The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the hard for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.” Leviticus 16:1-3

Intro: For the last month I’ve been your tour guide through Leviticus

Today we will finish our tour with a quick trip to the end of the book
– since we’ll be moving fast, we won’t have time to spend on many details
• if this were a careful study, you would have lots of questions
◦ some of today’s most controversial issues rise from these chapters
• but we haven’t ventured into Leviticus to resolve controversies
– what we will be looking at this morning is:
• how all aspects of Israel’s life were oriented to God
◦ God’s house, God’s people, God’s priests, God’s appointments, and God’s exclusivity

These final chapters are arranged in a simple pattern:
– two – three – two – three – two
• two chapters are connected by a similar theme
• then three chapters, in which the outside two are connected by a theme, and so on

In chapters 16-17, the theme is “covering”

Mary Douglas reminds us of what we have learned to this point, “The chapters about physical impurity of humans who had to be cleansed by atonement were arranged to present the body in a series of covers, the covering of the skin, the garment covering the skin, the house covering both.”
– God’s sacred tent was also a covering
• and the place where covering was provided for his people
◦ the Hebrew root for “atonement” is cover – to remove from sight
◦ essentially, impurities that were covered no longer existed
• everything in the sacred tent had to be atoned
◦ they also had to be covered literally
◦ otherwise, they could not be transported by the Levites (Nu. 4:5-15)
– chapter 16 begins with Aaron entering the most holy place
• the lid on the ark of the covenant is referred to as the “mercy seat”
◦ but that is not at all what the Hebrew word means
◦ it has been translated more literally as the “atonement cover”
• the entire sacred tent and everything in it had to be atoned
Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. (Lev. 16:16)
He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly (Lev. 16:33)

This was done on one day of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement
– it was a laborious, elaborate and detailed ritual
– there are two interesting features of the ritual:
• first, Aaron had to obscure his vision in the holiest place
And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die (Lev. 16:12-13)
• second, two goats were selected to make atonement
◦ one was killed as a sin offering
◦ the other, a “scapegoat,” was spared
And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness (Lev. 16:21-22)

Chapter 17 moves from the holiest place to the entrance of God’s tent
– every animal slaughtered for food was considered an offering to God
• it had to be brought to the entrance of the temple
◦ dedicating an animal to God was similar to giving thanks over a meal
◦ the person failed to do this was stained with “bloodguilt”
• this rule changed what they had been doing
So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore (Lev. 17:7)
– they knew life was sacred, so they made taking an animal’s life an offering (to pacify any spirits that could be lurking about)
• the Old Testament is almost blatant in its suppression of references to demons (unlike the New Testament, where exorcisms are not uncommon)
◦ God intended to fill Israel’s world with himself
◦ Israel was not to fear any other supernatural powers
• it is significant that God refers to their practice with the word whore
◦ it is not only wrong, but an act of unfaithfulness
◦ Yahweh was their only divine husband and lover

Another indication of the sacredness of life – not to eat blood
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life (Lev. 17:11)
– I think this is an important verse
• it is not biology – it is something else
• nephesh (soul) occurs three times: translated life, souls, and again life
◦ in the body, blood is its life (nephesh)
◦ on the altar, blood atones for the soul (nephesh)

In chapters 18-20, the theme is “un-covering”

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD (Lev. 18:1-5)

God separated Israel from what was behind them and before them
– both in geographical space and in time
• they had their own identity as God’s people
• they were not to be defined by the cultures and practices of other nations
None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD (Lev. 18:6)
– this chapter addresses sexual deviation
(chapter 20 addresses the consequences of such deviation)
• it assumes the audience is heterosexual
• therefore, the sexual acts it describes are either:
◦ for the gratification and pleasure derived from it,
◦ participation in a cult–for example, in fertility rites
◦ or with some other intent–for instance, to degrade an enemy
(the Bible does not address homosexual orientation, but sexual practices in which heterosexuals who engage in same sex acts face the same punishment as adulterers)
– an interesting facet of these prohibitions:
• we’ve already seen biblical characters engage in these acts
◦ Ham – saw the nakedness of his father (who was uncovered)
◦ Reuben – slept with his father’s concubine
◦ Judah – slept with his daughter-in-law
◦ Jacob – slept with his wife’s sister
• God warned them that human sin pollutes the environment
◦ eventually the damaged land ejects its human inhabitants (Lev. 18:24-30 & 20:22-25)

Mary Douglas traces Leviticus back to Adam and Eve
– Adam and Eve, before eating the forbidden fruit were naked and unashamed, but afterward they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths (Gen. 2:28 & 3:1-7)
• they tried to hide from God, but could not avoid the confrontation
• the disobedience of the man and woman resulted in curses
◦ but that is not the end of the episode
And the LORD God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and clothed them (Gen. 3:24)
Douglas asks, “And why did the story end with God making garments of skins for them to wear?”
Her answer, “Realizing that Adam and Eve, naked outside the garden, would be vulnerable, God replaced their fig-leaf covering with more serviceable garments. . . . He clothed them to protect them from the thorns and thistles.”
– from the beginning, God had his people covered
• and it has always been for their purity and protection
• this is the message we hear in the Gospels and in Paul’s letters
◦ when faced with our imperfections,
◦ Jesus tells us, “I’ve got you covered”

Between the two chapters of un-covering, chapter 19 begins,
You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy (v. 1)
– God shares his unique nature with his people
• living in God places them in a unique category also
◦ the purity code has to do with distinct categories of things
◦ those categories were not to be confused or mixed
You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material (Lev. 19:19)
• Israel belonged to their God and to no one else
– coupled with holiness, there is also an emphasis on love in chapter 19
• kindness for the poor and sojourner
◦ v. 18, love your neighbor as yourself
◦ v. 34, love [the stranger] as yourself

In chapters 21-22, the theme is “consecration” (of the priests)
The emphasis on their holiness is more intense

In chapters 23-25, the theme is the “calendar”

Time can be structured to reinforce, renew, re-energize a relationship with God
– yesterday was that rare 29th day in February – leap year
• a small adjustment in our calendar,
◦ but necessary to make the numbers fit with the seasons
◦ it’s about keeping everything in its place
• sanctifying time (God made Sabbath holy)
– some of the feasts were solemn, others were celebrated with rejoicing

In chapters 26-27, the theme is “covenant”

“Covenant” occurs once in chapter 2 and chapter 24
– but covenant occurs six times in chapter 26
• a covenant could be like a contract or a peace treaty between nations
◦ but God’s covenant with Israel was more like a marriage
◦ it is held together by love and devotion, not law or fear
– the heart of the covenant is the relation established between God and his people
• the following formula is found throughout the Old Testament:
And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people (Lev. 16:12)
• in chapter 25:1, 26:46, and 27:34, we read:
The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai
◦ previously God spoke to him from the tent of meeting (Lev. 1:1)
◦ Mount Sinai was the altar where God and Israel made their covenant vows (Deut. 4:9-14, 22)
– appropriately, Leviticus closes with instructions regarding vows and the importance of keeping them

Conclusion: So we come to my last question regarding Leviticus

What is different if we read Leviticus as:
– a moral and ethical code?
• it is possible that it would cause us to be self-righteous
– a legal document?
• perhaps we would just do the bare minimum
• at the same time, it could cause us to become judgmental
– a clinical guide?
• what comes to mind is that it would produce a community of germaphobes
– a relational revelation?
• I think that then we would see how Jesus fulfills the law (Mt. 5:17)
• it is in the life of Jesus that we discover
God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16)

It will be the further revelations
of this marvelous person
that will to hold us spell-bound
as we make our way through the book of Hebrews
I think we will find it to affect us
much the way Darcey Steinke
describes John’s story of Jesus
in her introduction to The Gospel According to John
(published by Grove Press)

There she writes, “Mystery in John is evoked on two levels: the fact that Jesus may actually be a messenger sent by the creator and, more mundanely but no less fascinating, the mysteries intrinsic in the intricacies of Jesus’ own character. The evocation of the latter is the real strength of John. John’s voice is intimate and urgent. He tells us the story of his crazy fanatical friend, but . . . unlike any of the sacred human narratives that relay details of pain, death, and violence, John’s story claims to contain particles of divinity. That’s the message which vaults his account over all other biographies; Jesus was a fenestral opening, a direct communique’ from God. John’s narrative affects us viscerally because Jesus’ effect on him was so devastating and sublime that all these centuries later, through his unshored and hyperbolic prose, we can still get a contact high.”

Podcast

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. And on the eight day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. Leviticus 12:1-4

Intro: Years ago, I was asked to speak to a large church in Europe

Afterward, the pastor and his associate invited me to lunch
– on our way to restaurant they cleaned hands with disinfectant wipes
• probably a wise and healthy thing to do, after shaking so many hands
◦ but it seemed wrong to me
• it felt like they were wiping off the contact they had with ordinary people
◦ that was exactly the behavior of Pharisees in Jesus’ time
◦ and it had evolved from purity laws like those in Leviticus
– we don’t derive the same value from this part of scripture as the original readers
• the nations around them were haunted by sinister forces
◦ they had all sorts of amulets, charms and spells for protection
◦ even today a popular talisman in the middle east is the “the evil eye” symbol
• Israel’s purity code was Israel’s protection from bad juju
◦ although their worldview was significantly different from ours,
◦ these rules still have something to say to us

Chapters 12-15 continue last week’s theme of ritual contamination

Their dietary restrictions divided clean from unclean animals
– some foods entering entered the body would make it impure
• impurities interfered with their connection to God
◦ these impurities were not moral or physical, but quasi-spiritual
◦ God’s holiness was a barrier that could not be violated
Mary Douglas observed that the purity rules offered them protection from “the dangers of impurity in the approach to the tabernacle, the danger that holiness will break forth and destroy or that impurity will break in and contaminate.”
• impurity could attach itself to their bodies
◦ in fact, the body continues to be a focus of concern in Leviticus
– both chapters 12 and 15 have to do with fluids that exit the body
• the contents of all four chapters summarized at the end of each section

Chapter 12 deals with impurity caused by chidbirth

There was nothing sinful, wrong, or dirty with childbirth
– but delivery drew thin line between birth and death
• there were ancient beliefs that spirits showed up at childbirth
• both the mother and child were vulnerable
– Leviticus has nothing to say about evil spirits and childbirth
• it shifts concern to God and his holiness
• protection for mother and infant are offered Israel’s worship
◦ that is, there was a period of separation from the sanctuary
◦ then afterward, there was a sacrificial offering for atonement

The sacrifice the mother brought is referred to as a “sin offering”
– Robert Alter says that is misleading, since no sin was committed
• he suggests “offense offering”
◦ the offense was the impurity that occurred naturally
◦ it only a problem if the mother had contact with anything holy
• it’s like the “pig in the parlor” I mentioned last week
◦ there was nothing morally wrong with the mother’s condition
◦ but for a space of time, it would be out of place for her to enter the sanctuary
– and that’s the issue here – blood belongs in the body
• outside the skin, it contaminates the body

Chapters 13-14 deal with impurity caused by leprosy

The first challenge here is that leprosy is not what we usually think
– the way it is used in English refers to Hansen’s Disease
• it is a serious illness and can be fatal if not treated
• what Leviticus describes is a variety of skin conditions
◦ it includes infections resulting from boils and burns
– Leviticus makes the priests experts regarding these ailments
• they would have to examine and diagnose the skin disease
• the protocol for person who proved to be leprous:
◦ they had to wear torn clothes
◦ they could not groom their hair
◦ they had to cover their upper lip with a veil
◦ they had to shout “Unclean, unclean” if anyone approached them
◦ they had to live alone outside the camp

The body’s first layer of protection (or covering) is its skin
– there is a second layer of protection for the body – its clothing
• this can also be infected by “leprosy”–i.e., mold or mildew
– the priest would inspect the garment, then it was washed
• next, there would be a trial period in which it was set aside
◦ afterward, the priest would reexamine it
◦ if the infection had spread then the garment was burned
• eventually it was either spared or burned

Chapter 14 shifts from clothing back to the leper
– it describes the ritual for purifying the leper when “clean”
• the priest would have to go and examine him or her outside camp
• the ritual for purification and atonement involved several sacrifices
◦ one part of the ritual was similar to consecration of priests
◦ blood, then oil, was applied to right ear lobe, thumb of the right hand, and big toe of the right foot
◦ in both instances, for the priest and the leper, holiness was the central concern
the priest was ordained for a sacred position
the leper was purified from an unclean condition
And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for him who is cleansed (v. 31)
– atone means “to cover” — to permanently remove from sight
• after the body’s first layer of covering is clean again,
◦ through the atonement ritual, the body’s purity is re-covered

The last part of chapter 14 brings us to the body’s third layer of covering
– and that is a person’s home – the house can also be infected
• in all three layers–body, clothing, and home–the protocol was same
• the priest would examine, diagnose, quarantine, re-examine, and then pronounce the person, the garment, or the house either clean or unclean
– here are three concentric circles that move outward from the body
• and they keep going, from their houses to God’s dwelling
Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst (Lev. 15:31)
(ch. 16 will address an annual purification of God’s tent)

Chapter 15 returns to bodily fluids

In this case, the fluids have to do with procreation
– Leviticus takes seriously the spiritual energies involved in procreation
• its connection is to the original divine act of creating human life
– it is worth noting, Leviticus has nothing to say about other fluids
• tears, sweat, blood from wound or nose bleed, or eliminating waste
• none of these normal, daily processes require special attention

Conclusion: Remember why we’re trudging through Leviticus

The Book of Hebrews will have something to say about these purifying rituals
– and it will reveal their fundamental inadequacy
– for now, what useful information from Leviticus can we take home?

Jesus had a run-in with some scribes and Pharisees over these rules (Mk. 7:1-23)
– they had over-interpreted them,
• so that they were performing little baptisms all the time
In Mark’s Gospel we read, For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches (Mk. 7:3-4)
• so the Pharisees criticized Jesus’ disciples for eating without washing
◦ but Jesus said they placed their tradition above God’s commandments . . . thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down (Mk. 7:13)
◦ then he reinterpreted the whole idea of purity
There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. . . . For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness (Mk. 7:15 and 21-22)

Few of us pass the “pure in heart” test
– our hope is in the atonement Jesus provides
• that our hearts can be purified again and again
• and at ever deeper levels as we become aware of what lies within

A favorite story of mine comes from Mark chapter 1. A leper came to Jesus, and kneeling on the ground in front of him, said, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Notice he did not say, “If you can, will you please make me clean.” He knew Jesus could do this, but he did not know if Jesus was willing to do it for him. Jesus was moved with compassion for this leper and he did the unthinkable, he reached out and touched his unclean body. “I will,” Jesus told him, “be clean.” It is no different when we come to Jesus with a heart that needs to be clean. His touch and his word sets us right.

Another favorite story is found in Luke chapter 5. There was overwhelmed by what Jesus did for him, and in his boat he also fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Jesus told him not to be afraid, that he would soon be catching men and women in the Lord’s gospel net. But let’s listen to their conversation by putting together what Peter says and how Jesus’ call came to him from the Gospel of Matthew.
Peter: “Depart from me.”
Jesus: “Follow me.”
Peter: “I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Jesus: “I will make you a fisher of men.”

Some Christians are on unending quest to find their Calling
They are either lured by the exotic or heroic
or else they’re terrified by the primitive and bug-infested
But it is here in our everyday world–
at times frustrating, at other times boring–
that Jesus sets us to work
The Lord fits us for service
and this is it
our work is always right here, right now

Podcast

This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground, to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten. Leviticus 11:46-47

Intro: This paragraph summarizes the contents of chapter 11

We will skim through the details of this chapter,
– but first, we want to mark the key words: “to make a distinction”
• our ability to distinguish one thing from another is serious business
◦ in the extreme, it can be difference between life and death
◦ for instance, when picking berries for a pie, it’s best to know which ones are wholesome and which ones are poison
• chapter 11 has to do with making distinctions

A brief outline of the chapter

It may be a mixed blessing that,
– we come to this chapter during a critical stage in the Coronavirus
• we understand why it is important to regard it with serious caution
◦ this chapter is about contamination,
◦ its contagion, prevention, and decontamination
• the nature of contamination in Leviticus was like a virus,
◦ but it was not a virus in the clinical way we understand the term

“Unclean” animals that were not to be eaten:
– first, those that were clean and unclean among land animals (vv. 3-8)
• the criteria for the clean: cloven-footed and chews the cud
• “unclean” applies to any others that did not fit the in first category
– secondly, the clean and unclean water animals (vv. 9-12)
• criteria for clean: everything that has fins and scales
• “unclean” were any others that did not fit the first category
– third, the clean and unclean “things that fly” (vv. 13-10)
• no criteria is given
• instead, what is given is a list of the birds that were taboo
– fourth, insects (vv. 20-23)
• all insects were unclean, with one exception
◦ those that matched the criteria for locusts, grasshoppers and crickets

The carcasses and any remains of dead animals were unclean
– verses 24-28, the carcasses of unclean animals could be touched
• it was only dead animals that transmitted uncleanness
◦ otherwise camels could be ridden and donkeys could pull carts
• the carcasses of clean animals were unclean if they died naturally

Swarming things – that is, those that “crawl” or “proliferate”
– verses 29-32, rodents and reptiles

Instructions for decontamination (vv. 33-45)
– objects: anything made of wood, cloth, hide, or animal hair
• could be cleansed by immersing in water
• earthenware pots and so on, had to be broken
– people: the contamination only lasts until evening
• in some cases, person would have to bathe themselves
• then they would become clean at sundown

The motive behind these dietary and contact instructions
Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy (vv. 44-45)
– their destiny was to belong to God
• to realize that destiny, they had to be like him
• notice that the animals that were acceptable for sacrifice,
◦ were the same that were acceptable for consumption
◦ it was like God’s people shared his diet
Everett Fox, “After ten chapters devoted mainly to [sacrificial] rules, we move from the priestly altar to everyone’s table.”
Mary Douglas, “The animal taken into the body by eating corresponds to that which is offered on the altar by fire; what is disallowed for the one is disallowed for the other; what harms the one harms the other.”

Certain ideas and concepts in this chapter are challenging for us

Why would God create animals he detested?
– short answer: he didn’t
• Gen. 1:20-25 details creation of all these animals and insects
◦ and uses many of the same words: swarm, creeps, proliferates
◦ and in each instance, God saw that it was good
• “detest” does not refer to an attitude or a feeling
◦ it was how animals were to be treated in specific contexts

As far as something placed on God’s altar or their dining room tables, unclean animals were to be considered as grossly out of place. The familiar idiom, “pig in the parlor” captures this idea well. When most every home had a parlor, it was reserved for hosting dignified or important guests. Pigs belonged in muddy pig pens, not the parlor.
Think about it, if you were an animal in Israel, would you rather be in the clean category or unclean? Those in the clean were eligible to be either sacrificed or eaten. Those in the unclean category could not be touched and their carcasses could not be used for anything.
Mary Douglas, “The rule of not touching the corpse makes the skins useless for fur coats or fur blankets, no leather waistcoats or bags, no shoe leather or wine-skins. Their bones and teeth cannot be carved for combs, buttons, containers, dice, jewelry, utensils. Their gut cannot be used for stringed instruments nor their stomachs or bladders for bags, or their sinews for sewing. . . . To be classified unclean ought to be an advantage for the survival of the species.”

The most difficult challenge for us:
– comprehending the terms “clean” and “unclean”
• nothing is said here about the health benefits of this diet
◦ it may be we know something of its benefits today,
◦ but what we know now, was of no value to them then
• we can also cross off the list any thought of hygiene
◦ they knew nothing of bacteria or germs
– Moses never explains the meaning of clean and unclean
• so we must assume his audience understood
◦ it had to do with their worldview
◦ how they understood the natural overlapped with the supernatural
• perhaps it is most helpful if we think of clean and unclean as metaphors
◦ they represent something that is both physical and metaphysical
◦ unclean is a condition of contamination that is contagious
– there is no mention of sacrifice in this chapter
• no sin has been committed
◦ the unclean condition is only a problem if the person has contact with something holy
. . . the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the LORD’s peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people (Lev. 7:20)
• take note:
◦ purification removes something from a person (uncleanness or iniquity)
◦ sanctification adds something to a person (holiness)

Conclusion: Yesterday I spent several hours with a small group of Christian psychiatrists
(No, it wasn’t so they could figure out what’s wrong with me)

We are fortunate to have people like these brilliant men and women in our corner
– the majority of them were young
• maybe half of those present work with children and adolescents
◦ they said many of their clients have no sense of identity
◦ even those who were intelligent and successful
• Leviticus chapter 11 has something to say about this
◦ in verses 44-45, God tells Israel who they are,
that they are his people and they are to be like him
◦ and to help them remember, he establishes boundaries
– that is why I say the primary theme of this chapter is making a distinction
• this message occurs all through Leviticus (see for instance, Lev. 20:24-26)

You cannot know who you are without boundaries
– borders define identity
(our skin, for example, is a border that defines the space our bodies occupy, separating and distinguishing ourselves from others)
• borders indicate clearly who is inside the circle and who is outside
◦ in Israel, a line was drawn between those in covenant with God, and everyone else
• this boundary extended to animal kingdom,
◦ what they presented to God on his altar and consumed themselves
– personal boundaries are mostly invisible
• making them visible is like putting up a fence along a property line
◦ my boundaries remind me where I belong and don’t belong
◦ boundaries remind me who I am
• when God says, You shall not make yourself detestable,
◦ he is reminding Israel of who they are not
◦ if you know who you are, you know your boundaries

People who don’t know who they are tend to travel in one of two directions
1. nowhere, because they have no sense of belonging anywhere or of being safe anywhere
2. everywhere, they are “all over the place” and do anything, because they do not know what’s appropriate to them as unique persons

Making distinctions–separating light from dark, the seas from the dry land–is how God turned the original chaos into an ordered universe (Gen. 1:3-10)
• and it is how he organizes the lives of his people
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33)
• only now, God works from the inside out rather than outside in
◦ not so much by shaping us through rules and restrictions
◦ but by transforming us into the persons he wants us to be
– verse 43, goes beyond the uncleanness of animals — God says,
You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them
• you see, if we do not know who we are,
◦ we do not know what is off limits
• and when we do what is off limits, we defile ourselves
◦ we make ourselves something we’re not suppose to be
◦ we betray ourselves — the true self, made in God’s image

The message that comes to us from Leviticus 11 is this:
know God
know yourself
know your sport
know which team you’re on
and know what position you play
then follow the rules of the game

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread. And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.” Leviticus 8:1-3

Intro: Let me go over again why we are in Leviticus

The gospels tell us the story of Jesus within the frame his own lifetime
– this includes his teaching, deeds, and his crucifixion and resurrection
• the rest of the New Testament reveals the meaning of his earthly life
– Hebrews is different; it reveals Jesus as he is in himself
• this is to say, Jesus’ heavenly life — it’s as if we see him in his glory
◦ as he appeared to the three disciples when he was transfigured
Even though we once [knew] Christ according to the flesh, we know him thus no longer (2 Cor. 5:16)
◦ in this new way of seeing Jesus, we know him in his fullness
• but to understand the Book of Hebrews, we need to know the Old Testament
◦ the one book with which we are the least familiar is Leviticus
◦ yet it plays an important role in Hebrews

Chapters 8-10 tell a story

There are only two stories in Leviticus and we fly through them quickly
– the rest of the book is rules, regulations, procedures, and protocols
Mary Douglas wrote, that when the two stories are “finished no further interpretation is provided. The sequence of laws seems to continue as if there had been no interruption.”
• it’s as if the legal code swallows up the narratives and they disappear
– here, in these chapters, we find a setting, plot, characters, and atmosphere
• the story has a beginning, a middle, and an end
◦ there is also a tense moment of suspense
• but we will soon come to all of that

God’s sanctuary, the tent of meeting, is set up and ready for service

But first it had to be made fit for God – this is no ordinary tent
– it must be made to transcend its status as a material structure
• to become God’s dwelling, it must be made ethereal, holy
• and then it has to be staffed by priests, who were also made holy
– all the people of Israel were invited – now gathered near the entrance
• Moses explained,
This is the thing that the LORD has commanded to be done (v. 5)
◦ but instead of telling them what God commanded, he went to work
• Aaron and his two oldest sons would be the first priests
◦ they had to be bathed
◦ then dressed in the sacred garments, item by item

The next stage of preparation was the anointing
– oil was poured and sprinkled
• first on the tent, its furnishings, and on the altar
• then Aaron was anointed (oil was poured over his head)
◦ this was to “consecrate” or more properly “sanctify”
◦ to make them holy, which means they and the sanctuary belong to
God exclusively
– then sacrifices were made
• the blood was used to purify the altar (smeared on its “horns”)
◦ some was also used to purify and ordain Aaron and his sons
• it was dabbed on the right ear, thumb of the right hand, and big toe of
the right foot
◦ starting at top, with the ear (meaning: to hear and respond)
◦ then the extremities, symbolizing
the sacred work they did with their hands
and their movements at the altar and in the sanctuary
The blood decontaminates and the oil consecrates

The whole time required for the ritual was seven days
– during this time, the priests were sequestered in God’s tent

Chapter 9 begins, “On the eight day”

The ritual of purification continues and moves outward to the whole community
– the ceremony of installation of the tent and the ordination of priests,
• would reach its climax with a big even
“. . . today the LORD will appear to you.” And they brought what Moses commanded in front of the tent of meeting, and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. And Moses said, “This is the thing that the LORD commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.” (Lev. 9:4-6)
• note, all the congregation drew near
◦ this word appears dozens of times in Leviticus
(they drew near, not just to sanctuary or the altar, but to God)
◦ I mention this, because drawing near is a key theme in Hebrews
– after sacrifice had been made for people, Aaron blessed them
• Moses and Aaron entered the sanctuary to complete the ritual
◦ then emerged and together blessed the people again
• that was the moment God revealed his glory
And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burn offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces (Lev. 9:23-24)

As spectacular as this is, I always struggle through these chapters

We have to slog through the death and dismemberment of animals,
– the manipulation of the parts that were burned on the altar,
• and the pouring, smearing and sprinkling of blood here and there
• I ask myself, What relevance does this have for us?
◦ how does it speak God’s answers to our questions?
◦ how does it address our fears and sorrows
◦ how does it help us become better people?
better spouses, parents, neighbors?
– when we come to passages like this, we must change perspectives
• sometimes our perspective is shaped by how the scriptures are relevant to our lives
◦ and other times our perspective is shaped by how the Scripture orient our lives to God so that we are relevant to him
◦ we may have to dig, search, and meditate to find this second perspective, but the answers will be there

I wish the story ended with chapter 9

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'” And Aaron held his peace (Lev. 10:1-3)

The entire process of the previous seven days was meant to draw a line
– it ran between what belonged to God,
• and what belonged to the people and their everyday world
◦ Nadab and Abihu stepped over that boundary
• they brought something outside the realm of holiness into it
– we’re bewildered at the abruptness and severity of God’s action
• warning sings are posted for a reason,
◦ like those around a high voltage substation
◦ if you disregard them, you do not get a second chance
• Nadab and Abihu did not take God’s holiness seriously enough
◦ perhaps it wasn’t clear to them that they were crossing a line

What motivated or inspired them to do this?
– they may have been caught up in excitement of the moment
• eager to jump in and participate
• sometime afterward, God has a conversation with Aaron
And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by Moses.” (Lev. 10:8-11)
◦ this does not mean Aaron’s sons had been drinking
◦ it’s a warning against anything that could blur the lines
– there is a religious enthusiasm that creates illusions
• illusions of deep feelings of love for God or of inspiration
◦ no doubt, what Aaron’s sons felt seemed genuine
◦ but it was wrong to surrender themselves to that feeling
• our emotions can be moved by worship
◦ but we don’t want to mistake our emotions for God’s work in us
◦ so it is, that in the most gruesome part of the story,
its relevance to us becomes obvious

Conclusion: I was going to wrap this up with a word about reverence

That holiness can be terrifying, the sacred can be scary
– this is the reason the Bible uses the word “fear” for reverence
• that feeling awe and distance in worship, is as important as feeling love and closeness to God
– but I think there’s an ending to the story that we’ll find more helpful
• Aaron and his surviving sons were not allowed to mourn
◦ it seems harsh, but the protocol was precise and rigid
• later, Moses learned one of the offerings had been burned up
◦ furious, Moses took to task Aaron’s sons

Aaron was delicate in his response to Moses
And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the LORD have approved?” And when Moses heard that, he approved. (Lev. 10::19-20)
– he tip-toed around the tragedy, not mentioning it by name
• “approve” translates the Hebrew word, yah-tav, “to do well”
◦ Aaron knew God would understand — that he would pardon them for not eating when they did not feel like eating
◦ Moses approved, yah-tav – he took Aaron’s response well
he could see the good in it

God is holy–and God is love
Within the circumference of these two truths,
we know we can trust his faithful integrity
and his unfailing compassion
He accommodates our weaknesses and imperfection
making up for them by his grace
In his love and kindness
God accepts our service, such as it is
He is our loving Father in heaven

Podcast

Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. Genesis 43:11-12

Intro: I’ve dropped us into a random paragraph in a biography

The bit of dialogue I read doesn’t mean anything right now,
– but it will after I bring you up to speed
• the subject of biography is Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham
• his story unfolds as one long and complex road trip
◦ it will eventually bring him before Egyptian Pharaoh
◦ when Jacob was asked his age, he characterizes his life as a journey
The days of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning (Ge. 47:9)
– what drove his journey forward
• is that he was repeatedly running from one person or another

Meeting God in twilight places

When modern anthropologists began studying human cultures,
– they noticed every culture celebrated significant transitions
• birth, death, marriage – seasons of planting and harvest
• these celebrations are referred to as “rites of passage”
◦ phase one: separation (from community or simply one’s old life)
◦ phase two: a transition
◦ phase three: incorporation (re-integration into community or new
life)
– rites of passage mark a transition in both time and space
• in time, Jewish culture celebrates the transition to adulthood
◦ bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah
• in space, special rituals are performed when entering sacred space

The transition between separation and incorporation is often referred to as liminal space
– this is an in-between zone, like the threshold of a door
(“preliminary” is derived from Latin, and means “before the threshold”)
– a gate or doorway is neither inside nor outside, but between both
• a transitional space between two worlds
• Israel was taught to reverence liminal space and time
You shall write [God’s commandments] on the door posts of your house and on your gates (De. 6:9)
◦ in spaces:
Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight
◦ in both time (morning and evening) and space (the tent of meeting)
It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory (Ex. 29:38-43)
– God “sanctified” or “made sacred” these transitional zones
• we do not settle into liminal space, but move through it
• God chooses to meet us in thresholds
◦ and there he prepares us for whatever comes next

These are smooth transitions
– but every terrible thing that happens to us is also a transition
• for a time, we are in limbo
• and after we emerge from it, we have been changed

When I open my Bible, I pause to pray
– I see myself in transition
• between my normal thoughts and God’s sacred word
• I remind myself, this is where God meets me to speak to me

Jacob’s first rite-of-passage: his father’s blessing

Jacob swindled his brother Esau to get it – then he had to run for his life
– emphasis is placed on where Jacob spent first night
came to a certain place – took stone from the place – lay down in the place
• this was just a rest stop, but something big happened
◦ some preachers hype what they say with “Now watch this” when
making what they feel is an important point
◦ but because it’s overused, we become immune to it
• however, our storyteller does something like this in three clipped lines
◦ in Jacob’s dream with the word “behold” (or “look”)
Look, a ladder.
And look, angels.
And look, the LORD (Gen. 28:12-13)
– when Jacob woke up he said,
the LORD is in this place – how awesome is this place – and he called the name of that place Bethel (“the house of God,” Gen. 28:19)
• this was a transition through liminal space
◦ and included an encounter with God

Esau did not bother to chase Jacob, but what came next?

Jacob arrived safely in the home of his mother’s family
– there he met his mother’s brother, Uncle Laban
• their relationship could be described as two tricksters,
◦ each one trying to out maneuver the other
• Jacob ended up having to run from Laban too
◦ but in this instance, Laban did chase him down
– immediately following their confrontation,
Jacob had his next big encounter with God
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim (Ge. 32:1-2)
• this is another transition through liminal space
◦ and another encounter with God

Now Jacob was heading back into Esau’s territory

He had been gone twenty years and didn’t know how Esau would react
– so he sent servants on a reconnaissance mission
• they returned to inform him:
Esau was coming to meet him–with 400 men
• Jacob panicked and began preparing for their encounter
◦ he prays a beautiful prayer of humility and confession
– then there’s a sudden jump to a weird episode
• he’s at a border crossing – the Jabbok River
◦ and suddenly he is wrestling with a stranger, and this goes all night
◦ for some reason, the stranger has to be gone before sunrise
but Jacob holds on and won’t let go without a blessing
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” (Ge. 32:30)
• this is another transition through liminal space
◦ and another encounter with God

Jacob is able to settle near the city of Shechem

At last it seems he will enjoy a life of peace and safety
– but then his daughter is raped by one of the locals,
• her brothers retaliate to defend the family’s honor, but go too far
• so Jacob is forced to take flight again
◦ this time his encounter with God is not as dramatic
◦ he is simply told to return to Bethel

When we catch up to Jacob in chapter 43, he’s settled in Canaan

But he has suffered greatly, because of a son he had spoiled then lost
– Joseph’s older brothers were jealous of him, and he exacerbated their antagonism
• they got rid of him and deceived their father Jacob about his fate
• a dozen years have passed
◦ and a famine has devastated that whole part of the world
◦ but Egypt had been storing up grain and was now selling it
– Jacob sent his sons to buy grain
• they had to haggle with a very powerful Egyptian ruler
(they didn’t recognize that it was their brother, Joseph)
◦ Joseph hid the money they paid for grain in their sacks
◦ to find that their money had been returned did not make them
happy, but terrified them — there was no reason for this
• Jacob’s reaction, All this has come against me
◦ when he’s forced to send his sons back for more grain,
◦ he gave them the instructions I read at beginning of this message
◦ regarding the returned money, he said, Perhaps it was an oversight

It wasn’t an oversight – Joseph returned the money intentionally
– he was taking care of them – saving them from starvation
• and preparing even better things for them
• Joseph realized God’s hand in all of this
◦ but Jacob only saw disaster looming before him
– when Jacob said, Perhaps it was an oversight he was trying to make sense of their situation
• God was with Jacob through whole life – at Bethel God told him,
Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go . . . . For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Ge. 28:15)
• but Jacob wasn’t always aware of God watching out for him
◦ he was left to figure things out on his own – and often got it wrong
◦ yet in spite of his manipulations, God blessed him

Conclusion: My point is that life for Jacob was no easier than it is for us

His choices were no clearer
– even his encounters with God did not give him an advantage
in deciphering his circumstances
• that’s why the transitions forced on him were important
◦ even though each one posed a danger,
◦ they gave him opportunity to reconnect with God
• I think that’s why God called him back to Bethel

Jesus is the ultimate liminal space
– the ultimate place of encounter
between earth and heaven
between the eternal and this present moment
between God and humankind
You will see greater things than these. Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (Jn. 1:51)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17)

If you cannot see where life is taking you, do not panic
You are not alone
Draw a deep breath – hold it
the pause between inhaling and exhaling
is your liminal space
where you can reconnect with God
If you find yourself in transition
whether or not it is something you want
try to recognize the sacredness of this moment
and continue on with God

Podcast

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:5-8
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:25-33
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11

Intro: Can we take moment to think about why we’re here?

What does it mean to say we are Christians?
– we believe that “all this”–oceans, mountains, planets, nebula–
• all of it came from somewhere – from Someone
◦ a Creator infinitely intelligent and infinitely powerful
• yet the Creator is not in the universe like any other created object
– Jesus drops a line here that gives me the chills:
your Father who is in secret (v. 6)
• this Greek word also means “hidden” or “concealed”
As John said, No one has ever seen God (Jn. 1:18)
◦ my frustration is that he is hidden so well,
at times I’m not even sure he even exists
◦ our eyes are only good for seeing in four dimensions
• does that mean God exists in a different universe?
◦ it may only mean he’s in a fuller dimension of the universe we know
◦ and the only way we can know him is if he reveals himself to us

This presents a significant challenge
– if you know the sixties movie, Cool Hand Luke, you might remember the
prison warden’s famous line:
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate”
• communicate: the movement of information between 2 points
◦ there is transmission and reception – a speaker and a hearer
• between those two points is a gap
◦ the goal is to move the message through space so it’s received
◦ success depends on a number of factors:
such as language, culture, education, personal interests, etc.
– if I wanted, I could watch the 6:00 news on a Korean channel
• it wouldn’t do me any good, because I don’t speak Korean
◦ the news is broadcast to me, but it’s not received
◦ the message doesn’t reach across the communication gap
(Christians are in many instances poor communicators, because they use jargon they assume others can understand, but it is like they are speaking a different language)
• if a message isn’t received, there’s no communication
◦ “failure to communicate” occurs when the intended audience does
not receive the message, understand it, or pay attention to it
◦ successful communication is like a bridge across the gap between
sender and receiver

Every bridge requires a solid foundation on both sides of gap
– those sending message must be clear regarding their content
• the message must be adapted to the audience
◦ like when explaining something to a child

Years ago, a friend asked me how he could become more solid in his faith. One of my recommendations was that he read Bible. Then he told me, “Well, that’s a problem; I’m dyslexic.” He wanted to know what God had to say to him in the Scriptures, but he did not have direct access to them. To help bridge that gap, I gave him a recording of the entire Bible that he could listen to while at home or on the road.
Until fairly recent history, the majority of world’s population could not read. If the gospel came to them in print, they could not read it. If it were broadcast to them in a foreign language, they could not understand it.

– cross-cultural communication is a huge challenge
• not only because of language,
◦ but because of the wide range of unfamiliar experiences
• the most effective communication occurs between
people who share same language, culture, background

How does God communicate across the infinite/finite gap?

I’ll explain, but this is why I’m enthralled with the Incarnation
– Job knew he had been treated unfairly,
• but when he thought of arguing his case with God, he said,
For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,
that we should come to trial together.
There is no arbiter between us,
who might lay his hand on us both (Job 9:33)
• I cannot cross the chasm between human and divine
• I cannot be more than what I am – I cannot reach that high
– for centuries, God spoke through nature and inspired prophets
• neither of which gave us the complete message,
◦ or told us everything he wants us to know about himself

So God brought his message to us himself
– he accommodated himself to what we are capable of comprehending
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14)
Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be [held on to], but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant (Php. 2:5-7)
• Job complained that there was no arbiter between him and God
◦ someone who could stand between both at the same time
◦ but Paul said,
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, that man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5)
• Jesus makes the perfect communication bridge,
◦ because he is both human and divine
◦ he knows God and he knows us
– Incarnation means God comes to us in the person of Jesus
• having the nature of God, he brings to us the fullness of God (Col. 2:9)
• having our nature, he knows our situation (Heb. 2:14-18)
◦ he knows us so well, that he can empathize with us
◦ knows us so well, he can communicate with us perfectly

So, what it means to be a Christian is this:
– we believe in God, and
• we believe God has revealed himself to us in Jesus Christ
• so we believe the teaching of Jesus
◦ and we trust the person of Jesus

I’ve dragged you through all this for one reason

Jesus says, . . . your heavenly Father knows (vv. 8 & 32)
– God knows us and our situation — in Jesus, he has lived it
• he takes an interest in us, because we are valuable to him
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows (Mt. 10:29-31)
– for Jesus, God’s existence and concern for us are so sure,
• that his care for birds in the sky and weeds in the fields
are guarantees that he will feed and clothe us as well

Jesus does not flatter us – he does not say,
“You are such awesome disciples!
You’re so discerning and wise!
You have such great faith.”
– no, he says,
O you of little faith – and,
Are you also still without understanding? (Mt. 15:16)
– these were his twelve closest disciples
• but their progress seems painfully slow
◦ and to me, my progress seems even slower
• Jesus is telling them that their Father knows their needs
◦ that they are of great value to him

Conclusion: That is what I am telling you – now

God’s love and concern are not like something you have to earn
– they are not awards you get at graduation
• this is where you begin with God
– you have been loved since before you were born
• you were loved before your first prayer,
◦ before your baptism, before your first Communion
• you were loved before–and after–the worst deed you’ve ever done
◦ you are loved in your brokenness, loneliness, and failures

Your heavenly Father knows
– he is our heavenly Father – not like our earthly “dads”
• we don’t have to bring home a good report card
◦ your Father knows and he cares
• I complain, “God, do You see what’s happening here?
I’m overwhelmed.”
◦ Jesus says, “Your Father knows”
– I don’t even have to pray right
• I don’t have to say the right words or pray for the right things
• I can just pray my heart
◦ pray my fears and anxieties
◦ pray my hopes and desires
Helmut Thielicke says that Jesus did not “indulge in a little romantic nature study by contemplating the birds of the air and their obviously happier existence.”
“. . . the very purpose of this Word is to get down into our cares and our fears; its very intent is to encourage and cheer us by telling us that he who said these words about the lilies and the birds bore in his own body all the pains and fears, all the torments and mortal struggles, not because he wanted to soar above them for a while, but rather because he wanted to be in them as our brother and therefore suffer them with us.”
“. . . I think we must stop and listen when this man, whose life on earth was anything but birdlike and lilylike, points us the carefreeness of the birds and lilies. Were not the somber shadows of the Cross already looming over this hour of the Sermon on the Mount?”

Jesus came to tell us we’re not alone
To tell us, Your heavenly Father knows
He knows you, he knows your needs,
he knows your sadness,
and he knows your soul
Don’t let fear keep you from being person you were meant to be
Look at the birds in the sky,
Consider the blossoms in a field of weeds
You are more valuable and more beautiful to God
than all the birds and blossoms in the world

Podcast

And God spoke all these words, saying,
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:1-6

Intro: Anyone who knows anything about the Bible, has heard of the
Ten Commandments

Israel had been a slave people before God rescued them
– now they were just beginning to know their God
• they needed to know how to order their lives in his sight
• at their work, in their families, in society, and in the world
– above all, they had to know how to live in relationship with God
• so it is this comes first on the list of commandments

To some Jewish and Christian believers,
– it looks like God prohibits any religious art–paintings or sculptures
You shall not make for yourself . . . any likeness of anything that is in heaven . . . earth . . . or water
• that seems to cover every sphere of their known world
• so there are churches with blank walls,
◦ and homes with plaques and platitudes, but no visual art
(words and actions are the only approved forms of communication)
– notice, this second commandment is tagged onto the first
• in fact, for Jewish interprets they are one commandment
◦ Israel’s exclusive devotion to God eliminated idolatry
• the prohibition is twofold:
◦ any material representation of the invisible God
◦ creating any material object of worship
– now this is an important point
• they were not to produce a piece of art as an object of worship
You shall not bow down to them or serve them

The Bible does not exclude sacred art

God instructed Israel to produce specific items of religious art
– Sculpture: You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. (Ex. 25:17-20)
– Visual art: Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. (Ex. 26:1)
(The cherubim were a class of angels whose specific role was to act as guardians of the presence of God—cf. Gen. 3:24. Their representation on what curtained walls of the sanctuary, the entrance to the most holy place, and above the ark of the covenant would be a reminder of their invisible presence. These figures sculpted and woven into the fabric of the sanctuary would certainly qualify as anything that is in heaven above, yet they were not objects of worship.)
– Clothing design: And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother for glory and for beauty (Ex. 28:2)
– this artwork would never be seen by most of the people
• and only one person would ever see the sculptured cherubim
• it was made expressly for God, and that tells us:
◦ first, the direction that worship moves is toward God
◦ second, in worship, art is of the essence (it’s not mere decoration)

One other important idea to note in Exodus
– God gifted specific artisans with specific talents—e.g., Ex. 31:1-5
– I believe that art enhances our spiritual development
• enlarging our narrow concepts of faith, hope and love,
• inspiring us to greater faith, hope and love,
• and giving us means to express our faith, hope and love

Our days are filled with repetitive actions

We make up our beds, do the dishes, take out the trash,
drive to work, make calls, walk the dog, and so on
• and because we did it today, doesn’t mean we don’t have to do it all over again tomorrow
• our days pass by without any new or unique experience
Gary Snyder, “. . . don’t let yourself think these things are distracting you from you more serious pursuits. Such a round of chores is not a set of difficulties we hope to escape from so that we may do our [spiritual] ‘practice’ which will put us on a ‘path’—it is our path.”
– even so, there is a danger we will lose sight of this truth
• that boredom will overtake us and we’ll lose each moment
• that the repetition will become so familiar, so habitual,
◦ that we no longer experience what we do
◦ and that means we will not experience ninety percent of our lives

Most of us find ways to break the monotony
– we take vacations — and we have our weekends
• although we can fall into habitual routines with weekends too
– some people give themselves mini-vacations
• they punctuate their day with refreshing diversions
◦ this requires a certain amount of creativity
• this is an impulse we should nurture

A move toward art can become a mini-vacation

The artist notices something in our normal daily experience,
– something worth observing and studying
• then by reproducing what they’ve seen or felt in the moment,
◦ they help us to see and feel what we had missed

In 1860s Jean-Fracois Millet produced sketches of peasants engaged in the normal activities of life. In his work entitled First Steps, he shows us a small home. Next to it is a fenced garden where we can see vegetables growing low to the ground. A father is there on one knee, but he is not working the soil. His wheel barrow is off to one side and shovel lies next to him. He is stretching out both arms toward his wife. The young mother is bent over, holding up her toddler, who is about to take her first step toward the father.

• what Millet (and later, Van Gogh) remind us of is a lived experience
◦ when for a moment the world stops
◦ and we celebrate our child’s early development
– paintings like this cause us to see our lives differently
• to see our world differently
• the emphasis they place on special or even mundane moments in life,
◦ teach us to recognize and appreciate their hidden depths

Fantasy art—e.g., surrealism—helps us imagine other worlds
– or see what our world would look like if the laws of physics were altered
– art feeds our creative impulse
• “inspired art, inspires art”
• when I see a captivating painting, I want to paint it
◦ when I read a meaningful poem, I want to write a poem
◦ I have a friend who is a musician,
and when he hears a tune he enjoys, he learns to play it
– my scribbles are never as good as what inspired them
• and my poetry rarely rises above, “Roses are red . . .”
◦ but that’s not the point
◦ it’s that I spent time engaging my mind and body
in something different, something good, beautiful and true
• the effect is exhilarating and restful at the same time

The original inspiration of all art is the universe

We refer to it as “all creation”
– not only because it was created
• but because we’re made in image of its Creator,
• and in his image, we feel the urge to create

In 1994, three French cave-explorers discovered an underground vault where paintings of extinct animals were drawn on the walls. Archaeologists estimate the paintings to be 30,000 years old. Now my question is “Why?” Given all the challenges for survival—weather, powerful predators, scarcity of food, and so on—why would these ancient people take the trouble to paint animals? Was the cave a sacred place? A museum? Someone’s living room? The question has to do with humankind’s artistic impulse. What trigger motivates a painter when she sees something and says, “I want to paint that”? Or a poet who says, “I want to describe that”? Or a storyteller who says, “I want to communicate that”? Or a musician who says, “I want to play or sing that”?

– I know that Jesus was an artist
• only an artist could tell a short story as rich and revealing as the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15:11-32)
◦ his parables are an art form
◦ and the way his repartee with Pharisees reveals his creativity

Conclusion: In the Bible, art and worship are bound together

Art in the literature of storytelling
Art in the poetry of prayer in the Psalms
Art in the music that accompanied Israel’s rituals
– and in the “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” of the early church

These artistic expressions bring the breath of God close to us
– they call us to look with eyes that see and hear with ears that hear
– they challenge us to take up brushes and begin to paint
• or a pen and begin writing
• or an instrument and begin playing
• or knitting needles, or kitchen utensils, or hammer and saw

Art is food for the spirit

How about this?
– sometime this week, find a painting
or a piece of music
or a poem
Take a moment to be engrossed by it
◦ feel it — taste it — breathe it
And then share it
Beautify your corner of the world

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ep. 2:10)

Podcast

Intro: One of our neighbors has several fruit trees in their backyard

They also have a grapevine that is not trellised and grows in all directions
– several times a year I have to trim the branches that encroach into our yard
• I cut the small branch pictured above from our neighbor’s vine
• in cutting the branch from the vine, I killed it
– it still has some life in it, but that won’t last long,
• because there is no new life is flowing into it to nourish it
• cut off from the vine it can’t survive and will never produce grapes
Jesus said:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:1-12, 16

This passage seemed fitting at this time
– there are only a couple of days left in this year, and then, 2020
• no one can say what will happen in the next twelve months,
• but we can be sure it will not be boring
– we spent the past four weeks of Advent preparing for Jesus
• now that Christmas has come, and Jesus is here,
◦ let’s use this year to deepen our relationship with him
◦ to love him more, trust him more, and render better service to him and others

I have heard all kinds of stories of how people came to faith in Jesus

No two stories are the same
– you could not build an evangelism strategy that fits the stories
• God has led us each by our own winding road to Jesus
◦ he has given us life – a specific kind of life
◦ that life is constantly flowing into us
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 Jn. 5:11-12)
– if I were to cut myself off from Jesus,
• that life would no longer be flowing into me
◦ that part of me would wither and eventually die
• would I know that it had died?
◦ our would I be religious enough to think to think I was still alive?

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (Heb. 2:1)

This is the most common way that people disconnect
– it’s a gradual process that goes undetected at first
• we don’t notice the distance slowly growing between us and the Lord
• busyness gets in the way and we get caught up in other things
– the gradual drift works the way Jesus described a seed planted among thorns
They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful (Mk. 4:18-19)
• so, like the branch cut from the vine, that life is choked out of us
• we either abide in him or live apart from him
◦ and apart from him, we can do nothing

On occasion, Jesus said things that were mean to wake people up

For example:
The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him (Jn. 4:23)
– “here” can be a location in time and in geographical space
• now/here — time/space — this moment/this place
◦ these words locate his presence with us in this moment
• when we sleep, we are not conscious of time
Anthony de Mellow said, “Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they don’t know it, are asleep. They’re born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence. . . . most people never get to see that all is well because they are asleep.” “Waking up is unpleasant, you know. You are nice and comfortable in bed. It’s irritating to be woken up.”
– listen again to Jesus’ message to the church of Sardis,
I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you (Rev. 3:2-3)
• to be not only alive, but also awake, is to be aware of this present moment
• what is this moment? What does it look like? sound like? feel like?
◦ you have to be alive and awake to know
◦ and you have to abide in Jesus to be alive

We do not want to come to the hour of our death
and only then realize that we have never lived

Death is not the destiny of Jesus’ followers

Life is our destiny
– abundant life – a fruitful life
• Jesus chose and appointed us for this kind of life
• and because this kind of life glorifies and pleases God,
◦ Jesus sponsors us
– what do you need to stay connected to Jesus this year?
• what do you need to be awake, alive and productive?
◦ if you know, ask the Father and he will supply it
◦ if you don’t know, ask the Father and he will show you

To prepare ourselves for the new year

We are going to renew our connection with Jesus – here, now
– Communion is a ritual of re-connection
• it is a worshipful moment of receiving new life
• the life that flows into us from Jesus

Conclusion: Earlier I said most common way people disconnect is gradual

But sometimes people turn and stomp away from God
– years ago I was speaking at a church in Sacramento
• I mentioned a realtor I met while living in Yuba City
◦ he had a grown son who loved God and was in Christian service
• his son was diagnosed with cancer, and many people were praying for his healing
◦ but after several hard months, he lost the battle
◦ the father, angry at God turned his back on religion
he rejected church, prayer, the Bible–anything to do with God
– he lived with this resentment for years
• but one day he bumped into a preacher to whom he told his story
◦ the preacher said,
“You know, God lost a son too. His was also a painful death. And for what? For people like you and me”
• the realtor told me, it was like he woke up in that moment
◦ he let go of his anger and allowed God to share his grief
◦ by the time I met him, he was a devoted man of God

Like I said, I told his story in Sacramento
– afterward a few people wanted to talk with me
• one old man approached me and with a firm grip took my hand
• and for awhile looked down and did not speak
◦ tears puddled in his eyes
◦ then he said,
“I lost my son. He was the Campus Crusade director for this district. Hundreds of people loved him and prayed for him, but he died. Since then, I have hated God–until today.”

It is time for us to come home
from darkness to light
from death to life
It is time to wake up and be here — now
Where Jesus again and again
pours himself into us

Podcast

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphatali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them the light has shown.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forever more.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this Isaiah 9:1-7

Intro: Should we celebrate Christmas?
– irritable Christians who write blogs or post on social media,
• remind us that it’s not likely Jesus was born in December
◦ that the “church” took over a pagan holiday,
◦ and to this day much of the Christmas celebration is still pagan (1)
• if that’s so, should we not celebrate the birth of Jesus?
◦ not return to the old, old narrative of announcements, angels, stable, shepherds, star and magi?
◦ should we, like the Gospels of Mark and John skip over all that?
– God entered our world – that is an event worth celebrating
• we don’t want to forget what our lives were like without him
◦ or that Israel spent long years waiting, looking, hoping
• and what better time to celebrate his first coming
◦ than in the cold, dark days of winter?
◦ at Christmas we reconnect with a sacred moment in time

Advent season is four weeks of preparation
– our attention is focused on the first and second coming of Jesus
• but it’s more than remembering he came once and will come again
• we prepare ourselves for Jesus,
◦ as if he were to return at any time – next week. tomorrow, tonight
◦ or in this present moment

Isaiah 9 is one of the standard texts for first Sunday of Advent

The first word in chapter 9 is a conjunction, “but”
– it joins two ideas, but indicates a difference – a turn
• so what came before this turn?
– at that time, Ahaz was the king of Judah–he was not a good man
• two other nations had allied themselves to invade Judah
• everything Ahaz did to prepare for the invasion was wrong
◦ instead of turning to Israel’s God,
◦ he turned to another nation and its gods
In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel (2 Chr. 28:22-23)

God sent Isaiah to the people of Judah with a message of doom
And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness (Isa. 8:23)
– hearing this, Isaiah’s audience would feel,
• the utter hopelessness of their situation
– this is the point where Isaiah’s message turns
• the gloom does not spread everywhere
◦ and it’s not for all time
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish

Are you familiar with the lands named, Zebulun and Naphtali?

It’s okay if you aren’t–in fact, this is the only place in Isaiah where they are mentioned
– they were two of Israel’s tribes who settled on the northeast border
• we are more familiar with “the Jordan” and “Galilee”
◦ here, Galilee is associated with “the nations”–i.e., Gentiles
• the point is, this region was considered compromised
– these territories were far from the capital city of Samaria
• they were the least likely places to find God at work
• so it is shocking that Isaiah would point to them and say,
◦ “This is where God’s salvation will be revealed first”

If we jump to the New Testament, Zechariah, father of John the Baptist,
– prophesied that John’s mission would be to
go before the Lord to prepare his ways and
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death (Lk 1:76-79)
• and in Matthew, when Jesus began his ministry, he began in Galilee

And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoke by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned (Mt. 4:12-16)

◦ Jesus began his ministry in these most unlikeliest of places
– Isaiah said God was going to turn the fate of his people around
• and he was going to do in their darkest moment and darkest places
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light

In the Hebrew Scriptures, light is associated with glory

A brilliant radiance appeared on Mt. Sinai, over the sacred tent and in the temple
– if you want a visual image, think back to a brilliant sunrise
• this light was how God revealed his immediate presence to them
As soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud (Ex. 16:10)
• this is what Isaiah announced was on its way,
◦ the glory of God’s presence
– it is as if Isaiah could see it happening already
• already he could feel the joy of it – hear the rejoicing (v. 3)
• to be set free is a wonderful feeling
◦ whether we’re liberated from an oppressive situation or from our own small selves — our bad habits and addictions
◦ the joy of salvation is the kind of joy that celebrates

The heart of this hope is verse 6 (we’ll come back to it)

There is a key statement at the end of verse 7
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this
– Israel’s salvation would not result from human ambition or be a human achievement
• God is not neutral when it comes to his people
◦ to talk about his zeal or his jealousy, is to say that he is passionate
• of course, in a unique way, because he is God
◦ but, still, we can understand – he cares – and deeply
◦ and God’s passion is a powerful force
– God makes things happen – the things he wants to happen

Now verse 6, and I want to read this with Jesus in mind

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given
– my dad liked to stress that a child was born, but the Son was given
• the Son, who had been with the Father from eternity, was given to us
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16)
in the previous chapter, a name was given to the child
• in a previous chapter, a name was give to the child born of a virgin
◦ Immanuel (Isa. 7:14), which Matthew translates for us, “God with us” (Mt. 1:22-23)
– and the government will rest on his shoulders
• this was Isaiah’s vision and Israel’s hope
• a new government in which God’s will would be done on earth as in heaven

And then, that blessed list of titles:
Wonderful Counselor – no more wrong turns for the nation
– no more guessing, no more mistakes, or foolish decisions

Mighty God – the power Israel’s Savior wields is unlimited
– this is the might that liberated Israel from Egypt

Everlasting Father – before King Ahaz, Israel had a good king
– Ahaz was not good, but after him King Hezekiah was good
• but after Hezekiah, his son, Manasseh was Judah’s worst king ever
• there was no consistency in the succession of kings from one generation to the next
◦ but with God’s Savior, there would no longer be a a succession of unreliable rulers
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed (Dan. 7:14)
– when we are given the Son, we have the Father also
Jesus said, Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (Jn. 14:9)

Prince of peace – history tells the story of this war-torn planet
– political candidates can promise peace and try to pursue peace,
• but none of them can deliver peace
– Jesus is the “prince” of peace
• he makes the promise and he delivers

Verse 7 combines the last two themes, “everlasting” and “peace”
– his government of peace will continue to spread, expand, and never end
• again, this is something God is passionate about
• his zeal will make it happen
– do not forget, God begins his work in the unlikeliest of places

When Jesus’ ministry got underway, one of his first followers ran to tell his friend Nathanael that he had found the One, whom Moses and the prophets had written about, Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael answered, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn. 1:46). He was expressing the common opinion that northern Israel was less devout and further from the spiritual heart of the nation.
When the Pharisees first tried to arrest Jesus, Nicodemus spoke up in his defense, that they should not condemn him without a fair trial. Their response was, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee” (Jn. 7:52).
God is pleased to shine his light into these dark corners. God’s work begins where his light is most needed and can do the most good–places like my own dark heart.

Conclusion: What is it that shines in the darkness?

In a word: Hope – even a wire-thin ray of hope can keep a life going
– in recent years a lot of people have written books and essays on hope
• most of it is common-sense wisdom
◦ they offer a number of things we can do to ignite hope and keep it alive
◦ they all say the same thing: hope is something we have to crank out for ourselves
• but Christmas is about gift — we are given a hope
◦ or better, we are given a hope
◦ it’s like a life preserver that has been tossed to us
– we do not create hope for ourselves
• what we do is hold on to the hope that is given to us (Heb. 3:6)

The Christmas promise is as lovely and life-changing as ever
But it won’t do us any good unless we personalize it
It is a matter of getting beyond our thoughts,
whether intensely rational or devotional,
and going down deeper than our emotions
It is about being there
in that dark place where the baby is born,
and the strangers adore,
and the light now shines.
For Jesus has shown us a Father who cares
and who has dropped us a ray of hope,
hope that is ours,
hope that can anchor itself in God,
a hope that holds onto us and will never pass away

__________________
(1) Frequently, the Roman Catholic Church is blamed for setting the date for the annual celebration of Christmas. However, in the fourth century, there was no distinction between Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant church (the later two did not yet exist)–there was only one Church and all Christians belonged to it.

Podcast

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:17-21

Intro: When I was twenty years old, I moved to 29 Palms

A group of young married couples wanted a Calvary Chapel there
– so I drove out there to speak at a Christian concert,
• and the next day when the bands went home,
• I stayed behind and we had our first Sunday morning service

While living there, I would drive to a church in Palm Springs on occasion for their Wednesday night Bible study. Sometimes I would also hang out at a Christian coffee shop–The Ark–, where Brother Harold spent a lot of time. Brother Harold was a wonderful, little old man with white hair and a long white beard. He was something of a Christian guru to the young Christians who frequented The Ark. People referred to him as a “walking concordance,” because he knew the Bible so well that he had almost all of it memorized.

Brother Harold sometimes visited the same Bible study I enjoyed. After the night’s teaching, the preacher would take questions. One night a question came up regarding 1 Thessalonians 5:18, . . . in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. The preacher explained, “Notice that it says in all things, not for all things.” Suddenly, Brother Harold blurted out, “In Ephesians 5:20 it does!” Taken back the preacher paused, then, with embarrassed smile, said, “Yes, Brother Harold, but right now I’m talking about 1 Thessalonians. Stay out of Ephesians!”

We have made November “Thanksgiving Month”
– and today we come up against an impossible challenge

Does the Bible say we must give thanks to God for bad things?

There are Christians whose interpretation of this is rigidly literal
– they will tell parents who have lost a child,
• even if it feels wrong or is difficult to do, they must give thanks
• “It’s what the Bible says, so that’s what you must do”
– since this is their belief,
• they have to somehow justify this practice
◦ the authoritarians might say, “God moves in mysterious ways”
◦ the rationalists might say, “Giving thanks changes your perspective”

It is true that, eventually, we have to accept everything that comes
– but do we have to give thanks for everything

There is an upside-down facet to Jesus’ worldview

Blessed are you poor . . . hunger now . . . weep now (Lk. 6:20-23)
You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant (Mk. 10:42-43)
– we do have to learn new attitudes about some things
• Christians are not guaranteed immunity from pain
◦ our trust in God does not exempt us from suffering
◦ but it does teach us to respond to it in a new way
• if we give thanks for things we do not understand,
◦ it creates in our minds room for mystery
◦ mystery is the paper in which gifts are wrapped
when the wrapper is removed, we have the gift
David Steindl-Rast, “Once out of a hundred times we will be challenged to respond fully and gratefully to something which we cannot enjoy. This, too, is given reality; it, too, is gift. Although I cannot enjoy it, will I still be grateful? It all depends on whether or not I have learned to unwrap the gift-within-the gift: opportunity — the real gift — is always opportunity to grow.”
– when Martin Laird addresses hindrances to contemplation,
• he argues that they turn out to be helpful
• like resistance exercises for the spirit,
◦ handling hindrances properly strengthens our contemplation
Distractions: if we meet them “with stillness and not commentary,” they contribute to our training in . . . awareness and stillness”
Boredom: reveals that “our prayer is going deeper than where our thoughts and feelings reach”
Negative emotions: when they come up in contemplation, we can follow them to their roots, where they can be weeded out. “The inner calm that is slowly cultivated by the practice of contemplation encourages and enables us to see right into the mind.”
Intellectual struggles: bring us to mystery – freedom does not come when all our questions are answered, but when we stop allowing our intellect to filter and control what God wants to pour into us
– I was reminded of this last week reading Mark 6:1-6
• when Jesus visited his hometown, his old neighbors asked,
Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. . . . And he could do no might work there . . . . And he marveled at their unbelief
• relying on what they knew about him,
◦ they never guessed there was much that they did not know
• what Jesus could do for them was limited by their unbelief
◦ unfortunately, our rational mind can sometimes get in the way

So, okay, God uses hardship and suffering to work good in us

But does that mean we thank him for everything?
– No! And why not?

First, we draw the line at absurdity
– if our interpretation of scripture suggests a ridiculous response,
• we look for a more accurate interpretation
• otherwise, a lot of Christians would be going around,
◦ with one hand or foot cut off and one eye gouged out (Mk. 9:43-48)
– true, God’s prophets were sometimes told to do some strange thing
• but those actions were meant to grab attention
◦ and to emphasize their message
◦ the fact that their action was strange is what made it work
• but even then, there were limits
◦ Ezekiel told not to grieve the death of his wife
◦ but he was not told to give thanks for it (Eze. 24:16)

Second, if we’re not even to mention certain evil actions,
• how much less are we to give thanks for them in prayer?
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving (not for these things, but instead of them, vv. 3-4)
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret (vv. 11-12)

Third, Because God isn’t responsible for everything that happens
– I imagine thanking God for something terrible,
• and him saying, “Don’t thank Me! I didn’t do this.”
• in Job, Satan challenged God,
Stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face
But God’s answer was, Behold, all that he has is in your hand (Job 1:11-12)
◦ God did not have a hand in the evil that fell on Job
◦ we also learn from Job it is okay to be silent
okay to grieve, okay to be angry, and okay to complain
– are we supposed to give thanks for:
• the sex-slave trade? drug trafficking? child abuse?
• God is not pleased with humans spreading violence on earth (Gen. 6:13)
◦ through Jeremiah, God addressed child-sacrifice
[They offered as sacrifice] their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination (Jer. 32:35)

Fourth, because God’s gifts are good
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (Jas. 1:17)

Conclusion: In Job’s first round of trials, he did not give thanks

However, he did bless God – and that’s different
Fr. Romuald, “Bless God for everything that comes, even painful things”
– it is a way to rise above what comes at us
• we forget that everything matters to God
• our sorrows and suffering, our fears and anxieties
◦ so we are told,
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Pe. 5:7)
– you see, we need to connect everything to God
• I have been with parents who have lost children
◦ you don’t say, “This isn’t bad,” or “This isn’t wrong,” or “This doesn’t hurt”
◦ Jesus’ prayer from cross was not thanksgiving,
My God, my God, why have your forsaken me? (Mt. 27:46)
• Job grieved: he tore clothes, shaved his head, fell on the ground
◦ but he blessed God
◦ because by blessing God we connect the bad thing to him
– we experience a tragedy and we say,
• “O God, I hate this loss. I can’t live with this pain”
◦ but you are connecting it with God
◦ we do this even with our sin
Romuald, “If you cannot connect something with God, then you’re lost”
• you’re stuck with having to deal with it on your own

There is a great irony here
Because we do give thanks for the suffering and death of God’s Son
We give thanks because:
the cross was not a dead end, but an open door
it is the mystery of good defeating evil,
of love love prevailing over hate,
and the ultimate victory of life over death

God does not expect us to give thanks for bad things
but we can always give thanks,
because God is good
even if everything else is not
And if we find it possible
to give thanks through our tears,
it will be for this reason,
that because God is good,
our story doesn’t end in sorrow and pain,
but in never ending joy and life