The Super "Bowl" that set it all in motion!

"Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, 'We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey'.”- Exodus 24:5-7

Indianapolis hosted the 2012 Superbowl. It has been a fantastic thing to watch. I did not go down to the city, but the news reports, facebook pictures, and general enthusiasm around our community has been a true treat. I have never been too much of football fan, but since we have moved to Indy, we watch the Colts play and generally enjoy the sport. This year has been even more so because of the Superbowl location and with Eli Manning playing with the Giants in the big game.

I was thinking about bowls and asking, "how does God see bowls in scripture?" Of course, it is not the huge gathering of people, the festivities of the games, or the arena of watching top athletes at their skills. So, I looked up the meaning of "bowl" and found in sports it is, "A bowl-shaped stadium or outdoor theater." It was in these large stadiums final competitions or championship games would be played. Thus, we see the evolution of the final games receiving title of a "bowl" game because everyone would go to the huge bowl shaped stadium to watch the game.

God used bowls throughout scripture, but there is no reference to a stadium or Colosseum as a bowl. Yet, there was a very specific bowl that Moses used to establish the redemptive process. In Exodus 24, Moses fills bowls of blood from the sacrificial bull and divides the blood in two sections. The first half he sprinkles on the burning alter. The other half he sprinkles on the people. Why? God requires the redemption of unrighteous through the sacrifice of blood. The Old Testament sacrifices were offered as that appeasement. All this was to demonstrate through the Law there was no hope of redemption, but through the Son of God, clean and without sin, Jesus would be a perfect offering in order to stand in the place of sin.

Jesus was that perfect sacrifice. He was sacrificed in our place so as to bring a restored relationship with our creator. Our sin and unrighteousness had separated us from a perfect and loving God. Yet, God is so holy, He cannot look upon sin and a sinful person cannot have connection with His Holy Spirit. In faith, we ask Jesus to forgive us, we receive his love and confess our sin along with our sinful nature. We seal that commitment in joining with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection through baptism. He responds by granting us His Holy Spirit that enters us and dwells within every sincere Christ-Follower.

In the end....all the actions and living from above is truly a Championship game. Thus, a super "bowl" that Moses used to hold blood established and put into motion the final results of Jesus on the cross and our ability to choose an eternal relationship with God. So, as I see it, it is the most super bowl ever and I am thankful for Superbowl 2012 in Indianapolis. I am thankful for the reminder of how much God truly loves me.

If you would like more information or would like to learn how you can be forgiven of your unrighteousness, I would welcome the opportunity to join in a discussion with you. My email address is dcrane@parkchapel.org.

You know I love ya....Don

P.S. - Congratulations to the New York Giants!