"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). – Matthew 1:23

Today's Scripture Reading (December 26, 2024): Matthew 1

Most of us have dreams for our kids. If we were asked what our dreams are for our kids, we would probably reply that we are happy if they just stay healthy. However, the truth is that our dreams go just a little deeper. We want them to make a difference in their world. We want them to find a suitable spouse who will complement them and help them to make their dreams come true. We may not wish great financial success on them, but we do want them to be comfortable, to be able to pay their debts and save enough money to purchase a house, and someday to retire in comfort and not have to spend their lives living from paycheck to paycheck. All of this is part of our dream.

Things haven't changed much in this respect. We still dream for our kids like the parents of centuries past dreamed for their kids. So, when Mary and Joseph discovered they would have a baby, they were given a name. The name described all that the baby boy was meant to be. The angel told them to call him Jesus. A few years ago, archaeologists found a family's grave marker that contained the names of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. A thrill went through the world as people wondered if we had found the burial spot of the holy family. Then, we started to do the math. Mary was the most popular name for girls in Jesus's time. A quick look through the bible confirms that Mary was not an unusual name. Joseph and Jesus were also very popular names. Israel 2000 years ago was filled with little boys named Jesus. The probability of a family having the names of Mary, Joseph and Jesus was relatively high, possibly higher than any other combination of names.

Parents would name their sons Jesus, or a variant of the name, simply because they desperately wanted a name that would sum up all their dreams and hopes for their children. By naming the boys Jesus and the girls Mary, they gave their children names indicating that their offspring were important. But no one was giving their children the name of Immanuel. No one wanted to claim that their child would be "God with Us." Sometime in the future, one who would be "God with Us" would come. No doubt they would have loved to name their child Immanuel, but that would be a little too forward.

The angel spoke to Joseph. Mary will have a baby, and you will call him Jesus, just like so many other boys with whom he will grow up. However, he is also Immanuel. He is God coming to us.

We don't worship Jesus; the reality is that there were too many of them. We worship in the name of Jesus, who is also Immanuel. God has come to you and me. And nothing is more worthy of my praise.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 13

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" – Luke 1:34

Today's Scripture Reading (December 25, 2024): Luke 1

How often do you talk about someday? It is so easy and pervasive. Someday, when we get our life together, then we will make that needed change. I have a lot of things on my "someday list." Someday, I want to write a novel or maybe a book on worship. I have an excellent idea for a musical I want to work on. And there is the more mundane. Someday, I will give my garage a good cleaning or put away all the items that I recently moved out of my office. Someday.

I also add items to the list quickly. When I discuss projects with the people I minister with, often those projects get added to the someday pile. I mean, you don't expect that this is something that is going to happen now?

Maybe that is what makes this verse a little surprising. The angel comes to Mary with this great message. You are going to become pregnant and will give birth to the Messiah. It might have been natural for Mary to add that little message to the someday pile. I mean, she knew that someday she would become pregnant. She was engaged to Joseph, and they had every intention of raising a family. And now the angel was saying that one of her children would be the Messiah, someday.

But Mary didn't hear the angel that way. She didn't hear someday; she heard now. However, now it was impossible because she was a virgin. What Mary hears is precisely the message the angel had intended to convey to her. The angel's message is not about someday; it is about now.

Christmas is always about now. Christmas is never about adding something to your someday list. Jesus stepped down from heaven into our now. He didn't come for your someday; his sacrifice was to impact who you are right now. He came to change this world for the better, not in the sweet bye-and-bye, but right now. The intended change isn't a pie-in-the-sky, someday thing. It is now!

Welcome to Christmas, a day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But we must ensure that Christmas doesn't just impact your someday. Let it affect your now.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Matthew 1

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

Today's Scripture Reading (December 24, 2024): Isaiah 9

I don't pretend to have all of the answers. For me, that is part of the problem we suffer through in our world. The cause of the problem is an unwillingness to converse with people about things we don't know or maybe the things for which we have no answers. We are filled with hot-topic beliefs, and nothing brings out our ire more than someone who disagrees with us on those issues.

I believe in the sanctity of life, every life. But maybe not for the reasons that some would expound on. One of my reasons for believing every life is meaningful is that we have no idea who the difference makers really are at birth. Every life on this planet we share has the potential to make a difference. I might even assert that every life has the potential to become a world changer, and whether we make that change or not is often up to us.

It is part of the power of Christmas. A child has been born, and the world has been changed. God has come to dwell among us, a process that started with Jesus as a child. It wasn't how we expected God to come, but it was the way he came. And now, every time a child is born, we are reminded of the miracle of God and the potential for even one child to change this world.

What God did on a significant scale is repeated on a minor scale regularly in our everyday lives. Part of the Christmas miracle was that God didn't do anything unusual in the birth of the Messiah; he used the same mechanism to change the world that he had used since the beginning of time. Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, and any of the prophets were born as children to some very ordinary parents. Why would we think it might be different for the Messiah? Unto us, a child is born.

Christmas really is about the child in all of us. And about the potential for change even among the smallest of those who walk with us. The time has come to honor the child in all of us and the one who came and changed everything.

Welcome to Christmas Eve.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Luke 1

When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. – Leviticus 12:6

Today's Scripture Reading (December 23, 2024): Leviticus 12

I have to admit that I often feel a little Pigpen. Not Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, the great original guitarist for the Grateful Dead, but the comic book character in Charles Schulz's "Charlie Brown" cartoons. Pigpen, penned initially as Pig-Pen, first appeared on July 3, 1954. The Peanuts website describes the character this way.

He may travel in his own personal dust cloud, but Pigpen's mind and conscience are clear. He's confident in who he is and carries himself with dignity and respect. He treats others well and hopes they will do the same for him (they often do not, but he perseveres). Pigpen considers it a point of pride that he is cloaked in the 'dust of countless ages.'

It doesn't matter how often Pigpen tries to get clean. He is a magnet for dust. The other characters notice this dirt and reject him. He apparently can't be anything worthwhile, at least, according to the opinions of his friends, because he is not clean. And yet, he treats others well despite how they treat him. The only exception is Charlie Brown, who accepts Pigpen unconditionally and even defends his friend at one point in the comic strip.

Pigpen may have been rejected by his friends, but I think there is a little Pigpen in all of us. Ron McKernan is believed to have earned his nickname because of his unclean habits. But the truth is that none of us need "unclean habits" to get dirty. Like Pigpen, I seem to be able to get dirty sitting and reading a book. 

Life gets us dirty. We often seem to want to reflect on this sacrifice as the penalty for bringing another sinner into the world, but I am not convinced that that is true. The purification sacrifice is a reminder that living gets us dirty as humans. Both the mother and child, regardless of gender, need to be purified as part of the process of life. So, the sacrifice is made, and we are reminded that life gets us dirty, and we all need the opportunity to get clean once again. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9

And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. – Leviticus 11:7

Today's Scripture Reading (December 22, 2024): Leviticus 11

I admit that I love bacon. I know that I am not alone. I don’t have it often, but when I do, I enjoy it. Once a month I meet with some friends for breakfast, and the one thing I look forward to is eating some bacon. I know that it isn’t good for me, but once a month I allow myself the experience. I also like pork roast, although I am a little less enthusiastic about ham.

I have a friend who loves his bacon cheeseburgers, or really bacon anything. Bacon wrapped in bacon is an amazing dish. He admits that he would make a lousy Jew. Maybe of all of the food laws, the Jewish prohibition of pig bacon gets the most press, with even fictional characterizations of Jews who are tempted beyond their self-control by the forbidden meat. 

The animal that is forbidden here is actually the wild pig. It is singled out because it is was considered to be an offensive animal in ancient times. But the pig was also known to be the host for several parasitic organisms, including the tapeworm. As a result, it was better to avoid the animal than chance eating it.

It is sometimes good to understand that the Jewish food laws had some practical reasons behind them, and were not just arbitrary decisions made by God. And to understand that even if we don’t understand why something is forbidden, there is likely a solid reason behind the prohibition. 

Life is like that. We don’t always understand the reason why we can’t have something. But sometimes we just have to recognize that not everything we want is necessarily good for us. And that sometimes wisdom is found in deciding what we will or will not eat. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Leviticus 12

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed by fire. – Leviticus 10:6

Today's Scripture Reading (December 21, 2024): Leviticus 10

I remember standing in front of my congregation in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and admitting that I could see the day when the perpetrators of the attack, the ones who planned the attacks and had deceived many, would be brought to justice. However, at that moment, there would be no celebration within me. I would not react with celebration as many of our enemies react when bad stuff happens in North America. I would mourn the death.

The words were surprising, but I explained my position a little more. My mourning would not be because I agreed with the attackers; I disagreed vehemently with the 9/11 attacks. But the day that Osama Bin Laden was paraded into an American court (of course, that never happened; American Seals would kill him on May 2, 2011), what I would mourn was that someone who had so much going for him had decided to waste the gifts that God or Allah had given to him so that he could live as an international thug. It was a waste, and I mourn the waste.

Many disagreed with me. And these objectors had solid ground for their disagreement. Part of their objection was found in the aftermath of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron. Their crime was that they burned an unauthorized fire in the Tabernacle. That means they took upon themselves a task that was not theirs and performed it flippantly, thinking that they were more important than the laws on which the fledgling nation would be built. In the eyes of Nadab and Abihu, God wasn't important; the Sons of Aaron were. And for this sin, two of Aaron's sons had paid the ultimate price.

It was an awful day for Aaron. Not only had he lost two of his sons, but God had stressed that he was not to show any of the typical behaviors of mourning. Moses and his two remaining sons were to ensure their appearance was as crisp as it might be on any other day they had served in the Tabernacle. The issue was not that they were sad at losing the two sons and brothers, but that in displaying their sadness, the message that the people might take away was that Aaron believed that God was wrong. Rene Peter-Contesse adds this thought.

Because the priests were intermediaries between God and his people, they were required more than all others to avoid contact with death. This included both contact with dead bodies and with the whole mourning procedure (Rene Peter-Contesse).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 11

He said to Aaron, "Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the LORD. – Leviticus 9:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 20, 2024): Leviticus 9

One of the questions I often have to field is why God would create a sacrificial system that, in the end, didn't work? Is this part of a weakness in God that the system he made doesn't seem to have the intended effect, namely, taking care of our sin? I actually have a problem with the question in two ways. First, the sacrifice of an animal to deal with sin was never the end point of the sacrificial system. It was always a placeholder until the time when the Messiah would come and die as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Today, Jews do not sacrifice animals because there is no Temple in which that sacrifice can be performed. But the sacrifices will resume when a new Temple can be built. Christians don't sacrifice animals because we believe that Jesus has become our ultimate sacrifice.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Hebrews 11-14).

By one sacrifice, Jesus has taken care of the sacrificial system forever. He is the only sacrifice we need.

The second way that I disagree with the query is that it often asserts that God is the author of the sacrificial system. But that isn't really true. Cain and Abel made sacrifices long before the time of Moses. Noah made sacrifices when he emerged from the Ark; Job made sacrifices on a regular basis during his lifetime, both before and after his suffering. Abraham made sacrifices. For Abraham, it was such a regular occurrence that no one was surprised when Abraham went off with Isaac to make his sacrifice. Not only is the pre-Moses history filled with sacrifices, but sacrifice is also common in other religions. I am unconvinced that God invented this idea of sacrifice. We invented sacrifice; God honored our invention and gave it a structure, knowing it would not work until Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

God commands Aaron to take a bull calf to make atonement for his sin. A line of thought argues that this is not an arbitrary decision on the part of God but goes back to Aaron's sin in creating a Golden Calf at the base of Mount Sinai.

"Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt" (Exodus 32:2-4).

Up until this point, that sin had not been dealt with. And so, God decides here to deal with sin by choosing a bull calf for the sin offering; he was reminding Aaron, not of a bunch of generalized sins, but one particular time when he fell short of the expectations of God by creating a golden calf intended for the worship of the community of Israel.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 10

… and gather the entire assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting. – Leviticus 8:3

Today's Scripture Reading (December 19, 2024): Leviticus 8

About forty-five years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a Youth Retreat in the mountains of Colorado. We gathered at a big Rock every morning to hear Reuben Welch speak to us. Welch was a university professor and chaplain, and for this week, he challenged our Christian Walk. Did we understand this thing to which Jesus had called us? It is a subject matter that Reuben has written about in several books. As I sat listening to Welch speak while standing on a rock that had affectionately become known as "Reuben's Rock," I started to think about what I had already read from Reuben. The first book I ever read, which was penned by Welch, was a little book entitled "We Really Do Need Each Other." The book is an Exposition on 1 John 1. In the book, written fifty years ago, Welch comments that if he could think about anything more important, he would write about that. But this was the most crucial subject that he could imagine. And then he leads us into 1 John. John writes,

    We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And     our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy                complete.

    This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no               darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do        not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one        another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:3-7).

Okay, I highlighted the word fellowship because that is what Reuben does. The Greek word for fellowship is Koinonia. The idea behind Koinonia is something that we do together. Maybe a better phrase might be joint participation.

    We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have joint participation with         us. And our joint participation is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).

    If we claim to have joint participation with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live        out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have joint participation with one            another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:6-7).

I get it; it is easier to do it alone. But we are designed not to just to do church together but to journey through life together. This gets back to the title Welch gives to his book and the most important message that Welch could think of as he wrote the book, "We Really Do Need Each Other." 

And it isn't just in 1 John. Over and over, the Bible says that serving God is about community. In his gospel, John tells the story of the woman at the well. He meets her and converses with her, and eventually, she believes in Jesus. 

Maybe one of the factors of the story that we miss is that the woman at the beginning of the story is living outside of the community. She comes to the well at noon because she knows no one else will be there. In fact, she is frustrated that Jesus is there. She is not all that friendly to him; after all, he is a Jew and a man and wrong on both accounts.

But by the end of the conversation, two things happen. First, and the one conclusion we recognize, the woman realizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah who had been prophesied would come. However, the second thing we sometimes miss is that she rejoins the community because she believes in Jesus. 

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world" (John 4:39-42).

As Moses prepares to ordain Aaron and his sons, he is instructed to call the community of Israel together. The celebration of ordination required everyone because Israel existed as a community. And every person needed to understand what God was expecting of the community. Ordination couldn't be just a celebration celebrated by the participants and those close to them. It had to involve the whole community because, in the end we journey together, and we really do need each other.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 9

These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the LORD. – Leviticus 7:11

Today's Scripture Reading (December 18, 2024): Leviticus 7

In the episode "Who Watches the Watchers," (Star Trek: The Next Generation) crew of the Enterprise is called in to assist a three-person anthropological research team on the planet Mintaka III. The inhabitants of Mintaka III have not progressed beyond the bronze age. They are a logical people who have begun to doubt some of their supernatural beliefs. But some continue to blame the storms and drought on a God who is angry with his people. 

The episode explores the problem believers have with trying to ascertain what God wants. It is the ship's counselor, Deanna Troi, who sums up the issue. "Are you sure you know what he wants? That's the problem with believing in a supernatural being - trying to determine what he wants." It is a concept that is explored in the biblical book of Job. In the story of Job, the protagonist's friends are sure that the disasters that have been visited on the House of Job are a direct result of God's anger at the sin in Job's life. But the reader knows the truth. The disasters are not artifacts of God's wrath. Job's trials are disconnected from God's anger and actually result from God's faith in Job. 

Job seems especially confused. After all, he has made the appropriate sacrifices for both himself and his family. He has lived in a way that he thought would bring honor to his God. So, how could God be angry with him? Initially, Job seems content to receive the disasters falling on him with character and strength. But finally, he gives in to the argument his friends are making and begins to protest God's treatment of him. 

On Mintaka III, the pre-industrial people begin to wonder if what God wants is a human sacrifice. Despite voices begging him to choose a different path, one man has taken it upon himself to kill those who he believes the God of Mintaka III wants dead. 

It is still a problem, even for us. It is the reason why we need to cling to the book that has been handed down to us that sets out what it is that we believe. As Christians, I believe Jesus taught us to follow the way of love because that is what God wants of his people. If we follow the way of love, we don't have to worry that our actions might offend God or our neighbor. 

Yet, we bring our sacrifices to our God anyway. In ancient times, these sacrifices were made in the form of animals, and they were given following the instructions laid out in the Torah. Some sacrifices were given in an attempt to apologize for our sins. But other sacrifices were given with no real reason attached. They are not given as an admission of sin, or because a feast day has arrived that requires a sacrifice. They are sacrifices given out of the fullness of our lives. And Leviticus calls these sacrifices fellowship or peace offerings. They are gifts a worshipper gives from a thankful heart rather than a life full of sin.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 8

Give Aaron and his sons this command: 'These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. – Leviticus 6:9

Today's Scripture Reading (December 17, 2024): Leviticus 6

I live in a fast-food world. Today, I went with a friend to McDonalds for lunch. We walked in, gave the cashier our order, and then waited for our food. This McDonald's has a number system, and the number is put up on the screen, telling you if the order is in process or ready to be picked up. My friend went and found a seat, and I waited for our order to make the move from being in process to being ready to be picked up. And I waited and waited. Then I looked up and noticed that my order number had disappeared from the "in process" screen, but it wasn't on the "Ready for pickup" screen either. It was just gone. I started to believe that our order had gone to some kind of "fast-food purgatory." I was just about to go to the counter to ask about the order when I heard my number called. The number still hadn't reappeared on either side of the screen, but the food was ready. It took a little longer to get the food, but all that was passed. I took the food, sat down with my friend, and we ate our lunch.

I live in a fast-food world. And sometimes, we seem to want our faith to be fast, too, except that it isn't. Faith takes time. It isn't a matter of saying a prayer and then we have arrived. We need the time to grow into our faith. I firmly believe that Christianity is a decision that starts a process. There is no way to find a shortcut through the process portion of the journey. We decide to follow Christ, but then, every day, we have to move toward him, learning to do things the way he would have us do it. It takes a while, with many stops and restarts as we follow that process. But part of the process is that we need to feed the fire of our faith, keeping that fire alive. And we do that by gathering with other Christians and keeping ourselves buried in the Bible. 

The regulation for the burnt sacrifice is that it was supposed to be kept burning overnight. The concept was that the priests would tend the fire all night, keeping the fire burning, and little by little, the burnt sacrifice was fed to the fire. It was not a quick process. But slowly, the sacrifice was consumed by the fire. 

As I live my Christian life, what I want most is that, little by little, my life is consumed, and the character of Christ is placed inside of me. I desire that the fire God has placed in me will never die down or go out. Adam Clarke (1762-1832) asks this question. "Does the perpetual fire burn on the altar of thy heart? Art thou ever looking unto Jesus, and beholding, by faith, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (Adam Clarke, Commentary on Leviticus)? I want to make sure my answer to Clarke is an unqualified yes. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 7

If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guilt. – Leviticus 5:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 16, 2024): Leviticus 5

Back in the Garden, after Adam and Eve took and ate the forbidden fruit, they performed a delicate dance. Adam blamed Eve; Eve blamed the Serpent. We still do the Adam and Eve dance, sometimes channeling our inner Flip Wilson and declaring, "The Devil made me do it." I don't believe that it's my fault. The only problem is that it really is. There is no excuse; I decided to do it. I chose to rebel against God. I can develop all the excuses I want, but I will remain broken as long as I refuse to say that it is because of me.

As war spreads in the Middle East, everyone is pointing fingers. It's their fault—there is no recognition of the role that each of the players has played in the developing tragedy. The conflict continues to grow, and the world remains broken.

The Hebrew Bible uses the word "khata," you have to channel your inner Klingon to say the word correctly, which simply means "miss the mark." As a kid, I enjoyed shooting. I was part of the Rifle Club in school and learned how to shoot a rifle from various positions properly. We shot at targets. Later, I remember going out to a friend's ranch, setting up the multiple cans and bottles, and then trying to shoot them off the stump or wherever we had placed our targets, from a distance. And if I missed, that was literally "khata." 

There are quite a few ways of missing the mark. Some are funny, others not. Some are serious. A Book called "The Pasta Bible" was printed with thousands of copies before someone noticed a serious problem with the book. The result of the problem was that thousands of books had to be destroyed. Someone had" khata" when the books were prepared for printing. The cookbook was quite racist all because someone missed the mark. The problem that the proofreaders missed was that at one point in the book, it advocates that we should season a pasta dish with "salt and freshly ground black people" (it should have read "freshly ground black pepper," in case you were wondering). There was no way back from that mistake or "khata." Thousands of books had to be destroyed

When the Bible uses the phrase, it is quite literally missing the target God has placed for us. When I missed the target on an improvised shooting range, it was because I lacked the capability. The target was too far away for the talent that I possessed. I hadn't considered other circumstances that made me miss the target. But when we miss the mark with God, it is often a character issue. We decide to miss the mark, maybe because we don't think it is important or because we find something else more important. But we are the reason. 

I have written a bit about a girl I used to know named Lyla. I knew Lyla when I was in elementary school. Lyla was an awkward-looking girl. I think she was one of those girls who needed to grow into her beauty, but she was awkward as a kid. Lyla was a bit of an introvert. I think she liked being alone on some level, but I might be wrong. Maybe I think that because I like to be alone. But we didn't give Lyla a chance. Lyla was teased and ridiculed mercilessly. It was a favorite pastime for some to find new ways to torment Lyla. 

I know Lyla. More than fifty years later, I can still see her standing there in her floral dress. I never teased Lyla, but I also never said anything else to her either. I went to school with Lyla for four years. Most of the time, she was in my class. I don't remember speaking to her once. I don't remember once saying, "Hi, Lyla, how are you doing?" I didn't torment her, but I also didn't acknowledge her. And I wish I could sit down with her and say sorry because I was "khata," and I missed the mark God had placed in front of me. Oh, so did everyone else, but that doesn't really matter in the end. All that matters is that God put me somewhere where I could make a difference, and I didn't do it. I chose not to make a difference. And that is on me and not on anyone else. That guilt is all mine, even though I may not have recognized my sin at the time.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 6

He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the LORD. – Leviticus 4:4

Today's Scripture Reading (December 15, 2024): Leviticus 4

One of the things we often skirt is taking responsibility for the things we have done. We all do it. If someone blames us for something, we frequently try to pass the blame off on someone else. It wasn't our fault; someone else did it, or our circumstances made the sin inevitable. Someone else did it. It wasn't us. Our inner child emerges from us as we stand there with cookie crumbs on our shirts, denying that we stole the cookie. Our inner Eve points at the serpent, saying that we ate the forbidden fruit because the serpent tricked us. It wasn't me; the devil made me do it.

It is refreshing when someone takes the blame. The sports star who admits that during his team's slump, he hasn't been playing his best. The person who acknowledges that they have been involved in some forbidden behavior. But it is also what makes us adults and not children. We have the ability to admit when we are wrong. 

The idea of a person placing his hands on the sacrifice is repeated five times in Leviticus 4 (verses 4, 15, 24, 29, and 33.) The placing of the hands on a sacrifice was a simple act. It didn't require any preparation. There was nothing that the person had to get and keep in their hand. No action other than placing the hand on the sacrifice was required. And nothing was done to the hand. It was just positioned on the sacrifice.

Yet, the action had a deep meaning. Placing the hand on the sacrifice was a confession of sin. It was an admission that the participant had done something wrong that was the cause of this animal's death. It was a recognition that the sacrifice was a substitute for the sinner. And it was an acceptance of the concept that this animal would take the place of the sinner. It was a requirement that indicated the acceptance of responsibility for the sin in order to have that sin taken away.

Concerning all of our sins, it is still the one requirement. We realize that we need to be accountable for our sins and accept the sacrifice of Jesus, who died on our behalf, by figuratively placing our hands on him. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 5

When anyone has a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to the priest. – Leviticus 3:9

Today's Scripture Reading (December 14, 2024): Leviticus 3

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials and some religious leaders had some very public conflicts. Some religious leaders even decided that they would disobey health restrictions, believing that the religious practice of gathering as the church was more important than the governmental health instructions that we should isolate to stop the spread of the disease. At the time, we often excused the risk as low. Even recently, I have heard some far-right politicians argue that if we had not isolated during the pandemic, that practice might have only cost us an additional three or four percent of Covid-19 deaths. It doesn't sound like much. However, that would mean fifteen million more deaths in the United States and Canada. That doesn't sound like much unless someone you love is among the fifteen million. Maybe to put that in perspective, Adolf Hitler killed just over six million Jews during the Holocaust. It is hard to face reality. Some even objected to the wearing of facemasks, arguing that a mask covered our faces and diminished the image of himself that God had placed inside of us. (I'm afraid I wholeheartedly have to disagree with that assessment.)

I even read a post on social media during the pandemic that argued that the government in my area had jailed more pastors for their faith than China had during the same period. However, the claim was a little warped. First, only two pastors were jailed in my area, and I have no idea if China had imprisoned any pastors during that time. Maybe that part of the claim was correct. However, the pastors were not detained for their faith. They were placed in jail for repeated violations of the gathering restrictions and for promising that they would continue to violate the same laws that were in place. 

It was this situation that was brought to my mind as I read through the Jewish restrictions placed on those who were suffering from skin conditions. The reality of the situation was that not everyone had leprosy, just like not every sick person during the pandemic was suffering from the COVID-19 virus. However, the religious leaders were tasked with enforcing the health restrictions. If the skin condition was spreading, it didn't matter if the disease might not have been life-threatening; the priest would protect the society by proclaiming that the sick person was unclean and must live the rest of their life outside of the community. 

It was a responsibility that the religious leaders took very seriously, understanding that sometimes the best way to deal with disease is to isolate the sick. It was the opposite reaction to that of some religious leaders during the more contemporary pandemic when they might have taken their roles to protect public safety a little more seriously.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 4

If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of the finest flour: either thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in or thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with olive oil. – Leviticus 2:4

Today's Scripture Reading (December 13, 2024): Leviticus 2

I have to admit that I am struggling with the concept of evil. What exactly does it mean to be evil? Sometimes, it seems that anyone who disagrees with us is considered evil. I know that within the circle of pastors I find myself, there are some with whom I'm afraid I have to disagree. I also admit that some of the pastors with whom I find myself disagreeing refuse to speak to me; maybe I am not worth the waste of breath. Is that because I am evil? Or perhaps because they are evil?

Over the past few years, anyone who seems to hold an opposing political opinion is considered evil. But are they really? Maybe some of them are, but the vast majority of them might be better described as simply disagreeing with us on some critical Issues. I consider myself a fiscal conservative. I don't like the idea of debt. I don't like debt in our personal lives, and I don't like it in our public politics. All political parties seem to know how to spend money, but I have yet to meet a politician who can pay it back. When I look at the money we are spending servicing our debt, I can't help but think of all the great things we could do if we weren't in such debt. The COVID-19 pandemic stretched the debt of our culture far beyond what it had been before, but it would have been less devastating if we hadn't been in such debt trouble before the pandemic arrived. 

Maybe you disagree with me. Perhaps you like debt and believe that our economy, especially right now, requires us to go further into debt. I might think that you are wrong, just as you might think I am wrong, but I don't believe that either of us is genuinely evil. We must be able to say someone is wrong without resorting to the idea that the other is evil. There are evil men. I will stay away from modern politics and point to people like Adolf Hitler, who did wicked things, but this is at the extreme end of our politics. 

On the other hand, maybe we are all evil. Paul reminds us that "There is no one righteous, not even one … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10, 23). All of us have fallen short of the righteousness that God desires from us. Maybe that means that we are all, in some way, evil. As I remarked earlier, this is my struggle. Either we are all evil, or we need to reserve the word evil to indicate the worst of the worst and not those who simply disagree with us.

Evil, however you define it, exists because there is sin in our lives. And in Israel, sin was symbolized by leaven or yeast. Jesus used the concept of yeast as a warning for his disciples. "Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod" (Mark 8:15). Paul continued the concept in his writing. 

Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).

The Law also picks up on this theme. If you bring your grain offering in baked form, that is fine. However, it needs to be baked at home in your oven because devotion to God always begins at home. And it must not include yeast, a reminder that sin will carry us toward evil if we let it.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 3

The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. – Leviticus 1:15

Today's Scripture Reading (December 12, 2024): Leviticus 1

I have a complicated relationship with … birds. A part of me loves to hear and see them around my house and office. Some years ago, we rented a place with a couple of bird-feeding stations on the back deck for a couple of weeks. The result was that a series of different species of birds visited the deck to find food during the day. My backyard has a bird feeding station, although it seems to appeal only to one kind of bird.

However, I am a little uneasy when crows or magpies gather around the door to my office. My problem is that I have been attacked by crows protecting their turf. I was walking in the area of my home a few years ago when the crows started to dive-bomb toward my head. Later, I discovered that some kids had been throwing stones at their nest, so they had taken the fight to humans. They never connected with me, but it was still an adverse experience. There is a tree just outside my office that is often the resting place for a magpie or a crow. They voice their displeasure whenever I pass by the tree, and I have to admit that I often wonder if it is time to duck. 

Several regulations govern the sacrifices of Israel. Most of them are the same regardless of what animal might be killed. But there are a couple of changes if the animal happens to be a bird. And the first is the way the bird is to be killed. Modern translations often say that the priest would "wring off the head" of the bird. And while that is descriptive, it isn't quite right. The seventeenth-century English theologian John Trapp (1601-1669) reminds his readers that the priest was to pinch the bird's neck to allow the blood to drain from the bird without breaking any bones. Trapp argues that this foretells how the Messiah would die without breaking a bone, much as the Passover Lamb was to meet its end without breaking a bone. According to Trapp, it also predicts that Jesus would go to his death without dividing the Godhead from the manhood of Jesus, which speaks directly to early heresies that argued that Jesus the man died on the cross, but Jesus the Son of God, or the Christ, could not be killed. The Christ or Messiah left Jesus the man at some point before his crucifixion and death.

The second difference concerns the disposition of the blood. For other sacrifices, blood is to be poured at the sides and horns of the altar. But a bird does not have enough blood to cover the altar and the horns. So, instead, the blood is to be squeezed out of the bird against the side of the altar. And that will be considered to be enough. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 2

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. – Psalm 91:1

Today's Scripture Reading (December 11, 2024): Psalm 91

The safest place to be is in the center of God's will. I have heard that assertion by well-meaning Christians, but have you ever wondered if that is true? It doesn't seem to be.

Consider Jesus's disciples, and maybe especially how they died. Only one, John, died of old age, and even he was at one time boiled in oil and left to rot on the Island of Patmos. These things just didn't kill him. So, he alone dies of relatively natural causes in his old age. The rest died violently.

Judas Iscariot committed suicide. 

        James, John's brother, was beheaded.

        Peter was crucified upside down.

        Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross.

        Bartholomew was beaten and then crucified.

        Philip was crucified.

        Thomas was speared to death.

        Simon, the Zealot, was crucified.

        James was stoned.

        Thaddaeus was stoned.

        Matthew was axed to death.

        Mathias, the replacement for Judas Iscariot, was also stoned. 

        Paul was beheaded.

I guess none of these men were at the center of the will of God (sarcasm is intended). It isn't any different today. There are still people being martyred for their faith, even in our supposedly enlightened age. If safety means living and dying after a peaceful existence on the earth, the center of God's will is not a safe place to be. 

And it never has been. The list of prophets who were executed in the Hebrew Bible is long. Yet, Moses makes this statement. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). To me, it sounds a lot like "The safest place to be is in the center of God's will." Some experts seem to come to the same conclusion, but I think they are unintentionally misled. Following the will of God will make you dangerous on this earth. You will share the traits of many of the disciples and prophets who died violent deaths. But the possible discomfort produced by following God is offset by the difference you will make, the peace you will have with your decisions, and an eternity spent with him. It is a promise that when this life is over, we will rest with him. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 1

He took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. – Exodus 40:20

Today's Scripture Reading (December 10, 2024): Exodus 40

In the contemporary church, the reason for the placement of various pieces of furniture carries a meaning that we sometimes miss. The presence of an altar or prayer rail at the front of the church indicates the importance of personal sacrifice in the church. Our faith is supposed to cost us something, but that is only the beginning. One of the churches I have occasionally taught at has a unique setup, at least unique for a Baptist Church. Many years ago, the church divided the worship leader and teaching positions on the platform area. One of the lay leaders was frustrated with the worship team taking over the whole platform area, so they divided the stage area down the middle, allowing half of the stage area to be dedicated to worship and half of the stage area for teaching. Maybe it made sense to the lay leader, but I believe the movement of the furniture carried an unintended meaning. In reshaping the platform the way they had, they had declared that the singing and teaching times were co-equal; however, they had placed the communion table at the center of the platform. As a result, the placement of the furniture declared that the prime purpose of the worship time was sharing the Lord's Supper. It is an emphasis that would be considered normal in a Roman Catholic Church. However, in practice, they only celebrated the Lord's Supper or Mass once a month, so there was confusion between the furniture's placement and the church's practice. 

Part of the problem with placing the podium or the pulpit at the three-quarters point of the stage instead of the center is that the pulpit symbolizes the Word of God. In a Baptist Church, the Bible is central; therefore, the pulpit should be placed at the center of the platform area. The Bible is not secondary to the Lord's supper. Admittedly, in some churches, including mine, we have done away with the pulpit altogether. But symbolically, we place the Bible central in our ministries by ensuring that the speaker stands at the platform's center whenever we read from Scripture. 

Moses didn't have the Scripture that we have today. The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh that we have today is still centuries away. Even the Torah does not exist, not yet. But what Moses has are the tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them by God. These tablets are placed in the Ark of the Covenant, which would occupy the center of the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the Tabernacle. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 91

They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. – Exodus 39:3

Today's Scripture Reading (December 9, 2024): Exodus 39

Whenever I think of my favorite clothing, my mind goes back to a shirt I wore for a long time when I was younger. The shirt was gold and black, and I have no idea why I liked the shirt, but I admit I did. I wore the shirt for years until it was literally filled with holes and in tatters. Finally, it simply disappeared. It might be tempting to argue that I wore the shirt until nothing was left of it, but the truth is that one day my wife simply ensured the shirt was permanently evicted from my closet. I would look for it, but it was gone. 

Most of the things we wear are made from an assortment of materials. Part of the reason for this is two-fold. First, we want our clothes to be comfortable. Often, single-component clothing can be uncomfortable to wear. But the second reason is that multi-fabric clothing wears better and longer, holding its shape and color longer than others. The last thing any of us want is a comfortable piece of clothing that we fall in love with, which becomes like my gold and black shirt in just a few wears. We want our clothes to last.

The ephod was an apron-like garment that was to be worn by the high priest. But one of the unusual attributes of the priest's ephod was the things of which this piece of clothing was made. When David danced before God, he wore a linen ephod, but the priest's ephod was made of multicolored yarn, linen, and gold. It is not made of gold-colored fabric but actual gold.

Moses tells us how the artisans hammered out the gold into a thin sheet. Gold is a precious metal, but it is also very soft. I don't think most Olympic gold medal winners understand why some athletes are pictured biting into their medals. If the medals were pure gold, the medal would be soft enough to leave tooth marks on the medal from the bite. Pure gold is highly malleable. Of course, Olympic medals aren't pure gold; at best, they are six percent gold.

For the ephod, the gold is hammered into sheets that are as thin as the artisans can make it and then cut into thin strips that can be woven into the mix of yarn and linen. Modern clothing is made of mixed fabrics to make it durable, but the inclusion of gold likely made the ephod a little more delicate. And it likely symbolized both the purity of the priest, but also the fragility of the priesthood. Without God, the priesthood would fall apart, and Israel would never be more than one generation away from complete apostasy. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 40

All the tent pegs of the Tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze. – Exodus 38:20

Today's Scripture Reading (December 8, 2024): Exodus 38

A few years ago, I bought some furniture. Now, it was used furniture, and I wanted it for my basement, so I did not have a lot of expectations about what I was purchasing. However, I have to admit that the furniture did look good. It had been lightly used, and it was perfect for my needs. But it did not take long for the furniture to start to show problems. The furniture was no longer being used' lightly in a house with a couple of teenage children (and all of their friends). The first problems to appear were all of the places where the manufacturer had cut some corners. They were the places that had initially been hidden, but now the hidden was being revealed. 

Our attitude is often that if people cannot see it, then it really does not matter. And the principle seems to apply to so many areas of our lives. A while back, a friend asked me if it was okay to lie on his résumé. After all, it was the job he would do that mattered; as long as he did a good job, who cared about his work history. It was hidden, and, therefore, it did not matter.

We feel the same way about what we do inside our castles. The home is a sacred place, and what happens there is no one else's business. And neither are the hidden sins in our lives. As long as no one knows, and we can look okay in public, then what does it really matter what things are hidden underneath? But the reality in which I live is this: just like my furniture, the wear and stress of life will soon inevitably reveal what had been hidden. The secrets, in some way or other, will be exposed.

As God gives the plans for his Tabernacle, no area could be overlooked. Even the tent pegs, which would be hidden in the dirt, were to be made of a specified material: bronze. Bronze was chosen for the pegs because it was the hardest substance known at the time. Where the builders would have used stone, bronze became a longer-lasting, harder (and more expensive) alternative. Even when the Bronze Age began to yield to the Iron Age, the change would not be because iron was a better substance. Iron would begin to reign because it was more plentiful to find and easier to produce. But bronze was still, in many ways, superior.

But God wanted even the things that were hidden to be of the best quality for the job. And I think the example holds for the Tabernacle, the things we make with our hands, and even how we live our lives. As complicated a thought as this might be, we are to live with the sure knowledge that the hidden will be revealed one day.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 39

He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. – Exodus 37:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 7, 2024): Exodus 37

I have a friend who, a few years ago, had the perfect office set up. Actually, he had two offices. The outer office was where he would meet with people. It was neat and ordered; every bit of dust had been removed. This office was perfect in every way. It had a desk, but it was only for show; my friend never worked there. In front of the desk were a couple of comfortable chairs and a couch. But this was a place of meeting. 

A door leading into a second office was at the back of the office. Maybe the outer office could be called the Pastor's office, but the Pastor's study was on the other side of the door. This was where sermons were written and administrative duties were fulfilled. And this office was the opposite of the first. The desk was cluttered with books and a computer. A coffee cup sat in one corner of the desk, and a pile of papers that needed to be waded through sat on another corner. There were no comfortable chairs for visitors, although an old wooden chair sat on the other side of the desk just in case someone wandered in and wanted to sit down. But this was obviously a "working office" that no one saw. 

Another door led out of this study, and it led to the Pastor's library, where all of the Pastor's books were arranged in a way that they were reasonably easy to find. A few piles of books were scattered on a wooden table that needed to be returned to their place in a spare moment in the future, but for now, they waited until that time had come.

The first time I wandered through my friend's office, it was the library that I coveted (and yes, I know that is a sin). I have never had an office that could comfortably display all of my books. I admit to being a bit of a book addict. But as time passed, I also began to covet his working office. My office is a bit of everything. I have some of my books in bookcases and a reasonably large desk. I try to keep the front part of my desk clean, but the side portion tends to be a bit of a mess. A recent visitor pointed to the sideboard of my desk when she was trying to describe the state of her son's room. I got the point. 

The plan for the Ark of the Covenant was that it was to be plated with gold, both inside and out. The gold was a sign of the purity and holiness of God. Gold was rare, which increased the significance of the metal used on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark would have been a beautiful piece of work, making excellent use of the experts who had been chosen to build it. It was something that deserved to be displayed. Instead, it would be hidden away in what amounted to the inner office of the Tabernacle, a place where no one was allowed to go except for the high priest, and he would only go there once a year. This inner office would be called the Holy of Holies, and it held what was most important to the fledgling nation of Israel.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 38

Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. – Exodus 36:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 6, 2024): Exodus 36

Building something comes in several stages. I have been following the proposed building of a new arena in a nearby city. And it started with the declaration of a need. The existing arena in the city had been built for the 1988 Olympics. It houses the city's National Hockey League team, but there was a perceived need for an updated arena. The present arena was state-of-the-art in the 1980s, but now it is forty years old and doesn't have some of the amenities that are present in newer facilities. When the idea first surfaced, there was a plan to build a combined entertainment complex that would house the NHL team and a field for the local Football (not Soccer) team. But that didn't get the approval needed, even though a new football field might be needed even more than an arena. 

Once the need is recognized, a plan becomes the next step. Blueprints are drawn. Concessions are made as principles compromise on the original plans, often to lower costs. Then, financing is obtained. In the drama happening in the nearby city, this has been a sticking point. Who is going to pay for the new facility? Not only that but who is going to benefit financially from the new arena? How will revenues gained from the arena be divided up? These are essential questions, and answers must be obtained before the project can proceed.

As I write this, all of the above is finished for the arena. Now is the time to get the crews to work on the new facility. It is time to break ground and start the process of building. At some point, every project reaches this point. At some point, the artisans need to take the plans and work to make them into the fulfillment of everything they had dreamed of. 

Moses has gone through the process. God has handed to the Prophet the plans for the Tabernacle. Moses has raised the funds and the materials to complete the building. But now it is time to gather the artisans who know how to take a plan and make it a reality. Now is the time to get to work and build the Tabernacle and all of the items that would be needed inside of the Tabernacle so that the priests could carry out the tasks that worship would demand of them.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 37

For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death. – Exodus 35:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 5, 2024): Exodus 35

I live in a busy world. Maybe that is an understatement for most of us. There always seem to be places we have to go or meetings we need to attend. If we have children, then that situation multiplies exponentially. And sometimes, taking a Sabbath is almost an impossible decision. A friend recently told me that he needed a break once a week, and if the only day he could find happened to be Sunday, don't expect to see him in church. He needed to have one day with no appointments or expectations for his health. 

I get it. Busyness is a by-product of our world, and there are days that I feel the same way. However, I am unsure that taking a Sabbath without God is the answer. But what my friend feels is actually an outgrowth of how we are created. Every one of us needs a Sabbath, a day set apart from the everyday things we do, which includes setting aside time to worship God.

In the beginning, God sets up his expectation that Israel would have a Sabbath. Sometimes, I think we belittle this expectation, arguing that maybe it was easy to take a Sabbath then because life was less busy than we experience now. But that is not the truth. Imagine what Israel is being told. They were told that the nation would need to create a Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting from scratch. That meant that they would have to find the resources required for the tent, including wood for the poles, skins, the weaving of fabric, and items that are necessary for the coloration of the cloth. They needed to build all of the things that would be required inside of the Tabernacle. All of this is on top of what each person would have to do just to maintain their own homes and lives. There was no store to run to to get the item you needed to mend or replace something that was broken. Everything had to be made from the raw resources available in the surrounding area. 

Yet, on top of all of this, Israel is being told that one day a week, they were to stop and do something else. Meet with God and spend some time on their relationship with him. Yes, there was a lot to do, but everything that needed to be accomplished required a commitment to the Sabbath. David Guzik reminds us of this reality.

        This was a strict call to obedience. Before they did the work of building the Tabernacle, God first            called Israel to the work of simple obedience. Basic obedience is a pre-requisite for doing work for         the LORD (David Guzik).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 36

Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. – Exodus 34:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 4, 2024): Exodus 34

One weekend, when my parents were away and I was in High School, my Youth Pastor phoned me and asked if I wanted to go to a football game with him. I love football, but maybe I must stress that the game I love is not soccer. I wish football were more like hockey or baseball, which means I wish there could be more games in a season. However, I have also played football, and I understand why it isn't; it takes at least a week to recover from the bruises and nagging injuries received in the average game. When I received the invitation, I said yes. The game was a couple of days away, so there was a bit of time between the invitation and the game. 

I had some stuff to do and fun to have. I came home from work the night before the game, and my phone rang. It was a good friend of mine, and we decided we just wanted to hang out together. So, he came over, and we played some ping-pong together. Then, we kicked back and listened to some music before he went home, and I went to bed, looking forward to the game I would be attending the next day. But as we played ping-pong, the keys to my car were in my pocket, and I threw them down by the leg of the ping-pong table. 

The following day, the sun got up, but I didn't (it was an afternoon game, and teenagers can sleep forever). So, I rose late in the morning, ate lunch, dressed, and then it was time to leave. I went to grab my keys but couldn't find them. I can still feel the pain today. I wanted to go to the football game, and this was before cell phones, so I couldn't even phone my Youth pastor to tell him what kind of an idiot I was. He had made an effort to go and buy the tickets and invite me to come with him; all I needed to do was show up, and I couldn't even do that.

God tells Moses to get a couple of stone tablets, get ready, and come to the mountain. I will come to you and write the words on tablets. I know you broke the first ones you gave me, but I am not expecting you to be my secretary and write down the laws on the tablet. You come and meet me, get ready for me, and I will write the commandments on the stone. Just get ready and come.

Luckily for all of us, Moses didn't misplace the keys to his chariot by the ping-pong table after a game with a friend. He showed up and received from God the information that had been promised. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 35

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants. – Exodus 33:1

Today's Scripture Reading (December 3, 2024): Exodus 33

Occasionally, someone asks if they can come and just sit in the sanctuary of the church. And sometimes, they don’t ask. Every so often, if the church is open, they just come in and sit down. There is something about the sanctuary where people feel close to God.

Many years ago, I attended a church where we met every Saturday night to pray. This wasn’t the kind of prayer meeting I had become used to, where we gathered in a room or even in the church's sanctuary, sang some songs, and then prayed together. And it wasn’t anything like the kind of prayer service my African friends celebrate, which is punctuated with loud music and even some yelling. We met as a group at the church but then fanned out all through the church to pray. Many ended up sitting in the pews in the sanctuary or kneeling at the altar. Still, I have to admit that my favorite place on those nights was to climb up on the roof and sit at the edge of the building with legs hanging over the wall, overlooking the neighborhood with a view of the downtown skyline. Sometimes, like my friends sitting in the sanctuary below me, I could lose my sense of time praying and looking at the city I believed was my mission field. 

It has been over a decade since I served at the church that hosted those prayer meetings. The church I currently serve doesn’t have a roof with as easy access as that church. Yet, I still remember those times of prayer up on the roof. And I often wish I could return to my perch overlooking the city.

I can’t imagine any of those places of prayer or solace measured up to what it was like to be invited to meet with God up on the side of Mount Sinai. What was it like to be with God and converse with him like Moses had? I don’t think that I would have wanted to leave. Or, at the very least, that I would have voluntarily wandered away from that mountain. 

However, Moses isn’t allowed to stay in the vicinity of Mount Sinai. God commands Moses and his people to leave the area of Sinai. This place where Moses met with God was not to be the final destination of the people of Israel. And unlike other religions, this would also not be a place of annual pilgrimages. When Moses left the mountain, he and the people were to leave the area and go to the place God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. Sinai was not to be a place to which Israel would return. Sinai was designed to be a one-time event. Elijah, deep in his depression, would return to the mountain of God, but it wasn’t to become a place of worship for Israel. God had no plan to stay on this mountain. He would move with Israel into the place promised to them. And now, it was time to go forward into the next chapter of the nation’s journey. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 34

So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. – Exodus 32:6

Today's Scripture Reading (December 2, 2024): Exodus 32

What do you desire: To know God or receive the gifts that are in his pockets?

I have a friend who travels a lot worldwide for his job. He goes to places that I would never dream of going to and would never dream of needing to go on business. As a result of his job, he is away from his family for several weeks during the year. And he has gotten into a tradition of buying little trinkets for his family from the various places he visits. These small gifts are exotic things you can't buy in North America. But his kids have also gotten into a tradition of running to Daddy when he walks through the door and feeling his pockets for the presents that he has brought for them. And in a weak moment, my friend admitted that sometimes he wishes his children wanted his presence more than what is in his pockets. Sometimes, I wonder if God doesn't feel that same way.  

One of the sad things about Western Christianity is that we seem to be more concerned with what is in God's pockets than we are with his presence. We see examples of it all around us. It is the core of a number of our healing ministries. If you have faith and believe hard enough, God will heal you; he will give you what is in his pockets. It is the core of our prosperity gospel. If you have faith, God will make you rich. I heard a prosperity preacher explain it this way: everything is God's anyway, so don't you think that God wants to put control of the incredible wealth that he possesses in the hands of Christians who will use that money to further his kingdom? So, if you have faith and are committed to the things of God, he will give you wealth. It sounds reasonable and logical, but it is just another way of saying that what we want is what is in God's pockets.

It is at the heart of our prayers. You know that when we pray, we often get out our laundry list of needs. God, this is what I see as what we need. And some of them are good things. God, enlarge our ministries; however, enlarging our ability to reach people is just another way of saying, God; what do you have in your pockets.

Jesus knew the problem we had with wanting the things in God's pockets. So, in the prayer he taught us, he started it with, Our Father in heaven, Hallowed (or holy) be your name. You are the one that is high and lifted up. You are the one that is deserving of all the glory and honor. You reign. So, let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth as it is heaven. God, I desire you, not what is in your pockets. God, I don't want to talk about my kingdom; I want to be all about yours. 

The reality is that while Moses is up on the mountain getting to know God, the people are down in the valley, worried that they won't get what is in his pockets. Their response to wanting the gifts of God is to build a calf and worship it, going directly against what God is telling Moses on the mountain. They worship an idol that is not God, partially because they aren't willing to put the time in to get to know God but are eager to take what they think is a shortcut to the gifts that come from the pockets of God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 33

Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. – Exodus 31:14

Today's Scripture Reading (December 1, 2024): Exodus 31

Sunday's growing up were interesting days. They began with church in the morning, or more precisely, Sunday School. After Sunday School finished, the actual worship service began. I don't think we had even thought of children's church, at least not when I was really young. As an older child, I remember that there was a children's missions meeting once a month, but we spent the rest of the time in the adult worship service. 

I loved the song portion of the service, at least most of the time. We sang hymns; again, the idea of contemporary worship was still a few years away. The message portion of the service was a little more challenging. However, I invented a game to pass the time. It involved trying to guess how a minute would pass in the service. It worked best once I had a digital watch. To be successful, I had to look at my watch within the last five seconds of the minute. And I gave myself three tries to hit the correct time. Each look had to be quick; I wouldn't let my gaze linger. And, before I knew it, the service had ended. 

When I was young, the end of the church service meant going over to my grandmother's house for a big meal. And then, after the meal, a forced rest. Once again, the forced rest was a time that tried my ability to stay still. Later, there would be a short time for play before we would have a snack; I remember cheese sandwiches with sliced cheese between two pieces of toast, some Sun Up, an orange powdered drink, and Sun Wheat biscuits, and then back to church for the evening service. Finally, the day ended, and my family headed home to bed. For a kid, the day was long and often very dull. But it was the expectation of the day. Throughout my childhood, this was my image of the Sabbath.

Of course, it wasn't the Sabbath. Technically, it was the Lord's Day, a celebration of the day that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. It was the eighth day that for Christians had replaced the seventh. It may not have been the Jewish Sabbath, but it was the Christian Sabbath, and growing up, most of the old Jewish Sabbath rules still applied. 

We still argue about what the right day for worship is. Some fall firmly into the Saturday Jewish Sabbath category. Others are just as strongly in support of the Christian Sabbath, with most of the former rules still applying. Some even advocate that we should observe both days. Personally,  I am not sure which day we celebrate really matters. I am also not sure that all of the old rules apply. The truth that Jesus recognized during his ministry was that the Sabbath had been one of the most misunderstood and abused of all of the Big Ten rules. We don't get it. It is not that the Sabbath is tied to one day or even one set of activities. Yes, it is a day when we focus on God, but it is also a time when we get to do different things. The biblical imperative is that this day is a day to spend time with God and with something that rejuvenates us. It is a day of recreation, or more precisely, re-creation, a day when God gets to perform the miracle of creation all over again in our lives, making us ready for the week that is to come.

Science agrees with the Bible on this fact. To be healthy, we need one day in seven where we do something different. It is essential for our physical and psychological well-being. If you want to live a long life, one day in seven has to be lived differently. God needs to perform his miracle of re-creation in us once every week.

So, celebrate Sunday, or Saturday, or Thursday, for that matter. I have tried to celebrate Fridays as my Sabbath for the past few years. It gives me a different meaning to TGIF. But celebrate a day and give God the chance to perform his miracle of creation in you one more time.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 32