19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
After pastoring for as long as I have now you begin to get a sense of the fear and anxiety some bring with them into the house of God. Holy places are too much to bear, the sense of being found out too great to endure. Thus there is the hiding, the avoidance of eye contact, and the rapid departure after -- or perhaps even before -- the benediction. Most of all there is the overwhelming sense of shame.
I know these things not only because I see them as a pastor, but also because I lived them as a person. In fact, in some sense it might be true that I am a pastor because I lived and was afflicted by it all in my own personhood. I lived it; and I am a pastor because I want others to know it really isn't life at all but rather death.
My deepest desire is for others to find and know what I discovered and now know: that by grace we are no longer alienated but are at one with God. We are accepted, we are welcome, we have been made pure. God is at peace with us; and all we have to do is accept this good news in the depths of our own souls and be at peace with God.
The Gospel writer Matthew tells us that when Jesus died the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, rent asunder from top to bottom. This imagery to drive home the point that God has acted from heaven to remove the barrier we put up on earth.
I am standing now at the altar, looking out over the congregation. It is a mixture of well-known saints and well-known sinners. I am standing with bread in one hand and a cup in the other. My arms are open. I look out over the congregation of sinners and saints and see that some are looking up towards me, while others have their heads down, their eyes turned. I sound the invitation. "This is the LORD's house," I say, "not my house. And this is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ's table, not mine either. And he says, 'Come.'"
It is by the blood of Jesus that we approach the holy place with confidence. The curtain has been split. There is no more alienation or separation. We are at peace. May this good news sink down into the bones of every saint and sinner and all the rest of us in between -- we are at peace.
Thanks be to God.
#2BeAtOne
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