| Exodus 20:8-11, 23:10-11 "Jubilee:Sabbath" |
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| Written by Rev. Don Lee | |
| Saturday, 24 February 2007 | |
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Welcome to this 1st Sunday in Lent. In the church, Lent is a season of repentance leading to Easter. Repentance infers both a change of heart and a daily turn toward God. Lenten practice includes prayer, and at times fasting as in, “I gave it up for Lent.” The main idea of Lenten practice is to exercise a discipline that reminds us who our life comes from and to whom it belongs. As Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Self-denial is not a very popular option in 21st century America culture. Still it begs the question, “What do I, what do you need to deny ourselves?” A way to reframe this Lent tradition is to take something up for Lent like praying daily with our child before sending them off to school, or forgoing a meal each week during Lent and donating the cost to a food pantry or shelter or reading your Bible every morning for 30 minutes. If we are fortunate, that behavior will become formative for us. For the next four Sundays I want to explore with you the Hebrew concept of Jubilee. I believe Jubilee fits comfortably into Lent because it calls us back to God’s intent for the creation. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Exodus 20:8-11, 23:10-12. I invite you to listen for the Good News. 8 Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work -- you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in Six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it. 10For Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. 12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed. Prayer: God, give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you have to show and tell us this morning. Amen. I want you to use your imagination for a moment. Imagine with me that you woke up this morning to the sound of the doorbell. There’s a crowd gathered at your front door. A number are returning garden tools and kitchen dishware or books, borrowed and never returned. Next in line is IRS, with a reimbursement check for all you paid into last year’s income tax. “Now it’s getting good!” The next group of callers are bank lenders, handing you notarized copies of your school and car loans, and mortgage note stamped with the words “paid in full.” “It must be a mistake,” you reason. Nothing can prepare you for what comes next. Your boss say, “I’m giving you the year off….with pay! What do you say to that?” The Bible calls this Jubilee! 10And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you… -Leviticus 25:10 According to Leviticus 25, Jubilee is based on two concepts: Sabbath and reconciliation. 1) Sabbath is rooted in the Genesis creation story. Just as six day God created, and on the 7th day rested, so God commands us to hallow this day (as holy), out of respect for God and God’s creation. Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.” What used to be known as “Blue Laws” restricted business on Sunday. Of course we’ve outgrown such nonsense as giving people Sunday off. Sabbath, however, is not merely a break from busyness. True Sabbath only happens when we find our rest in God. According to the Gospel narratives Jesus often recharged his batteries by reconnecting with God (through prayer and meditation). Jubilee was a year-long Sabbath break. Israel was to refrain from sowing and survive off of what the land produced on its own. Instead time with family, community, in worship and leisure were the rule of the day. Every 50th year was a “Jubilee,” dedicated to restoring both land and people. 2ndly Jubilee as Reconciliation. Deuteronomy 5:15 says, 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm…. Israel’s identity as former Egyptian slaves liberated by God was the basis for the jubilary command to set free anyone sold him into indentured service. Land was to be returned to its original owners and debt was to be forgiven. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,” is a prayer for reconciliation. There’s no question Jesus’ ministry was oriented toward the fulfillment of these same Jubilary ideals. Jesus says in Luke 6:27-36; 27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. What Jesus is speaking to is God’s intent for the creation. And what is God’s intent for creation? The best answer I can come up with is God’s intent is for “creation to be at peace.” I think that’s a pretty good answer! In one of his messianic prophecies, Isaiah writes: 6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace. -Isaiah 9:6-7 Jesus comes so that the creation might be at peace. Not peace some time in the “great by and by” but peace in the “here and now.” Lent is an invitation to recommit ourselves to be “Kingdom People,” by being at peace with God and each another. Let me give you just 4 obstacles to God’s peace. And by the way, its okay if you don’t always agree with me. I don’t always get these things right. Just ask my wife. If I say something you don’t agree with, let’s talk. You just might change my mind. 4 Obstacles to peace: 1st) There will never be peace for those who do not have rest. The times I have discerned God’s voice in my life, have always been times of rest. Truth is, for many of us rest is a luxury. That’s especially true of the poor. Providing food through our food pantry and financial assistance to the needy are just a couple ways we as a church help others to discover and enter into God’s rest. 2ndly) There will never be peace with economic and social disparity. Fair wages and equal opportunity are about as American as apple pie. But that assumes a level playing field. Like the proverb of the elephant dancing among the chickens, while declaring “justice and peace for all,” you cannot have peace as long as some of us are elephants and some are chickens. The Rev. James Minor reminded me of this when he recently shared with our Church leadership that as a African American, there are many churches in this Conference he would not be allowed to serve because of the turmoil his appointment would cause the local church. You might disagree with me, but I believe Holy Covenant would welcome James with open arms! 3rdly) There will never be peace between the nations until there is peace between religions. I believe Christianity and Islam must find a way to be at peace with one another. I wonder if this is what scripture is referencing when it speaks of the “lion, wolf and lamb lying down together.” My primary care physician is Muslim and several of my neighbors, Hindu. I shouldn’t be afraid to ask them about their beliefs (or be unwilling to share if they ask about mine). Understanding fosters healthy relationships, and healthy relationships lead to peace. 4) And finally, peace requires a cessation of hostilities in our interpersonal and communal relationships. We need to quit fighting among ourselves as couples, family, communities, and nations. In Luke 6:37, Jesus says, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” I wonder if God looks down on the Creation and wonders why God’s children just can’t seem get along? As a parent I can relate to the idea that God’s ultimate joy would be to be able to sit back and watch God’s children play together. God longs for the creation to be at peace. The kids and I spent Sunday afternoon hiking at Arbor Hills with our Manchester Terrier, Taz. If you’re never been there it’s this beautiful nature preserve in Plano. Over a couple hours, we figured we hiked as much as six miles. Let’s just say our “dogs were tired!” I remember driving home and perhaps it was because I was off my feet, hungry, and anticipating a Subway “steak and cheese, or maybe it was having the chance to spend quality time with my family or the exercise or even seeing my puppy in dog-heaven, sprinting from bush to bush, but somehow I felt incredibly at peace! Isn’t it sad that God would have to command us to spend quality time with God, others, and myself, and thus find peace? We need to teach our children about Sabbath. Our culture will insist they learn how to work hard and play hard, but it’s up to us to teach our children by word and example, how to “REST HARD.” At one point on our hike, we stopped at this over-look. It allowed us this Grand view of this 200 mile nature preserve; its winding trails, grassy fields, and forests of Elms, Bois D’Arcs, Hackberrys; rolling hills, and Prestonwood Baptist! I sat down and just took it all in. And in that moment I experienced an ought-ness that renewed and deepened my love for God and others. I think God is calling us to Sabbath…to stop, breathe deep, to take it all in; to remember who our life comes from, and to whom it belongs. God’s intent is for the Creation be at peace. Pray with me: Holy God, breathe your enlivening spirit upon our weary frames. Wipe the tears from our eyes, lift the dark curtain from our minds, enflame our cold hearts with the bright joy of your love. Speak peace, your peace into the silence of this moment, Creator. And we shall believe it in this moment and work for it in all the moments to come. In the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen. |
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