Take Time to be Holy

"You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." -- from Leviticus 19

When I was in college, I was a member of a congregation located just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. On the inside wall of the worship space, above the doors leading to the foyer (and positioned such that the preacher could readily see it from the pulpit) was a very large clock. Inscribed on the face of the clock, in large, captital letters were the words, "TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY."
 
Honestly I felt like the clock was yelling at me every week when I departed from worship services. And the message I often took home with me from this directive went something like this, "You sluggard, get with it! You've got to pray more, give more, read your Bible more, serve more and witness more! You've got the time to be holy, you just don't TAKE it!" (Yep, guilt was very much a part of my religious experience then!)
 
I've spent years attempting to figure out what it means to be "holy" and not simply pious or sanctimonious. These days, words like "holy" and "holiness" sound somewhat archaic and carry some baggage with them in the popular culture. The word which seems to have greater cache amongst both religious and non-religious folks is the word "spiritual". There is an interest in spirituality that seems to transcend the general population's distrust of religious institutions. Even regular attenders at worship in "traditional" venues are seeking ways to better connect to a sense of meaning and transcendance in their lives (without subscribing to the necessity of being conversant in the finer points of theological dogma). Spiritualities abound! But how exactly does one become "spiritually" attuned?

The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures appointed for this coming Sunday is from Leviticus, and is specifically drawn from the section of that biblical book known as "The Holiness Code". Interestingly enough, though, the way in which the Hebrew people were to live life to give witness to their "holiness" doesn't look too "spiritual". Instead, holiness has a distinctively down-to-earth quality:

--Leave a little of the harvest (including the grapes used for making wine!) so the poor and the immigrant can find a bit of sustenance.

--Don't take what doesn't belong to you.

--Be honest in your dealings and in your speaking...tell the truth.

--Pay your debts. Pay the hired help in a timely fashion.

--Don't persecute the physically disabled

--Live justly; deal with others in a just fashion.

--Don't say things about your neighbor that slander their reputation.

--Don't profit as a result of your neighbor's loss .

--Keep a distance from hatred, exacting your own version of vengeance or holding a grudge.

--Love your neighbor as yourself (sound familiar?)

None of the items on this list are particularly "groundbreaking". In fact, it all sounds fairly simple, perhaps even boring (but by no means easy!). The behaviors outlined in these few verses don't come with a guarantee that those who follow them will suddenly ascend to spiritual heights. But maybe being "spiritual" (or even holy!) isn't about doing great things. Maybe the spiritual/holy life is about practicing behaviors that are sometimes inconvenient or even counterintuitive.

And practice? Well, that takes time.