"And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last."

- Luke 23:46

"Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God."

- Psalm 31:5

I wonder how the priests felt every day when they went into the temple and saw the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. Did they look at it with dread? Or curiosity? Or maybe they longed to be in God's presence just for a moment even if it killed them,. One of them, the high priest, knew what it was like to go behind the curtain (with a rope tied to his ankle so the other priests could drag him out if God struck killed him!), and see the ark and the mercy seat. Was that a terrifying experience for him? Or did he look forward to those few minutes every year when he entered into God's presence? And then, when Jesus died, what did all the priests do when the curtain was torn in two? They thought they had finally gotten everything back to normal by killing Jesus - suddenly the huge, thick curtain that symbolized the vast gulf between man and God was destroyed.

I don't think very often about the gulf that separates me from God. My default is to think that I'm pretty good, that even though God probably would like me to pray more or be nicer to people, he doesn't really care about my "small" sins. When I do something "really bad" then I just need to even things out with good behavior, as if I'm a servant who broke something valuable and now I just need to work overtime to repay the debt. But my selfishness and pride aren't just little things that God doesn't like. The whole world was cursed because of selfishness and pride, cursed with death and separation from God. God's justice demands punishment for this, and both the Old and New Testament show us over and over again that God isn't someone you want to mess with.

Two weeks ago, Justin preached on one of Jesus' last words from the cross: "It is finished". Jesus finished the work of redemption on the cross forever. As amazing as those words are, often they just roll off my tongue so easily and I forget what they mean. But in this week's passage, we're reminded of what it means that Christ's work of redemption is finished. It means that the curtain of our sins, which separate us from God, has been torn away by the work of Jesus. That now we stand in Christ's righteousness and can boldly enter God's presence, not as terrified servants but as his sons. We can confess our sins with assurance that God listens to us and forgives us. And, incredibly, we are part of building God's kingdom now, a kingdom that is redeeming all of creation, and a kingdom God has promised to establish. Our work, our relationships, everything we do now has value and purpose because of Jesus' finished work on the cross.

When I get back from work most days, I can hardly recall the whirlwind of tasks that I just did. I feel too exhausted to think about anything other than dinner. How would I feel about those tasks if I remembered that everything I do and say is being used to God to build his kingdom? And if I remembered that my life and my spirit are committed into my Father's hands? Jesus' last words on the cross, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!", were, and still are, prayed by many practicing Jews as a bedtime prayer. Now, when I think about Jesus' death on the cross, I am reminded why we can commit our spirits into God's hands: because "you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God".

~ Philip Noell