December 29: The Fifth Day of Christmas

Today is December 29th- Happy "Fifth Day of Christmas
Today we think about the "5 Golden Rings" which symbolize the Five Books of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)- also known as "The Pentateuch."

These five books, also referred to as "The Law," recount the story of humankind's brokenness and God’s glorious response of grace to us. Although they are often looked at as a set of rules that help "get us in," or even as a set of contingencies that demand our attention and keep us in bondage to the knowlege that we can never "get it exactly right"...they have their place in our lives.  Before we KNEW God (really knew him, through knowing who His son, Jesus, is and through our relationship with him, and through that understanding at a deeper level what God is up to in this crazy world of ours) we needed the law as a "babysitter" of sorts, to "keep us in check."  NOW, the law takes on a different role- we love the law because is it representative of the great love that God has had for mankind throughout history, that He would give us something to keep us on the 'straight and narrow' until the Messiah arrived.  Before, we obeyed the law out of fear and obligation; NOW, we obey the law 'by the Spirit' (out of our new spiritual instinct) and from a place of deep gratitude...not to "get us in," but as a sign that we are keeping up our end of the covenant that keeps us in, and as a symbol that we recognise that God has allowed us to enter into His story...

Today we contemplate God’s grace and mercy, that He should allow us to participate in the unfolding of His story.
Prayer:

Lord, God...

Thank You for being our True Love

Thank You for relentlessly pursuing humankind through history

with your gracious and unending love,

Thank You for taking on flesh like us to offer us the ultimate form of love...

the kind that lays down its own life,

Thank You for letting us be part of your Glorious and Gracious story,

Help us to become better and better at relentlessly pursuing relationship with others that we might participate with You fully in restoring, redeeming and reconciling the entire world back to Yourself.

Amen