Significance

Exodus 19:2-8

Pentecost 5

June 15, 2008

Rev. Michael A. Trask

back

One of the greatest desires that we have as human beings is to be significant. We differ from the animals in this. For it is not just food and water and good place to sleep that does it for us. Nope. We want significance. We have been endowed by our creator with the understanding that our lives should mean something beyond eating and breathing, and excreting. And if we ever come to the conclusion that our lives have not meant anything, well that’s almost worse than death. We need significance.

I think that’s why there is so much interest in things like my space. If you are over thirty you might not have any idea of what that is. It’s quite a phenomenon actually. Kids put web pages that represent themselves....pictures, music, art, likes and dislikes often in search of significance. They seek significance by promoting themselves before their peers and sometimes before the world. It is thought that being famous or well know is the same as being significant.

But significance is very different from fame. While fame is illusory, often empty and for the most part. fleeting, significance is solid, meaningful, and lasts forever. We need significance and not just to “feel” as if we are significant, but to actually be significant. And that is what you are! You are significant!

Consider the Old Testament Lesson. Consider what the Lord here says! He says “You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” This isn’t simply what the Lord said to the Israelites after rescuing them from Slavery down in Egypt. It is also what he says to you and all Christians, after rescuing you from Slavery to sin, death, and the devil through his Son Jesus. Everything that God did for Israel, he does in a bigger way through Christ for you. And Just listen to what he says to you Christians from the New Testament: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” (1Peter 2:9-12) There it is again! Almost the exact same words that God Spoke to the Israelites, he now speaks to you.

Okay, so what’s so significant about this? Well, first of all, out of all the people of the world, God has chosen you. Chosen you to be rescued. In Exodus, he says to the Israelites, “I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself” Picture an eagle, the grandest of birds, swooping down, taking hold, lifting out, not to kill, but to save. Somewhere along the line, either through your baptism or perhaps later, God swooped into your life and pulled you off the path that leads to most certain death and gave you knew life by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

Is this significant? Of course it is! It is the most significant thing that can happen to anyone....you have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light! You are now one of God’s eternal, holy people. “ ‘Holy’ now hold on a second pastor, I know that I am not holy..... in fact, I know I’m a sinner.” Yeah, that’s what’ so great about what God has done for you in his Son. Jesus, by his death for us, justifies us, reconciles us, and does not count our sins against us and therefore, in God’s sight we are holy!

But that’s not all! There’s more, much more. We are now eternal beings destined to live in eternity in the presence of God. Yeah, we are still citizens of this world, but we are also citizens of the new world that is to come! So we’ve got one foot in both places. We’ve got one foot here in the State of Minnesota, in the United States of America on the planet earth, but we’ve got our other foot firmly planted in the world made new!

Is this significant? Yes. Since we have one foot in both realms, the Lord says that we are his priests! Now don’t get freaked out by the application of that term. Your probably have some ideas of what a priest is, and you cannot imagine that you are one of them. But a priest is simply a mediator, a go between. Since you have a feet firmly planted in the the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God, you are in a great position to do this. God allows you to do this.

The priests of Israel used to offer prayers to God on behalf of the people. And as you know, Jesus has given us the great privilege of prayer. Only those in Christ have been given such access. As a Christian God even commands you to pray. As a Christian he promises to hear your prayer. You can pray for our world. You can pray for the people who don’t know God. You can pray for our leaders. Like the priest of old, you can stand before the eternal God and plead for the sake of others. .

The priest of Israel used to also offer sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Of course the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of all people has already been offered by Jesus when he went to the cross. But God challenges those who have received the benefits of the cross of Christ to begin making sacrifices of their own. In Romans 12 Pauls says “I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” What does he mean by that? He means that we do God’s will with our lives. In the text God was about to tell them how they would do that with the giving of the Ten commandments. As a kingdom of priests, they would strive to keep them. Same goes for us. As we live our lives we seek to do so by the commandments. We don’t swear, we don’t steal, we don’t gossip, we don’t murder. We don’t hurt people we help people. And so not only do we become a blessing to the earth, but our lives become an offering to God, fragrant, pleasing, and acceptable. And guess what? The things that God allows you to do in service of him, will never be forgotten, they will be recalled and rejoiced over in eternity. Is that significant? yeah!

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,” and then Peter goes on to say “That you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” As a priest you are also called to “declare his praises” to tell other people of the kingdom of God in which you now stand. People often say “You can’t take it with you.” And that’s true about our money and possessions. But the one thing you can take with you into eternity are the people that you share gospel with. For the good news of Jesus is something that makes a temporal person into an eternal person. Is this significant? Of course.

As so, your postition, your calling, your place in the cosmos is quite significant. As it turns out, our desire for true and lasting significance can only be met in our Lord. For his saving of us through faith in his Son, has made us and the things we do significant in eternity. Frankly, it doesn’t get anymore significant than that. AMEN