Leviticus 24:5, 6
5 You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. 6 And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord.
Reflection: Shewbread… The Bread of Presence
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
Leviticus 24 opens with some rules regarding the bread that was to be placed in the Tabernacle. This was to be holy bread, for the Lord and the use of the priests. The table of pure gold was known as the Table of Shewbread. In Hebrew, “shewbread” (King James) is Leḥem haPānīm which is literally translated “Bread of Faces.” This essentially means “Bread of Presence.” That is, the bread reminded people of the presence of God… and in particular, his sustaining presence. From this idea came the Lutheran and Wesleyan (and I am sure other denominations as well) communion verbiage of “the real presence of God.” That is, God’s real presence is with us during our worship in communion.
I confess that these are ideas, and deep meanings, that I did not know but have learned in the last two or three years. I appreciate much more deeply communion as a sacrament the more I understand about the Sanctuary shewbread. However, it also gives me a deeper appreciation for the fact that Timberlake seeks to “feed.” Listen… it is unavoidable: God created food, in part, for the purposes of ministry and worship. As you may have read, the main times of worship in the Old Testament Law are the main Feasts of God, spread out throughout the year. Many of God’s Old Testament miracles (and New Testament) revolve around food. He commands us, after all, to eat as a principal part of our worship. I am glad that Timberlake focuses on food as an integral part of our ministry (it helps that I am a “foodie”). May it be that God blesses our holy work of feeding, and that through it God will be shown clearly in Lynchburg and beyond.
Prayer
Lord, bless Timberlake and its ministry of food. May the work of Timberlake be a light shining brightly the glory and goodness of God in Lynchburg!
