The Torn Curtain
In August 1961, East German leaders began building what we know today as The Berlin Wall. The wall was built just within the boundary lines of East Germany. The building of the wall kept East Germans from their jobs, family, and friends. The wall took away access from East German citizens; it took away access to a fulfilling life. November 9, 1989 the wall began to come down and East German citizens climbed over to join their West German friends. The wall came down bit by bit and the people gained access.
The Ancient Israelites understood that the presence of God existed behind the curtain in the holy of holies. Only the high priest was allowed to enter into this place. No one else had direct access. This curtain kept the people of God from direct access to God. Then Jesus came, lived his life, taught God's love, and died. The moment of his death, the curtain was torn. Access was granted to all.
If you've ever been to East Germany you may walk through places where it seems as if the wall was still intact. The separation still exists for those people and places. If you talk to some Christians, some people of God, it may seem as if the curtain was still intact. There are some of us (including myself) who live as if there is still a separation between was is sacred (held behind the curtain) and secular (things untouched by God's presence). We separate types of music and label some of it sacred (or Christian) and some of it secular; we separate parts of our lives as sacred (prayer and church) and parts of our lives as secular (education or occupation). Yet, the curtain was torn and Jesus was resurrected. The holy of holies flooded into the world...into all the world.
This week, for The Study, we visited South County Outreach. South County Outreach is an organization that helps those in need. They provide food, clothing, job training, and rental help to those who are unemployed or poor. But the point of the visit was less about the organization. We spent time with a woman named Megan who came to South County Outreach after working for a hospital in New York. She is a social worker and for some reason has devoted the last six months of her life to helping those who can not make rent. She listens to their needs and, at times, can help them, but some times, she can't. She still does her job...because maybe for her the torn curtain means something.
Think about how Jesus lived his life. He cared for the sick during the Sabbath, he loved the outcast, and forgave those who wronged him. Maybe for Jesus there was never any separation...there was simply, restoration...healing...reconciliation...resurrection.
This week, try this, look at your life. What do you set aside as sacred? What is secular for you? How can you draw them together into one? How can you see how Jesus saw?
After you think a bit, look up some passages: Isaiah 42.1-9; Isaiah 49.1-7; Isaiah 50.4-11; and Isaiah 52.13-53.12. What are the characteristics of the servant described in these verses?
