good Morning Friends,
After the fall in the garden God sought ought Adam and Eve. After the Resurrection Jesus sought out the disciples in their doubts and fears and chased them down to share grace and mercy. The experience reminds me of a poem:
Up I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,
[down] From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat — and a voice beat
More instant than the Feet —
“All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”
So begins Francis Thompson in “The Hound of Heaven.”
Scripture: Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15.1-10 (NRSV)
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “As in my anger I swore, ‘They shall not enter my rest,'” though his works were finished at the foundation of the world. For in one place it speaks about the seventh day as follows, “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this place it says, “They shall not enter my rest.” Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he sets a certain day—”today” —saying through David much later, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later about another day. So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.
Hebrews 4:1-12 (NRSV)
Message: The Hound of Heaven is a religious poem written by English poet Francis Thompson. It talks about how God’s grace pursues us until “the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him.” Great sermons have been preached with the theme of Thompson’s poem. It is one of the most moving poems ever penned and reminds me of Psalm 23 and sheep-dogs and Jonah’s God avoidance story. The beauty of the poem and our stories is the reality of God’s love for us in Jesus acting like a hound-dog and a sheep-dog, intense and focused as he purposely pursues the hunt. But the poem also reminds me of today’s two parables from Luke, as well as the passage from Hebrews about rest. Francis Thomas wrote the poem autobiographically, at the end of a life spent running from God. He was desirous of rest. Friends, a person becomes a Christian when they admit that they have failed the trial and when they accept Jesus’ record instead of their own. Only then can they truly enter God’s rest. The poem is pretty straightforward, but there are portions that are somewhat hard to understand when you first hear it so I have included a link of Richard Burton reading the poem that might help. For Richard Burton was, I think hounded as well. Here is the link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gToj6SLWz8Q
And or you can read the attached on this Second Sunday of Easter.
Pray God remind us that on our own we fail to measure up. Pray that goodness and mercy follow us like dogs. Pray we know the unrelenting love of Jesus. Pray when we go astray we hear his feet beating after us. Pray God’s sheep-dogs remind us that the best place to be is in God’s flock. Pray when we look at false trails, that God’s dogs remind us how our shepherd restored our soul; how our shepherd leads us beside still waters and green pastures. Pray we encounter God’s purpose after Easter. Pray we experience the joy of being found. Pray we are hounded until we finally experience the peace and grace… the mercy of rest that God offers. Pray this day we listen. Pray this day we share our faith. Pray this day we build meaningful relationships and meet felt needs. Pray we get a chance to process, debrief and respond to what it was that has happened in our life that requires God to act in love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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