“On the eighth day when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons’.” Luke 2:21-24 NIV
Random Thoughts:
Dan Brown’s book “The DaVinci Code” with its thrilling mystery-behind-the-numbers message (albeit a wrong message) had one thing right. Taking a cue from God’s own best seller, biblical scripture, Brown was right to suggest that there is meaning behind names, behind numbers and rituals. But unlike Brown’s tale of intrigue, meant to reveal a "secret" that is best kept that way by an elite, privileged few, the message behind God’s numbers, names and ceremonies are meant to point to a universal truth. A shared truth meant to be celebrated by all who hear it.
From circumcision (signifying a life obligated to observe the Law), to the 40 days of purification (40 symbolizing a fulfillment of God’s promises), to first-born consecration (recognizing God’s claim on their spiritual priestly service as in the order of Levi), this child, Jesus, is capable of doing what no other before or since can do. In perfect observance of the Law, he will fulfill God’s promise of redemption and will become the highest of priests to save us because we cannot save ourselves. In fact, the message behind all of God’s “codes” is contained within his very name, chosen before his birth. Jesus means, “God is my salvation.”
What is so amazing to me as I read passages like this is how God has been weaving together His message from the very beginning of our human story with elements that often seem like meaningless-must-dos or insignificant details. (There’s a reason that the book of Laws, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, are not on the New York Times best seller list.) But it is those very must-dos and details that when put together at the right time in the right place point their collective neon message straight to God’s greatest work: Jesus come to rescue us.
But whether we are knowledgeable ancient Jews or ignorant current-day gentiles, God’s message is simple and it is a message He wants us all--not just a select few--to understand. “God is our salvation”. We see it on a cross. We see it in His name. It is a code meant to be broken and understood by all.
Question:
From nature to spiritual traditions, what are some of the “codes” or clues God is using to point you to Christ in a meaningful way?
Journal Response:
I am a foodie. It has taken me several years to come to this conclusion but it’s true. So it probably comes as no surprise that when it comes to communicating love, nothing says it more beautifully to me than a perfectly baked apple pie or just-picked-tomato ripe off the vine. And I’m not alone. I think we’re all foodies at heart--some just more capable of affording their passion than others. I think perhaps that is why when God created the greatest spiritual message of them all, he spelled it out not just with words or visual aids but ultimately with food.
With spring just around the corner and Easter not far behind, this is the time of year God’s communicating genius is easiest to see. Resurrection--the very act of God’s victory over death through Jesus--is literally bursting out of the earth. From snows giving way to green buds and wintery silence melting into birdsong, the scene is almost perfectly set for God’s message of hope and new life. --Almost.
I say “almost” because, as new life-y and hope-y as chirping birds and springy grass and all-things-wide-and-wonderful may be, nothing is as perhaps as good at getting our attention or at communicating love as what comes out of our kitchens and onto our plates.
My family first discovered the Passover meal 15 years ago and it has become the highlight of our spiritual year surpassing even the goodie-grab of Christmas and the supersize-me-extravaganza of Thanksgiving. God in all his wisdom (and perhaps because so many of us are children at heart who still like to play with our food), commanded his people to celebrate a commemorative meal to remember the night He saved His people from the Angel of Death with the blood of a sacrificed lamb.
2,000 years later we still share a meal one night a year whose components symbolically remind us of a time of suffering but also that point to our greatest hope, a life of eternal joy and peace thanks to the blood of another sacrificed lamb God provided on our behalf. Jesus.
From the three pierced matza and its “stripes” (representing the triune God and Christ’s suffering at the hands of Roman soldiers) to the “resurrecting” of the hidden loaf by matza-seeking children during a mealtime game (recalling Christ’s resurrection after three days) to the drinking of the final glass of wine, (the fulfilling of God’s promise to be with His people), the meal is a celebration of God’s amazing gift of love. And possible confirmation that God is a foodie too.
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