When Jesus walked the earth, God's word was central to life. It was the everyday conversation of the community. They were brought together by the text, and they even agreed on a text of the week. This same ancient rythmn is available to us today! Join us in reading and commenting on what is know as the "Parashah." Imagine a community whose unity is rooted in the very word of God!
"27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."
How often we forget this - we think following Jesus is a call to sacrifice, to do something hard. But Jesus already made the sacrifice for us, one big enough for all forever. And he promises us that following him is easy. Why do we continue to offer up sacrifices, as if the size of what we give up is a measure of our love for God?
"31 They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind."
In how many ways do we sacrifice our sons and daughters to worship the idols of modern society? This is not an anti-war rant - I am speaking of the ways we set our children aside so that we can be "adults."
OK, dads are the easy target: career, sports, leisure - how oftern do these time-suckers steal away from our time with our children. Do your children know why (and agree with why) you spent the last night out of town, the last Sunday on the links, the last evening watching CSI?
But moms (as much as they do, and it is great) are not immune. The same brush paints "career women." And how many mothers think that the label "mom" is the end of their youth, their hipness, their freedom. If Jesus thinks we need "adult" conversation, why does he say that like children we enter His kingdom?
Think about how much we sacrifice our children to our own desires of what they should become, or worse, what we should have been.
God is serious about this - I find the last clause of this verse provocative - how can something not enter the mind of an all-knowing God?
Brothers and sisters, I encourage you - do not exasperate your children, and let them have the same access to your Lord that you do. It was not the wise and learned to whom God revealed the secrets of His kingdom, but to little children.
3 comments:
From Hebrews:
"27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."
How often we forget this - we think following Jesus is a call to sacrifice, to do something hard. But Jesus already made the sacrifice for us, one big enough for all forever. And he promises us that following him is easy. Why do we continue to offer up sacrifices, as if the size of what we give up is a measure of our love for God?
The sacrifice God wants is mercy.
From Jeremiah:
"31 They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind."
In how many ways do we sacrifice our sons and daughters to worship the idols of modern society? This is not an anti-war rant - I am speaking of the ways we set our children aside so that we can be "adults."
OK, dads are the easy target: career, sports, leisure - how oftern do these time-suckers steal away from our time with our children. Do your children know why (and agree with why) you spent the last night out of town, the last Sunday on the links, the last evening watching CSI?
But moms (as much as they do, and it is great) are not immune. The same brush paints "career women." And how many mothers think that the label "mom" is the end of their youth, their hipness, their freedom. If Jesus thinks we need "adult" conversation, why does he say that like children we enter His kingdom?
Think about how much we sacrifice our children to our own desires of what they should become, or worse, what we should have been.
God is serious about this - I find the last clause of this verse provocative - how can something not enter the mind of an all-knowing God?
Brothers and sisters, I encourage you - do not exasperate your children, and let them have the same access to your Lord that you do. It was not the wise and learned to whom God revealed the secrets of His kingdom, but to little children.
Post a Comment