Today's Scripture Reading (November 20, 2021): Leviticus 23
I have read the social media memes about self-serve
checkouts in stores and how they are stealing jobs away from people who need
them. I have to admit that I am not sure that it is quite that simple. I know I
shouldn't admit this, but I love self-serve checkouts. The
lines are often shorter, and I think that I can do the job faster than a
cashier. I can also think of a myriad of ways that the employee who takes my
money could be put to work, making the shopping experience better by keeping the shelves stocked and helping those in the
store find the things for which they are looking. I know, corporations don't seem to understand that, but it is where I wish that they would spend their money. Nothing is worse than a
disorganized store where I can't find what it is that I need. (And in case you
missed it, I am not someone who enjoys shopping. It is a necessary evil, and I
want to get in and out as fast as I can.)
I live in an immediate world, and I don't want to wait for anything. My food is often fast
food. I love self-serve because it is quicker. I don't have time for foolishness. I have things that I
need to do. And, admittedly, sometimes that can be a problem.
Leviticus instructs Israel that the nation is to celebrate the Day
of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, on the tenth day of the seventh month. On that day, the people held a sacred assembly, denied
themselves, and presented a food offering to God. Sometimes, we struggle with the idea of self-denial and, in the process, recognizing that the world around us doesn't exist for our pleasure and needs. The Dictionary of Bible
Themes defines self-denial as "the willingness to deny
oneself possessions or status, in order to grow in holiness and commitment to
God." It is a thought of which Paul writes to the Philippians.
But whatever were gains to me I now
consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a
loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes
from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the
righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith (Philippians
3:7-9).
Paul paints a beautiful picture of what it means to
deny yourself, but that is still not quite the message that the author of
Leviticus wants to get across to us. The word in Leviticus that we have
translated as "deny yourselves" is literally "you shall afflict your souls." It is a strange phrase and one about which scholars
have argued for centuries. It contains an element of self-denial or of what
Paul would describe
as "whatever were gains to me I now consider loss,"
but it is much more than that. There is an element of fasting in this
affliction of our souls. There is also an element of self-evaluation, of
meditating and coming to a point where we genuinely try to understand the depth
of our sin for which we need atonement. And it is possible that the affliction
of the soul is not something that can be performed in an immediate world. On
this day, at least, we need to slow things down and humbly consider our place
in this world, understanding that it is not all about us; that our sins and our
behaviors have a more significant influence on others than we might appreciate.
And all of this self-evaluation and afflicting of the soul is something that we
do, not in isolation, but in community with each other, and the acknowledgment
that we really do need each other.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 24
No comments:
Post a Comment