Leviticus 24:1-9: The Sanctuary Light and the Showbread
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Jesus as the Light of the World is a familiar theme to Christians and is celebrated during the Advent season. In the Jerusalem Temple the sanctuary light served as a symbol of the presence of Yahweh and so it was important that the oil be clear – this purity ensured the burning of the lamp. The Showbread was prepared with a particular recipe and laid out in a special fashion with frankincense; it was eaten only by the Temple priests. Both the bread and the light served to remind the Israelites of their perpetual covenant with Yahweh.
In his homily this morning Bishop Newman referred to the habit we humans have of taking and saving photographs as we try to capture particular moments in our lives. The custom of making scrapbooks or yearbooks to commemorate events is something we do as we conserve for later recall the goodness of certain moments or periods in our lives. The Bishop suggested that we would do well to make spiritual scrapbooks of our lives that would serve to remind us of the goodness of God; and he asked that we reflect on today’s Psalm (103) in an intentional way: The Lord is kind and merciful . . . O, my soul, forget not all his benefits . . . he heals all ills . . . he redeems life from destruction . . . he is slow to anger and abounding in kindness . . . he does not always chide . . . he does not keep wrath forever . . . he does not requite us with our crimes . . . he crowns us with kindness and compassion. Reading this litany of God’s goodness reminds us of Paul’s anthem to love in 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient, love is kind . . .
Light and Eucharist – both serve as Jesus’ constant presence to us. When we enter the church today, we find the sanctuary light burning faithfully to represent the presence of the Eucharistic bread of Christ himself. Many religious rites call for the use of incense. Our Judeo-Christian culture brings us these signs of God’s presence and of the presence of his eternal covenant promise to us. We need to keep these multi-sensory symbols in mind as pages of our spiritual scrapbook. In this way, we may find it easier to be and do good as God is and does good. We may be able to curb our anger and be more comfortable with treating others kindly and compassionately. We may be better able to cease judging and chiding others for their faults and crimes.
By remembering in this special way that God is Light and Sustenance, we crown others with kindness and compassion even as our loving and eternal God crowns us. And so we pray: Good and kind God, As the Sanctuary Light and the Showbread reminded the Israelites of your fidelity and promise, let today’s sanctuary light and the Eucharistic bread remind us that . . . as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is your kindness toward those who love you. Amen.
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