Lev 1-4 Sunday Bloody Sunday

February 1st, Leviticus 1-4

       Daily life and the cost of sacrifice. Certainly an interesting start to Leviticus. If you like hearing about kidneys, lobes of liver, fat and entrails this is the passage for you!! Imagining the shear volume of blood everywhere is a bit overwhelming. I'm trying to get past all of that to move into some greater meaning.
       One thing that stirs me is the real time issue of subsistence,  nomad, farmers/herdsman. They are truly living on a razor's edge of being able to provide for their families. It hit me this morning as it talked about baking loaves to be brought as a grain offering. If I had limited food in my home and baked bread that would leave me a little hungry, how would I feel about it. It's the nature of sacrifice. Sacrifice that doesn't really cost me anything isn't by definition sacrifice.
       I thought about the offering for unintentional sins. I have to rewrite it so I can understand the impact. They were to bring a bull, or a goat to be sacrificed for committing an unintentional sin. What if every time I committed an unintentional sin, I was required to bring $500 to put in the offering. One of two things would happen. I would either go broke, or I'd be a lot more cautious about how I lived my life. As a people whose lives revolve around money, maybe we understand losing cash more than losing an animal. But I think it would only take one or two trips to make this sacrifice before you take note that every time I sin an innocent animal has to die. That might make an impact as well.
       For many, the first Sunday of the month is communion Sunday. Jesus was also innocent. "He who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." A story tragic and hopeful all in the same breath. Blood shed because of my sin. May we say thanks and walk with more caution, seeking to honor our Lord.