An Uncommon People
As a little girl, I would admire my grandmother’s fine china dishes. To me, they were the picture of classic beauty. They were a soft white color with a fine line of silver around the rims and edges. Each piece had a pair of soft pink roses with green-grey stems. They were simply elegant.
Today, my grandmother’s china is displayed in a hutch in our dining room. We don’t have a formal dining room. It’s the room we eat in all the time. It would more appropriately be called the “eating room”, as I can’t say that we “dine” often. The china sits displayed in the corner while we use our everyday Corelle dishes for meals.
Somewhat recently my husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. That night, we dined. It wasn’t really planned. In fact, it was a busy day. Kevin was working and I was struggling to get a meal put together in a short timeframe. Our boys decided to set and decorate the table to celebrate the occasion. They got into all kinds of drawers, pulling out special items that we rarely use. My youngest asked to use the fine china. I sighed. It would have been appropriate. We hardly use them. However, not only would we need to hand wash them afterwards, but we’d have to wash them beforehand too. They were dusty. I simply didn’t have the time to deal with it. I then remembered some fancy looking plastic plates that we could quickly use. As I look back, I wish we had taken the time and effort to use the fine china.
My grandmother’s fine china provides a good example of what it means to be holy. To be holy is to be set apart. It does not mean perfection or purity. The opposite of holy is not sin, but common. To be holy is to be uncommon. My grandmother’s dishes are set apart in a special area. We don’t treat them the same as our common dishes.
The very character of God can be summed up in this one word: holy. His love is uncommon. His patience is uncommon. His generosity is uncommon. His knowledge and power are uncommon. You know nothing that can compare. This should draw us into a sense of awe and reverence. At the same time, we are called to experience holiness ourselves. Holiness is not inaccessible or impractical. Too many of us view holiness as I viewed my grandmother’s dishes – too special or requiring too much effort to actually use.
We see “holy” used for the first time in Genesis 2:3, where God made the sabbath holy. It was designated as an uncommon day, a day of rest. The second time is in Exodus 3:5 with Moses and the burning bush. “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” What made the ground holy? The very presence of God. Just as light overtakes darkness, God’s holiness overtakes the common. Was Moses commanded to get off the holy ground? No. He was told to take off his shoes. This is a response of reverence and awe, but what happened when Moses took his shoes off? Moses was in direct contact with holiness.
So what does it mean when God says, “Be holy because I am holy.” Notice the verbs here. It is who you are, not what you do. It is your identity. It doesn’t say, “Make yourself holy.” You can’t do that. God has made you holy. We are His saints, literally, His holy people. Being holy doesn’t mean that we should separate ourselves from people, inaccessible and impractical, like china locked up in a cabinet. Instead, we will respond to people and situations uncommonly because we have been made uncommon.
We are God’s fine china. He displays His beauty and reflects His character through us. God uses us to set an uncommonly fine table so that the world might experience what it means to dine with Him.
Savor these verses this week:
Hebrews 10:8-17
Hebrews 13:11-17
Deuteronomy 7:1-9
1 Peter 1:13-23
1 Peter 2:1-12
Originally posted August 5, 2019.
I love this, Heather! So good. Thank you for attaching uncommon to holy so well to one another. Yes, when we are made uncommon we respond to people and situations in uncommon ways.
Thanks for jumping in the comment discussion, Amy! As I think about responding to people and situations uncommonly, I’m reminded of the KJV of 1 Peter 2:9. It refers to God’s people as “a peculiar people.” To live uncommonly is to be peculiar. What a word! May our peculiarity be attractive and cause people to pause and wonder what makes us different. Great to hear from you, Amy.
Another beautiful metaphor for the Christian life. I will remember it the next time I get out my grandmother-in-law’s Havilland China. It is set aside in a corner cupboard like yours, and I always appreciate how beautiful each piece is when I remove it to be used for special occasions. To think that God considers each of us set apart like that is humbling.
Set apart, yet of use! You can bet I’ll be using my grandmother’s dishes more often as a reminder. I’ve been thinking of using them for Sunday evening meal; a nice reminder to start out the week. Thanks for your comment, Diane!
Heather,
Thanks for these words. I loved the connection of holiness and accessibility. Connection to holiness like Moses had is transformative and our connection with others can lead to transforming experiences for both us and them. Holiness is a state of being that often leads to uncommon actions of grace and mercy. Thanks for the reminder and exhortation to stay accessible.
Thanks for your comment, Michael. So many great thoughts: transformative, state of being, accessible. Such a great words! I wanted to write more about Moses, but it would have made the post too long. I find it so interesting that Moses hides his face when he learns that it’s God in the burning bush. Later in his relationship with God, Moses boldly asks to see God’s glory. AND GOD SHOWS HIM. Moses goes from hiding his face from God to hiding his face from the Israelites (his face shown with God’s glory). God calls us to experience His holiness and reflect it in the world. It’s not to be kept behind the viewing glass!
What a great teaching on being holy! I have never thought of it before as being uncommon. I appreciate your wisdom and encouragement this morning!
Yes! I once heard that sometimes the best way to understand a word is to know it’s opposite. So true in this case. Holiness is so commonly misunderstood, even by those who have grown up in the church. I’m glad it was an encouragement for you today. Thank you for participating in this with me, Elizabeth!
I love the comparison with fine china. I know that when we use my grandma’s china, we all sit up a little straighter and have better manners. Using the special dishes makes us consider our behavior. While we are not sitting on the shelf waiting for Christmas, imagine if we used that china every day and still conducted ourselves in the “holiday way”? What struck me about the Hebrews 10 passage was the picture of the priests constantly offering sacrifices while Jesus paid ONCE and then sat down at the right hand of God. Thanks for sharing, Heather! It is encouraging to get your updates on Mondays.
Thanks for the comment, Daniela. The world does take notice that “something” is different, special. Since God has made us His fine china, we are free to live that out. We can’t work to become china. It is a work He does. Also, don’t clean ourselves. God does the work. As you said, Jesus did it ONCE! We are in a state of cleanliness because His work is a lasting work. So go out fine china, and meet the everyday so that the world will know the holiday!
Responding to situations and people uncommonly is powerful. Something I need to take with me daily when I leave my house. It reminds me of part of Craig’s sermon yesterday. Be that person that responds differently eg. In the workplace. Attitude can only be changed by the help of the Holy Spirit. That is my prayer.
Hey, it’s Gail from my home church! It’s good to hear from you, Gail. Sometimes the most uncommon and powerful responses are when we have done something wrong. It’s the apology and making things right or responding to being wronged. There is still power in not getting things right the first time. It’s freeing. God doesn’t expect perfection from us. He expects us to be His child, learning and growing. I missed the sermon yesterday as I was travelling. I think it’s fun when God has the same topic pop up in several places!