take this coal and cleanse my lips
last sunday my lifegroup decided not to watch the 722 message from the previous week, and instead visited one of the coolest things i've seen in a long time. turns out st. james united methodist put together a replica of the tabernacle. yes, the tabernacle. of old testament fame. as in days of yore or something. the thing was not quite the full size, since it would've been maybe too expensive or too big for them to assemble at the time, but it was still pretty awesome. at the entrance of the tabernacle we were met by a guide who also happened to be one of the ministers on staff with st. james. he explained a lot of things that i was utterly clueless about. it is amazing when you really study the laws that God had set for His people so many thousands of years ago. things that may seem straight up ridiculous are transformed in light of Christ's revelation. for example, the elements of the tabernacle, when arranged properly, form a cross. every item used in the tabernacle has some significance in the names of Jesus.
Bread of Life.
Light of the World.
He who sits at the right hand of God.
and the list just keeps going. random crazy fact that leaves me in awe of God: the hem of the high priest was hung with bells and pomegranates. how does that invoke shock and awe? get this: a pomegranate has 613 seeds, which also happens to be the number of precepts in jewish law. also, if you check out the bottom of this lovely (and quite tasty) fruit you will spot a star of david on every single one. cosmic mishap? i think not.
the whole experience was very humbling. i was reminded of how little i know about God from His word. all of these fascinating things that have been laid at my fingertips to learn and think upon, and i have skipped over them! methinks an o.t. study is past due. being in the holy of holies was great. we saw the ark of the covenant at 50% of its normal dimensions, and it was still pretty impressive. i must say, that night the Lord showed me a little more of what it means to be under grace and not the law. imagine having to obey 613 rules perfectly and hope you got every prayer answered for not only your screw-ups, but those of your family, tribe, and nation as a whole; else, you risked being consumed by the white-hot glory of God's Spirit. hallelujah, were it not for Jesus, i'd be horrified.
check it out - 01.20.07
vapor - 11.15.06
can't complain - 11.10.06
turn the page - 11.09.06
who invented the word "me-maw"? - 09.28.06