A More Perfect Union

Matthew 27: 50-51 -- "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split."

image: pouredoutofferings.com

Just before logging onto to Facebook my eyes happen to catch the ticker at the bottom of my internet home page - where I noticed that yet another Hollywood couple has joined the ranks of U.S. divorce rate statistics.  Obviously I don't know the couple personally, but it still made me sad to see that the two once-happy people were going their separate ways. No matter how amicable the break-up, splitting apart from another person is always sad. I've heard tell that there are people who part legally and yet remain the best of friends - but I still can't help feel a sadness for the end of a union that was suppose to stand the test of time.

In the end, the separation of souls means that dreams died, hopes drifted off into a far off place that leave one a little empty, and the future that was once planned holding hands and giggling over silly things is suddenly left behind in the dust. No matter how "friendly" the split looks on paper or in the news - to me the death of a union is sad.

On Merriam-Webster.com the second line of the definition of divorce says that it's: a complete separation between two things. Again .... how sad. Could there be any two words more devastating to a human spirit when put side by side than complete and separation? I can't think of any....

Before our Savior died on the cross that's exactly what WE WERE. Completely separated from God. Without the cleansing blood of sacrifice we could not commune with our Maker.  No - we had to have a go-between. We couldn't directly speak to our Lord and Father. Talk about devastating!

When Jesus took all our sins with him as he breathed in his very last human breath on the cross - he paved the way for us to reconcile with God. HE is our go-between. Nothing demonstrates this more clearly than the temple veil.

Hebrews 9:1-9 explains that the temple veil separated us from the Holy of Holies. THE Holiest place in the temple - the physical place of God's presence.  The actual separation between you and I - and our Father was manifested in that ornate veil in the temple. But that very physical separation ended when Jesus gave his spirit up to God and the veil was torn in two. AND - it was done in such a way as to be clear that God had EVERYTHING to do with it. It wasn't human power that broke the barrier - it was God. It was God's only Son. Our Savior gave up his blood to cleanse the rest of us from everything we are - everything in us that keeps us completely separate from God.

This moment in time was so very powerful that the earth shook beneath our feet and the very rocks of the earth were split! In those precious minutes - the veil was torn and we were granted commune with our Maker and Father.

I can't think of a more joyous thing on this planet! The veil is down. We can walk right in to very presence of God! We are no long divorced from our Father!

Praise God from Whom ALL blessing flow!! We celebrate Easter because we have been given a torn veil. We celebrate because we are no longer on the other side of a barrier that keeps from communion with our Father.

Happy Easter.