As this post goes out, our prayers join the millions interceding on behalf of the multitudes who are struggling to assess the damage and deal with the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Watching the heartbreaking scenes where homes, businesses, and whole communities were reduced to rubble is mind-numbing. My first thoughts have been about the inexpressible shock and grief suffered by those whose loved ones were snatched away from them by the storms. But then I  think, too, of the irreplaceable personal possessions that were swept away and lost forever. Some might glibly say that they’re only things. But that’s hardly a comfort for those to whom they were irreplaceable and priceless treasures. 

Considering Other Losses ~
Considering those losses always brings fresh waves of grace and gratitude for some of the irreplaceable things in our own home that are priceless treasures. Others might consider them to be relatively unimportant, perhaps worthless household paraphernalia, but to me, their value isn’t measured in monetary terms. For instance, there’s a quilt that hangs in my office that falls into that category of priceless, irreplaceable treasures. It may be a lifeless artifact, but some of the most meaningful parts of my life are condensed into it. Its value lies in its origin and the journey it took to get to me. Some of the most meaningful relationships of my life are stitched into its pieces, and God has used that quilt to illustrate truths I would not have seen so clearly without it. One of which, I think, is worth sharing with you now. 

The roots of the concept we’ll focus on go back as far as I can remember and are reinforced by the fact that I’ve spent most of my life watching people make things. My grandpa made things out of wood and pieces of metal. My grandmother and my mom could take a couple of knitting needles and turn a ball of yarn into a sweater or some other garment. “Ma” could take some cotton string and little crochet hook and transform that string into beautiful table doilies, and all kinds of lacy accent pieces. I’ve watched gifted hands turn a few yards of cloth, and sometimes just scraps, into all kinds of garments, cushions, aprons, quilts, potholders, and other useful items. 

Something in Common ~
The artisans in my life used different materials, different tools, and had different skills and interests, but there’s at least one thing they all shared that God takes very seriously. I’ll let the Apostle Paul introduce it in the way he did in an admonition to his protégé, Timothy. He said: 

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. (2 Timothy 1:13–14 NKJV)

This passage is often used as a reinforcement to a call for being careful with our language and to use sound words, that is, to use strong, wholesome, honest, and unambiguous words. No doubt that’s a directive that would meet with God’s approval, but that’s not actually Paul’s primary focus. Though clinging to the words themselves might be implied here, Paul had another objective in mind. What he actually admonished Timothy to hold fast to was the pattern, the completed image that those sound words were designed to create. 

A Different Perspective ~
Though we Western Christians might not give a second thought to using a word like ‘pattern’, the followers of Jesus in that day would have instantly recognized its significance. In the first place, the word has visual implications, and visualization was a favorite teaching tool used by the Rabbis of Israel, and Jesus was the unparalleled Master of that technique. But beyond that, God put special emphasis on the concept of patterns in His instructions for building the Tabernacle. He provided each intricate detail of the tools, instruments, devices, and ornamentation to be used in the ministries to be conducted in serving Him. In some ways, God seemed almost OCD in regard to following His instructions to the letter in every detail. Here’s one example:

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that  I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. (Exodus 25:8–9 NKJV)

More than Meets the Eye ~
God was in the process of designing and fabricating a physical place that would incorporate some of the most vital and profound realities that He embodied. He wanted the composite picture of the Tabernacle, its surroundings, and the ministries it incorporated to continually reveal things like this about Him:

• • He wanted to occupy the central place in the lives of His people.
  • The distinctive Holiness originating in Him extends to everything involved in worshiping and serving Him.
  • Beauty surrounds Him and adorns the place where He dwells.
  • There is only one doorway into His presence and sin bars access to it, but the lifeblood of an innocent substitute offered in faith would provide forgiveness and acceptance. 
  • The atmosphere around Him is fragrant, pleasing, uplifting, and comforting.
  • His people were distinct from the pagan cultures around them. They had a God who, unlike the idols others worshiped, actually loved them, protected them, and provided for them.

 That image God had to transmit was a tapestry like no other, a mosaic of unparalleled complexity, a carving with untouchable delicacy, and a portrait with unprecedented depth. No wonder God wanted every thread, every ingredient, every piece, every stroke, and every word to be chosen, applied, placed, and spoken in perfect accordance with the image, the picture, the pattern, that He had given Moses. But what was God’s ultimate objective with all His OCD attention to detail and His demands that they not be changed, adjusted, altered, or ignored? The truth is, it was all designed to introduce His people to His Son. Start to finish, top to bottom, front to back, through and through, the pattern was all about Jesus.

Following the Pattern ~
The disciples of any Rabbi in Jesus’ day sought to walk so closely to their Rabbi that the dust of his sandals would fall onto their robes. They didn’t just want to hear what their Rabbi had to say, they wanted to be just like Him. They wanted to reflect him and represent him in everything they did. The kind of “discipleship” generally practiced in our current version of Christianity doesn’t come close to that. We’ve become so consumed with our individuality and the various pieces of our lives that we’re ignoring the pattern that dictates where and how those pieces should fit. 

The various crafters in my life, whether seamstresses, quilters, carvers, painters, knitters, crocheters, sculpters, or whatever, all had one thing in common. They all began with a pattern. It may have been printed on paper, drawn out by hand, described in words and numbers, or seen in their heads, but they all began with a guideline to follow. Some of our political leaders and educators and entertainers are not so wise. 

Costly Consequences ~
They begin by rejecting God and denying His absolute truths. Then they replace them with policies and principles that serve their own lust for wealth and pleasure and that facilitate their desire for power and control. They conveniently ignore the fact that the outcome doesn’t make sense and blame others when they discover that nothing they create actually works. They’re like people who just blow paint onto a canvas and call the random, chaotic, meaningless mess they create, “art” and attach whatever meaning to it that suits them at the moment. 

Abandoning God’s spiritual, ethical, and relational patterns for life deprives us of any basis for distinguishing good vs. evil and right vs. wrong. It subjects us to rulers with no accountability, behaviors with no consequences, relationships with no commitments, lives with no meaning, no purpose, and no hope.

So, maybe we should remember that if God seemed a little ‘OCD’ with Moses about following the details of His pattern for the Tabernacle, imagine how concerned He might be about how we follow the One that all of it actually represented? When we follow Jesus and hold fast both to Him and the pattern He lived out for us, we help to show this fallen world what love, redemption, and hope actually look like. 

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to Tweet & Share from the pull quotes below. Each quote links directly to this article through Twitter.

• • • Though Western Christians might not give a second thought to using a word like ‘pattern’, followers of Jesus would’ve instantly recognized its significance. It was a favorite visual implications teaching tool of Rabbis of Israel, especially Jesus. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
    • What was God’s ultimate objective with all His OCD attention to detail and demands not to change, adjust, alter, or ignore them? It was all designed to introduce His people to His Son. Start to finish, top to bottom, through and through, it was all about Jesus. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
    • The image God transmitted was a tapestry like no other, a mosaic of unparalleled complexity, a carving with untouchable delicacy and a portrait with unprecedented depth. He wanted every detail applied in perfect accord with the pattern he gave Moses. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • Disciples of Rabbis in Jesus’ day sought to walk so closely to their Rabbi that the dust of his sandals would fall on their robes. They didn’t want just to hear what their Rabbi said, they wanted to reflect and represent him in everything they did. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

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