Your Sacrifice Headquarters! (4/1/09)

I don’t know about you, but I find the ancient system of sacrifices to be somewhat interesting. It’s challenging to read about it in the Old Testament (check out Leviticus), but it’s still intriguing. When you gain a basic understanding of what the sacrifices represented, it helps you to better appreciate Jesus’ “sacrifice” for us.

That’s not the main point of the video, though. I just wish you could have attended my church on Good Friday 2008. As I mentioned, the fellowship hall was set up like the Temple with stations and actors in various places. You really got a sense of what it might have been like 2000 years ago. But what was particularly effective was how the Gentiles were treated. When the actual church service started, the Gentiles were not allowed in the fellowship hall. There were seats set up out in the narthex (lobby). I forgot to mention that everyone received a card when they came into the church informing who they would be (e.g., a Gentile, Jew, Nazarite, Leper, etc.).

Anyway, the Gentiles’ chairs were set up outside, and there were signs on the wall warning about entering the Temple. If Gentiles tried to enter, the punishment was death! Well, I think the Gentiles were pretty good sports until……When the service started, the church closed the doors into the fellowship hall and the Gentiles were truly shut out (I think the service could be seen on TV monitors, but the point was well made). Gentiles were not special like God’s chosen people.

We then had the service. Eventually, the big veil (curtain) was torn in the temple at the time of Jesus’ death. All of a sudden, the doors into the fellowship hall swung open and the Gentiles were invited to come in with the Jews. I’m not sure if you can picture this scene, but let me say it was very effective.  The death and resurrection of Jesus changed everything, and all people were clearly welcome into the family of God. While most of us accept this intellectually, I wonder if some people still think there are exclusions based on race, sexual preference, behavior or something else. For instance, we’ve all heard someone say, “That person is going to rot in hell!” after committing a horrible act.

Until next time…