Forgive them, Father

Last night I went to a church service at my dad's church & while one of the speaker's was... well... speaking, he told a really moving story.

One of his friends worked at the slaughter house and he was in the "cutting position". So, these lambs would come by him on a conveyor belt and he would quite literally cut their head off. I know, it seems pretty gruesome but stick with me. One time, this guy was at work and a lamb came by, he slit its throat and then the conveyor belt malfunctioned. So, he was talking to one of his buddies when, all of the sudden, he feels a warm sensation in his palm. He looks down to see the very lamb he just decapitated licking the blood off his fingers.

A lot of you are going "eeeeww" and squirming in your seat. I was a little, too, when I first heard it. But, this guy made a good point. Show me a more accurate representation of Christ's love for us.

It is because of our sin that He was sacrificed. And, had none of you done anything wrong, He would have done it for just me. He would've done it for only you.

Then, after He was beaten and hung on a cross, He rose again. To lick our wounds. To remove His blood from the very hands that hung Him on the cross.

To present us blameless before the Father.
He cried out to Him
"Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do! They know not what they do."

I have no doubt that as Christ intercedes for us at the right hand of the throne of God, He has to intercede daily for me, saying, "Forgive Rachel, Father, she knows not what she does."

And I walk around, we all do, taking flippantly the sacrifice that was made for us. For our sins. To cleanse us.

There is the Lamb, who we didn't kill, but who offered Himself for us. And turning His broken body, He looks at the children of God and says, "It was worth it." He looks at liars, greedy, selfish, ugly people and says, "How beautiful are my sons & daughters."

And He licks His blood off of our garments, comforting us in this world of sin, presenting us holy & blameless before the Father.

We know not what we do.