Tuesday Reflection – March 17, 2020Ordinances are Our Reminders and Warnings
On Sunday we did something we have never done before. Instead of the usual attendance at church we carried our service as a live broadcast, encouraging members to remain at home and tune in through various platforms that were available to us. Many churches and other organizations have had to adopt to new methods as we do our part to stem the spread of COVID-19 as well as continue to share hope with the wider community. As the global community continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic I urge you to be astute in your hygienic practice as each of us do our part to prevent the spread of this disease. Follow the instructions of civic and medical leaders and look out for those who are vulnerable in your area. Do what you can to help others. It may be running an errand for a high-risk person or it may be sharing what you have stored with someone who does not have enough. Why not call someone, especially someone who is alone, and let them know they are being thought of, being prayed for. Let us all do our part to uplift each other in this time of crisis.
Today’s Watchword is from Psalm 19: 11. By the ordinances of the Lord is your servant warned. An ordinance is a religious ritual that is practiced as a means of demonstrating our faith. Protestant Christians today practice two main ordinances, Baptism and Holy Communion. Both are recognized as visible signs of God’s grace but are by themselves powerless to save us. It is Christ who saves. In Israelite society there were a number of ordinances that were to be observed at different points during the year. These are different from the commandments. The commandments are a charge or command, while the ordinances, sometimes referred to as statutes, are observations. These would include the festivals and feasts that Israel was commanded to observe. They all communicated a specific act of God from the past that reminded Israel of God’s power and presence in the present and for the future. The ordinances were there to help Israel as they carried out the Law. An example is the Passover which is celebrated about the same time we celebrate Easter each year. For Israelites, the Passover is a reminder of God moving through Egypt and striking the first born in all households except those marked by the blood of the lamb. It was through this that God led them from slavery on their journey to the promised land. They were warned by Moses in Deuteronomy never to forget lest they fall back into such calamity. The observation of the ordinance was to serve as their constant reminder and keep them on the right path. In this way it warned of the danger of forgetting. For Christians today Holy Communion and Baptism should serve a similar purpose. They remind us of God’s eternal presence, Jesus’ sacrifice and the hope for eternity it secured. Yet the ordinances by themselves are pointless and offers nothing. Unless we observe them in humility and thanksgiving, recognizing through them God’s gifts to us and our dependence on, or our nothingness without God, we lose their true significance. They can easily become ritualistic observances and nothing more. Each observance should therefore be a renewal of our vow to serve God, to give ourselves completely to Him who gave His all for us. They summon us from observation to practice as we move from the congregation to the community in which we live out our faith. I pray friends that even in this crisis, we will not bow to fear but will live by faith. I pray that our living out of our faith may give hope to those around us that God is still God and is working through this crisis to bring restoration to a fallen humanity. Let us heed the warning then and through our observation of these ordinances return to our Lord who alone is able to completely bring salvation and restoration. Amen.
Bevon White