In Other Words...Holy

Holy grail. Holy book. Holy Land. Holy Crap.
What does the word “holy” mean? We sing songs about holiness. We use it in as a swear word. We use it as an exclamation of surprise. So what does it all mean?

Well let me give you the Biblical view of holy. The word holy is a word used to make a distinction. On one side is holy (that which is set apart and has a special relationship with God) and on the other side is common (ordinary). There is clean (normal) and unclean (out of place). These distinctions—all cultures have them—have to do with proper boundaries. Just because things are not holy does not mean they are sinful. They are just not special. They are common. And the reason there are things that are holy and not is because certain matters are pleasing or displeasing to God because the affect positively or negatively the wholeness and stability of the community. In other words, there are certain laws put forth because they have the best interests of the community at heart. For example, one law is: when you use the bathroom, go outside the camp and bury it. We can all see how doing that has the best interests of the whole community at heart.

So we have this whole book, called “Leviticus”, that talks about holiness. Specifically Leviticus 17-26, known as the Holiness Code, centers on behaviors and rituals that promote communal stability in the interrelated spheres of daily life and worship. God is holy and set apart from sin and uncleanness and we are to be like him. It tells the Israelites to “Be Holy as God is Holy.” It then goes into great detail about how this happens. Let me give a few items that it tells the Israelites are important to be holy:

“‘Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.” Lev. 17:13-14

Do not mate different kinds of animals.
Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. Lev. 19:19

When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God. Lev. 19:23-25

Why are these actions holy? What’s so special about mating, blood, shaving, and farming? Why so many laws and guidelines? It was a way of sanctifying Israel’s life and reminding them of their calling. The holiness Code seems to be taking mundane, everyday tasks and giving them over to God to remind them of what God has done for them and their response of being set apart.
When they kill something to eat, remember that God gives it life and they should treat it with respect.
God ordains sex as good and useful and should only be enjoyed in certain contexts and situations.
You may plant a tree, but God grows it, so give over the fruit to Him before you eat of it.

This does not mean that holiness is something to strive for or attain. You aren’t holy just by doing some actions. In fact, Israel’s holiness is a reality. The call to “be holy” is a call to be true to the relationship in which the people already stand. God has already set them apart. He has already made them holy. Now he wants them to live up to that calling. And being holy means being faithful to God in worship and in life. All these little things that we would normally just do without thinking, God says when you do them, think of me.

The same calling that the Israelites had is for us too. We are still called to be holy:
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

What does it mean to “be holy as God is holy”? Taking all things and setting them apart to restore the world. Some can be reminders of what God has done, others can be actively changing the world. Holiness is participating with God in bringing peace back to the world. The Israelites were trained to see these images from daily life in a new light, which would then train the world to see the same. There are everyday actions that we do that if we did in light of God’s grace would completely change how we looked at them. The point is that our acts of holiness celebrate/remind us of our mission in the world. God is working towards the objective of a world that once again can be called, “very good.” And setting apart the daily tasks in our life as holy is participating with God in making the creation once again how God intended.

Ancient Sacraments
We have already taken certain things and made them holy by turning them into sacraments. A sacrament is a Christian ritual that reflects the grace of God. It is often an outward, visible sign that of an inward, spiritual grace. The two most practiced sacraments are Baptism and Communion. Most of us take baths or showers every day. The act of Baptism takes a simple act of washing oneself and now symbolizes the cleansing of sin and new life we experience. Most of us eat every day. The act of Communion takes the simple act of eating a meal and now symbolizes the grace and forgiveness we received when Christ was crucified in our place. Both started out as normal, everyday things that when set apart and put in the context of God’s grace take on a whole new meaning.

Modern Sacraments
With this idea of taking everyday things and seeing them in the light of God’s grace let’s consider how we can view the following actions in this way.
Dressing = clothing ourselves with Christ
Exercising = Our body is a temple for God to dwell
Showering = Reminds us of God’s grace raining down, washing away sin, etc.
Playing an Instrument = Making a joyful noise to the Lord

Viewing life in this way changes what we do and how we do it. Our actions are less selfish, but are instead focused on glorifying God. For example, exercising becomes a way to be a temple set apart from God instead of an action to look better. Dressing is a matter of reflect you being a beautiful child of God and is not a way to impress or

Sacramental Living
Just as the simple, common and everyday actions of the Israelites took on new meaning, so can the things in our lives. All our daily activities, when given over to God, turn our mundane lives into holy ones. And as we begin to live sacramentally, we begin to reflect God’s holiness. Consider the following as you go through your day:

How would your life be different if you saw everything in light of being set apart to God?
How can we re-imagine our daily routines so that we are constantly aware of God’s holiness and ours?

In Other Words...Justice

I think most of us would agree that the commonly held definition of justice is “getting what you deserve.” And it works both ways really. In some countries if you get caught stealing, you get your hands cut off. If a guy gets caught in adultery, he gets something else cut off. As I have heard it said, “Don’t do the crime if you aren’t willing to do the time.” But we also see that justice goes the other way too. If I am nice to someone they should be nice back. If I work I should get paid. In fact, bonuses, raises, and advancement in the workplace are built around just such a concept.

So here’s the problem—the Bible and God, they don’t follow that definition so precisely. God does not act “justly” as we define it. When we talk about justice we immediately go to rights and fairness. But such notions are often selfish and self-serving. Instead, God’s justice is something quite different. God’s justice has to do with His character and His sovereign rule in this world.

Let me give you an example. In ancient times, when a king was inaugurated, he would often cancel all debts, set slaves free, and release prisoners. Do you know how the people described such a king? They called him “Righteous and Just.” Interesting don’t you think, considering prisoners are in jail because they committed a crime. People are in debt because they owed people money. They were getting what they deserved. And yet a “just” king would free them from that.

So if God’s justice involves forgiveness to some measure, How is justice dealt out? To answer this question we need to turn again to the Parable of the Workers (Matthew 20:1-16). Though the workers were hired at different times, they all received the same wage. The workers were demanding a different view of justice. They felt people should get what is due them. Most of us look at that from the perspective of the early workers and think, “That is just not fair! Those late workers don’t deserve getting paid as much because they did less work.” And from a worldly perspective of justice, we would be right. But from God’s perspective we would be completely wrong. We do not share the same reference point that God has.

This parable clearly portrays how God administers justice. It is his brand of justice that gives people things that they don’t deserve. In strict justice, each person should be judged according to his or her merits—what they have done or not done. But God's mercy permits humankind to be judged by the sum total of all the goodness that exists in the world. God judges with the measuring rod of grace and mercy. And that is hard to swallow sometimes. Instead of punishing, God forgives. Instead of destroying, God restores. Instead of making us feel guilty, God frees us.

Clearly God administers justice in a completely different way than we are used to. God’s justice flows from his desire to have a world of peace; a world that is based on love, not punishment.

When we read the parable we often put ourselves in the place of the worker who gets screwed. We should instead put ourselves in the final worker’s position. Imagine how you would feel if you got paid for a day’s work while only working for a couple of hours. It is the same way you feel when you go and cut an old person’s grass just to be nice, and they come out with lemonade and some money. It is the same way you feel when you totally screw up an assignment or test at school and your teacher lets you retry it. That feeling is gratitude.

And that is how we should come before God—with gratitude. The way God responds to us far outweighs the way we respond to God. Justice is not satisfying what is owed or preserving his personal rights, but by governing and ruling with peace. In a truly just world we should all die for our sins. Do you get that? When we talk about people getting what they deserve, and fairness and our rights, in God’s eyes we are all worthy of death. Romans states it clearly:
“For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.” (3:23-26)

Our brand of justice was poured out on Jesus in our place. Because of God’s mercy we don’t get what we deserve—death. Because of God’s grace we get what we don’t deserve—blessings, healing, restoration and eternal peace. And because of that we should have gratitude. And God’s brand of justice should guide us on how we treat others.

In Exodus 32, the people made a golden calf and worshipped it instead of God. God saw this and was angry—rightly so. Justice would have dictated killing them all, and that thought crossed God’s mind. But Moses went to God and reminded God of his reputation for grace and mercy. Then the Bible records this verse:
“Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.”
Mercy prevailed. But what is most startling is that Moses puts himself in the middle, and appeals on behalf of the Israelites. God had already told Moses that he would kill all the Israelites but spare him. But Moses says no, let’s save them all. He could have said, “Good. Let them burn. They deserve it. They have ignored me as their leader. Tough crap.” But he didn’t. Instead of focusing on enacting justice on these people he focused on what was best for them.

That must be our attitude. There are many in our midst who have committed an offense against us, against others, and against God. Our just world says, “Let them burn.” But God says, and we must say, “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5:24

There are many who are in need of this kind of justice and grace. Yes they may have made mistakes. Yes they probably deserve what they are getting. But never forget that as Christians we are forgiven people. We have been judged by God’s standard, not the world’s. And if you have any gratitude for what God has done for you, then let justice reign. God’s justice—a justice of grace, mercy and forgiveness.

The world is screwed up. Injustices are done. Life is "unfair." People think they aren't getting what they deserve. Our response is Lament. Justice is God's way of responding to our lament. God seeks to rule through grace and love and for us to treat one another in the same way. Life will remain "unfair" until we accept this grace and respond with gratitude.

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In other words...Lament

What is the worst situation in your life or your friend’s life right now? Consider such a question as you read.

The world is full of lament, of crying out to someone or something. Lamenting takes place when we realize that the world is not as it should be. Somehow, the order has broken down. God desires peace in this world and we all know what life is like and that peace does not exist. There is death, fighting, tragedy. There are things that make us sad and upset. Basically, we have broken the covenant with God and with one another. And lament is a response to the consequences of the broken covenant. Lament is the act of both asking why and giving over our situation to God for his deliverance. It is not a lack of faith to ask God why. Instead lamenting is a hopeful practice because we are confident that God will hear and act. It is saying, “God, I can’t handle it anymore. It is too much. Please take care of it. Please help me. Please deliver me.”

So what makes us lament? There are plenty of things that we cry out about. We get upset when we find an imperfection that makes us less attractive to the world. We get upset when we don’t get the appreciation we think we deserved. We get upset when someone cuts us off in traffic. We get upset when we can’t get something to work right—a car, computer, project. We get upset when a sibling or co-worker seems to get preferential treatment over us. We get upset over a lot of things.

And I wonder—are those things worth lamenting about? Or perhaps, are those even real laments? It seems that the things that make us sad and upset are often pretty petty. I put those things in the category of whining, not lamenting. Often our sadness is a symptom of something greater that we should be focusing on. An imperfection is not worth crying about, but culture dictating what is beautiful is. Do you see the difference? We are not upset about the right things. These are small things. If we can get upset about these small things, how much greater should our lament be for the things of the world that are far worse?

Do you know what’s going on in the world? Do you know about the suffering of the world? Does it break your heart? Do you know about the lives that are being destroyed by divorce and abuse? Do you know about the murders and rapes that are taking place in Africa? Do you know about the mistreatment of Christians in various countries? Do you know? Do you care? Or is a zit more important?

When we understand that there are things in this world worth lamenting about, we must understand that just crying and yelling at God is not the end of it. God has enabled us to have and practice a hopeful lament. In other words, we can believe that God will make things better. There is a saying out there, “Life’s not fair; get over it.” Such a mindset just says, life sucks; too bad. But that flies in the face of the lament. When we cry out to God, we must understand that God wants to enact change in this world and make it better. God is pained by our pain just as much as we are. Do you get that? It is not like getting a hair in your soup, calling for the manager, and then him making you happy. That manager just wants to keep the customer happy. But when awful things happen to us or people we know, God is saddened. God is angered. God is pained. God wants to bring about that Shalom. Enter Jesus:
“Jesus, our High Priest, understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:15-16

Whether he directly intervenes like we see in the Exodus story, or uses us or other people to make life better, Lament does not end with crying out. It moves on to hope that salvation will come. We may never see the deliverance come. It may have to wait. But this does not change our hope. And from hope comes praise. We praise the God who cares enough about us that he hears our cries and is moved to action. It is a movement—sadness to lament to hope to salvation and finally to praise.

The world is screwed up. Injustices are done. Life is "unfair." People think they aren't getting what they deserve. Our response is Lament. And if we want to be like the God who sympathizes with our weaknesses, we will share people’s hurts and burdens. When we figure out what is lamentable and we are brought to sadness because of it, we are able to share the injustices that other people experience.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Romans 12:15

“Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way fulfill Christ’s command to love one another.” Galatians 6:2

Recall that original question: "What is the worst situation in your life or your friend’s life right now?" Cry out to God in response to that situation. Then wait expectantly on the God who hears and comes down to save.

In other words...Sacrifice

Why do most of us sacrifice? Why do we really give things up? There is a common saying that answers that: “No Pain no Gain; No guts no glory”. People give things up so that they can gain something. In other words, we have to sacrifice things to get what we want.

Sports guys talk about how hard they have worked to get to where they are. News people love heralding people who have tried so hard to get somewhere. And there is nothing wrong with working hard and trying to get ahead. The problem is that when we equate this concept with Biblical sacrifice we miss the whole concept. This is a selfish sacrifice. It implies or states that we will get a return for our sacrifice. WIth this in mind, here are a few important points regarding Christian sacrifice.

Biblical sacrifice is the goal not a means to an end. We sacrifice to be a sacrifice, not to get something. The goal of godly sacrifice is to better others or to be right with God. Return is not in the nature of sacrifice. It is the end. It is participating with God. The reason God requires the best/firstfruit offering is so that we can participate in the same way with what God is already doing. He has given his best. He asks us to give our best. It is not the item we give, it is the process of giving your best and having people receive it. If we are going to participate as God participates, it will require our best. The activities that God wants are the activities that He is already doing.

Sacrifice is giving over to God what is costly and valuable. The story of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44) clearly portrays this. Jesus commends the woman because of her sacrifice, not her gift: “She, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” In faith she and we act and sacrifice that God will honor our gift.

There are different forms of sacrifice for everyone. It is not just about giving money. Leviticus 5:7,11 lays out different gifts that people can bring based on their situation in life: “If he cannot afford a lamb, he is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for his sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. If, however, he cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, he is to bring as an offering for his sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering.” This reinforces the last point. God doesn’t just want lambs. He wants sacrifice. And the form of sacrifice will be different for different people. What is costly to one is not costly to another.

The giving of gifts is a cyclical process. Though a gift is free, there is a matter of indebtedness that comes about. We have been given a gift. We sacrifice it back to God in worship. He blesses us again. We sacrifice again. Romans 12:1 focuses on this idea of being a living sacrifice. Sacrifice often focuses on death, making this statement oxymoronic. But perhaps it is actually paradoxical—in order to be living you must be constantly in the cycle of being given life and then laying it down again only to take it back up. I think this is what Jesus was getting at in Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

The Final Word—An important question for us to answer is the following: “What does sacrifice look like to us in an age of such wealth and prosperity? What do you have to sacrifice to participate in the lifestyle that Jesus calls us to? From Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell:

“Very few people in our world are offering up anything worth dying for (or even working for). Most of the messages we receive are about how to make like easier. The call of Jesus goes the other direction: it’s about making our lives more difficult. It is going out of our way to be more generous and disciplined and loving and free.” (169)

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son because God asked him to. What are you willing to sacrifice? When God had finished the test, he said, “Now I know you fear God.” Not that he was afraid, but that he revered God and God’s will for his life. When we sacrifice we show God that we revere his sacrifice for us. True Christianity is one of sacrifice.