I had the awesome privilege to coach baseball this past year at Mountain Area Christian Academy (MACA), and that was a great experience for me, and I think the boys that played(?). We grew together, since this was my first year coaching high school baseball, and in many of their cases, the first year playing high school baseball. One thing that we really lacked this season, that we really want to work on as a team for next year, is the concept of getting past first base. The scenario for our team is the perfect example of first year teams: many were just happy when they got to first base. But anyone that knows about baseball knows that it is not enough just to get to first; you want to move on to second, and then eventually home.
In Hebrews 9:1-10, the writer is talking about the old tabernacle that Moses set up in the wilderness. He describes how there were two chambers in the tabernacle: the first was the holy place and the second the holiest or the holy of holies. On a daily basis, priests would go into the first chamber, the holy place, and offer their sacrifices and services in that room, but the Scripture writer reminds us that noone could enter that second chamber except the High Priest one day a year, the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32). He goes on to say that that first room was filled with gifts and sacrifices that dealt with food and drink and various washings and regulations, but these could not perfect (complete) the conscience of the worshippers. This is like being stranded on first base.
Through Christ, the second chamber was opened, the veil was rent as He hung on the cross, and the saints began to have access into the Holy of holies to experience a personal relationship with God once again. This moves the believer past first base of ritual, gifts, and washings (the shallow, surface Christianity) to second base or the second chamber to fellowship with God, but it does not stop there! The move to second eventually leads us home, as it will be in our eternal future that we will enjoy intimate relationship with the Father through the Son; but for now, the Coach has told us, “Just get past first base.” May we move on today to second, a fuller fellowship with the Almighty through Jesus Christ our Lord.
