Gods Story to Us
The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
Leviticus 16:1-2
I’ll talk more about the Day of Atonement on Saturday. But for today, I want to think about literature. Did you like English back in school? I didn’t. Poetry was just not where I was at. Neither was essay writing. Actually, school just wasn’t where I was at.
But most Western literature - particularly stories, have a pretty standard structure. It’s setup, drama, climax, resolution. So think Lord of the Rings if you know it well enough. Or probably think of any movie that has a story you are familiar with.
The story of the Scriptures also follow this pattern. You’ve got Eden (the setup), Sin (the drama), Christ’s death and resurrection (climax) and the New Creation (resolution). Now, is this because the Bible is just another story? No, actually I’d suggest that we resonate with this structure because it’s embedded into the very fibre of creation.
The Day of Atonement is a mini-climax in Leviticus. It’s the high point. When the High Priest will go into the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place). The place where God dwells. And offer a sacrifice of atonement that covers all Israel for all their sins for the year.
And so it is with us. Our Day of Atonement doesn’t come around once a year. It happened two thousand years ago. When Jesus went to the cross. It’s the event that defines the story of history, the story of humanity and our story.
Today:
Pray:
Leviticus 16:1-2
I’ll talk more about the Day of Atonement on Saturday. But for today, I want to think about literature. Did you like English back in school? I didn’t. Poetry was just not where I was at. Neither was essay writing. Actually, school just wasn’t where I was at.
But most Western literature - particularly stories, have a pretty standard structure. It’s setup, drama, climax, resolution. So think Lord of the Rings if you know it well enough. Or probably think of any movie that has a story you are familiar with.
The story of the Scriptures also follow this pattern. You’ve got Eden (the setup), Sin (the drama), Christ’s death and resurrection (climax) and the New Creation (resolution). Now, is this because the Bible is just another story? No, actually I’d suggest that we resonate with this structure because it’s embedded into the very fibre of creation.
The Day of Atonement is a mini-climax in Leviticus. It’s the high point. When the High Priest will go into the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place). The place where God dwells. And offer a sacrifice of atonement that covers all Israel for all their sins for the year.
And so it is with us. Our Day of Atonement doesn’t come around once a year. It happened two thousand years ago. When Jesus went to the cross. It’s the event that defines the story of history, the story of humanity and our story.
Today:
- Do you like stories? What’s your favorite one?
- Next time you watch a movie or read a fiction book - see if you can spot the pattern.
- Is Christ’s atonement at the centre of your story?
Pray:
- Praise God for his creativity and order.
- Give thanks for Jesus who is the climax of history.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others make Jesus the centre of your story.
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