Cleaning House

Posted on August 20, 2014 by wamplerp

myhouseBut if the priest comes to examine it and the mold has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the defiling mold is gone.  To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.  He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.  Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.  He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn.  Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean. -Leviticus 14: 48-53

This is a retelling of a procedure of “atonement” that was the subject of yesterday’s post.  The only real difference here is the cleansing is happening to a house rather than a person who has a skin disease.  The house in this passage has molds, which we learned can be spreading and defiling or not.  The solution was the same mixture of herbs and animal sacrifice described previously.  The idea of a house being unclean is a bit strange but I have had some experience with this.

Our first house that we purchased we bought from a single older woman who was partially handicapped.  We learned later that the reason she was handicapped was that her husband had actually tried to kill her in the house we were purchasing.  The events that had transpired in the house made us very uneasy so we decided that we should have a house blessing to try to remove the negative spiritual “mold” that we felt was affecting the house.  We did not invest in birds, cedar, and hyssop, but we did invite several christian friends and we stood in a circle in living room and asked for God’s blessing on the house and invited Him to come dwell with us.  He did.  We have many amazing stories of God blessing our family while we were in that house.

Probably one of the most memorable stories was when “God’s gutter service” showed up. My wife and I were kind of dirt poor then.  I had just finished graduate school and we did not have a lot of disposable income.  We had a little one on the way, our gutters needed painting, and they also never drained right so we decided to take them all down to paint them.  What we failed consider before taking them down is that it takes a fair amount of skill and experience to rehang gutters.  We were in over our head.  We had no money to hire someone and this was before the days of YouTube.  We decided to take a break and pray about it.  We left the house to do something, I can’t recall where we went.  When we returned to our house the gutters were all installed!  We asked our neighbor about it and she said a white truck had pulled up and some men installed the gutters and then left.  We never got a bill and never found out exactly why our gutters were installed that day…we were just thankful that “God’s gutter service” came through for us.

Prayer: God bless our homes and all the living and loving that occurs in them.  Help us to take time to pray about our needs so that you can amaze us.

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Why is Clean not always Clean?

Posted on August 19, 2014 by wamplerp
Mourning doves in my back yard

Mourning doves in my back yard

The Lord said to Moses, “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest: The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease, the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed. Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.  He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.   Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.  “The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes, shave off all their hair and bathe with water; then they will be ceremonially clean. After this they may come into the camp, but they must stay outside their tent for seven days.  On the seventh day they must shave off all their hair; they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean. – Leviticus 14: 1-8

Some aspects of this narrative are good hygiene practices even today for a person with a contagious skin condition.  For example, the shaving off all the hair and washing clothes in water are both good practices as hair and clothes can harbor contagion.  The items described are known medicinal herbs/woods.  Cedar is a known insect repellent and may very well have antimicrobial properties.  Hyssop is reported to have antiviral properties.  However, there are several aspects of this passage that puzzle me.  What is the difference, at least from God’s perspective, between being healed (made clean) and being ceremonially clean?

Jesus healed both according to existing traditions, directing someone he healed to go make the offerings required by Moses (Mark 1:44), and broke with tradition by healing with no offerings (Mark 8:22-25).  I guess it is not clear to me why “clean” is not always clean, and how being ceremonially clean is different.  Perhaps there is an aspect of community “remembering” when one becomes ceremonially clean through public offerings and sacrifices for atonement that is lacking when one is healed in private.  Perhaps the reason Jesus healed in both ways was that there was no need to “remember” God as he was standing right there!

There are other aspects of this passage that are head scratchers for me.  For example, why two birds, one that gets killed, and the other that is set free after getting bathed in the blood of the one that was killed?  Actually as I sit here trying to listen to God so that he can help me make sense of this it occurred to me that we are a bit like the bird that was set free.  We are figuratively bathed in Jesus blood and set free after being made clean by his sacrifice on the cross.  Perhaps this is a stretch, but it is something interesting to ponder.  How did the freed bird feel?  I suspect it would be asking itself “wow that was close”; “why was I spared?”; and “What was with that dunking in blood stuff”.

These are all questions not unlike ones I sometimes wonder about the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  “Why was that necessary?”; “Why do I deserve to be spared?”; and “what was that whole crucifixion and whipping thing for?”  The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his subsequent resurrection are two of the greatest mysteries to me.  I have come to a peace about the sacrifice of Jesus, and I am confident that: 1) It was necessary; 2) I may not fully understand the event until I am with God after my body passes away; and 3) It was more important to God to set us free than to climb down off the cross.

Perhaps God’s perspective is a bit like moses’, there are certain spiritual rules by which both God and Moses must operate.  For example, the sacrifices required for atonement described in Leviticus.  C.S. Lewis explored this idea in the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia series, “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe”.  Aslan (the Christ figure) is sacrificed to save Edmond who has betrayed Narnia and Aslan to the white witch.  The “crucifiction” of Alsan satisfied the “deep magic” as Lewis put it.  Perhaps there is spiritual “deep magic” that we cannot fully understand and that is the reason that Jesus had to allow himself to be sacrificed on the cross for us.  I am content to be thankful that He did.

Prayer: God your sacrifice for us is a deep mystery which I do not fully understand.  Help me to love and follow you despite my imperfect understanding. 

 SDG
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Spreading and Defiling Molds

Posted on August 18, 2014 by wamplerp

But if, when the priest examines it, the mold has not spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather article,  he shall order that the spoiled article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days.  After the article has been washed, the priest is to examine it again, and if the mold has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it, no matter which side of the fabric has been spoiled.  If, when the priest examines it, the mold has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the spoiled part out of the fabric, the leather, or the woven or knitted material.  But if it reappears in the fabric, in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is a spreading mold; whatever has the mold must be burned.  Any fabric, woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mold, must be washed again. Then it will be clean. – Leviticus 13:53-58

This passage comes after an extensive discussion about molds and how to deal with them.  What this passage and previous passages are interested in determining is if the mold is a “defiling mold” and if it is spreading.  Molds are an interesting organism.  They are a type of Fungi, just like mushrooms.  They spread and propagate via microscopic spores that can survive harsh and dry conditions.  Those microscopic “seeds” that molds send out make baby molds somewhere else where conditions are favorable.  I am pretty sure I am allergic to mold spores.  Molds are really hard to get rid of once they start to grow.  Especially if you you do not have access to the chlorine bleach and other modern antimicrobials.  The washing described probably tended to spread the molds, unless they boiled the items for a while, which interestingly is not one of the remedies described.

We had a black mold problem in a house we used to live in.  It was probably due to poor ventilation and water leaks under the house.  I can still remember the day it fell to me to venture into the crawl space under the house to look for the water leak.  I got dressed up in my Carhartt coveralls, duct taped the legs around my boots and the arms around my gloves.  I did not want to acquire any new friends while I was down there!  I donned my stocking cap and made my way into the wet, smelly, crawl space.  As I crawled, because that is what one does in a “crawl space”, I was about halfway to my destination when I came nose to nose with a mummified mouse.  Maybe he had come down to look for the leak too and did not make it out.  I eventually found and fixed the leak, although it turned out that our mold problem was bigger than one leak.  So what did I learn from my experience?  Hire a plumber!

What larger spiritual truths can we gain from mold you may ask.  Excellent question!  This is one of those passages where I pray, reflect, stare at my screen…..and wait on God to help me out.  Mold and Fungi are decomposers.  They tear down and break apart growing things after they die or in the case of fabrics, after the organic material is made into a cloth or clothing.  What “growing things” are there in Christendom?  Two things come immediately to mind: 1) Us (I believe all Christians are on a journey, hopefully growing to be more like Christ); 2) the body of Christians that is referred to as the “church” (not a specific church or denomination that is another discussion).

So the first one is “us”.  What things try to tear down or decompose our growth as followers of Christ?  One of the best explorations of this is a book by C.S. Lewis called the Screwtape Letters.  If you are a new Christian and you are wondering about growing as a Christian and how to avoid pitfalls I highly recommend reading this book.  The book is a fictional account of a series of letters between Screwtape, a senior demon tempter, to wormwood his “nephew” a junior demon tempter.  The letters describe the spiritual battle going on “behind the scenes” in the life of Wormwood’s “patient”, who is a new christian. Here is one of my favorite quotes from this book:

“When He [God] talks of their losing their selves, He means only abandoning the clamour of self-will; once they have done that, He really gives them back all their personality, and boasts (I am afraid, sincerely) that when they are wholly His they will be more themselves than ever.”
 

How about the second growing thing mentioned above — the church (again not a building but the body of believers).  Church buildings unfortunately can be “moldy” places sometimes.  There can be festering “leaks” which make for a great environment for destructive molds to develop and become defiling and spreading molds.  The metaphorical molds I am speaking of are things that cause division like hidden sin, poor communication, and pride.  How many times has a church ended up with a 2nd or 3rd (fill in the denomination) church of wherever because some issue in the church was not talked about openly or resolved. The steady drip, drip, drip of division results in a defiling and spreading mold until there is a much larger problem of people leaving the church (the building), and even worse people leaving the body of Christ.

Prayer: God help me to see the areas of my life and my church that have gotten moldy.  Give me the grace and wisdom to help clean them up.

 

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Discernment, Leviticus, Life Together, The Spiritual Realm | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Weasels, Rats, and Geckos Oh My!

Posted on August 17, 2014 by wamplerp

WRG Image HeaderOf the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot. Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean. Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you. – Leviticus 11:29-38

I wonder if a major U.S. insurance company knows that their cute green mascot with a British accent is unclean;). All kidding aside, this is an odd list of critters to avoid. Perhaps there is a cultural or geographic context here that I am missing. Maybe a gecko’s sticky little feet are really dirty and track bacteria all over the house…who knows…seriously if someone reading this knows why geckos should be avoided please let me know.  The rat I get, although I have to say that ever since I watched Charlotte’s Web and Templeton the rat, I see rats differently.  It would probably be different if the rat was living in my house.

There is a sound scientific basis for most of the recommendations in this passage.  For example, if a weasel, rat, or gecko (or any other animal for that matter) falls dead into my clay pot of soup on the stove, I wholeheartedly agree that one should not eat it and it is a very good idea to get a new pot.  It may also be prudent to determine why animals are dropping dead in your kitchen as there may be some other issue which is more urgent — like poisonous gas or bad water.  The details about a clay pot harboring something bad after it has come into contact with a dead animal also has a sound scientific basis.  Clay after it is fired is porous.  It provides lots of nooks and crannies for organisms to “hang out”.  This property is actually used to treat water in some countries as the porous nature of the clay allows predatory bacteria to survive and they remove the “bad bacteria” when you filter water through the pot.

The specificity and details of what and how we should eat and deal with food in this passage took me somewhat by surprise.  How did we get from God saying “I give you everything” to this laundry list of food and cooking faux pas?  Honestly, it seems like micromanagement on God’s part (or maybe on the part of Aaron and his sons depending on how well they were listening to God).  Jesus made it clear when he arrived on the scene that it is not what you eat that makes you clean or unclean, but rather what resides in your heart and soul.  We are not what we eat, at least spiritually.  Jesus provided lots of guidance about relationships and behaviors that are not good for us.  This guidance is usually not so straightforward as dealing with weasels, rats, and geckos falling into our soup.

This verse is helpful for learning about food safety and how we can keep our bodies safe from getting sick (or unclean), but how can we be sure we are getting a balanced diet for our soul?  I think the answer lies in praying, listening to God, and carefully studying what God said through Jesus about how to stay spiritually fit.  It involves a much more complicated process of discerning God’s will which can sometimes seem like a long and winding road.

Prayer: God help me to listen to your spirit so that I am feeding my soul the healthy food it needs.

Posted in Christianity, Discernment, Discipleship, Following God, Leviticus, Life Together, Obedience, religion, Sin, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hold the Eels

Posted on August 16, 2014 by wamplerp

Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales.  But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean.   And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean.  Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.   – Leviticus 11:9-12

I have been pondering this verse for a while now and it seems like the things in the seas and streams that do not have scales would be things like lampreys and eels.  I must admit to not having much of a place in my heart for lamprey.  They have been referred to as the “vampires of the deep”.  They are a very big problem in the Great Lakes.

They were introduced to the Great Lakes when the canals were built so that ships could traverse between the lakes. Every year they have to use gallons and gallons of toxic lampricide to kill the young lamprey to keep their population under control.

So what does God have against us eating eels and other critters that lack scales and fins?  Not that I am keen on eating an eel or a lamprey mind you.  I can think of a couple of reasons for this type of prohibition.  Perhaps there were reasons why it was safer not to eat critters that lacked scales and fins.  I can still vividly remember a scene from the movie “the Deep” when a Moray Eel takes out a bad guy by chomping on his head (I know some of the guys reading this were thinking about the scene when Jacqueline Bisset climbs out of the water into the boat, but that will have to be the subject of another post).  Moray eels biting people’s heads is probably not what God was trying to prevent with his rule about fins and scales, but you never know.  There may also have been specific species of eels that were toxic in the red sea, for example, sea snakes…I hate snakes.

It seems like the deeper meaning here is that there are things, and behaviours, we will encounter in our lives there that are potentially bad or dangerous for us.  This could be foods we might eat or destructive habits and behaviors.  We can view this sort of “advice” from God as a set of rules that restrict our freedom or we can view them as a means to prevent getting “chomped in the head”…our choice.

Prayer: God help me to see your guidance as a means to make my life easier rather than a series of rules to follow.

Posted in Christian Community, Discernment, Following God, Forgiveness, Leviticus, Obedience, Sin | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stripped Down to the Soul

Posted on August 15, 2014 by wamplerp

The Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast, and gather the entire assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Moses said to the assembly, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.” Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water. He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also fastened the ephod with a decorative waistband, which he tied around him. He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece. Then he placed the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the sacred emblem, on the front of it, as the Lord commanded Moses. – Leviticus 8:1-10

In this verse we are given a glimpse of things to come. Moses does what Jesus will later do when he symbolically washes his disciples feet with water and baptizes in water. The water here seems to serve a different purpose than all the blood and body parts of the previous several chapters describing offerings and atonement. I have to be honest I like the idea of the cleansing and redemptive power of water far more than the carnage of animal sacrifice. There is something reassuring about the cleansing power of water and the metaphor which God uses when he speaks of our sins being washed away. What can be discouraging sometimes is that it seems like we don’t stay clean.

When I was in College working on my geology degree we were required to complete a field course where you apply all the “book” learning to interpret real “live” rocks. Our field course started outside of Barstow, California near a ghost town called the Calico Ghost Town. We were mapping geology in the desert terrain about 2 miles east of the ghost town. We were “roughing it” in tents with no shower, not much water in general, and the temperatures were hitting the century mark during the day.

One day after sweaty and dirty mapping all day in the desert we decided we could not go another day without washing the dirt off our bodies. So we decided to walk the two miles to the Calico Ghost town to take a shower. We left in the early evening, when it had cooled off a bit but it was still very warm. We got to the Ghost town and had an amazing wash and felt really good and clean. What we failed to account for was that we had to hike the two miles back through the hot desert to return to camp. We arrived back at camp just about as sweaty and dirty as we left….sometimes we are just not able to stay clean.

I am reminded of a passage from one of my favorite books, the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis. One of the main characters, Eustace, has been magically changed into a dragon, a metaphor for the prickly, bitter, and thick skinned boy that he actually had allowed himself to become. This passage describes his “undragoning” by Aslan the Lion (the Christ figure):

“The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know – if you’ve ever picked the scab of a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away.”

I have not read a better description of the messy and painful process of washing our sins away than this. Baptism is the beginning of the road, not the end. I think many people envision a sprinkling of Holy water, baptism, or a confession of faith as the point at which we are cleansed of our sin. I am increasingly convinced that the cleansing is a process which begins when we admit we are a sinner and accept the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ. This process is not unlike the “undragoning” of Eustace. We all have many layers or skins –habits and behaviors that we know are not what God intends for us that we cannot strip away. We may try very hard to strip away some of these layers on our own, but God is the only one who can strip us down to our souls. It may hurt like nothing we have ever felt as God strips away these layers to reveal the smaller self inside that he can then remake in his image.

Prayer: Lord cleanse me with the water of your spirit through your Son Jesus Christ. Help me to strip away the layers so that you can remake me in our image.

SDG
Posted in Covenant, Following God, Forgiveness, Leviticus, Obedience, reconciliation, Redemption, religion, Sin, The Spiritual Realm, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Entrails and Animal Legs

Posted on August 14, 2014 by wamplerp
Epidromos Painter

Epidromos Painter

You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord , and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord .   “ ‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, you are to offer a male without defect. You are to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the Lord , and Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. You are to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of them and burn them on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. – Leviticus 1:5-13

This is one of those “bitter water” verses that it is hard to wade through, and even harder to tap deeper truths from.  It feels very different from the wells and springs of living water that God has been sharing with me over the last several months.   What deep meaning can I glean from washing animal guts and legs in water?  Maybe nothing….perhaps there are times in our lives when we just have to do something because God asks us to do it.  Kind of like “taking out the garbage”.  It needs to be done, no one really likes to do it, and most of us would admit to the occasional grumble when we are doing it.  Then again maybe God has a “hidden well” for me here in the desert.

Are there things in our spiritual lives and our lives as Christians that are somewhat like washing entrails and animal legs?  Things that we do just because God told us to do them.  Investing time and energy in messy relationships and people comes to mind.  Also some of the more mundane work of the church can seem hard and laborious at times.  I have to admit that there have been times when I was sitting through the fourth hour of a session meeting at church that it felt a lot like “taking out the garbage”.  In fact reflecting on this passage feels that way a bit too…but hang in there I think God has revealed a hidden well.

The somewhat tricky part about obeying God is being sure that God is calling us to do something in the first place, especially if the thing we are being called to do seems a bit crazy — like “washing entrails and animal legs”.  I can almost hear Aaron and his sons asking Moses “you want me to do what with the animal guts….are you sure…let’s pray about that again.”  So how do we know the difference between God’s spirit directing us to step out of our comfort zone and something we are doing for self interest or to please others?  I think we need to develop and exercise our discernment skills — our “spiritual whiskers” so we can sense the subtle leading of the Holy Spirit.  It also helps to seek out the wisdom and discernment of others Christians to make sure we are not headed off into “left field” or just plain crazy:)

Prayer: Lord help me to discern your will and do the things you call me to do, even when the task seems hard and messy.

SDG
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An elemental God

Posted on August 13, 2014 by wamplerp

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThen the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted.  So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.  – Exodus 40:34

The “condensate” of God returns….The “condensate” or cloud of the Lord is still the way God is choosing to reveal himself to the Israelites.  The preceding chapters went into details about the tent of meeting or tabernacle and all the decorations and items that would adorn this place where God would meet Moses.  As I understand it, the Tent of Meeting or tabernacle was sort of a mobile version of Mount Sinai, complete with consuming fire and permeating cloud in the sight of the Israelites during all their travels.  The Lord was among them in a very tangible way.

I am struck by the contrast between all the pomp, extravagant decoration, and adornment in the tabernacle; and the simple and elemental presence of God in a cloud.  As I ponder this I cannot help but feel that the Israelites’ need for a tangible presence was part of a “turning away” from the simple elemental presence of God toward earthly trappings which is still going on today (Christians and Jews).  For some reason the Israelites were more comfortable with fire, a cloud, and a really well adorned tent than a God who they could not see but who saw them.

Jesus, when he came, attempted to remove this focus on things by sharing his very being with the disciples and his followers in an elemental way.  Jesus used things like mud and water in his healings.  In order to be baptized all one needed was a statement and a stream.  Jesus was very basic and elemental, just like the water in the cloud — condensate of God.

It is a bit amazing that soon after Jesus was gone there were some followers who immediately wanted to replace him again with external trappings and “pomp”.  I think God still speaks to us through elemental things like rain and clouds if we have the eyes to see it.  The amazing thing about the relationship that Jesus offers is that God himself is with us, part of our very being.  There are people who feel closer to God when they are surrounded by icons, elaborate decorations in a church, or elaborate decorations of their soul.  I do not know what God thinks of these trappings, but I suspect if they make it harder for people to see the God who sees them it makes Him sad.

Prayer: Lord help me to be content with your elemental spirit as revealed in your Son Jesus Christ.

SDG

Posted in Christian Community, Covenant, Exodus, Following God, Life Together, The Nature of God, The Spiritual Realm | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sacrifices

Posted on August 12, 2014 by wamplerp

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord , they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.” – Exodus 30:17-21

This passage follows some pretty important events in the lives of the Israelites.  God has already delivered the ten commandments on Mount Sinai and, as we saw in the day before yesterday’s post, He tends to show up as either a dense cloud or fire depending on who is looking.  We have seen the relationship between God’s people and God become more remote and mediated more and more by Moses, Aaron, and his sons.

This passage follows a somewhat excruciating detailed description of the offerings required by God for atonement.  This includes cutting rams and other animals into pieces and burning them on the altar…thus the need for a wash basin.  Honestly this practice has always puzzled me a bit.  Why would God want his people to destroy and seemingly waste a part of his creation?  Killing animals has always been something that I have found hard to think about.  Although unless I am a vegetarian someone must do it in my name.

The bit about washing their hands and feet so they would not die upon entering the tent of meeting used to confuse me before I became a Christian.  After I accepted Christ I realized that this was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice for us so that we could freely enter the “tent of meeting” to be with God.  No need for “dense clouds”, “fire on the mountain”, or intermediaries like Moses and Aaron.

As I reflected and prayed about sacrifices I realized that I actually do the very thing that puzzles me about God and the sacrifices — I sacrifice parts of my body and soul on the altar of pleasure or pride.  Perhaps God was providing us with a concrete reminder that we are his and so is everything we possess, including animals.  He gave us everything, including the freedom to make poor choices about how we treat our body and soul.

Prayer: As I make decisions about how I will use my body and soul help me to make wise choices.  Help me to remember that all that I am and all that I possess is yours.

Posted in Discernment, Exodus, Following God, Forgiveness, Sin, The Nature of God, The Spiritual Realm | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rabbit Trail#1…How God is Like Water

Posted on August 11, 2014 by wamplerp

How God is like water…

1916984_679936430005_7916336_nI have been on this adventure with God, water, and the bible for 50 days now.  I have learned a lot about myself, God, and the role water plays in the bible.  There are days when I yearn for the familiarity and “comfortable” territory of the new testament and the living water I will find there.  I think if I were to go there now it would be a bit like the Israelites returning to Egypt.  I think God has a plan for my “sojourn in the sand” of the old testament and I am willing to trust Him, but I am feeling a bit “dry” and “parched”, so I thought it would be good to take a short break from my journey and reflect on water and God for today’s post.

Water is an amazing substance it has properties like nothing else in the universe.  I guess in that way God is a lot like water.  Water is the substance that allows life to exist on earth.  Water possesses the amazing property that it will fill the shape of the container it is placed in.  Water can be present in three states at once, just like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Water can kill you, but it is also necessary to keep us alive.

Liquid water takes many forms.  For example, as I was walking down to the park one day in Houghton, MI to spend some time with God reflecting on water and God it began to rain, lightly at first but then hard enough that I started to think about running to the shelter at the park.  Part of me was a little annoyed and unhappy that I was getting wet, but then I realized that I was unhappy because God was bringing this rain and making me wet — what was I missing?  Why would God send this annoying rain?  As I thought about it I realized that maybe the water and rain were not meant for me, maybe the water was for the plants and the birds that I was walking by and I was just “along for the ride”.    God is like a light rain.  We hear the pitter patter of his presence on the roof, in the trees, and sometimes on our heads.  We can choose to be annoyed by God’s rain or we can embrace the rain.  So next time it rains, figuratively or otherwise, perhaps it is not intended for us and there is a reason for the rain that we cannot see.

Water takes many forms, and these forms affect the way we experience it.  This is true of God as well.  The form God takes affects the way we experience Him.  I have definitely experienced God as something like a permeating fog.  A presence that surrounds me and seeps into my life and gets into every nook and cranny.  I  have also felt God’s presence like a refreshing rain as I was driving my car to work and a song on the radio seemed to drench my soul.  Sometimes rain comes in great quantities in a thunderstorm or Monsoon that makes us flee and take cover.  It seems like the God of the old testament often came across this way to the Israelites.

What about the rains that are harmful, hurtful, or seem out of control?  I think this is a bit like the philosophical dilemma that puzzles many…why do bad things happen to good people?  If God is good why is there bad in the world?  I think this is where the water metaphor for God is helpful.  In order to have the process that creates light rain, dew, fog, and the myriad of other forms water takes one has to accept that these same processes sometimes produce thunderstorms and hurricanes.  God must exhibit a range of forms or modes to communicate and interact with us.  There are times when us strong-willed humans need a thunderstorm to get our attention, while other times a light rain will do.

Sometimes the “storms” are a result of poor choices we make and sometimes we experience the “storms” brought about by the poor choices of others.  Sometimes a thunderstorm will arrive and impact a lot of people.  Some people are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Does this mean God does not care about those who get drenched by “accident”?  I think God cares very deeply for each one of us, but I also think it is important to God that we have the freedom to make choices, even though some choose to bring on thunderstorms.  The cool thing about God is He is always there waiting with a towel and a cup of hot chocolate — even after the worst storms imaginable.

What about floods?  They happen on rivers quite often and are the subject of news stories every spring.  Floods are basically too much water too fast.  So continuing with our analogy between God and water, can you ever have too much God?  I am not sure I have a great answer for this, but I can share a little bit about what I know about floods and rivers.  Most rivers, if they have not been changed or manipulated by humans, can handle most floods.  They have floodplains and sediments that are delicately in balance so that when floods occur the river does not destroy itself.  They are in what scientists refer to as “dynamic equilibrium”.  When humans change natural systems by installing levees or dams to prevent them from flooding they can actually make floods more destructive when they do occur.

I have felt like I am “getting too much of God” before and it is usually because of my preparation and posture.  When I fail to invest in my relationship with God I am not prepared for the occasional times when God “floods” into my life.  I am not in “dynamic equilibrium” with God.  I have also allowed my spirit and soul to become “modified by humans” so it was unprepared to handle a “God flood”.  My posture toward God was affected by things I read, listened to, or watched on television.

Water has been described by some as the universal solvent.  Almost everything, with the exception of gold and a few other compounds, is affected, changed, or broken down by water.  Iron rusts, salt dissolves, limestones dissolves and reforms into cave features.  God is the universal solvent for the human soul.  We are meant to be dissolved, changed, and affected by God.  The interesting thing about being dissolved into the sea of God’s spirit is that from all I have read, and my own experience, it seems we remain distinct, even though we are in effect dissolved into God.

Prayer: God as I take a break from my daily reflection rejuvenate and restore my soul so that I can hear your voice and continue learning how to “Walk on Water”.

Posted in Discernment, Following God, Obedience, Rabbit Trails, The Nature of God, The Spiritual Realm | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment