Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem
The Names and Titles of God (Great High Priest) Hebrews 4:14
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
King James Version
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Here is a little story I shared with you back in 2017. You might not see the connection at first with Today's Scripture Passage, but trust me.
My beloved Nana, who taught me how to sew, was a Milliner, a seamstress, and an Interior Decorator. She knew how to make THREE-DIMENSIONAL things, like stuffed animals and hats, as well as slip covers and curtains WITHOUT A PATTERN. (Of course there WAS a pattern, but it was in her head). Because of Polio, which she had contracted when she was a young mother during the Great Depression, she always walked with a walker and heavy steel braces on her legs. My grandfather managed to install an electric motor on her sewing machine because she was unable to keep the treadle going with her feet.
Nana taught me her secrets when I was in 7th-8th grade. My Middle School was near her house, so I would walk there after school and do "Eldercare" and light housekeeping until my Aunt got home from work. A lot of the sewing had to be done by hand because Nana was a perfectionist. The sewing machine was taboo for such items as intricate collars, sleeves, tight turns that needed to be turned inside-out, closing openings, buttons, and, of course, HEMS. A machine-sewn hem was as close to a "mortal sewing sin" as you could get. And if the hand sewing showed through or was uneven, you had to rip it out and do it again.
Nana said: "Rippin' and Sewin" keeps a body goin", and sometimes I felt like I did more "rippin'" than "sewin'".
One Friday, I had a particularly large amount of "rippin" to do, plus a lot of homework, and a piano lesson on Saturday (for which I had NOT practiced!), so I suggested I take the project home and do my "rippin and sewin" on Sunday. Nana looked at me in horror and said (now this is NOT Christian Doctrine!):
"When you get to heaven, you're gonna have to rip out every stitch you sewed on a Sunday WITH YOUR NOSE!"
I never did feel comfortable sewing on Sunday after that!
Now I'm sure Nana didn't actually believe that, but it showed that she had a reverence for that one day a week that is unlike all the others. "Remembering the Sabbath and Keeping it Holy" is not supposed to usher in a whole NEW set of rules and regulations. Jesus said that "The Sabbath was made for Man" not the other way around. It is God Who makes us holy, not the other way around, either. The Sabbath is a GIFT from God, not our gift to Him. He is the God Who Sanctifies Us.
Among Christians and Jewish people, there are hundreds of interpretations of how to observe the Sabbath. Some celebrate it on Sunday, others observe it on Saturday. Some consider a Saturday Night Service to be sufficient for a Sunday obligation. Some won't travel on Saturday, or even turn on the stove, others see Saturday as a perfect day for a family outing. While the Bible calls it "The Seventh Day," not all countries place Sunday as the first day of the week. When I learned French many years ago, the Days of The Week started with "Lundi" (Monday). That would make Sunday the Seventh Day. St. Paul even said :
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. (Romans 14:5 KJV)
Just like the controversy about the Sabbath, Christians differ on the role of the Priesthood here on Planet Earth. Some denominations (not just Roman Catholic) have priests, others have ministers. The difference is that a priest is someone who presents a sacrifice for the sins of another. He is an intermediary. The Book of Hebrews goes into elaborate detail about the role of the Priesthood in Ancient Israel, before the Destruction of the Temple in 70AD. These human priests had to make atonement for their own sins before they were qualified to present a sacrifice on behalf of the People. Nobody is sinless, so there had to be an order of service that included that self-atonement for the priest.
The Author of the Book of Hebrews goes into detail about this. Then he presents Jesus as the Great High Priest, who alone is qualified to offer Atonement for all of us.
This presents a dilemma. If Jesus is the Sinless One, how can He understand our grief and misery that is the result of sin? The temptations that beset us on a daily basis cause everything from depression and anxiety to actual mayhem.
The Author explains that Jesus was tempted in ALL things, yet did not sin. The temptations themselves are not sinning, it is the actions that they spawn that are sin. Like a person once said to me:
"You can't prevent birds from flying over your head, but you CAN prevent them from making a nest in your hair".
And that makes a BIG difference. Jesus experienced all the temptations we do, but didn't allow them to take hold. As Our Great High Priest, He gives us the power to do the same.
Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.
For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. (Mark 4:22)
God Bless America.
Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.
Hallelujah and Amen
ML/LTOS