Good Morning Church — Are You An Animal Lover?
As we approach Easter I want to share a thought with you.
The Children of Israel — under the old covenant — followed the law handed down by Moses.
Laws dominated by animal sacrifice.
Think about that for a moment.
Can you imagine?
Dealing with the ritual and the mess of it all!
It was a constant presence in their lives
There were all types of celebrations and observations that would lead them to the altar.
But none held more significance than Passover.
During this celebration the Children of Israel would remember the miracle of their deliverance from captivity in Egypt.
The sacrifice offered for Passover was a lamb without blemish.
The lamb was selected at birth and raised almost as a pet. That way the sacrifice held more significance.
But over time the Jewish people became accustomed to the convenience offered by those who would sell animals fit for sacrifice at the temple entrance.
So rather than going to the trouble of bringing the animals themselves — the temple became the one stop shop for worship and sacrifice.
A practice Christ found unacceptable.
So to prevent our worship from becoming too convient and complacent why don’t we imagine what it was like and mentally prepare for Passover as Easter approaches this year?
If you need a visual — buy a little stuffed lamb — and keep it with you this week. (Just like the Children of Israel would have done with the lamb they had set aside as they prepared their Passover sacrifice.)
Meditate and think on the sacrifice that was once necessary to approach GOD.
Then think about what sacrificing an animal really involves.
Think about how history shows us that the lambs that were brought to the temple for sale and sacrifice during Passover came from Bethlehem— a nearby shepherding community.
And think about how the final lamb sacrifice was born there as well.
One of my favorite illustrations to explain why all of this was necessary was presented by Bodie and Brock Thoene in the little Christmas booklet, Why a Manger.
In this book Bodie tells of a Christmas back in 1985 when their young ewe had suddenly died giving birth and left a motherless lamb.
The same night another ewe in their flock had given birth to a still born lamb.
Unsuccessfully they tried to coax the surviving ewe into accepting the orphaned lamb.
Finally the veterinarian said he knew of an old trick shepherds used to help an orphan lamb be accepted by a different mother but it wasn’t pretty.
It involved hiding the live lamb under the fleece of the dead lamb.
They agreed it was worth a try and after taking both lambs away the Vet and Brock returned with the live lamb wrapped in the fleece of the ewe’s stillborn baby.
The lamb was placed in the feeding trough, ‘the manger’ so the ewe could discover the lamb on her own.
I am sure by now you can see where this is going. The Thoene’s and the vet stepped back and watched as the ewe began to sniff at the orphan lamb.
Recognizing the scent of her lamb she nudged the newborn out of the trough and encourage the lamb to nurse.
Wrapped in the fleece of her lamb she now accepted the orphaned lamb as her own. (Bodie and Brock Thoene, Why A Manger? 2006) (Bodie and Brock Thoene, Sixth Covenant, 2007)
As I shared this illustration with a close friend a few years ago her eyes lit up!
She had grown up on a farm just like I had but had more experience with livestock.
When I finished telling her of the Thoene’s Christmas in the stable she said, she also remembered how difficult it was to get an adoptive mother to accept an orphaned offspring.
She said the key was to get the baby to nurse and the scent of the mother would spread throughout the baby and she would recognize it as her own.
I looked at her a little confused not really understanding her point at first until she said, “Don’t you see? That is the Holy Spirit!
CHRIST THE LAST LAMB SACRIFICE covers us in HIS BLOOD making us acceptable to GOD just as the still born lamb did for the orphaned lamb.
Then when we drink in what the FATHER has to offer the HOLY SPIRIT fills us up with HIS ESSENCE.
The more we drink the stronger that ESSENCE becomes allowing us to not only be a part of the family but to stand out with HIS AROMA for the world to see.
The sacrifice CHRIST made for us was always something I struggled to understand — I wondered why GOD couldn’t just forgive us and allow our repentance to be enough to allow us back into HIS presence.
Then I became a parent and I saw how the things that matter the most to my children are not the things that come to them without effort and sacrifice.
And not just their own personal sacrifice — But the sacrifice of others on their behalf.
Often it takes growing older for our children to see those gifts and the love and grace that prompted them.
But those relationships with our children or those we regard as our children help us to understand the sacrifice GOD made for us as HE became flesh through the SON and dwelt among us.
Then left us with HIS SPIRIT to guide us till we make it home.
Praise GOD for the SACRIFICE praise GOD for the RESURRECTION praise GOD For the promise of life everlasting for those who call on HIS NAME.
So Church — this week as you prepare for Easter with your family — I challenge you to make this the most spiritual Easter of your life — by spending less time with the bunny and more time with the LAMB.
God Bless!
LaVern Vivio
April 9, 2017
