If, however, they cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. – Leviticus 5:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 20, 2015): Leviticus 5

Plus sized model Ashley Graham may be on top of the modeling world right now, but she isn’t impressed with the title that she carries. “Plus sized” would seem to bring with it a number of ancient assumptions. We have come to see plus sized as “fat” and “lazy” and not willing to “give the discipline” necessary to live life. But that does not describe Ashley Graham who works hard and is extremely confident. The reality for Ashley is simply this, take away the “plus sized” title and really look at Ashley and we see something quite different – we see what it looks like to be normal.

We are all created equal. Say it with me – equal. In reality, that simple statement is the highest value of our society – at least in principle. It is this value that forms the basis for our fight for equality regardless of such superficial things as race and sex and faith and even sexual orientation. To our culture, even the suggestion that someone is of less value because of any these attributes is extremely offensive.

And yet as much as we insist that we are equal, we don’t really believe it. As a culture we continue to retain some of the ancient dividing lines and two of them are looks and wealth – and often those have been linked. Our culture seems permanently bent to give advantage to the ones we consider to be pretty, and the ones who control the world’s wealth. As offensive as inequality has become, to say that Donald Trump and the homeless man standing on the corner of any of our cities are somehow equal is ridiculous. Or maybe the description that we need is the one used by George Orwell in “Animal Farm” – “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”

This might be true everywhere except in the area of our religious belief. Our Christian Communities should be the one place where people of different economic realities meet on equal ground. In the eyes of God we are all simply his children. In the early Christian Community, the community was the one place where slaves met as equals with their masters – the economic differential was completely wiped out.

The Mosaic Law specifically isolates this economic reality. And when it came to the idea of sacrifice for sin, this economic reality became concrete. For the top economic level, a lamb was to be offered as the sacrifice for sin. But if the one offering the sacrifice could not afford the lamb, then two doves or two pigeons were to be offered as the sacrifice for sin. But if even that was too expensive, then even fine flour could be offered as a sacrifice. The Mosaic Law effectively created an economic zone where everyone was truly equal. It is time that we leave all of our descriptive labels behind. After all, we are all created very equal – and in the sight of God no one is “more equal” than anyone else.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Leviticus 6