Chapter 19

• Elaborate ritual to create and use special water (using the ashes of a red heifer without defect) for use in purification and cleansing rights when someone becomes “unclean.”
• Many, many questions that I don’t know the answer to here.  But….I do see a pretty clear prefigurement of the deeper cleansing we receive through Christ and through baptism.  (See Heb. 10:22; Titus 3:3-4; Ephesians 5:25-27)
• What does it mean for us that we are now clean?

Chapter 20

• Grumbling AGAIN?!  how many times does this happen in this book?
• Never-the-less, God does provide water.
• Moses disobeys God, striking (rather than speaking to) the rock.  (Does he also rob God of honor and glory by saying “must we bring water out of this rock?” thus failing to give credit to God.)  Moses and Aaron are judged and will not be able to enter the Land of Promise.
• Death of Aaron. Again emphasized in response to his sin.  Holiness still attended to as his son removes his (priestly) garments before his death.
• Aaron and Miriam are now both gone.

Today, January 6th (the 12th day after Christmas) is traditionally observed as “Epiphany,” remembering the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus.  (See Matthew chapter 2 for the account.) The Magi (popularly called “Wise Men”) represent the Gentile (IE, non-Jewish) world before the Son of God, showing that He came for ALL.  They worshiped the child Jesus with expensive gifts fit for a king.  This event is, perhaps, anticipated in the Old Testament in such passages as Psalm 72 and Isaiah 60:1-7

Some trace the tradition of giving and receiving gifts at Christmas-time back to this event.  In fact, people in different cultures exchange gifts today rather than on Christmas.  I prefer to think of the gift giving as a reflection of the God who gives and gives and gives–even of His very self into death on the cross.

Chapter 16

• Korah and his group are not content w/ the callings they have received from God (Levites assisting with the care of the Tabernacle; set apart from rest of Israelites.)  They grumble against Moses and Araon and presumably want the priesthood as well. (see vs 3 and 10)  Sin of pride.  Is this not what is believed to have led to Satan’s fall? (wanting to be God)  Is this not what he tempted Adam and Eve with? (”You will be like God”)  We think too much of ourselves (pride) and too little of others (part of envy?) and reject the God who made and called us all.
• Sins of some put whole community at risk.
• Judgment is complete–all that they are and have are “swallowed up.”
• Israelites persist in sin following in the sin’s of Korah and his rebellion, grumbling against Moses and Aaron blaming them for the death of K and his followers.  Again God’s wrath is stirred; again Moses and Aaron fall facedown before God, acting as mediators between God and the people.  Aaron burns incense to “make atonement.”  Prototype of Christ as THE mediator between God and Man.

Chapters 17-18

• Aaron/Levites reaffirmed as priests/those dealing with the tabernacle.
• Offerings to the LORD provide for the Levites and priests.  (they have no regular inheritance.)
• The LORD is their inheritance.  (IS God “enough,” “sufficient” for us?)
• [Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.]
• Again, God gives laws as PROTECTION for His people (”so that they will not die”)  Even His Law flows from His love.

In Luther’s explanation of the First Article of the Apostle’s Creed, he teaches us that when I confess God as the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, I acknowledging that He is the one who has given me “my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.”

I went to the dentist this morning. (For the first time in a while.)  I got to see amazing pictures and X-rays of my teeth and got a good little lesson on the parts of the mouth and how it all “works.”  Amazing!  The more I learn about the human body, the more in awe I am of it’s Creator.  I thank God for my teeth, and I thank God for the Dentist through whom God is working to “still take care of them” today.

Proverbs 20:12 Ears that hear and eyes that see– the LORD has made them both. (We can throw in “teeth” too.) Don’t take one thing, one part for granted!

We did not have an organist yesterday.

It was an interesting experience.  We sang the hymns acapella and spoke the liturgy.

Speaking the liturgy was interesting.  Words and phrases “hit me” differently.   The service was extra “quiet” without the organ.  No music before or after.  No piano tinkling as the kids came up for the kid’s message.  No music during the Lord’s Supper.  I wonder if others “noticed” the quiet like I did.

Do we have much quiet in our lives?  Quiet is good.  I’d say it’s even important.

The missing organ was a good thing (for one day) to experience.

But it also made us all appreciate our organist even more than we already do!  (She’s quite wonderful!) 

Well, I ended up vacationing from the blog on my vacation.  But I’m back now. 

Here’s a text version of the message from last night’s Christmas Eve Service.

Luke 2:7; John 1:10-13

Luke 2:7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Angel of the Lord paid a visit to Mary and Joseph each with the same message. Mary would give birth to a child who would be conceived by the Holy Spirit—the Son of God and they were to give him the name Jesus—because He would save His people from their sins. And now the time was near for her to give birth, but they needed to make the lengthy journey to their ancestral home to be counted for Caesar’s census. Government hasn’t changed, has it? Always doing things to make life more complicated.

And so they arrive in the little town of Bethlehem which is presumably packed with people also there for the census. And guess what? That famous little line. There was no room for them. There was no room for them in the inn.

Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that ironic? The God and creator of the whole universe came to town—and there wasn’t any room for Him. No one noticed. No one realized He was there. There was no fanfare, no one to welcome Him. There simply was no room.

Another bible writer puts it this way:

John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

And I ask….has anything changed today? Is there any room for God in our lives?

Some have no room for God in their intellect. Maybe you’re one of them. You’re here tonight because this is what your family wanted to do, but you yourself don’t have much use for God if he or she or it even exists. Your intellect tells you that science has proven that God does not exist and that we are all just the product of blind chance. You leave no room in your mind for something outside the box of this natural world. No room for the miraculous. No room for a creator. No room for God.

For others there’s no room for God because there’s too much “Stuff” too much “clutter.” I mean where would God sleep if he came to your house? The basement might be filled with boxes of things you haven’t looked at in years. The spare bedroom the same. Even the garage is so filled with “stuff” that you can’t even pull your car inside. Some are so consumed with stuff—researching, shopping, maintaining, cleaning “stuff” that there’s no room for God or anyone else for that matter in your life.

For others there’s simply no room in our schedules. We run from place to place to place. To appointments. To school. To work. To practice. To games. To performances. To stores. To hair cuts. To doctors. To the gas-station. To banks. There is little time to eat or rest or sleep—barely time to breath let alone have any time to fit God in. No room for God.

There’s no room in our hearts for God. Our hearts are filled with so much stuff that there’s no room for God. We have so many worries and fears and concerns that consume us.

One is worried about the lack of work.

Another the low level of income.

This one worries about her health.

That one worries about her kid’s behavior.

Another holds onto his anger at God—pushing Him out. He’s mad at Him because his parents basically rejected him.

Another’s heart is filled with growing bitterness against her husband who doesn’t give her the time of day.

Still another has so much guilt that she can barely think about God she’s so ashamed of where she’s been and what she’s done.

There’s simply no room for God. We’ve filled every nook and cranny of our existence and there is no room for God.

She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

And Still He Came. God came knowing full well that people would ignore Him. God came knowing that his own creatures would reject Him and ultimately nail him to a cross to die. God Still came in spite of it all.

Why? What would move him to bother? What would move him to endure so much hardship, so much indifference, so much rejection, so much hatred, so much violence. What would move God to endure all this?

Love.

Simply put: in spite of everything, God loves us. We may not have room for Him. Our minds may be too small to consider Him; Our lives and time too congested. Our hearts too full of pain and worry and fear. We may not have room for Him But He wants to make room for us. Jesus came to prepare a place for us before the very throne of God for all eternity. He came to make us right with God. To clear away the clutter and the debris and the stain of sin. To make us clean and holy in His sight through His death on the cross. Jesus, the Son of God, came into this world because He loves us so much that He can’t stand to be apart from us.

That’s why He came. Because He loves us. Because he loves you. Regardless of where you’ve been or what you’ve done or failed to do. Jesus came for you. In spite of what you may think or believe about Him—even if you think you have no need of Him whatsoever. Jesus came for you and longs for the day when you will realize that you need Him. More than food and water. More than the air that you breathe.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

My prayer is that God would open our hearts to His love this night. That we would lay all of our doubts, all of our fears. All of our worries and anxieties. All of our business and self-absorption. All of our guilt and shame. All of our sin. All that we are and all that we have. That we would lay it all down at the feet of Jesus and simply receive His love.

O God, open our hearts. Open our hearts, dear Lord to your great love. Take away our sins, worries and fears—anything that would stand between us and you. Assure us again of your forgiveness—the forgiveness and peace that you won for us on the cross. Make room in our hearts for you even as you have prepared a place before the throne of our Father for all who place their trust in you. For Jesus’ sake we pray. Amen.

I’m going to pause the reading (and related posting) of Numbers for a few days to focus my attention on the birth of Christ.  I’ll resume in a few days.

I will also likely pause in blogging until the 26th.

God’s Peace and Joy to you all!

Today and tomorrow the Church celebrates and reflects on the Incarnation of God.  The creator of the universe became man “for us and for our salvation.”

May you have a joyful celebration.

Merry Christmas!