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Sermon March 6, 2022
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, MSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
First Sunday In Lent
http://lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Lent/CLent1_RCL.html
Audio: /documents/Eucharist__March_6__2022
Video: https://youtu.be/WIoOoSRmYTQ
So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me. Deuteronomy 26:10
Do you remember the election where the big controversy was “you didn’t build this?” It was actually 10 years ago already. Then President Barack Obama was explaining that individuals did not solely build their own business; they relied upon so many others and in some cases plenty of other businesses and the government to truly get their business done.
It created such a big controversy. Some people were so offended by it. There is something in the American character, I think, that we like to take credit for anything good that happens and like to think it was all up to us; it was our brains and smarts that were at work.
Today in our Gospel, Jesus begins his ministry by going into the desert where he is tempted by Satan. I think our modern-day temptation is that of over self-reliance or “I built this.”
In our reading from Deuteronomy, I believe we are given the counter argument to the temptation of, “I built this.” We are not exactly sure when the book of Deuteronomy was first written. It contains various instructions to the community about how they are to live together and how they are to worship God. The instructions we hear today are about being firmly rooted in the understanding that God built this; that everything we have is a gift from God. Yes, we partner with God who gave us gifts for the use of the community. We do have our part. And first comes God.
The people and we are instructed to give thanks…to count our blessings, so to speak. Lent is a great time to be thankful and to live in gratitude.
In this passage, we also hear a remembrance of the ancestors. Sometimes we have stories that have been passed down through our families that help us remember what was given to us. Sometimes the use of the DNA products out there provides us with some information. We have many ancestors, not only our familial ones, but all of those in our Christian faith that have gone before us. All of the people who have prayed in this sanctuary for 133 years! We carry on their work and we are beneficiaries of their legacy.
We are also encouraged to remember the past. The history of our people and faith shapes us today. Sometimes we need to do things differently than was done. For instance, it was not until I was an adult that women in the Episcopal Church could be ordained! So, some of what has been handed down to us or passed along is not helpful any longer. It is important to remember that and to see how we have changed.
At the same time, there are some wonderful things that have been passed down and that we want to keep passing down to the next generation.
This past week, I heard wonderful remarks from Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. She has been nominated to be the next Justice of the Supreme Court.
I think her remarks exemplify the process we hear in Deuteronomy. First of all she said she was humbled and honored to be nominated. She first thanked God and said she had had a blessed life. She said she had “come this far by faith” harking to a wonderful hymn, “We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord.”
She recounted her blessings of living in the United States. She talked about her supportive and loving family. She noted the many family, friends and colleagues who helped her along the way. She said there were so many, she could not name them all.
She named some people in particular who influenced her legal career.
She said, “I am standing here today by the grace of God as testament to the love and support I’ve received from my family.”
She was thankful to God, remembered her ancestors and remembered the past. She clearly understood she did not “build this” on her own.
She clearly acknowledged that all she has had in her life and all she brings to this position are from God. They are the first fruits of the ground, so to speak.
Lent is a time of self-examination. Let us be thankful to God, remember our ancestors, remember our past and give to God the first fruits of our labor.
Amen
Remarks of Ketanji Brown Jackson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUCdRJWKGvY
