Levitical Side Effects
(a.k.a. Guilt Trips)

The thing they never tell you about the sacrificial system is that it only worked on unintentional sin; that is, the bad stuff you did by accident. Do something wrong on purpose and there was no amount of cattle blood that could cover your crime. Talk about a rude awakening. One way around was offered by a devout Jewish friend. He simply labeled all of his transgression unintentional. “I didn’t mean to do it,” he told himself over and over and over again. Yet for the temporary tribe of Levites, coming face to face with the darkness of their motivations generated a whole new appreciation for the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of his forgiveness. This led to a powerful experience of confession in our group, a practice that when expanded to our entire congregation allowed for the kind of freedom that Leviticus ironically foreshadowed. It started with one woman letting loose some mildly shocking baggage. Followed by others letting loose of theirs. We take for granted that Christians are still sinners, but not like this! OK, it was a little uncomfortable. But it was also necessary. You can’t spend a month together mired in the consequences of your bad behavior without talking about the bad behavior itself. But you know, by bringing that darkness into the light, each of us found not only an empathetic shoulder, but some hope for redemption too; redemption that ultimately came by way of atonement.