Dear Lovelies,
When I think of February, I think in pink and red, I think of love. Not sure what to write this month, I did some research on St. Valentine, the holiday and the saint(s). I wasn’t overly intrigued. I began thinking about couples, Biblical couples. Who has the best love story? After some deliberation, I settled on one of my favorites: Hosea and Gomer. Hosea is a prophet in the Old Testament who is told by the Lord to, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom.” (Hosea 1:2) So, Hosea goes and marries Gomer and has three children with her, though it’s possible the third one may not be Hosea’s. Gomer then leaves Hosea to have affairs with other men, eventually even selling herself. Seems like a Hallmark movie waiting to happen, right?
Hosea then goes and finds Gomer, and instead of divorcing her or stoning her, as would be his right at the time, he buys her out of slavery. He redeems her and takes her back. I look at this story and imagine a man who loves a woman, a woman who makes some big mistakes, and instead of giving up on her, he continues to love her and forgive her.
Now, here’s the best part: this story is a metaphor describing God’s love for God’s people. God loves us, and even when we make BIG mistakes, God doesn’t give up on us. God continues to love us and forgive us. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16
A love story.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Traci Billman, Director of Christian Education
Last modified: February 23, 2025