Once and for all sacrifice

Reflection based on Hebrews 10:1–14.

This chapter starts with a reminder of what a poor, temporary job animal sacrifices did. The first few verses point out that they could never free us from our sin and make us holy – but simply served as a reminder of sin. The old system was, by its very nature, unfinished. The priest had to make sacrifices day after day, and go into the Most Holy Place year after year on the Day of Atonement, but Jesus made a once and for all sacrifice. It does not need to be repeated, as it was perfect. 

The verses in Hebrews 10 talk about how constant sacrifice was the rhythm of a priest’s life, and yet, once Jesus had made His sacrifice, He sat back down next to the Father. He had completely opened the way for God to commune with His people. This does away with any notion that we as humans may be made holy through our own efforts. There is nothing we can do. Yes, when we respond fully to the amazing truth of our salvation, we willingly serve and obey God, but that is not the means of our salvation; Jesus has already provided that through His sacrifice.

Interestingly, verse 10 describes us as having ‘been made holy’, whereas verse 14 talks about us ‘being made holy’. This is the difference between justification (I like the explanation ‘just as if I never sinned’) and sanctification (the process of being made holy). When we accept Jesus, God looks at us and sees us as holy, and yet we are on a journey of discipleship – we still need to grow in our holiness.

Reflection: Think about any times when you have tried to ‘earn’ your salvation through your own efforts, say sorry to Jesus and thank Him for His once and for all sacrifice. 

Balance for better

#BalanceforBetter is the theme for International Women’s Day, but is a year-long campaign, not just for today. I knew I wanted to mark and celebrate IWD, but, having written about it most years, I wasn’t really sure what angle to take. That is, until a good friend of mind commented on the following scripture (which she read within my YouVersion Bible study – shameless plug there! 🙂 ):

God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’
(1 Corinthians 12:18-21 – but do read vv12-27 if you have time!)

It is so important that we accept, love, encourage, support, challenge and champion one another. There is absolutely no room in God’s family for us to turn to someone and say ‘I don’t need you’, whether on the basis of gender, race, age or any other reason. The Church needs to be leading the way in showing how, as the IWD campaign puts it: ‘Everyone has a part to play – all the time, everywhere.’

Now, as today is International Women’s Day, I want to take the time to give a shout out to some of the women who have stood by me, shaped me, helped make me who I am today – and who continue to challenge and spur me on. But, in the spirit of this year’s theme, I’m also going to include some of the men that have had a big impact on my life too:

My mum: I know I’ve shared before that she has taught me the most about resilient faith. These last few years have been so unexpected, and so so hard, as she continues to battle for every breath. It is amazing to see her faith remain as strong as ever even though she gets weaker and weaker.

My husband: he really is the solid, steadfast anchor of our family. We have been through a lot, but I have watched him grow and develop into the wonderful father and church leader that he is today. And he really champions me, even though what I’ve feel led to do in recent years has necessitated him being more vulnerable than he was comfortable being.

My sister: the last few years have been so incredibly painful and difficult for her, but she has dug deep and shown a strength I have rarely seen. It has been such a privilege to walk more closely alongside her – and to enjoy the delightful results of her incredible cooking too!

My dad: he has shown such generous and selfless love right back from the day he chose to take on us two little girls when he married my mum. Today, more than ever, he is pouring himself out selflessly caring for my mum 24/7. The tenderness in their relationship is so tangible – and beautiful – now.

John: this is the guy who encouraged me to pursue joining a worship band, and who spent hours helping me to build my confidence. He was also the one person who said ‘there but for the grace of God go I’ when I made a huge mistake that impacted so many of us. He is an all-round incredible musician, but also wise, generous and humble guy – that I don’t see often enough now!

Accountability friends: we have been through so much over the years – cried many tears and laughed until we cried too. Thank you for always being there – and for fighting for depth in our friendships, even when it has been such a raw and painful process. You really are people I couldn’t do life without.

Book study group: it is such a delight to be a part of this group. Thank you for persevering through those awkward moments, as we learned to build trust. And thank you for your honesty and vulnerability. Shared stories really do break shame and bring freedom – and I love the way you support one another in being more open.

Fellow writers: thank you for your support, especially through the ACW Facebook page. I love the way we interact (including the banter) and really appreciate those of you who have particularly taken the time to help and encourage me personally (such as Wendy, Amy, Jennie, Fiona, Claire, Philip, Cathy, Sheridan, Jo and many, many others).

Anna and the kingdom ambition WhatsApp group: for years I had longed for a group of women leaders to share more deeply with. Thank you Anna for listening to that nudge from God and inviting me to join your group. And thank you all for the way you share and interact with one another, speaking truth and bringing love through your messages. I don’t know you that well yet, but already I feel a connection with you.

I know I have missed many amazing people who have shaped my life and been a huge support, but I need to stop before this becomes a book rather than a blog post! Can I just encourage you, this International Women’s Day, to thank the women – and the men – who have championed you, and brought better balance to your life. And also think about how you can bring better balance in the spheres of influence that you have.

Spring news

I have just been drafting an email newsletter to those that have signed up to receive it, but I realised I want to share my news with all of you that kindly engage with my website, so have put the information here too. If you would like to receive my (fairly infrequent!) newsletter you can sign up here. I usually only share details of my speaking engagements in the newsletter, rather than on my blog, so it’s definitely worth subscribing if you’d like to be kept informed 🙂

You Version Bible study

I wrote a five-day plan based on ideas from Taking Off the Mask and it has recently gone live. You can sign up to read it here. I have also been included on a list of Christian blogs not to miss.

It’s not too late!

I am thrilled to be speaking at two more events in March, on the 16th in East Grinstead (where I will be the main speaker) and the 23rd in Kent (where I will be running a workshop). For more details, and for links to buy tickets please see my calendar.

A day in the psalms

On 15 June I will be back in Guildford speaking at the Woman Alive and BRF women’s day. This year it is focused on revealing how the psalms are God’s resource for all that we may face in life.

With a fantastic keynote speaker, and the opportunity to attend two workshops, this is definitely an event to consider coming to if you are able. For more details, and to book tickets, click here.

Jesus’ blood

Reflections based on Hebrews 9:11–28.

It is in Hebrews that we are given the details of how Jesus superseded the Old Testament laws and rituals. When we looked at Leviticus we saw how the sacrifices were a foretaste of what Jesus would do. His sacrifice did far more than they could; while they made people clean or ceremonially acceptable on the outside, Jesus’ shedding of blood went far deeper, transforming our hearts to make us clean on the inside. It freed us from sin’s power – of course we still have to walk in that for ourselves, but it did something that we could never do; put us in right standing before God.

Throughout today’s chapter, the old is set against the new, revealing the imperfections of the old system. For example, the involuntary sacrifice of animals is set against the voluntary sacrifice of Jesus (see vv13–14).

Verse 12 is one that can be a source of great comfort to us: ‘he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, so obtaining eternal redemption’. For under the law, people could never be sure of total forgiveness, but Jesus has secured ‘eternal redemption’ for us. The term redemption is imagery borrowed from slavery. The Greek word, lystrosin, talks about the paying of a price in order to release a slave, which Jesus willing did for each of us. 

Verses 15–17 talk about the legality of Jesus’ actions. Using the term ‘will’ they reveal what Jesus gave us. His love is shown in how He came as a mediator between God and His people – but the benefits could not be experienced until His death. We are unable to meet the demands of our pure and holy God through our own efforts – but Jesus did it for us through His blood.

Prayer: Jesus, it is fascinating to see how Your sacrifice both reflected and superseded those of the Old Testament. Thank You that You willingly died for me. Amen. 

Facing the face beneath the mask

I am delighted to welcome Mel to the Unmasked: stories of authenticity blog series. Here, she gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into some of the issues she was wrestling with while writing her latest book, Picked for a Purpose, which publishes tomorrow – congratulations Mel! It is fascinating to hear how God prompted her to include more of her own story than she had previously planned to…

Ironically, I found myself, recently, having nightmares about ‘revealing all’ in my next book, Picked for a Purpose – memoirs which my publisher had asked me to write.I’d been going through considerable pain for almost a year due to a muscle tear in my shoulder and was suffering from lack of sleep. It was during those sleepless nights that the enemy seemed to attack. When asked how I was, however, with true British grin-and-bear-it reserve, I would don my mask and reply, ‘I’m fine, thank you. There are others far worse off than me.’

I’m sure we all know what it means to wear a mask at times. At least, in theory. But what about in practice? Do you ever ask yourself, ‘Who am I?’ Do you ever wonder if the person you believe yourself to be is really you? Or is the real you eclipsed? Hidden behind a facade? Blotted out by the persona you choose to convey?

‘Don’t make comparisons!’ my physiotherapist admonished me. ‘Own your pain!’

His words were like water off a duck’s back to me. Until, that is, the nightmares deepened. 

THE MASK OF MORALITY & RESPECTABILITY 

So why the fear? There’s nothing new about my life story. My earliest books, published in 1983, had focused on specific issues in my life, the first telling the story of a difficult marriage, the second of the divorce that followed, and the third of the detrimental effect on one of my daughters. Commissions from major publishers had followed, one of which, The Last Mountain: Living with Aids, became a Sunday Times No 4 Bestseller, plus speaking events, TV appearances and radio broadcasts.

Then, in the late 1990s, my writing career went on hold when I was asked to take on the role of Copyright & Financial Manager for Jubilate Hymns – a publishing company whose work was renowned worldwide. It was a fabulous experience but, on retirement fourteen years later, the urge to return to writing was overwhelming.

Having fulfilled God’s command to me to ‘comfort others with the comfort I’d received’(from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4) in my earlier books, I now felt I was being told to ‘entertain your readers so they will absorb truths they might otherwise resist’. Crossover fiction – portraying the truths of the cross to non-believers via story – seemed the obvious answer. I was aware, however, that few people would recall my earlier work, and that I was, in effect, starting from scratch. Hence Malcolm Down’s request that I share my life experiences again.

RIPPING OFF THE MASK . . .

I set to and, on completion of the first draft, I woke early one morning with a compulsion I knew was of the Lord. Rather than simply reproducing my adult life story, I was to include the terrors of my childhood and disasters of my adolescence. I was, also, God revealed, to add reflective sections at the end of each chapter, showing what I had learned, followed with relevant questions for the reader. The aim, I felt He was telling me, was to show, through my own experience, some of the mental issues with which young people wrestle today: unspeakable health problems; poor body image; the need for love leading to immorality; fragmented families replaced by gang culture; taking on another persona; and drug addiction – all a means of escapism. In other words, the donning of a mask to hide the real self.

It was to be more than that, though. I was to show the way in which God can take these negatives and bring forth positives: the purpose for which He has picked us. Hence Picked for a Purposebecame the title, with a strapline Bearing fruit through times of hardship.

. . . AND BARING ALL

Soon afterwards, during the period when I was finding it difficult to sleep due to extreme pain in my shoulder, a comment made in jest by one of my daughters gave me nightmares.

‘Do you really want the grandkids knowing what a naughty girl grannie was?’ she asked. ‘All those comments on Facebook and Twitter?’

Now I may be a grandma, but I am perfectly au fait with modern technology. Nevertheless, it simply hadn’t occurred to me to stop and think about the possibility of negative comments – perhaps from people who had known of my earlier life – nor the of detrimental effect this might have on family and friends. It was this that was giving me nightmares!

REPLACING THE MASK WITH THE SHIELD OF FAITH

Back in the day of my earlier books, Edward England had introduced me as a ‘best-selling author’. And although I had renounced the title, clearly, in his eyes, I was perceived as a woman of status! Was I now to be seen as something less? Wrestling at night with doubt, I seriously considered throwing the whole manuscript out of the window. But God intervened! In order to counter those negative perceptions he urged me to finish the book by setting out my purpose in revealing all. Here’s what I wrote:

‘The problem is that it’s all too easy to come across as a Victim; a “poor me” inviting pity and compassion. Equally problematic . . . is the concept of conveying an image of sainthood. A “look at me and my faith – aren’t you amazed?” when the reality is that I know myself to be a sinner not a saint.’

As with my shoulder pain, my purpose in writing the book was not to make comparison between my life and that of others. Neither was it to point the finger of blame at anyone. It was simply to own the pain of my life. To strip off the mask and face the face beneath. And in doing so, to glorify God. As He instructed me, so He does you:

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Ephesians 6:14-16

That shield of faith will, surely, be more than sufficient to fend off the fear of being seen for who we are. Who we really are! Children of God. The real Me. The real You. Frail and faulty, yes, but now washed clean in the blood of Christ. No need to hide. No need for a mask.

A multi-published author since 1983, with commissions from Hodder & Stoughton plus a Sunday Times No. 4 Bestseller, Mel Menzies has written under several noms-de-plume. The first novel in the Evie Adams series, Time to Shine, also became a No. 1 Bestseller in its category on Amazon. 

An inspirational speaker, Mel has a lifetime of rich and painful experiences to draw on, including an undiagnosed congenital disease, a dumbed down childhood, divorce, debt, a daughter’s drug addiction and subsequent death.  Through her website and blog, An Author’s Look at Life www.melmenzies.co.uk, she offers resources to inform, inspire and encourage in all walks of life.  

Jesus’ teaching

Reflections based on Matthew 5:17–30 and Mark 9:33–41.

As I mentioned last week, Jesus’ teaching often went further than Old Testament laws. At the start of our Matthew reading, He tells His listeners He’s not there to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it. He goes on to use the following phrases a number of times: ‘You have heard it said … But I tell you’ (vv21, 22, 27, 28). His standards here seem so unreachable, but He was calling out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law – and also affirming that He is totally holy and without sin. He was providing a fuller understanding of why God had made the Law in the first place; that it was all about the heart. Indeed, He reveals that God already knows what is going on in our hearts when He tells the listeners in our Mark reading that the one who wants to be first should be last. He knew what His disciples were arguing about so went straight for the heart issue.

What He talks to His disciples about reveals the characteristics of a life of holiness. Not only are we called to be humble and unified, but we should love everyone – even those who cannot do anything for themselves, such as little children. In verses 38–41 the disciples are grumbling, jealous of someone who has healed in Jesus’ name, more concerned with their group’s position than whether any good had been done.

The verses in the rest of Mark 9 reflect what we read in Matthew 5:20–30. Jesus uses incredibly violent language, not to call us to literal maiming of ourselves but to help us realise how seriously God takes sin – and so must we. Jesus teaches His disciples – and us – how ruthless He wants us to be about living a life of holiness. 

Reflection: Is there anything within Jesus’ teaching that you find jarring? If so, explore why you think that is.

 

The Father’s Valentine

Our church book group is working through The Father’s Kiss by Tracy Williamson at the moment. As it is Valentine’s Day, I asked her whether she could write a guest blog about the Father’s love. I’m sure you will agree that her personal story of God’s cherishing of her is a wonderful reminder to us all to look out for evidence of His loving care in our daily lives.

Today when I opened my inbox, I found dozens of adverts for Valentine’s gifts: lovely bunches of red roses, beautiful necklaces, yummy chocolates…precious gifts from the lover to cherish their beloved. Lovely, but it made me feel a bit sad, as I am single and, apart from a short romance when I was 19, I have never experienced being cherished on Valentine’s Day.  

Suddenly, even as I became aware of that sadness, the thought came to me: ‘but I cherish you! You are my number one!’ 

I knew this was the Lord, my loving heavenly Father speaking to comfort me and give me the joy of being beloved, even though I am single. And I realised that only His love is truly cherishing and life-giving to us all. While those of us who are single or in loveless relationships may feel left out on Valentines’ Day, our loving Heavenly Father never misses any of us out. John 3:16 says ‘For God so loved the world…’

His wonderful love is for us all whether married or alone, young or old….

I wonder if you know how much He cherishes and delights in you? I believe that today He wants to show you His love in a special way. He knows each of us inside out, which means the ways we experience His love will be varied but all will contain true blessings, rainbow moments of knowing He is watching over us, providing for us and delighting in us.  

When I felt that momentary sadness at not being part of Valentine’s Day, I responded to my Heavenly Father by asking: ‘So how do you want to cherish me Father? Please show me your love today.’  

Some really precious things then happened while I was on a journey with my blind friend Marilyn. I am deaf and partially sighted myself and also have some balance difficulties. We had a heavy suitcase and were having to travel in the rush hour. I was a bit concerned how we would manage, as it was essential we got a certain train.  

Father whispered in my heart, ‘see how I cherish you’. To my amazement, at every step of the 4-hour journey He lavished care on us. One lady went out of her way to carry the case up and down stairs to the underground so that I could guide Marilyn and hold onto the rail myself too. People gave up their seats on the tube and when we went to the info counter at Euston the staff were kind and helpful and amazingly put us into the first class compartment!  

Then, to cap it all, there was an announcement to say there would be a complimentary breakfast in first class. We thought: ‘that’s nice but won’t apply to us as we haven’t got first class tickets’. But they did give it to us, so we enjoyed lovely posh food on china plates and tea and coffee in china cups! Afterwards Father whispered in my heart: ‘that was all just a tiny part of my Valentine’s kiss of love to you today. There’s much more to come!’

Father loves you and rejoices over you. He wants to kiss you with His blessing of care and love today. Ask Him to show you His cherishing love in a way that will be just right for you and He’ll delight to answer that prayer. 

Tracy Williamson

Tracy is an author and speaker working for MBM Trust with Marilyn Baker, the blind gospel singer. Tracy recently published her latest book The Father’s Kiss  (Authentic Media).



Jesus the holy one

Reflections based on Luke 1:35; 4:31–37.

We have spent some time, over the last few weeks, looking at the elaborate rituals and sacrifices within the Old Testament. We are now going to turn our focus towards Jesus, to spend a little time considering how He reflected the holiness of God while He walked this earth. We will be looking at what His sacrifice meant for us in terms of our standing before our holy God later on in this series too. 

We know that Jesus was born as a human and yet the verse in Luke 1 reveals that He was also divine: ‘the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God’. This was necessary for our salvation. Just as the animals sacrificed in the Old Testament needed to be without blemish, the One who provided the ultimate sacrifice had to be found to be without sin — to be holy. That is why God had to send His own Son in order to save us. 

Jesus showed us how to live, as humans, by the power of the Holy Spirit and yet through His words and actions, He also revealed who He is. Indeed, the miracles He performed were signs that pointed to His divine nature — and even the demons had to acknowledge who He was, as we can see in the Luke 4 passage. Before it is ordered out of the man, the demon calls Jesus ‘the Holy One of God’.

While the crowd was amazed at Jesus’ power and authority how sad it was that so few of them recognised who He was. I think that’s partly why Jesus asked His own disciples, in Luke 9:20, who they thought He was. They needed to be clear that He was sent from God in order for them to begin to understand why it was that He was there. Not to be the all-conquering, defiant Messiah that would lead them to rise up against their oppressors, but the pure, holy, blameless Lamb that would be slaughtered for their – and our – sin. 

Prayer: Jesus it is humbling to think about how You willingly obeyed Your Father and came to earth as a human, knowing the horrific suffering that awaited You. Your sacrifice gave us direct access to the Father. Thank You holy Lord. Amen.

The Day of Atonement

Reflections based on Leviticus 16:1–34.

For 364 days of the year, the priests were not allowed in the Most Holy Place within the Tabernacle – and last week we saw how God’s holy fire could simply consume people. During the Day of Atonement, however, the priests were instructed to go in to make atonement for the sins of the nation as a whole. As we can see at the start of this passage, Moses had been warned after the death of Aaron’s sons that the priests were not allowed to enter the Most Holy Place whenever they wanted. This means that on the Day of Atonement the priest (here Aaron) had to go through elaborate preparations before he could enter past the final curtain placed in front of the atonement cover on the Ark. The Hebrew word kaphar means ‘to cover over’ and was used to describe the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The word can also be translated as ‘atonement’. This Day of Atonement was a day of great celebration, and yet it only covered over Israel’s sins. Only Jesus’ sacrifice would allow for the removal of sins so, until that day, the people needed the priests to cover their sins in this way. 

It is interesting to note that there are two goats here – one sacrificed and another sent out into the desert as a scapegoat. This is really significant, as it shows God was not only forgiving their sins through the sacrifice, but was removing them from sight thereby taking away both their guilt and shame. What a great picture of what Jesus does for us! It seems only fitting that God instructed the people to celebrate the Day of Atonement as a day of rest, in order to mark it as special.

Prayer: God, You not only made a way to cover over Your chosen nation’s sins until Your Son’s appointed time on earth, but You also dealt with our guilt and shame. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Do not treat holiness lightly

Reflections based on Leviticus 9:1–10:3.

Leviticus 9 sees the priests begin their duties as those who will enter the Tabernacle and sacrifice on the altar on behalf of the people. Moses’ brother Aaron and his sons are chosen as priests and the start of our passage details how Aaron follows God’s instructions to the letter. We are told that Moses and Aaron then enter the Tent of Meeting and when they came back out God’s glory appeared. A fire from His presence burned up the offering and the people responded to His presence in joy but also by humbling themselves, recognising they had just witnessed an incredible display of His holiness.

Unfortunately, there were two among them who didn’t take God’s holiness as seriously. Underestimating God, they offered up unauthorised fire to Him – and were consumed as a result. It seems harsh to our modern eyes but these men had been warned. They had followed God’s commands on how to be ordained as priests, which involved a long and complicated process (see chapter 8). They had seen God at Mount Sinai, had heard how God told them not to allow His fire on the altar to go out (in chapter 6) and seen Moses and Aaron go inside the Tabernacle and emerge unscathed. And yet, at this critical moment, they choose to offer ‘unauthorised fire’. It is as if they had grown cocky somehow, or, at the very least, indifferent. Whatever was going on in their minds, they chose to ignore God’s command at their peril. The details were there to protect them from God’s holy fire; their disobedience cost them their lives. This is a sobering reminder that God is holy; we are not. 

Prayer: Father I can see that You gave strict instructions in order to shield Your people from Your holy fire. I humbly acknowledge You are still a holy God today. Amen.