Making Amends
What does God expect of us?
It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’ (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).” When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. - Hebrews 10:4-10
Does He want us to make sacrifices in our lives? Should we do that for us or for Him?
Like a parent with high hopes for their child, God would want us to avoid those things that are harmful and seek those things that are good for us.
He wants us not to screw up, since that could cause us pain and suffering. But we do screw up, and we think we need to offer something to God to make amends.
Of course, Jesus taught us we don't need to offer anything but ourselves. That is all God wants of us, that we come home to Him. But that means we have to be willing to change.
It is easier to offer something we can live without, even if the offering is something hard to part with.
So, the sacrifice needs to be real. It needs to be something that has become part of our being, a way of behaving, a habit, something keeping us from God.
But there has always been opportunity to make money through the desire for sacrifice. In Jesus' day people sold sacrificial animals in the Temple courtyard. And who hasn't been made to feel guilty in order to donate to a cause?
During Lent we identify one or more things we can do or stop doing in order to make a sacrifice. It is a way to remind ourselves that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert without food and water.
We know we can't do that, so we try to give something up or take on a chore that we normally wouldn't do.
How are we doing with that?
As we come to the end of Lent, we might want to reconsider the purpose of our sacrifices. Maybe just spending some time in meditative prayer with God will help with that.
More to come...