Sermon online 2026-06-07 What God Desires

by Rev. Mark Caggiano, 6/7/2026

Hosea 5:15-6:6; Matthew 9:9-13

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

In the Book of Hosea, we are hearing something new. New in the scheme of the Bible because obviously this was written long ago. God wants steadfast love, not sacrifices. God wants the knowledge of God, not burnt offerings. God does not want the things that have been offered for centuries. God wants something else, something new.

Steadfast love, meaning the steady and consistent love of God. “Knowledge of God” is an odd phrase, but it means essentially the same thing as steadfast love. To know God is to accept what God is asking of us and to know God is to love God.

The reading from the Gospel follows a similar theme, but it is set in the context of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus was born centuries after Hosea, so these lessons are not new. But they were clearly not followed. Why not? Because actual sacrifices made at the Temple remain the central expectation of religious life.