July 18, 2009

Texts:
Leviticus 8 and 9
Romans 7

Leviticus:
Holiness in Leviticus "trickles down". God is Holy. God calls us to be Holy as God is Holy. But there is a big difference between God and humanity. The priesthood becomes the mediator between us and God. Read the ordination and consecration of Aaron and his sons in this light. They are becoming holier in order to help us also become holy.
"Holiness" is an odd concept to us, I think. We tend to think "holy" or "saint" and an image of Mother Teresa comes to mind. Yet holiness is something intended for all of us. It means being set apart to serve God.

Romans:
To build up his argument that living under God's righteousness through grace (as opposed to through the Law) is really the better way, Paul points out that even if we KNOW what is right, even if we WILL to do what is right, even if we have EVERY intention to do what is right, we don't. We are imperfect people. We are sinners. For Paul, sin is not a list of behaviors. Any behaviors that Paul may list are more likely to be consequences of sin. Sin is any turning away from God. Paul sees it most often in idolatry.

It isn't popular in most Presbyterian circles to talk about being sinners (some people have even requested that we do away with the Prayer of Confession), but the reality is "I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." (7:19)

Having faith (or belief) in the righteousness of God does not mean that we stop being sinners. It means that we stop thinking we can fix it all ourselves. It means we choose to rely on God's grace rather than our own devices.

The Prayer of Confession in worship shouldn't make us feel depressed. It should make us feel grateful, relieved, hopeful. If that prayer is difficult for you, try to let go of what our culture means when they talk about "sin" and try to hold on to Paul's firm conviction that God is for us!