Route 66: Day 39-40; Leviticus 22-25

The lamps on the pure gold lamp stand before the Lord must be tended continually. Leviticus 24:4

I love to imagine what the lamp stand must have looked like.  Its golden blossoms and buds with its glowing light in the darkness. Beautiful and captivating.

The idea of the lamp and its light has been with me since I was a very young child. One of the first verses I memorized in Sunday school is "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet; and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 And I sang songs like--

Give me oil in my lamp,
Keep me burning, burning, burning...

Toward the end of the year when we get to Revelation we will read that the lamp stand represents the church and the light that it together with Christ shines in the darkness of the world we live it.  Just as the tabernacle's lamp stand was the only light found in the holy place, the church with its relationship with Jesus is the only true light to those around us. And I believe just as those priests of old were instructed to continually tend to the light, we are also called to continually keep the fire burning.

But if we are to keep that flame lit, we are going to need a good supply of fuel. The Word of God is the very best source of energy we can find.  If we look how a lamp functions, it needs to be filled in order to bring light and it needs continuous tending or else the flame will eventually go out. The same is true for us. We need to stay filled up with God's Word to do our job as light.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

Just a little side note about the stand itself. Remember, there are blossoms AND buds covering the surface. Some flowers are open and on their way to make fruit but when we look to the buds there is a sense that there is still more to come... More to come. More fruit. More light. More beauty as God's Word is ignited in our lives captvating the attention of those trying to make their way out of the darkness.

Route 66: Day 38; Leviticus 19-21

"Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."

Leviticus 19:2

God starts this portion with telling Moses to tell the people that God wants them to follow his example of holiness and then provides a list of example circumstances and actions to apply. There are so many places in the Bible that reveal God's heart and instruction that we should never have to wonder, "What would Jesus do here?"  It's all spelled out for us.  We know God's will about matters like those included in the passage because there it is in black and white. You can never go wrong when you show others respect, you tell the truth, you give to the poor, you are fair in your business dealings, you treat each other with equality, you love your neighbor, you let bygones be bygones, and  you continually follow God. Still feeling a little shaky when it comes to the holiness factor? Trust God. He has got ya covered.

"I am the LORD, who makes you holy."

 Leviticus 20:7

Route 66: Day 37; Leviticus 16-18

Route 66: Day 37; Leviticus 16-18

God has really thought of everything. Here in the middle of the 'Schedule of Sacrifices' he has placed the scapegoat, a loophole for the people of Israel to escape the guilt and shame of their sins.  Bring in the goat, pile all their wrong doings on him and run him out in to the wilderness never to be seen again. I love it! It such a great illustration of what happens to our sin when we confess it to God but I'm getting ahead of myself.

All to often we come up with a variety of excuses for why we just couldn't do the right thing. We're too busy, we don't want to go against the flow of popular thinking, too tired, it didn't seem so bad at the moment, or I just wanted what I wanted (probably the most truthful one of the bunch). Everyone has they own set of reasons why they do the things they do. Many times we blame others or our circumstances  by placing the wrong onto their backs trying to free our own conscience of guilt. We comfort ourselves saying, "It wasn't really my fault. If it hadn't been for _________ I wouldn't have been forced to ________."  In reality, our sin is still with us either to be repeated over and over because we have convinced ourselves we aren't really doing anything wrong. It's that other guys fault. Or it lingers and festers and eventually becoming disease in our souls causing us to feel hopeless, worthless and devastated.

This is where the true Scapegoat comes in. God really did think of everything when it comes to freeing us from sin. When Jesus took on the sin of the world he not only paid the price with his life, no more penalty to be paid, but he also removed it, taking it away 'into the wilderness' to be seen no more. It's gone. We need to quit blaming other people or things for our bad behavior, face the facts that WE did wrong and confess it to God. (See 1 John 1:8-10)

Confession, the owning of our own wrong, is the key. If we own our sin then we also have the power to release it onto the Lord who can then carry it away.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;  as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12

Later in the day--
All morning this idea has been returning to me so I want to share it. It may be a little tough to think about but important all the same--

There are two synonyms for scapegoat that cause me to pause. They are 'fall guy' and 'whipping boy'. Now, we know 'fall guy' is someone who takes that blame for crimes he had no part it. Jesus certainly fits this definition.  But it's the term 'whipping boy' that really gets to me. For you who may not know the term 'whipping boy' comes the practice in the English court during the 15th and 16th century of assigning a young boy to a monarch's son to take the punishment when the prince misbehaved. Yikes! How would you like to have that job? And again, I realized Jesus also plays that role in my life. The term 'whipping boy' really gets to me. God has done what always he does and has flipped everything upside down to challenge our perspective. Roles have been reversed and the King's Son has taken my beating. Who does that? Only Jesus. How can I not give my whole life to him?

Route 66: Day 34-36; Leviticus 8-15

Long lists of how to deal with daily life. Warning labels on the food, the heartbreak of psoriasis and toxic mold. Who knew? And in case you were wondering whether or not to eat that grasshopper... All joking aside, these were things that concerned the people of Israel and their God.  This massive population existed in very close quarters and an epidemic could wipe them out in a flash.  These guidelines  would help stop the spread of infectious disease and  literally save their lives. Again, more evidence that God is present in our 'everyday'. Our well-being is important to him. He's not some distant god that watches from afar to see how we make out.  He is with us and he is for us. And all I have to say about that is, "Hallelujah!"

Route 66: Day 33; Leviticus 5-7

“ ‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible. Leviticus 5:1 (NIV)

Recently there was a funny little test going around Facebook the one could use to determine their religious preference. All you had to do was answer a couple of questions and follow the flow chart to find your answer.  In my case if I wanted to worship one god, I liked bacon and was not a naturally annoying person I should become a boring, generic Christian. I beg your pardon! Is that really how the world sees us, boring and generic?

Sadly, those are not the only adjectives that are used to describe the Christian community. Words like hypocritical, weak, mislead,  judgmental, and out of touch with reality are just a few that come to mind. I think we should make the world take it back! We should state the truth of about God with what we "have seen and what we have learned about" him.  He is certainly not boring or generic. And the work he does in our lives isn't either. The way we live needs to reflect that Fact so the world can see it. We need to speak up and make a loud statement that gives testimony about the awesome God we serve.

Route 66: Day 32; Levitcus 1-4

Oh, Boy, here we go. I can't say that I have spent much time contemplating this part of the Scriptures but I'm sure in the end I'll be glad I jumped in.

The laws of sacrifice are being put into place and the picture isn't pretty. Slaughter and blood covered alters and priests doesn't bode well with our modern audience but it's not the scene that disturbs me the most. It's the smell. In my head I keep hearing CSIs saying, "We got decomp here." The stench of death must have been present in the tabernacle yet we hear the Scriptures tell us the burnt offerings were  "an aroma pleasing to the Lord."

Instead of death it was the sweet scent of obedience that reached God's nose when the people offered up sacrifices. Making a sacrifice was an outward expression of their inward heart that was seeking to obey God. They were acting in submission to him. They were putting their faith in him. They were being his people. And to God that was indeed a pleasing aroma. 

We may not follow the same rules of sacrifice laid out here in Leviticus today since Jesus made the final payment for us but we are still called to live in obedience to God.  Romans 12 calls us to be a 'living sacrifice' wholly following him and living in a life that proves our faith. What's more, by living a life that proves our faith, people around us will see our God is who he claims to be-A God of Truth and Faithfulness. This leads to God using "us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." [2 Corinthians 2:14-15]  

Here's how The Message puts it--"Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation---an aroma [full] with life."

The last of verse 16 of 2 Corinthians 2 asks, "And who is equal to such a task?"   Who is equipped to do this job? I believe it will be those who are willing to live out their faith in obedience.  And obedience has the pleasing aroma of life that seems to get everyone's attention.

Route 66: Day 30-31; Exodus 36-40

At the end of December, I was part of a decorating crew for the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. It was a great experience seeing how the flower-covered floats come to life. I worked alongside some members of our church along with others from the So Cal community. It was a great time of comradery, chatting and laughing as we glued and sprinkled seeds and dried flowers to all the surfaces of these beautiful creations.

I see this very same atmosphere happening here at the end of Exodus as the people work together to build the tabernacle. What a relieve they must have felt to actually be doing something they had been trained to do. These people were trained craftsmen, artists, weavers, and builders who had been part of constructing the cities in Egypt. They had skills and God had a job for them. This project would not only create a dwelling place for the Almighty but God would also accomplish an important task in their lives. This would bring them together with a common purpose, build relationships, and give them a sense of usefulness and belonging. While they were building the tabernacle, God was building them into a community.

There is an important lesson for us in this part of God's story. We can be God's people, can know God, attend services and Bible studies but its working together with a common focus that builds the strongest relationships. Service is the mortar of the community. It connects us in such a way that strengthens and bonds, gives purpose and ownership. We are invested in each other. It develops community pride which really boils down to care and compassion for one another.

On January 2nd as 'my' float passed by on the television screen, I felt a swell of pride. Yep, I had helped build that. I and many other people had been part of creating this beautiful float. But after it had disappeared from view, it was the the day we worked together connecting as a community that would remain in my memory.