| Blood - article by Joel Hempel My big brother is a retired funeral director and mortician. Talking blood is his business. Not mine! We have friends who are nurses. They easily converse about various body functions while enjoying a meal. Not me! I’m not someone who faints at the sight of blood; I just prefer to keep it inside of me and out of sight. As much as I don’t care to look at or talk about blood over dinner, like you, I know how precious it is. Its value is greater than gold. Our resident blood aficionado, Ally, tells me the average human body (150 lbs. – that would not be me) has 10 pints of blood. She says if you lose 40% of it, you die! Blood keeps us alive, and when we need it, blood will save us. As precious as blood is, until recently, I have had an adverse reaction to the blood of Christ metaphor. The symbolic language of being covered in the blood of Christ and saved by His blood has left me turning my head away from the imagery. But a few Sundays ago, the Spirit – I believe – turned my face toward our Lord’s sacrificed blood. Think about it. The blood that poured out from Jesus on the cross was not symbolic. It was real! I don’t know how many pints he lost that day on Golgotha. But he gave enough of it to cover all of us. The blood of Christ covers our sins, our shame, and our death. Why is that important? When the Father looks at us, he does not see what would have separated us from God. He sees the blood of his Son. Yes, in some ways, it is disgusting! Had we been there, we would have seen how repulsive his death was. All of the ugliness of humanity was on full display. And although Jesus the man looked for a way out of the pain and anguish, the Son of God submitted and willingly received – not just the beatings and nails that caused his blood to flow – but more importantly, he received our punishment. His blood flowed, and with it, our sins and separation from the Father. In some miraculous and wonderful way, we were crucified with Christ on Golgotha.* There is no ultimate death we will face, no eternal divorce from God. Why? Because of the blood! As we prepare for Lent, we are invited to reflect not only on our Lord’s sacrifice but also on the sins his sacrifice covered. *2 Timothy 2:11; Romans 6:3-11 | 
