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?