I just had to share this beautiful post from one of my favorite bloggers....
Peace
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Christ and the Torn Temple Curtain
In case anyone's interested, here's the link to my article on the Good Friday religion page of the Herald-Citizen in Cookeville, TN. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention that the temple curtain tears from top to bottom at the time of Jesus' death, but I had never heard anything about what that might mean. So I looked it up, and found it to be quite significant. Hope you find it as interesting as I did.
Easter blessings to all, Missy
Addendum: Thanks to Sharon for letting me know the link has expired. :-) I've added the text of the article below. And Sharon, your comment is very interesting - I never thought of the ladder problem, and it wasn't in any of the commentaries I read.
The Way Through the Curtain
For Christians, the central event of God’s work of salvation is the atoning work of Christ on the cross. The meaning of the English word atonement is easy to see by dividing the word into its parts: at-one-ment. It means at one with. In our Christian faith, atonement speaks of the reconciliation between God and the fallen creation, especially between God and sinful human beings. Reconciliation with God leads to reconciliation with ourselves, with our communities, and with the world.
Throughout the Bible, the images of atonement threaten to overwhelm us by their sheer abundance. One of the images that is seldom given much attention is the rending of the temple veil brought about by Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45). To understand the significance of the torn veil, we must go back to the meaning of the temple in Jewish society. The temple, in its most basic sense, symbolizes the dwelling place of God. The temple also symbolizes the center of the cosmos, the meeting place between heaven and earth. As a symbol of creation, the temple evokes the Garden of Eden or paradise. Because the temple represented the dwelling place of God on earth, it was a symbol of holiness. Unlike a synagogue or church, the inside of the temple itself was not a place of public worship. On the inside was located the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. The curtain or veil protected the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies from common view. Only the high priest could go beyond the veil, and only on the Day of Atonement. Understanding this symbolism, we can see that the tearing of the curtain opens the way for us into the very presence of God.
In The Epistle to the Hebrews, the author compares Jesus to the “great high priest over the house of God” (10:21) and the torn curtain to Jesus’ own flesh (10:20). In other words, Jesus is both priest and sacrifice. As God Incarnate, Jesus is the ultimate Great High Priest. As God With Us, fully human but without sin, Jesus is the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. Christ, the great high priest, replaces the curtain of the temple with his own broken flesh. Through his broken flesh, sinful humanity is allowed to stream through the gap between humanity and divinity, into the very presence of God, reconciled to God forever. Humanity is now at one with God.
The author of Hebrews goes on to explain what it means for us to be reconciled with God. In Hebrews 10:22-24, we are called to faith, hope, and love. Because Jesus has opened the way through his flesh into God’s inner sanctuary, we can approach God “with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” We can “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering,” and “we are to provoke one another to love and good deeds.”
Finally, we are reminded not to neglect the assembly of the saints (see Hebrews 10:25). In setting us at one with God, Christ’s work of atonement also sets us at one with self and neighbor. At the foot of the cross on Good Friday, we find that we are not alone. We are surrounded by witnesses who not only give glory to God, but also encourage each other. For the author of Hebrews, the cross is not simply a matter of personal salvation. In the cross, we are all made one in Christ – one with God, one with self, and one with neighbor, a divine wholeness for all of eternity.
Easter blessings to all, Missy
Addendum: Thanks to Sharon for letting me know the link has expired. :-) I've added the text of the article below. And Sharon, your comment is very interesting - I never thought of the ladder problem, and it wasn't in any of the commentaries I read.
The Way Through the Curtain
For Christians, the central event of God’s work of salvation is the atoning work of Christ on the cross. The meaning of the English word atonement is easy to see by dividing the word into its parts: at-one-ment. It means at one with. In our Christian faith, atonement speaks of the reconciliation between God and the fallen creation, especially between God and sinful human beings. Reconciliation with God leads to reconciliation with ourselves, with our communities, and with the world.
Throughout the Bible, the images of atonement threaten to overwhelm us by their sheer abundance. One of the images that is seldom given much attention is the rending of the temple veil brought about by Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45). To understand the significance of the torn veil, we must go back to the meaning of the temple in Jewish society. The temple, in its most basic sense, symbolizes the dwelling place of God. The temple also symbolizes the center of the cosmos, the meeting place between heaven and earth. As a symbol of creation, the temple evokes the Garden of Eden or paradise. Because the temple represented the dwelling place of God on earth, it was a symbol of holiness. Unlike a synagogue or church, the inside of the temple itself was not a place of public worship. On the inside was located the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. The curtain or veil protected the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies from common view. Only the high priest could go beyond the veil, and only on the Day of Atonement. Understanding this symbolism, we can see that the tearing of the curtain opens the way for us into the very presence of God.
In The Epistle to the Hebrews, the author compares Jesus to the “great high priest over the house of God” (10:21) and the torn curtain to Jesus’ own flesh (10:20). In other words, Jesus is both priest and sacrifice. As God Incarnate, Jesus is the ultimate Great High Priest. As God With Us, fully human but without sin, Jesus is the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. Christ, the great high priest, replaces the curtain of the temple with his own broken flesh. Through his broken flesh, sinful humanity is allowed to stream through the gap between humanity and divinity, into the very presence of God, reconciled to God forever. Humanity is now at one with God.
The author of Hebrews goes on to explain what it means for us to be reconciled with God. In Hebrews 10:22-24, we are called to faith, hope, and love. Because Jesus has opened the way through his flesh into God’s inner sanctuary, we can approach God “with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” We can “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering,” and “we are to provoke one another to love and good deeds.”
Finally, we are reminded not to neglect the assembly of the saints (see Hebrews 10:25). In setting us at one with God, Christ’s work of atonement also sets us at one with self and neighbor. At the foot of the cross on Good Friday, we find that we are not alone. We are surrounded by witnesses who not only give glory to God, but also encourage each other. For the author of Hebrews, the cross is not simply a matter of personal salvation. In the cross, we are all made one in Christ – one with God, one with self, and one with neighbor, a divine wholeness for all of eternity.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
More Dollhouse Progress Pictures
Here's the latest...stairs taken out of the old version and temporarily in place in the new one. The stairs will be modified a bit, but mostly used as is.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
More House Construction
I've spent the last couple days cutting more 2X4s - under the supervision of the cat, of course. I've even added a few floor joists. Now to see if the stairs will come out of the first version of the basement to be used in the new one....
This is the back section of the house. There will also be a middle section and a front section.
Monday, February 22, 2010
New Baby Girl
Today's the day for packages to arrive! This darling little baby girl, just under 2 inches tall, came today. She will be needing some clothes, since the outfit I have won't fit over her head or legs. I'll have to wrap her in a blanket for now. I do have a cradle for her if I can find it.... She was made by Alicia Singleton of AllieBeanDolls. She's beautiful in pictures, but even seeing her in person, I can't believe how delicate and perfect she is!
Dick Van Dyke Dollhouse
I just got some new minis in the mail from Grandma Holly's House. What lightening fast service she provides!!! She had only 2 of these chairs, but she's ordered 2 more for me. They are made by Reac and are absolutely perfectly scaled for 1:12. Since there's no table to go with the chairs, I'll have to figure out how to make one.
This is a 1:12 scale replica of the Dick Van Dyke Show set which I started building about 10 years ago. Since then, I've moved twice, so not much has been done. I was also given some color pictures of the kitchen and living room since this decorating was done, so I'll be re-decorating in more authentic colors. I've also become a little better in the woodworking dept since I built this, so most of this will be re-done. This will give you an idea of what I'm working for though....
The actual colors in the kitchen were grey, aqua, and pink, with a green rug on the floor. I have some full size wallpaper from the 1960s that I reduced to miniature. It actually has all those colors in it, and I'm going to use it on the wall to the right of the table and chairs.
Above is a temporary display in which I used the kitchen wallpaper - just so you can see what it will look like. The cannisters and percolater will eventually go in the Dick Van Dyke house. The counter will go in the other dollhouse shown in earlier posts.
George the Miniguy: S-c-r-o-o-g-e!!
This is one of the neatest mini rooms I've seen! Check out the glowing ghost! Lots of wonderful detail.
George the Miniguy: S-c-r-o-o-g-e!!
George the Miniguy: S-c-r-o-o-g-e!!
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