The High Priest
Advent reflection for 8 December 2013
Reading: Hebrews 10:1-18
There are many things that promise to deal with our desperate quest to be somebody and our sense that we are not all as we should be. Some of those things claim to make up what’s missing – like make-up so our skin appears blemish-free; other things claim to relieve us of the pain – like alcoholic drinks. The trouble is, the make-up always needs re-doing and the alcohol wears off.
The extraordinary claim of this passage is that Jesus has already made his people “perfect forever” by sacrificing himself on the cross. We may not understand how that works, but God’s promise is that nothing more needs to be added, nothing more needs to be covered over: in Christ we are perfectly loved and accepted and valued just as we are.
At the same time, “we are being made holy” – meaning that we are not yet all as we should be. God’s “enemies” and ours are not yet pinned down and we see only glimpses of heaven – like reflections in polished bronze. But God is at work in us.
The Holy Spirit reassures us both that we are perfect (because of what Christ has done) and that He is at work in us, renewing our hearts and our minds.
Prayer: