Read: Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalm 44:9-26, Proverbs 10:20-21

Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. (Leviticus 24:3)

Relate: This isn’t the newest Motel 6 commercial, but it is still one of my favorites…

He always has a different angle. There’s always a new approach, something unique and almost often at least attempting to be funny. A while ago Tom Bodett did a Motel 6 commercial about autocorrect…

Hi, Tom Bodett. I tried to write this script from my smart phone but I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the auto correct feature. So you have to trust me when I say that at Motel 6 you can still get a clam comforter Rome with the loamiest rice of any national chin. You can brook by carving 1-800-4-Motel-6 online or with our new mobile applesauce on your phone or toilet. I hate this dotted phone. I’m Tom Bordeau from Motel 6 and we’ll leave the bright on farm you. Close enough.

The variations are endless, but two things are always the same. He starts out with “Hi, this is Tom Bodett” and finishes at the end, “We’ll leave the light on for ya.” Now, maybe it was different in your house, but if I got caught leaving the light on my mom was sure to yell. I can still hear her voice in my head, why is every stinkin’ light in the house on? It has been repeatedly drummed into me over and over again, leave the room, turn off the light. Leave the room, turn off the light. Leave the room… Beyond that, I’m pretty sure I have stayed in a Motel 6 at least once or twice in my day and I am almost positive I had to turn that light on every single time. So why the lie? If it is not just a waste of resources but also a lie, why would Motel 6 use that phrase “We’ll leave the light on for ya” as a key point in their branding? Obviously, it is effective because Tom Bodett has been saying it for a good three decades at this point. But why?

React: God does leave the lights on for us. That isn’t branding. It isn’t something nice or pleasant. It isn’t channeling some form of down-home country hospitality. It is a direct command from God to the priests to be obeyed from generation to generation. Keep those lamps burning. You could say God never listened to my mom. Or maybe He did. That light is still on because He is still there.

Tom Bodett said in an interview that he first used that phrase because it just felt “open and inviting”. In the Old Testament, the High Priest was the only one allowed into the Most Holy Place. He could only come in once a year, only after a sacrifice has been made on his behalf, and he would still enter with fear and trembling. Our sin and God’s presence don’t mix. The High priest has entered. The sacrifice has been made. The light is on. When Jesus said, “I am the Way” when He said, “I am the Light” He wasn’t just using some “open and inviting” piece of branding. He was speaking the truth. So as long as He is living in me and I am living for Him, I can enter into God’s presence at any time with complete confidence. The light is on… will I come in?

Respond: 

Dear God,
I come to You. I am so thankful that You have provided a way to enter Your presence. I am so thankful that the sacrifice has been made and my sins are forgiven. Fellowship with You is a possibility because of what You and You alone have done. The light is now on. Help me to always and eagerly come.
Amen