Spirit of Wisdom

After storm Jonas, it is still cold.  Even with the cold, I still have pansies, wondering Jew, and petunias still living and blooming through the storm in my flower box outside the window at my breakfast table.  This weekend is the annual TSMC Missionary Conference.  The cold has kept some of our mission speakers away.  The ones who would be enjoying eggs with toast, pumpkin bread, and espresso with me have not made it, because they are iced in.  So, here I am sipping the last of my espresso while reading Exodus.  The Miriam Morris Sunday School Class Bible study is from Exodus this quarter.  Even though I’m the backup teacher, I like preparing the lesson for me.  You see, I spend Sunday School on the floor with eight to eleven toddlers most Sunday mornings, and they teach me.  So, here I am on this cold winter morning, quietly praying and taking in Exodus 28. 

Aaron’s garments for the tabernacle were heavy.  Maybe, the weight was to remind him of the burden of sins committed by God’s chosen ones.  Chapter 28 gives detail instructions for the High Priest’s garments.  With the doubling of heavy material, golden rings hanging from the shoulders, twelve stones sewn into the breastplate of judgement, the gold crown for his head, and the many other adornments sewn into the fabric of the tunic and robe, Aaron was covered with a lot of weight.   Imagine bearing “the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.” (vs 30 concerning the Breastplate of Judgement)   Then, in verse 38 concerning the crown, “It shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts: and it shall be always on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.”  I praise our God for sending his son, Jesus, to be our high priest.  He is always here to carry our heavy burdens and to be our intercessor to God. 

When God gave instructions for the production of the priests’ garments, he had special people chosen for the task.  This is my point today.  This is where God spoke to my heart today.  Here we are with chosen missionaries, chosen to go to special places to do His work.   On the other hand, each worker in the church are chosen by God, the property keepers, janitors, nursery workers changing dirty diapers and being draped in spit up milk, kitchen volunteers, ushers, stewards, pianist, organist, song leader, pastor, and all those that serve in the houses’ of God are all chosen.   In Exodus 28:2, God instructs Moses to give the instructions for the sewing together of the garments to “all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.”   Each church needs men and women chosen by God to whom God gives the “spirit of wisdom” to support the work of the pastor and the ministry of the congregation.

These rambling words lead to my conclusion on this cold winter morning.   No one man in the church has to carry the heavy burden of the work of the church.  God has special people chosen for each position in the church and each worker in the church should represent the mission of the church.   My church is a mission minded church that not only supports missionaries to foreign lands, but has workers reaching out to the spiritual and physical needs of the community.  Each of these workers don’t have to wear heavy garments and carry a heavy burden, because we have salvation through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit opening our eyes and doors to ministry.   The church that does not place the entire burden on the pastor but picks up the cross to serve with the pastor as God leads will grow as they reach the unsaved.   God gives the “spirit of wisdom” to lead us.  All we have to do is obey.