Observation: As Aaron becomes the high priest of Israel, God sets up a pattern of temple sacrifice. Calves, rams, goats, meeting very specific qualifications, are to be slaughtered and burnt up in very specific ways as sin offerings, burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. In short, God asks for an offering of the very best of what the Israelites have. It was an agrarian society: livestock was livelihood and life itself, and in order to rely on God absolutely, they had to first give to God. This system was in place for centuries. In Christian understanding, Jesus' own sacrifice of his body on the cross for the sins of all made further animal sacrifice unnecessary. Ultimately, it was God who gave God's very best for us.
Application: Today as I read about the system of temple sacrifice that persisted for so long, I can't help thinking of the way we use the word "sacrifice" today. Specifically, on this Memorial Day, I'm thinking of and praying with those whose loved ones made the "ultimate sacrifice" in the line of duty in our armed forces.
Today when we hear "sacrifice" this is the kind of sacrifice that comes to mind: offering up not just our possessions but our very selves, for the benefit of others. As Abraham Lincoln suggested in his Gettysburg address, no civic ceremony can "consecrate" or inspire reverence from others. Rather, the service men and women have already done that by offering up their lives for their fellow citizens and the freedoms we enjoy.
But today, I think it's appropriate and necessary for followers of Jesus to continually hope for a day when this type of sacrifice is unnecessary.
To understand that being grateful for the sacrifice of those who have died means valuing the lives of those still serving, and the lives of those we would set them against, who also bear the image of God.
To acknowledge that thinking critically about our motives for entering wars does not mean devaluing those who are faithfully doing their duty on our behalf.
To know that, as worthy as our cause and pure as our hearts may be, we can not create a perfect society on this earth, no matter how many wars we fight. True peace will always and only come from the sacrifice of Jesus, through whom God is reconciling all things to himself.
Though in this broken world, the cause of freedom and justice may ask us for sacrifices, our God no longer does. As I remember the fallen today, I also give thanks for that.
Prayer: God, thank you for the courage of my fellow citizens who served in the armed forces. Help me to fully and joyfully exercise the freedoms they defended at the cost of their lives. Be with our leaders, who have the power to send troops into battle, and guide them with wisdom, compassion and justice. And remind us always that you offer a peace that no army can possibly win: a peace the world can not give. Amen.
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