Gifts

(they) approached and brought their offerings before the Lord, six wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the chiefs, and for each one an ox. They brought them before the tabernacle. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting,” (Numbers 7:2-5 ESV)

Gifts

Once when a teacher left my middle school, we were supposed to bring farewell gifts.  I had decided that I did not want to give fruit, or a book, or a picture, like everyone else would bring.  So instead, I wrapped and brought one of those eyeglass-repair screwdriver sets.  I chose that gift because a) he wore glasses, b) I liked MY eyeglass-repair screwdriver set, and c) it is what I had available and ready to give.

It was an odd gift, I admit.  But I like to think that while the class snickered, this kindly man understood.  A gift is a gift.  Love receives gifts and uses them, even if they are odd, or unexpected, or not shiny, or silly on the surface.

God’s Old Testament Law has a long list of offerings to be given for particular purposes.  Specific instructions are given for sin offerings, harvest offerings, and dedication offerings.  And perhaps those descriptions make us worry that God is a fussy gift receiver.

But He is not.

He sees our gifts, and the heart behind them, and is glad… and He uses those gifts exactly where they are needed.  In today’s verses, while many Israelites were giving valuable and shiny gold jewelry and adornments, some folk brought oxen and wagons.  Regardless of the obvious value of those gifts, they were not beautiful, artistic, fancy, or religious. 

But God used those gifts, too.

And He uses what you are able to give Him, as well.  Whether it is five minutes out of your day, a brief conversation with a stranger in pain, an odd job done for a shut-in, a smile at just the right moment, a phone call while taking a break from work, or fifty cents instead of fifty thousand dollars… God knows how to love your gift, because He loves us givers.

And knowing our gifts are useful to Him is a grand thing!

We are peculiar, God appreciates our gifts.

Obvious

And on that day, there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, “Holy to the Lord.” (Zechariah 14:20 ESV)

Obvious

I’ve seen cats with bells, dogs with bells, goats with bells, and horses with bells.  And the reason for all of those bellifications is not beautification.  Those bells are not decorations.  Those bells are not intended to be cute.

Those bells are making an announcement.  The bells ring out, “Something is coming!”  Perhaps, “Something dangerous is coming!”  Or maybe, “Something important is coming!”  The bells say, “Look here!  Pay attention!”  Particularly if you are a smaller animal, a child, something tender, or in need of protection.

The Lord announces that the day is coming when horses’ bells will not simply be saying, “Look out! Hooves flying!”  but rather, “EVEN this horse belongs to God!”

When is that day coming?  The fact is, the day is already here.  Because that horse DOES belong to the Lord.  That day is already here because Christ Jesus has already been declared King and sits at the right hand of God.  That day is already here because all of creation, all of history, all of nature, all of everything shouts, “THIS belongs to God!”

The difference right now is that everyone has not accepted, admitted, or acclaimed that.

But if you are a Christian, you already have.  You already know it.  You might forget it sometimes, you might be too shy to shout it sometimes, you might be muffling your bells…  

But you get to claim it.

We are peculiar, we know the obvious reign of Christ.

Impartiality

…what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality… (Galatians 2:6 ESV)

Impartiality

I once submitted an article to a magazine for publication.  My submission was rejected.  When I telephoned the editor for his rationale, I found out that the accepted article was written by a good friend of one of the staff.  When I pointed out that I, too, was a friend of a member of the staff, I was told, “Oh… we did not know that.  If we had…”

Partiality is a problem.  Whether it is favoritism towards family members of politicians, or anti-favoritism towards family members… impartiality is both rare and wonderful.

Paul declares in this verse that God is impartial.  Perhaps that surprises us.  We might expect that God would show partiality towards US, His children!

But partiality, because our REAL relationship with the God of the Universe is that of rebellion, ignorance, and sin, would go against us, not in our favor.  What favor we have with God, and it IS intense favor, comes through our faith-brother, Jesus Christ.  What favor we have with God, and it IS wonderful favor, comes through our blood-brother, Jesus Christ.  What favor we have with God, and it IS abundant favor, comes through God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

God shows no partiality dependent on who we are, what we are like, what we have done.  Because God is completely partial towards His perfect Son, Jesus Christ.

So, God is indeed impartial… other than where Jesus is concerned.

And that actually makes Him partial to us, too.

We are peculiar, God is partial towards us.

Recant

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5 ESV)

Recant day

501 years and one day ago at the Diet of Worms, Martin Luther uttered the immortal words that launched the Reformation, "Since your majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason--I do not accept the authority of popes and councils for they have contradicted each other--my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right not safe. Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen

Today many of us do not understand Luther’s point.  He was not claiming that HIS knowledge was greater than the slipping church of his day.  He was claiming that God’s Word is supreme.  The key misunderstood words are: “convinced by Scripture and plain reason.”  Luther did not mean there were two ways of determining truth: Scripture and reason.  He was claiming that the Words of the Bible, and what can be plainly reasoned FROM the Bible are the only reliable source of knowledge.

Not just what someone told us.

Not just what we think our conscience might be telling us.

Not just what we hope is true.

Not just what our Great Brains deduce.

Those things are ultimately unreliable, out of focus, self-aggrandizing, and probably wrong.

But God’s people, when we have ears to hear and eyes to read… know God’s truth.  Speak those things, and we will not have reason to recant.

We are peculiar, we will not need to recant.

Beginning

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (II Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

Beginning

I do not think I could be a sculptor.  While in Italy, we saw a display of failed statues.  The artist, I imagine, chipped away, but suddenly (imagine a wasp, or a wind gust, or a bout of drowsiness) the hammer and chisel slipped… and the statue was ruined.

You do not get to start over on that statue.

I can only think of one situation where we can start over successfully.  And we celebrated it yesterday.  Christ was risen.  Death was not only changed into something better, it was defeated.  Sinners’ lives became new.

We got to start over.

And because of the infinite nature of Christ’s death and resurrection, we get to start over again… and again… and again.

There are no other fresh starts.  There are quite a few back-ups, or repairs, or practice moments.

But only Christ’s redeemed ones have true new beginnings.

Because even He did.

We are unique, we have a new beginning

Completion

“It is finished,” (John 19:30 ESV)

Completion

Recently, at a film set, the director shouted with glee, “That’s a wrap!”  And the crew and cast went wild.  We cheered, we shouted, we whistled, and we KNEW that moment was the most important moment in the making of the movie.

As we walked away, I thought through a lot of the other moments that had seemed so important.  The preparation, communication, and planning… each scene shot and repeated and finalized… the miles of travel and short nearly sleepless nights… but that moment, that ‘wrap,’ was the most important.

And the work was not done.  Editing remained, advertising remained, the soundtrack remained.  But that moment, that ‘wrap’ was the most important.

Jesus knew that on the cross and declared it.  The most important moment in all of history took place right then and right there.  It is finished.

What is finished?  Sin’s punishment, sin’s power, and sin’s presence were all trounced as Jesus died.

Everything beforehand led up to that moment.  Everything since looks back to that moment.

All we need to do to be finished with sin ourselves, is lean on Him.  And better than that, we GET to lean on Him.

We are peculiar, sin is finished.

Replacement

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” (Mark 14:22 ESV)

Replacement

In reviewing the mechanics of some sleight-of-hand magic tricks, I was reminded that stage magicians work primarily through substitution and replacement.  You think you are looking at the hand holding the ball, but things have changed.  You think you have independently selected a card, but your card is not the card you chose.  You think the girl is in the box, the coin is in your hand, and the rabbit is not in the hat, but nope… you are wrong.

In a way, Jesus pulled a fast one on Satan.

And He talks about it during the Last Supper.  Way back in the Book of Exodus, God replaced the blood of the sinful Israelites with the blood of a lamb.  From then on, God switched the blood of that lamb with a symbolic dinner.  And here, Jesus replaces that symbolic dinner with His own body… about to be sacrificed in the place of the bread, in the place of the lamb, in the place of their sins.

And as He speaks, He makes one more replacement.  That bread is not only Him, but it is His people.  In I Corinthians 12:27, we learn that we are now the Lord’s body.

I admit I do not fully understand, and probably will not until my brain grows in heaven, how this works.  But I do know that it is a continuation of that series of replacements.  And it is a full circle.

Because it is our unshed blood and unbroken body that takes the place our that wine and bread.

Our broken selves were replaced by the perfect Christ Jesus… and the replacement is then made complete when we are in turn made into His body.

We are peculiar, we are replaced.

Accusation

In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. (Matthew 21:18,19 ESV)

Accusation

I hate it when one of my guitar strings slips out of tune.  I hate it to the degree that I enjoy passionately playing the guitar.  If I did not love my music, I would not try to fix it when it needs tuning.

The same concept holds true when it comes to training a dog, finishing a painting, writing a story, mowing the lawn, or teaching a skill.

Ignoring faults, failings, errors, problems, mistakes, or blemishes does not help anything.

That is why Jesus pauses outside of Jerusalem, in front of a fig tree.  He notices that the fig tree is not bearing fruit, and He accuses it.  He does not ignore it.  He does not look the other way.

That fig tree is a symbol, of course, of God’s people.

We, like the fig tree, do not bear Christian fruit.  We do not act like we are His people.  We do not yearn for righteousness.  We do not love.  And if Jesus did not love us so deeply, He would let us go along our merry way.

But instead, He points out our sins.  He teaches us through His Word, His Spirit, and the gentle nudging of His people.

For one reason:  So that He can show us the way to hope.   He killed that tree to show us that we should die.  But instead, Jesus dies for us!

It starts with Him teaching us about our Sins.  It starts with accusations.  But those accusations are the first step of salvation.

We are peculiar, we get to be accused!

Understanding

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. (John 12:16 ESV)

Understanding

I have been playing chess for decades.  Sometimes I think I understand the game, but then something happens to remind me that I have a long way to go. 

I once was on my way to a regional championship, but a pre-teen beat me, and taught me what I had done wrong.

I was giving chess lessons to some students, when one of them showed me that I was missing something and repaired my error.

I recently bought a new book and found already in chapter one a couple of treasures.

Everyone wants to understand everything.  But just like chess, life is more complicated than we think.  There is always another thing to learn.

But the disciples discovered that they will understand.

They had years sitting at Jesus’ feet, and thought they understood… but the deeper understanding came later.

And that happens for all of God’s children.

As well as we understand things today, Paul reminds us that we see things as if we were looking through dark glass (I Corinthians 13:12).  But we WILL see Him fully, completely, absolutely. 

The disciples learned they had more to learn, but also learned that they WILL understand.

No one else will, in fact.

We are peculiar, we will understand.

Preparation

…saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. (Matthew 21:2 ESV)

Preparation

Our calm and peaceful home becomes a flurry of activity when we have houseguest.  We vacuum, we un-dust, we catch-up odd jobs, we clean the kitchen, we clean the bathrooms, we unclutter the counters and tabletops… in other words, we get ready.

If we did not care about the visitors, we would not work so hard.

As Christ Jesus nears the end of His earthly life, He continues to prepare.  Of course, He has been getting ready since Christmas morning.  Because He surely cares.  The depth and cost and complexity of the preparation show how much He cares.

His preparations now seem to increase in intensity.  It’s not just about asking for a donkey, it is about getting ready for betrayal; getting ready to feast in celebration of the salvation He is about to provide; getting ready to be able to say, “It is finished.”

He cares about His people, so He is getting ready.

We are peculiar, Jesus gets ready for us.

God's Work

I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant. (Joshua 24:13 ESV)

God’s Work

I have been assured, by experts in such things, that I cook the best Macaroni and Cheese in the universe.  Sometimes, when it turns out particularly phenomenal, I feel pretty good about it.

But other times, standing in the church kitchen, I notice that really all I do is mix ingredients.  A cow and some ranchers made the raw ingredients of the cheeses, and cheese-type substances.  Those cheeses were manufactured in some cheese factory.  The noodles were formed by a company in Mexico, using ingredients grown in California and Colorado.  The bacon was offered by a pig, a butcher, and a renderer.   The oven was sold to us by a supply company, after being built in a noisy production facility…

I stand on the shoulders of hundreds, if not thousands of producers, laborers, manufacturers, deliverers, architects, investors, developers… and God.

I can imagine Joshua’s audience listening with gaping jaws.  They had fought, bled, suffered, and sacrificed for that land.  They had gotten up early and planted, skipped a few lunches, and went to bed late, particularly during planting and harvesting.  They had wandered forty years.  They had overcome hardship and trial.

But God is the source of their success, the provider for their resources, and the force behind their labor.

And He did it (and does it) because of His love. 

God could sit back and whistle hymns.  But instead, He works on our behalf.  God could treat us as we deserve.  But instead, He saves us.  God could let the universe wind down to a shuddering end.  But instead, He makes all things new.

Because He loves His people.

We are peculiar, God works on our behalf.

Smelly

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. (II Corinthians 2:14 ESV)

Smelly

Our senses are not equal.  Our sense of sight requires light to function.  Our sense of touch is more relative than our other senses.  Our sense of hearing is most apt to illusion.  Our sense of taste is apparently more individualistic.

And our sense of smell, I recently read, has a longer memory, is more sensitive to slight changes, is more independent, and provides both stronger pleasure and stronger aversion.

It is the super-sense.

Maybe that is why Paul uses it as a metaphor to our duty and opportunity regarding presenting Christ daily.  Our words, actions, motivations, and even facial expressions are bulletin boards for Christ… they are symphonies for Christ… they are feasts for Christ… but Paul says our ‘living for Jesus’ is like a fragrance. 

It will be remembered.  It is noticeable instantly.  It is unique to our situations.  And it, the gospel, both spoken and lived, will change the world.

We are peculiar, we get to smell.

Refuge

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,  that the manslayer who strikes any person without intent or unknowingly may flee there. They shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood. (Joshua 20:1-3 ESV)

Refuge

My favorite part of the television show, Dragnet, was the part at the end where the criminals received their sentence… their just desserts.  That, I believed back then, is what SHOULD happen to all law-breakers.

Therefore, I used to mistrust these verses.  Joshua, following God’s instructions, set up cities of refuge, where people could flee from justice, and I was skeptical.  Why did God set up those places?  Surely, myriads of guilty people would hide there, avoiding their just desserts.  What would the cops of Dragnet have done??

But now I know differently.  Those places of refuge were not intended for all those dastardly criminals.  They were intended for me.

And I have a better refuge.  I do not have to travel to a distant city to find safety from my guilt.

Because Christ Jesus is my refuge.

Those refuge-cities were nothing more than a hint of the real refuge that we ALL need.  They were a hint of a savior.  They were a hint of Christ Jesus.

We are peculiar, we who need refuge have it.

The Secret

“But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15,16 ESV)

The Secret

Poor Simon Peter is remembered for his temper, his denial of Christ, and the argument he lost with Paul.  But this statement is more noteworthy than all his failures.

He knew who Jesus is.

Our lives, situations, and circumstances are complicated.  Our past is cloudy, our present is misty, and our future is stormy.  We have forgotten what to do.  We are confused about what to say.  We are afraid to think, for fear of being wrong.

But Peter knew who Jesus is.

Our nation is confused. Our history is forgotten. Our investments are valueless.  Our friends are not friendly.  Our families are disconnected.

But Peter knew who Jesus is.

Our consciences are singed.  Our doctrine is disrespected.  Our words are misquoted.  Our churches are more socially relevant than Christ-centered.

But Peter knew who Jesus is.

And that is foundational, necessary, hope-bringing, and salvific.

We are peculiar, we know who Jesus is, too.

Simplicity

He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3 ESV)

Simplicity

I recently bought a bunk-bed that had to be assembled.  The instructions were right there in the bottom of the box.  Two tools, thirty minutes, and some elbow grease were all I needed, according to those instructions. But I decided to be smarter.  I looked up on the internet how to put this bed together.  The video I chose was thirty minutes long, and involved six tools, forty minutes, two helpers, and a GPS. 

I might be exaggerating.

But the internet’s directions were so much more complicated and difficult than the manufacturer’s directions.

But I had to make things complicated, didn’t I?

God’s Laws work the same way.  While we try to make things complicated with situational ethics, cultural analysis, hierarchies of needs, and careful hedging around God’s statements…  His Laws are usually quite simple.  Not popular, but simple.  Not comfortable, but simple.  Not easy, but simple.

Let the world’s standards be complex.

We are peculiar, following Jesus is simple.

Childish

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. (I Corinthians 14:20 ESV)

Childish

The world sees Christians as unsophisticated.  The world accuses Christians of being socially, politically, and historically immature.  The world thinks that Christians are old-fashioned, out-of-date, and silly.

But those are good things for us to be.

If being sophisticated means dwelling between the nuances of morals, ethics, and God’s Law, let us not be sophisticated.  If being mature means having deadened consciences, let us not be mature.  If being modern, timely, and serious means denying the eternal and reliable Word of God, let us not be those things.

Really, the world has it backwards.  God’s society and Kingdom are true sophistication.  God’s view of truth, relevance, and history are true maturity.  God’s ways are true-fashioned, the right date and exciting.

We are peculiar, in these things, we get to be as “childish” as God.

Troubles

So He became their Savior. In all their troubles, He was troubled, too.  (Isaiah 63:8,9 The Message)

Troubles

I stood in the grocery store staring at the pasta section.  The pasta section had no pasta.  I had planned a meal that centered around pasta, because pasta is always available.  But the pasta section had no pasta.   I was even willing to buy weird pasta, maybe kale-based, or gluten-free, or organically-produced.  But the pasta section had no pasta.

I was more angry at the grocery store than I had a right to be, maybe.  I was over-reacting to the pasta shortage, perhaps.  I was not in the dire straits I thought I was, most likely.

But my frustration slipped away when a family stood next to me for a moment.  Mom uttered, “what?  No pasta?”  An elderly man, his cart full of tasty treats approached the empty pasta shelves and shook his head in disappointment.  An employee, filling a cart for a virtual customer stood and gaped for a moment… then clicked something on her keypad and walked away.

And somehow, I felt a little better. 

Isaiah is considering the troubles of God’s people.  Worse than no pasta.  Worse than high gas prices.  Worse than offensive television shows.  Worse than poor politics. 

Isaiah offers comfort to God’s people.  He writes that God’s people do not suffer alone.  The Messiah, the Christ to come, suffers alongside us.

If community grocery shortages of pasta can ease my heart, how much more does the knowledge that the Messiah, my Savior, my very God chose to suffer the troubles justly due to me, right alongside me.  Sometimes even suffering instead of me.

He only does that for His beloved people.

We are peculiar, our troubles are shared.

Fully

Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (I Corinthians 13:12 ESV)

Fully

When I eat, I usually eat all the food on my plate.  When I read a book, I usually finish it.  When I mow the lawn, I usually mow it from edge to edge.  We are usually more comfortable with completeness, than we are with half-finished things.

Maybe that is why we are discouraged spiritually, often.   Because we do not see how the eternal story ends.  We see incomplete salvation.  We see unfinished sanctification.  We see partial Godliness.

And we yearn for the grand end of the story.

But not for long.

In that place where love fully is, we will see things as they are.  Paul encourages us in this verse by reminding us that just as we are absolutely known by Christ… we will absolutely know Him, His Kingdom, and all we need to know.

Outside of Christ, no one has that.

We are peculiar, we will know fully.

Success

…so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16 ESV)

Success

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the solder to melt and connect the two pieces of copper pipe. Newer technologies had not yet been invented, so heating the pipe sections, and melting the bit of solder to seal the two pieces were my only option. I tried everything I could think of. A unstoppable tiny trickle of water was leaking into one of the sections, and that water kept cooling the metal just enough to stop my efforts.

Finally, I called my father. And he had some practical advice that came from his wealth of experience. The final, successful solution involved some strips of wool, a few timely hammer blows, and three torches.  Calling my father worked where depending on my own ability had failed.

While not a perfect analogy, this is similar to the gospel.

When we try to achieve the perfection required to meet the entrance requirements of heaven, we fail.  Trying harder does not work.  Trying again does not work.  Trying another way does not work.  We sin.  And  our sin stops us.

But we can call on Jesus.  In fact, as Christians this is exactly what we have done.

Jesus does more than give us a trick to solder copper pipes. 

He pulls us into heaven. Our faith in Him opens heaven’s door, previously shut tight against us.  Our own efforts do not, have not, and will not work.  Works do not work.

Success on the heaven path is only ours when we call out to Jesus, when we believe Him and believe in Him. 

This makes us the most peculiar of all. Everyone else is still trying to make it on their own.

We are peculiar, faith saves.

Substitute

But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9 ESV)

Substitute

I have done a fair bit of substitute teaching. When, for whatever reason, a teacher is unable to teach, they seek a substitute. Someone to do the work they are unable to do. Other occupations also require occasional substitutes. I know of substitute nurses, substitute receptionists, substitute mechanics, substitute salespeople, substitute coaches, substitute chefs, and substitute postal workers.

But there is one substitute that is more important than any of those.

We, because we are rebels against God, are supposed to die. And that death is supposed to lead to eternal punishment.

But Jesus is our substitute.

He dies instead of us. He, eternal and infinite, suffered our punishment in that eternal and infinite moment on the cross when He said, “It is finished.”

Without that substitution, we would have a terrible job ahead of us.

We are peculiar, we have a substitute.