The Sound of Sacrifice
Speaker: Pastor Caleb Chiu
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As we have taken time to recognize the feast of trumpets, the Lord has reminded us again of sacrifice and obedience through the symbol of the shofar.
Blowing the shofar can mean different things:
1. A steady long blast announces that the King is among us.
2. It is a wake up call that shakes us out of our complacency. It reminds us to pay attention because something is happening.
3. It is a call for the people of God to gather and to come together to hear what He is saying to us.
4. It announces that there is something coming, and it alerts us that there is movement and a shift that we need to prepare for.
The shofar itself represents sacrifice. A shofar is a ram’s horn, and the animal had to give its life in order for the shofar to exist. When we see and hear a shofar, it is a reminder that there was a sacrifice that took place. It is a reminder that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice that took our place.
The shofar on its own does not create sound, it requires breath to flow through it in order to accomplish its purpose. In the same way, we are vessels, and we are surrendered to the one who can breathe into us, and through us, accomplish the purposes He created us for.
Before the shofar could accomplish its purpose of releasing a sound, there had to be a sacrifice. What are the things in our lives that we need to sacrifice and lay on the altar to be able to release the sound the Lord is calling us to release? What is in us that needs to die so that sound can be released?
Lord, we are willing to be the empty vessels that you breathe through. We are willing to surrender ourselves, to be consecrated and set apart for You. Reveal to us what we are still holding onto so that we can surrender it to you.