Denim Faith #1: The Butcher and Baker
2015/08/09
Christ Church, Mountain Top
Christ Church, Mountain Top
Series:
Denim
Faith: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Lunch Pail Crowd, and Leviticus
Denim
Faith: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Lunch Pail Crowd, and Leviticus
Call
to Worship, Psalm 9.11-20
to Worship, Psalm 9.11-20
Children, Mark
4.1-9 (parable of the sower)
4.1-9 (parable of the sower)
Message,
Leviticus 7.1-17
Leviticus 7.1-17
Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band song, “Little
Mountain Church House”
Gritty Dirt Band song, “Little
Mountain Church House”
Leviticus
The death trap for thru-reading the Bible
Strange practices
7 chapters on butchering (and baking) for
sacrifice
sacrifice
Who you can and cannot have sex with
Rules for fair fights
Bodily discharges and ritual uncleanness
Follows
immediately on Exodus’ – tabernacle specs and construction
immediately on Exodus’ – tabernacle specs and construction
Leading into tabernacle worship (sacrifice
& priesthood)
& priesthood)
Eugene
Peterson: Suspicious that the preacher who focused on tabernacle worship actually
knew nothing of butchering (The Pastor)
Peterson: Suspicious that the preacher who focused on tabernacle worship actually
knew nothing of butchering (The Pastor)
My
favorite butchering story – the deer brains
favorite butchering story – the deer brains
Strange thinking
Analogical
Particular
When
combined, extensive analogies, unexpected directions
combined, extensive analogies, unexpected directions
Ellen Davis – farmer and farm, harvest and
haircut
haircut
Letter to the Hebrews – Christological
Paterius
(ACCS, OT III, 170):
(ACCS, OT III, 170):
That
fire is perpetual that is never extinguished on the altar. The altar of God is
our heart. Fire must always burn in it, for the flame of charity must always
burn on it for God…. The priest who feeds the fire on the altar and puts wood
on it each day is each one of the faithful. To keep the flame of charity from
going out in himself, he does not cease to gather both the examples of the
elders and the testimonies of Holy Scripture…. And the command is good, to
gather wood each day in the morning.
fire is perpetual that is never extinguished on the altar. The altar of God is
our heart. Fire must always burn in it, for the flame of charity must always
burn on it for God…. The priest who feeds the fire on the altar and puts wood
on it each day is each one of the faithful. To keep the flame of charity from
going out in himself, he does not cease to gather both the examples of the
elders and the testimonies of Holy Scripture…. And the command is good, to
gather wood each day in the morning.
Give the best
“without blemish”
“choice flour” (grain offering, Lv 2)
“the fat” – the best part (the mighty,
wheat, the earth)
wheat, the earth)
“blood” – the life of something, actually
has voice
has voice
All
fat is the LORD’s. 17 It shall be a
perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your settlements: you must
not eat any fat or any blood (3.16-17)
fat is the LORD’s. 17 It shall be a
perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your settlements: you must
not eat any fat or any blood (3.16-17)
ANTI-consumerism
Don’t “suck the life”
“dressed in all our Sunday best” rather
than
than
“for what few coins the congregation could
afford”
afford”
These sacrifices are above and
beyond the tithe!
beyond the tithe!
God’s gift to us: “For God so loved the
world that God gave….”
world that God gave….”
The Butterball Thanksgiving Turkey Hotline
Give the best, not the worst
Community
Meal – worship includes food
Eucharistic celebration
How we eat day to day
Eating WITH others
Salt:
You shall not omit from your grain offerings the salt of the covenant with your
God; with all your offerings you shall offer salt (Lv 2.13)
You shall not omit from your grain offerings the salt of the covenant with your
God; with all your offerings you shall offer salt (Lv 2.13)
Persian term for traitor:
“faithless to salt” (Fausett’s Bible Dict)
“faithless to salt” (Fausett’s Bible Dict)
Harming someone who has
eaten your food
eaten your food
Eating together is the way you
make covenant
make covenant
Symbol of being incorruptible,
lasting (FBD)
lasting (FBD)
Importance of the rapidly disappearing
family meal
family meal
“dinner on the grounds”
“many were the souls that were
revived”
revived”
Discipleship modeled, Paterius: “examples
of the elders”
of the elders”
Becoming an “analogy” of those we
honor/respect in the Lord
honor/respect in the Lord
Receive the gift
God has made provision to deal with our
guilt and sin
guilt and sin
God has made provision to connect us in
life-giving, in community
life-giving, in community