First Sunday in Lent - Firstfruits to God

Welcome Statement

Good Morning Church,

Today is the beginning of Lent, a season in our liturgical calendar where we reflect on and prepare our hearts for the coming Passion of the Cross, and subsequently, his resurrection. The 40 days of lent are modeled after Jesus’s own experience of fasting 40 days and nights in the Wilderness, being tempted by Satan. There is also a historical precident in the Old Testament as well, Moses went into the mountains for 40 days and nights to fash before receiving the Ten Commandments. Elijah also did this, waiting to receive the word of the Lord, by his own fasting, he staved off a drought through God blessing Him with his words of revelation.

There is an idea that through fasting one can receive a spiritual blessing in a full downpour, akin to the waters of Baptism. For us, who thirst, and desire that water that fully quenches the Spirit, so we never thirst again.

Some Historical context for when it was established:

Lent was practiced by Christians as early as 325 AD, following the Council of Nicea. St. Athanasius had this practice observed in the Church in Alexandria, a period of 6 weeks, at that time. Typically this observance is considered to be a very solemn time, and each Sunday acts as sort of a Mini-Easter, a time of joy and celebration as we return back and recollect each Sunday that Christ has already risen.

This Good News prepares us for today’s lesson, today’s Old Testament reading comes out of Deuteronomy, and it discusses and establishes the practices for the early Israelites of fasting and following God

Old Testament Reading - Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Deuteronomy 26:1–11 NRSV

When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 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. Then 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.

Surrendering the Bountiful Harvest to God

Deuteronomy 26 is the final chapter of Moses speeches regarding all of the Law that they must abide by in the Mosaic Covenant before they enter the Promised land. Chapters 12-25 act as a breakdown of Covenant Code, while Deuteronomy is a closing establishing a formal covenant renewal ceremony involving the firstfruits of labor and Tithing.

This essentially acts as a Pivotal moment in the story, reminding the Israelites to remember Who brought them this far, and the bountiful blessings they have received and will continue to receive.

Who are the Aliens?

This also becomes an interesting chapter, because it addresses not just the Israelites, but any outsiders who reside with them. It commands any strangers, sojourners, aliens, foreigners, this word depends on translation, but it commands them to also give towards this Tithe and firstfruits offering.

What were they doing here? Well, the Israelite law had protections in place for any sojourners who were not total converts but also lawfully living in the land. They received fair treatment, and found refuge in the more just society of Israel, even despite it’s own troubles and frustrations.

The reason why this is the case is hinted in the beginning of the chapter, when in the ceremony the person presenting the offering to the Levite is to say “A wandering Aramanian was my ancestor”. I sure that sounds confusing, aren’t these people Israelites? Yes! But they come from a long line, this points back to specifically Jacob and Abraham, who were the beginning of their lineage, and had actually come from another place. A commentary on the Torah via Rashi points this to particularly being Jacob due to the language of a wandering father, which resonates to the story of Jacob trying to escape from Esau. Jacob is the one who is renamed to Israel, but he comes from Abraham and Isaac, who were not Israelites, the birth of the nation occurred at Jacob. So who are the Arameans? Well this was the Hebrew designation for Syria at that time. Abraham was originally from Ur, which is believed to have resided in now modern day Iraq, but eventually moved finding themselves in the land of Canaan which encompasses modern day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank.

The Old Testament is full of these stories of travel, weariness, the point of me sharing this is to show why this Covenant celebration was so important, the amount of travel that had occurred to finally see the fruition of Abraham to become a blessing to all of the nations was incalculable. It shows God’s foresight into his plans for us, and his faithfulness to never give up, even when we do.

Knowing this history of surrendering, we get some idea of where some of the Ideas of lent come from now, and this takes us to the time of Jesus, right after he is whisked away into the Desert to fast.

New Testament Reading - Luke 4:1-13

Luke 4:1–13 NRSV

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Do Not put the Lord to the Test

The most important thing said is “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”. Sometimes I think we can find in our own lives, times where we subconsciously create a litmus test on whether God is really present or not, getting stuck on theological beliefs, or the things we are dealing with in our own lives that might not make sense to us if God really is indeed all powerful and knowing. This is where it becomes important to rest in the mystery of God. This is one of the points of Lent, It is not about sacrifice for sacrifice’s sake, It is about leaning more into God, to trust him more, to realize you and I are completely lost without God’s presence in our lives. He motivates us to be better people, to do Good, to find reason in the darkness, to find the light. He’s what keeps us moving. Where would I be if I didn’t finally surrender to God and stop moving the Goal posts on him? I would have a very, grumpy, cynical world view, one that would have kept me from experiencing the life Christ has called me to. This does not mean I’m not grumpy, oh no, believe me, I got a lot to work on there, the point is, I now actively resist my passions, I actively resist my natural disposition, because it is Christ who works in me.

What does this mean for Lent?

We see here Jesus fasted, eating nothing for 40 days! I cannot imagine how this is possible, or perhaps it was hyperbolic, but the fact remains he suffered, before he even suffered on the Cross. That is why tradition encourages some sort of fasting.

I think it is important for me to stop here for a moment and talk about that. Traditionally, fasts were always about food, or some sort of indulgence in our life. However, as life has become more complicated, there are more things grabbing for our attention than just our stomachs. For me, it’s video games and social media, It’s the news I read, the state of the world, my doomscrolling. All of this time I spend, could be turned towards back to God. Now one thing I want to point out here is, just as food is not inherently bad, neither is video games, staying informed, and staying in touch with family and friends. Lent is not about isolation. It is about tempering oneself from excess, and letting God back into your life. For example, I really just cannot physically fast, at one point I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and everytime I have tried to fast even just for part of a day, like intermittent fasting, created huge problems for me, migraines, attitude, focusing issues. It just is not healthy for me. Some people’s bodies can take it, and even if they can, does not mean they should either. It is about a person’s disposition if a fast would even benefit them. Even if we took away all the health effects, my mood still significantly drops during a fast, and I become distracted by the hunger, so this becomes a double-edged sword. It is why now we have other ways to fast, from things that distract us. What if we took the time we lose from over-indulging in snapchat, tiktok, and social media, as well as doomscrolling news, over to praising God, reading his word, and studying his word? Or perhaps even just sit in silence or rest? Fasting is not for everyone, some people are in a place where they feel more like Job, and can’t find the room for such a sacrifice, as someone who has found themselves in that place mentally at times, I can’t consciously without being a hypocrite demand such things from people. But I think it is still an important practice to at least reflect on, and why it has impacted people positively in the past.

What Lent is Really About

In fact, these practices can turn on themselves, becoming avenues for where we feel like we aren’t doing enough. That is not the point of them, they are not guilt trips, they are to find ourselves in solidarity with Christ, if we choose to do them, if we can do them. I encourage everyone to find a practice in Lent that does edify, that does help prepare and posture the Heart towards and for Christ. The truth is, Christ whether we decide to do any of this is still with us. He knows our hearts and our desires. He isn’t going to give up on us just becuase we can’t give up Coffee or Chocolate, that isn’t what lent is about, It is about remembering the severity of anguish he took for our sakes, that we might have life, that we could let go of our old selves, and become new in him. It is about not just grieving over Christ, but also celebrating him.

It is about recognizing the gift we were given, and savoring it, not forsaking it. It is us turning towards the Kingdom, and pulling it ever closer to our own personal lives. It is about the Father’s love for us, that he gave his son’s life, so that no one would perish who would turn to him. So turn to him today, let him in your hearts, that is what Lent, is truly about. Let us Pray.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, Today, we begin the first mini-easter of Lent, recognizing your resurrection, that subsequently resurrected our dead and broken lives, into something completely new and unrecognizable. God, today we remember how you move through our lives as Spirit, pushing the boundaries of our broken world and molding it closer into the Image of You, Jesus Christ. God, help us today and the rest of the Lent season, to be more generous to our neighbors, to find the reason and meaning of life that you bring to us, to be more gentle, to be more forgiving, help us surrender our sin, so that we can truly find rest in your presence, keep us in your sights forever lord, even when we falter to keep our eyes on you. I say this in your precious Name

Amen.

Doxology / Benediction / Closing

Here this Benediction from Saint Paul in Romans:

Romans 10:8–13 NRSV

But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

May you Have a Blessed Sunday, and rest of your Week! Amen!