Loading...Sermon February 14, 2016
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house. Deut. 26:10-11
Please be seated.
A week ago Saturday, my former husband, Fred Fox, died. It has been 20 years since our divorce; however, in the past 14 years, we’ve stayed in touch as friends. He and his wife, Daphne, have been on our prayer list for a number of months. Fred had cancer and unfortunately, had complications from the treatment.
Fred was not my children’s biological father and Fred was a wonderful father to my children. His death is a pretty sad time for all of us. Right now we’re trying to plan a memorial service in the Lancaster area where Fred was born and grew up and still has friends and family. Lots is going on as we plan to remember and to say good-bye to this man.
As a result, I’ve been reflecting on my life history and especially those memories I have when Fred and I were married.
That’s why this reading from Deuteronomy caught my attention. The people are being instructed about how they should give and praise God once they come into the land God has given them. The instruction being given reminds them that all of the land and its bounty come from God; therefore, they are to give a portion of the very first fruits of that land to God by bringing it to the priest in the Temple.
The person is then to make a declaration that recites their history, going back to Jacob, a wandering Aramean. The recitation recounts their living as an alient in slavery and oppression in Egypt. It recounts that God heard their cries of distress and then freed them from bondage in a mighty and powerful way. It recounts how they now live in a land, “flowing with milk and honey.” The recitation ends with, “So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.”
The offering of the first fruit of the ground has a deep, long historical context. The giving of the gifts is set in the recent and ancient narrative of their lives. They are connected back many generations. What they give here and now is a result of those many generations of relationship with God. Their here and now is based on the then and there and they always remember that.
In addition, they remember that God has given the land. They may possess it, but in their context, God still owns the land. God still owns the land. It is given to them for this time and this place. They have been given a gift of land that produces a needful bounty and as a result, they come freely with the first part of the harvest to thank the giver.
As Christians, we are connected to this story. Our spiritual ancestor was also a wandering Aramean. We, too, are part of the account God’s relationship with God’s people. We then add our inheritance of the teachings of Jesus Christ and our legacy as followers of him.
And during Lent is a wonderful time to recount our personal spiritual history. I’m somewhat fortunate because my father loved history and genealogy. I have family history going back on my father’s side to 1737 and the first ancestor arriving from Germany to Philadelphia. And guess what? Throughout that history there are preachers in nearly every generation. They are the foundation of my being here today. I never knew them, but something of them runs through the generations of my family right down to me.
Then there are the role models of family, as well as, fellow church members and friends who have nurtured my faith. They have shown me how to follow Jesus Christ. They have shown me how to live this Christian life.
There are experiences and encounters with God, some made possible by the teachings and activities of the church. Some just by living this life.
From the time of the wandering Aramean right down to here and now, we see how God has had a relationship with God’s people. Recounting the history and seeing that long line…that thousands of years…is overwhelming and humbling and strengthening. It reminds us of how long God has been with us. It reminds us that God has given us only temporary possession of this life and all of its blessings… temporary possession.
Recounting the history reminds us to be grateful. It reminds us to return the first portion… not what’s left over … to the bountiful giver. It reminds us to celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord our God has given to us.
Amen
