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“First Fruits” – 1st Sunday of Lent Sherry Lohman – Feb. 21, 2010 Deuteronomy 26:1-11 If you were here last Sunday, you will remember that we celebrated “Transfiguration Sunday.” A white veil was draped over the cross, symbolic of Jesus’ transformation on the mountain top where he had taken a few of the disciples to pray. You can see that the veil has changed, now, to purple. That’s because we have moved into the season of Lent. Lent began last Wed., with the distribution of ashes; a reminder that we should return to God, share God’s good news with others. Or, perhaps more familiar to you, are the words often spoken, “you are of dust, and to dust you shall return.” In other words, we have been formed into something, out of nothing, and will return to our creator. Lent is the period of time (traditionally the 40 days before Easter), when we embrace a spiritual journey of self reflection, repentance, and an intentional movement toward God. Remember, after Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit lead him out into the wilderness./ It may seem strange, that the Spirit would lead us there---but it is in the wilderness where we meet challenges, and hopefully, grow stronger in our faith, and more deeply connected to God. The wilderness may seem a frightening place, with the unknown surrounding us. It may bring to mind pictures of wastelands, boondocks, or barren, deserted landscapes, or an island (Gilligan’s island (?!) or like the island in the television series, “Lost;” thick with trees and brush, with frightening sounds or possible wild animals, lurking. On the other hand, the wilderness might just be a land of potential and promise….say, like the mountaintops of Vancouver. Athletes from all over the world have found themselves, there, in this foreign land where they may have never stepped foot, before, surrounded by people of other nations, different languages and customs, but still, all holding a common goal or interest. It’s true, they compete individually, for first place, but they are recognized as representatives of various countries, exhibiting their very best, in serious competition, before the eyes of the world.// And they are on a mission, aren’t they. Every four years, they come before us, ready with promise. They have worked, tirelessly, training their minds and bodies, pushing themselves to their full potential. They are the best of the best./ In a manner of speaking, you might say they are the cream of the crop.-- Or, if you wanted to speak in theological terms, you might refer to the athletes as a sort of first fruit of the harvest. They bring themselves to the fore. Our reading from the OT, Deuteronomy, recounts the instructions for another type of offering of the first fruits; that of the harvest. This offering would have occurred, not every four years, like the Olympics, but several times a year, depending on which crop was being harvested at the time. While we may refer to it as a ritual, it was, in fact, more than a form of words and gestures. It was no more ritual than any one of the athletes, in action. Families brought their offering of the fruit of their labor as a living confession and gratitude --- this was a direct and immediate connection of their labor to the God who delivered them from slavery. This was the real thing. It wasn’t just a symbolic offering. Ok, so I need a couple of people to help me act this out (this is our drama day!) Who wants to be the priest? “Head of the family?” (that’s definitely patriarchal, so let’s defy that a little a make it a female) Position female with basket/give to priest and say, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give to us.” The priest would take the basket and set it down near the altar. Once the basket of gifts is in place, then the one who brought them makes a confession and thanksgiving. (read v. 5-9, see scripture) Notice, the priest does not make the offering alone; the head of the family and the priest both place the gifts at the altar, but the head of the family is the primary actor. The priest is simply the prompter. Then the head of the household picks up the basket of gifts again, while saying these words: (v. 10), “So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” And after saying that, she would set it down before the altar and bow down before God. Then she would rise and together, with family and friends and strangers, too—anyone in the community, they would celebrate and share in the bounty that God had given them. Essentially, they are sharing what they acknowledge isn’t theirs in the first place! (Thanks, Actors!) The culmination of this offering is a meal shared joyfully by all present. It is not a solitary encounter or offering. We’re not alone on this island. This offering is from the family, and then shared with the community, just as the winning athletes will celebrate with their family as well as their entire country of origin. You know, in some ways, in our own season of Lent, we may move into foreign ground. What I mean by that is, in our self examination, we move out of our comfort zone—that place where we may have become a little complacent in our faith. We might even reflect on our faith journey; where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. That’s what we’re doing, as a church. But individually, where would you put yourself on a continuum? Are you connected, spiritually. Maybe you’re present, but not really participating. And if you are participating, is it limited to the church, or is it extended—out there. Are you pro-active in your faith? Mission ties into this, as well. The athletes were on a mission; maybe for gold, silver or bronze. Or maybe, their mission was simply to make the beginning cuts to get into the Olympics.// And how did they achieve their mission? It was through a lot of hard work, right? Practice, planning….failing, too—that entered the picture. Mission, in the church, isn’t so different. To the eyes of the world, we are Methodists, Christians, people of God. Our mission is more outward; extended to those who have no hope and little reason to believe in God’s good news. Last week, Mary Ann Spilger sent me a Confucius quote that sums up our mission: “If you don’t know how to serve your fellow man, why worry about serving God.” Like the athletes, we have to plan, prepare our bodies, minds and souls, practice, and learn from our mistakes as we head into mission. We may not bring silver or gold to God, but we bring ourselves, body, mind and souls, with all of our gifts and graces, giving back to God what we have been given…..that which isn’t ours, in the first place….and we do this in celebration, joyfully and gratefully, acknowledging our great God. I’m wondering, did anyone watch the women skateboarders compete. Anyone see them? Aside from their breath taking leaps, double turns and landings, I was impressed with the grace they exhibited following their runs up and down the half pipe. Each of them stood before the cameras as they waited for the judges’ ratings, determining where they would place among the other competitors. And even while some of them had failed in their attempts, they still stood, smiling and waving, knowing they had done their very best. We are not professionals, here, in our ministry. But like the women, following their runs, may we stand before our maker, smiling and grateful to participate, and certain we have done our very best….even if we fail. Thanks be to God. Amen. |