Susan LaffertySimple earthen vessels. There they are.
Wading through laws in Leviticus, I see them. In the details. Amid ritual regulations for priests, Levites, and the people of God.
In these particular earthen pots, they boil the sin offering. That only priests may eat.
Their use is short-lived in the days of the Old Covenant. Bronze bowls can be scrubbed clean. Earthenware can’t.
In the midst of overwhelming challenges, we hold on to basic exhortations from Scripture. For clarity. And courage.
Maybe we’re wading in the rising tide of a pandemic. Or standing in the battle against racism and injustice, praying, “…let justice flow like water and righteousness like an unfailing stream” (Amos 5:24).
Hebrews 10 instructs us. Step by step.
We dodge auto rickshaws and taxis and goats, crossing a main road. Ten years ago in India.
Our guide asks if we can go to the red light district and pray. Saying, “Be ready. The spiritual battle is intense.”
We step around the corner, into a lane. And I see them. Women in front of narrow doorways on a broken street. Some just sitting. Staring.
Others take care of daily tasks—cooking rice, washing clothes, feeding children.
Ordinary things.
