As I reflect on this Holy week of events leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, I am in awe of all that His sacrifice meant and still means for us as sinners. Our eternal separation from the Father would have been UNBEARABLE were it not for Jesus's perfect sin sacrifice. I am reading the book of Leviticus right now as part of a year long bible completion program and I happen to be at the point where the priest Aaron and his sons just couldn't get the sacrificial rites right. Even though Moses received clear instructions from God and gave clear instructions to the new priests, their inability to carry them out correctly resulted in death and rebellion. God's anger was visited upon Aaron's family in such a way that it caused Aaron to become speechless and created a rift between brothers. God knew all of this would occur but His love for us is so strong that He did not want the ineffective and inadequate earthly priests to continue failing at something only His Son was capable of doing perfectly. Christ's sin sacrifice was a "one and done" redemptive act that removed the stain of our sins forevermore.
This played out in my mind last night as I hosted a watch party for the movie UNPLANNED. Hearing the cries of the main character, Abby Johnson, for the estimated 22,000 abortions she oversaw as director of a Planned Parenthood abortion mill chilled me to the bone. Just the enormity of life lost that she felt rested on her shoulders caused my empathy bone to grow. I have one life taken on my ledger which, on the surface doesn't seem to compare to Abby's and YET Christ's sin offering covers both of our sins EQUALLY. FAITH causes me to trust and believe that.--if I didn't I would still be lost to eternal damnation instead of atoned for by Jesus' shed blood on the cross. And that is just ONE sin I have been forgiven for. How many more confessed sins have I taken to the cross? COUNTLESS. And yet His sin offering is just as powerful because Jesus will forever be our High Priest that did not nor cannot fail to please God with His offering.
May you feel His forgiving Grace this Holy week as you give it ALL to the Father in repentant prayer. And as we rise up and serve His people we do so, not in acts of atonement but in acts of OBEDIENCE to the one who calls us to live past our sins for His Glory.
I would love to see you this week at the next UNPLANNED watch party coming up this Tuesday, March 30th starting at 7pm on Zoom ID: 360 078 1353. Passcode: 61A4eJ and this Thursday at 7pm for a session designed to help A,LIGN you with God's calling on your life (Zoom ID: 857 3034 6449).
May God richly bless you during this week of beautiful reflection on the ultimate sacrificial love of Jesus!