Living in the Spirit
October 28, 2021
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:11-14
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
Once for all. . . obtaining eternal redemption, Jesus’s death on the cross freed us from repetitious penitence, allowing us to devote our time and talent to loving God and loving one another. I grew up on a farm and knew the labor necessary just to head a heifer to the desired location. I remember Dad bringing home a cow that turned out to be headstrong and wild. The whole family got involved in trying to get her in the milking barn. She even swam the pond to escape the barrier we had created to capture her. Consequently, she was returned to the sale barn the following week.
The above scripture could be a good metaphor for getting distracted by the dead works that entangle us from following the plan that Jesus set forth for us. I see that plan summarized in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and Jesus telling us we will be judged on how well we care for others described in Matthew 25:31-46. I am not critical of our faith ancestors who were offering items of worth in homage to God. However, Jesus’s death and resurrection tell us that the thing most valuable to God is our giving back, by choice, the life God gave us in service and in love to actualizing God’s original vision of our world.
Prayer: God of Grace, thank you for the teachings of Jesus showing us how to serve you and for Christ’s continuing support and love as we choose to love you more dearly and serve you more nearly. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.