“Once upon a time, a pig and a chicken were looking for work. They came upon a church sign which was advertising a bazaar and breakfast which was going to be held in a few days. At the bottom of the sign the menu was given, it read “Help needed to serve breakfast of ham and eggs. Apply for job here”. The chicken turned to the pig and said, “Look at that! What a great opportunity perfectly suited for us!
“Easy for you to say,” said the pig, “your eggs are just an offering but my bacon is a SACRIFICE!”
I was thinking of this old joke when contemplating the value we place in our society on commitment. It seems to be one of those values we know we ought to have, and certainly desire to see in others, yet so frequently fall short of exercising. Politicians campaign on it, athletes repeat well worn clichés about it, and best friends demand it of one another; yet broken promises, ignored contracts, and hurtful gossip are frequent reminders that our commitment to commitment is rather thin. I am not sure this is such a new thing for humans either with Solomon providing evidence through his rhetorical: “Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find? (Proverbs 20:6)”
The commitment and faithfulness that we fail to see in others, not to mention ourselves, we find in perfection with Christ. We see this most beautifully through his sacrifice: “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8)” He was completely committed to us, even when we least deserved it, for “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).”
As we venture through the book of Leviticus on Sunday mornings we will be learning much about the establishing of God’s sacrificial system, this Sunday the burnt offering in particular. We will encounter practices, ordinances, and ceremony that seem very distant from us – perhaps even offensive. As both Andrew and I have already mentioned this is precisely the opposite of what God has placed in this precious book, and what God intends from our study of it. His frequent invitation to his people through Leviticus is to draw near. If God is true to His Word that “his dwelling place is with man (Rev 21:3)” then it ought to captivate our thoughts and intentions to find out how a holy God may dwell with unholy man. Straight away in Leviticus 1 we see the remarkable movement of God from the mount of Sinai in Exodus, with the people removed from him for there own protection, to smack dab in the middle of their encampment! What kind of worshipper does God invite to draw near? What kind of offering does he accept and why? What ritual does he command and what devotion does he receive? And through it all we will see how clearly it all points toward our faithful, committed Christ.
Hebrews 10 quotes Psalm 40:6-8 as follows:
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
Then I said, “Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll –
I have come to do your will, O God
The writer then states that “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.” Jesus is the perfect, complete, and final burnt sacrifice for his people!
Much love,
Pastor Gary
As we gather for Sunday worship, we want you to meet with God and be transformed by the Word. Prepare your heart by reading the passage and listening to the songs for Sunday.