Lifeline

It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through. ~Zig Ziglar

In just one sentence Zig Ziglar draws our attention to three vital qualities for a satisfying and productive life.

Greetings one and all. So sorry I haven’t written in a while.

The following is my last post on the Sacrificial System. The last sacrifice I wanted to talk about is the Red Heifer sacrifice. It is found in Numbers 19.

In this sacrifice, the Israelites were to get a red heifer that had no defects and never worn a yoke. They were to take to the priest and kill outside the camp. Then the priest was to take some of the blood and sprinkle it toward the Tent of Meeting. Then all of the heifer was to be burned. Then the priest was to take some ceder wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw all of it on top of the heifer as it burned. At that point, the priest was to wash himself with water. The priest would be ceremonially unclean until the evening of that day. The man who burned the heifer would also be ceremonially unclean until that night (vv 1-8).

Let’s see now…how can I get ahead in life. This is, of course, my interest. This was pre-figured at my birth. I was a twin. When my brother was born first, from inside the womb I reached forth my hand to grasp his heel. It was as though I would have pulled him back inside so that I could be first. The favoritism that my mom and dad revealed (dad favoring my brother…mom favoring me), set up the contest. Who would be first? I was determined it would be me. I schemed. I jockeyed for position. I kept my finger on the pulse of things. I was always ready to spring into action in order to gain my purpose. I deceived my brother, who actually made an easy target. I deceived my nearly blind father. As I fled from my vengeful brother, I actually even schemed with God. I played “Let’s make a deal” with God. If You will take care of me…feed me, clothe me, protect me…and bring me back to this place safely one day, why then You will be my God. And I’ll even pay You a tenth of all I own. Sound like a good deal?

What do you do with a dead body? There are all sorts of things people around the world do with death bodies, but the common practice of many is to bury it. It makes sense: you bury dead bodies. In Luke 23.44-49, we witnessed through the lens of Luke’s account the death of Jesus. He is dead and so He must be buried. From Mark (15.44-45) we learn that Pilate is surprised to hear Jesus is dead already and has to consult with a centurion to ensure that in fact Jesus is dead. The centurion, someone who deals in death on a regular basis and can tell dead from alive, confirms the reports Pilate is hearing: Jesus, the king of the Jews, is dead.

Once a month the church here splits up for Sunday evenings and does what they call “Life Groups.” To use a more familiar term to some, they do small groups together. Though they have tried versions of these in the past, they really seem to have taken off this time and have provided good community and accountability in this congregation of seven hundred Christians.