March 21, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor… follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children, and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 4.25a, 5.1-2)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

As disciples of Jesus the Christ, we are called to “walk in the way of love.” Such a walk symbolizes a pure intention to not only be a follower but to be more and more like Christ in all we say and do. How important it is to bear this understanding with “all our heart, mind, soul and strength” as it would then declare to every person whether they know it or not “I am fulfilling the greatest of all commands which is to love: God, neighbor, enemy, self and one another.” In our sordid self, this is not truly possible because it cannot be fully done. The most obvious failure to comply with the great commands, as we see it often in the teachings of Jesus, is the misalignment of spiritual priorities. Looking at the aforementioned list of “love,” take the five elements and put them in different order. You don’t even have to change the order of the words themselves to do so. Say them aloud four times. With each recitation, which you can do by rote, emphasize one word more than the others, like this:

God, neighbor, enemy, self and one another.

God, neighbor, enemy, self and one another.

God, neighbor, enemy, self and one another.

God, neighbor, enemy, self and one another.

God, neighbor, enemy, self and one another.

Now, let me ask you this: which of the five sentences are you more comfortable with? more familiar with? more practiced at? More serious about? More intentional at becoming like?

I will laugh at the one who quickly raises their hand, as “that” student often did in class when the teacher asked a question, and in the effort to sound smart, wise and better said “None of those. I can do them all!” Have we tried to give equal emphasis to every element and sound comfort, familiar, practiced, serious and intentional? Doing so might lend itself to sounding “intentional” but uncomfortable, unfamiliar, unpracticed and not so serious. It might lead us and others into that infamous pharisaical question presented to Jesus, “Which is the greatest commandment?” When the rich young ruler asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” Jesus responded with only six of the ten commandments. Those six represented how we should be relating to one another in human community because we are believers and lovers of God. How easily it was misconstrued by religious leaders then and now as “things we should do to gain the advantage of God’s favor.” If you dare to think on that last assertion, I would hope it “stinks” to you as much as it “stinks” to me. God’s favor and love is not something to be earned, bargained and bartered. God’s love is a fact of life epitomized by God’s promise to be our God in full measure.

And so it was with the practice of sacrifices even as God commanded them to be done by His people. Even God practiced animal sacrifice in the Garden of Eden when He chose to forgive Adam and Eve their transgression against Him. They in their guilt attempted to cover their shame with fig leaves made into makeshift coverings. It hid from their eyes the nakedness that suddenly became apparent to them about each other. It may have even served as camouflage with the intention to aid in hiding themselves from God’s eyes that He might be shocked at their nakedness, too. Really? That’s an interesting thought, isn’t it. God made them naked and unafraid. They had no fear because they had no sin by which their right relationship would be disrupted. Now they feared God more than anything else in the world. Their sin initiated the “death sentence.” But, God forgave them upon their confessions. He literally “called them out” and covered them with animal skins. Where do you think those skins came from? They grew on trees like apples? No, God had to select from among all the animals He had created (had they the opportunity to reproduce by this time?) two to be killed and offered as a fragrant offering to Himself and “holy” acceptable. Having done so, He took the skins and fashioned coverings for them. It seemed to have satisfied their longing to be unashamed (as if nakedness was the source) but did it truly eliminate the guilt of shame because of their disobedience? I don’t think so because sacrifices had to continue to be offered after that as a means of remembering both the sin and the salvation. Those offerings to remember the sin were “unfragrant, pungent and bitter.” But, the ones offered by a greatful heart seeking to be faithful to God in all things was known as “fragrant and acceptable, pleasing to God.”

There is nothing like the sacrifice of thanksgiving. To be truly thankful we must live out our thankfulness. As I have heard some say around the Thanksgiving season: Thanks giving is thanks living! And that is what we are called to be as mighty ones of God. We are invited, commanded, encouraged, commissioned and led by example to live out our thanksgiving. As it has been in various forms beginning with the English preacher, John Bradford, “There but for the grace of God go I,” we ought to recognize that any true hope for life to exceed itself unto life is bound in the mercy and grace of God. As disciples of Jesus the Christ, we ought to present ourselves as “fragrant offerings,” recognizing that without the saving grace which is ours in accepting Jesus to be the Christ we remain in our sin. In our sin, any sacrifice we make for whatever reason is “unfragrant, pungent and bitter.” Why would we want to foul the sweet air of God’s love which is breathed into us by God’s Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit within us and upon us which works through us to freshen the air of hope, faith and love for others. Let our sacrifices, the offerings of our lives into the service for others and thereby bringing glory to God, be pure in heart, mind, soul and strength. To do less is to be less and to mock God as if He is less.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit spoke us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.