A Church Full of Grace

 

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge. You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.’” (Numbers 6:9-15 ESV).

 

Our reading today is a part of the instructions God gave to Moses for the people of Israel to observe once they entered the Promised Land. It concerns the establishment of six “cities of refuge” (v. 14). They were intended to provide a place of safety for people who were fleeing for their life. It was a foreshadowing of the Church that Jesus established in His earthly ministry. It was to be a place full of grace. It was to be a place where anyone could come and receive the forgiveness and restoration won by the work of Christ on the cross. They were to be a place of safety, hospitality, rest, justice, and grace.

 

In our day, I wonder how many of our churches are such a place? Can anyone come and find a place where they can hear the truth of the Gospel; or, will they hear an individual interpretation of a particular version of the current political truth? I wonder if we have somehow seen churches and their leadership replace the message of Jesus with a message that resembles more of the polarization of our nation? Perhaps a reminder is in order. This is what Jesus said about the Church:

 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV).

 

Jesus is our refuge. The Church, the people of God, ought to reflect the same love and grace that He did. Yesterday I quoted from the Prophet Isaiah when God told Moses to instruct the people to “come reason together” with Him. I fear we have degenerated into a group of people who are unwilling to reason with anyone who may have a different perspective. Perhaps we need to reflect more on the grace of our Savior.