Reaching the Holy Places Within
Sermon text for July 8:
Hebrews 10:11-25
One day I found myself standing in the remains of a replica of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. We were miles from Jerusalem in the middle of the Negev Desert, and the fortress we were visiting dated from the time of Solomon – approximately 900 B.C. Of all of the holy places in Judaism, the “Holy of Holies” that was contained in the Temple is without a doubt the most sacred. The ancient Jews believed that God lived within the Holy of Holies, surrounded by the Arc of the Covenant and other sacred implements. As I stood in this ancient replica of the Holy of Holies I had the eerie feeling that I had been there before.
In my imagination I could almost see a frightened priest standing before the altar of God offering prayers while preparing the sacrifice. It was a great honor for a priest to be selected to enter the Holy of Holies, and a priest might practice for a life time just to be ready if he was ever called upon to serve. While it was a great honor to serve in the Holy of Holies, it was also fearsome, because even the High Priest did not know what would happen in the presence of God.
The Priest stood before the altar of God hidden from the view of other worshipers by a thick curtain. As he prayed, he allowed the blood of the young ram or bull to run down the altar and into the fire. The blood made a sizzling sound as the blaze consumed it. The Priest hoped fervently that this sacrifice would appease Yahweh and guarantee God’s blessing for the coming year.
I don’t know, but maybe it was the hot desert sun that sent my mind reeling that day. Or maybe there was some lingering hint of holiness in the ruins of that once holy place. But I have often reflected on my experience that day because it is so different from what you and I experience in our relationship with God.
In the ancient system it must have been almost impossible to have a personal relationship with God. The priests performed acts of devotion on behalf of the whole people, so God must have seemed both distant and fearsome for the average believer.
But our lesson from the Book of Hebrews shows us that in Jesus Christ God began something new. The writer reflects on the old system of sacrifices with a sense of futility. The priests, he says, offer sacrifices day after day “that can never take away sin.” But Jesus offered a “single sacrifice for sins and sat down at the right hand of the Father”. So the implication is that in the crucifixion and resurrection a job that had been ongoing for generations was finally completed. Jesus made reconciliation with God a reality and when he was done, he simply sat down.
The writer goes on to talk about believers being able to approach God with confidence instead of fear, and by-passing the priest to perform our own acts of devotion. Because Jesus Christ has chosen to live within us, we have direct access to the One who is holy and our sacrifices are primarily inward. The only intermediary we need lives within us and he has bridged the gap that kept former generations separated from God. And so we are left with the image of an accessible God who welcomes us into the Holy places and who has removed the barriers that once kept God and humanity separated.
But some of the ancient fear and alienation remains long after Jesus removed the barriers. I know people who refuse to participate in the community of faith because they feel unworthy. I know people who refuse to pray because God seems so distant that they don’t know what to say. I know people who ask, “How can God love me after everything I have done?”
Maybe you know some people like that too. Maybe there is some part of you that still doesn’t feel worthy, or some part of your life that causes you to have reservations about drawing near to God. If so then this message is especially for you. The witness of the Book of Hebrews is that from God’s side the barriers have been torn down. There is nothing from God’s side that separates us from all that is holy. There is nothing from God’s side that wants us to hold on to fear. In the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus the curtain that kept us separated from God has been torn down. Now it is up to us to accept what God has done.
Of course the sacrifice of Jesus did not eliminate the need for priests altogether, but the role of the priest is changed. Now that we know that God is accessible to each of us, we are called to be priests to one another and to spread the message of the accessible God to all who will listen. As priests for one another we need to be present for those in our community who are afraid, or angry, or alienated from God so we can offer them the message of reconciliation.
Copyright © 2007 by Dwight R. Blackstock
Hebrews 10:11-25
One day I found myself standing in the remains of a replica of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. We were miles from Jerusalem in the middle of the Negev Desert, and the fortress we were visiting dated from the time of Solomon – approximately 900 B.C. Of all of the holy places in Judaism, the “Holy of Holies” that was contained in the Temple is without a doubt the most sacred. The ancient Jews believed that God lived within the Holy of Holies, surrounded by the Arc of the Covenant and other sacred implements. As I stood in this ancient replica of the Holy of Holies I had the eerie feeling that I had been there before.
In my imagination I could almost see a frightened priest standing before the altar of God offering prayers while preparing the sacrifice. It was a great honor for a priest to be selected to enter the Holy of Holies, and a priest might practice for a life time just to be ready if he was ever called upon to serve. While it was a great honor to serve in the Holy of Holies, it was also fearsome, because even the High Priest did not know what would happen in the presence of God.
The Priest stood before the altar of God hidden from the view of other worshipers by a thick curtain. As he prayed, he allowed the blood of the young ram or bull to run down the altar and into the fire. The blood made a sizzling sound as the blaze consumed it. The Priest hoped fervently that this sacrifice would appease Yahweh and guarantee God’s blessing for the coming year.
I don’t know, but maybe it was the hot desert sun that sent my mind reeling that day. Or maybe there was some lingering hint of holiness in the ruins of that once holy place. But I have often reflected on my experience that day because it is so different from what you and I experience in our relationship with God.
In the ancient system it must have been almost impossible to have a personal relationship with God. The priests performed acts of devotion on behalf of the whole people, so God must have seemed both distant and fearsome for the average believer.
But our lesson from the Book of Hebrews shows us that in Jesus Christ God began something new. The writer reflects on the old system of sacrifices with a sense of futility. The priests, he says, offer sacrifices day after day “that can never take away sin.” But Jesus offered a “single sacrifice for sins and sat down at the right hand of the Father”. So the implication is that in the crucifixion and resurrection a job that had been ongoing for generations was finally completed. Jesus made reconciliation with God a reality and when he was done, he simply sat down.
The writer goes on to talk about believers being able to approach God with confidence instead of fear, and by-passing the priest to perform our own acts of devotion. Because Jesus Christ has chosen to live within us, we have direct access to the One who is holy and our sacrifices are primarily inward. The only intermediary we need lives within us and he has bridged the gap that kept former generations separated from God. And so we are left with the image of an accessible God who welcomes us into the Holy places and who has removed the barriers that once kept God and humanity separated.
But some of the ancient fear and alienation remains long after Jesus removed the barriers. I know people who refuse to participate in the community of faith because they feel unworthy. I know people who refuse to pray because God seems so distant that they don’t know what to say. I know people who ask, “How can God love me after everything I have done?”
Maybe you know some people like that too. Maybe there is some part of you that still doesn’t feel worthy, or some part of your life that causes you to have reservations about drawing near to God. If so then this message is especially for you. The witness of the Book of Hebrews is that from God’s side the barriers have been torn down. There is nothing from God’s side that separates us from all that is holy. There is nothing from God’s side that wants us to hold on to fear. In the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus the curtain that kept us separated from God has been torn down. Now it is up to us to accept what God has done.
Of course the sacrifice of Jesus did not eliminate the need for priests altogether, but the role of the priest is changed. Now that we know that God is accessible to each of us, we are called to be priests to one another and to spread the message of the accessible God to all who will listen. As priests for one another we need to be present for those in our community who are afraid, or angry, or alienated from God so we can offer them the message of reconciliation.
Copyright © 2007 by Dwight R. Blackstock
posted by Dwight Blackstock | 6:28 AM
1 Comments:
For many years, as you well know, Dwight, I thought the only way God would hear my prayers was through the mouths of the righteous men like you. I thought I had sinned too much and fallen too far for the Holy One to ever hear my voice. Now I know, that Jesus was bending down, listening intently for my whisper, so that He could lift me out the death trap I had put myself into. What a loving Savior. Carmen
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