Grace Lutheran Church Sermon First Sunday in Lent, February 25, 2007

The Rev. Evan Gaertner

The First Sunday in Lent “Giving from faith”

February 28, 2007 Deuteronomy 26:1-11

The book of Deuteronomy is a record of the sermon that Moses gave to the people before they entered the Promised Land. After wandering in the wilderness for forty years the people are being reminded of who they are. They are the chosen people of God.

In the verses read today as a part of our Old Testament lesson we find that Moses directs the people how to give thanks when they have entered into the land that the Lord their God gave them.

Giving thanks according to Moses is not done in order to obligate God to bless you. Giving thanks is not done as a payment for what God has already done. Some people today will give to the church and then expect God to act differently because they gave a certain amount. Some people today will give to the church because they want to repay God for the blessings they have received. And unfortunately some people will not give at back to the Lord God that has given to them every thing that they are.

Our offering of time, talent or treasure is not an effort to pay back the debt. The national debt of the United States grew by 600 million last year, even that large amount can be paid back. But we never could pay back the sacrifice of the only son of God upon the cross.

Key points for us in the directions that Moses gives for making an offering to the Lord.

Point one: When you have entered the land and taken possession of the land and live in it…take some of the first fruit of the ground. The offering that is made to the Lord is not an after thought. The give of the first fruits is to give from faith that other fruits will be provided. When you set up a budget for your monthly spending, what is the first line item you figure out?? I would hope the first line item that you establish in your spending is your offering to God. To give from faith is to give with confidence that the Lord will take care of those who trust in him.

Point two: Moses directs the person to take that first fruit and place it in a basket. The offering is to be set aside for its sacred purpose. Paul directed the Corinthians concerning giving by saying, “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper.”

The idea of giving from first fruits and setting it aside is not just an Old Testament idea. Christian brothers and sisters we are called to give proportionate to the harvest. Consider the story of the rich men that Jesus observed giving their offering at the temple and then he observed the widow who gave two small coins. Jesus then turned to his disciples and told them that it was the woman that gave more.

Point three: Give with remembrance of the gift you have been given. Moses gives directions for the conversation that is supposed to take place between the person and the priest who is in office at that time. It is a conversation of remembrance. It starts by stating, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.”

The offering of the product of his hands is to be accompanied by an offering of his lips. These opening words are humbling because they recognize that no fruit, no harvest, nothing would be possible if the Lord had not given the land.

The priest takes the basket from the hands of labor and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God. The priest is declaring that this offering will be used for the Lord’s purposes.

We are called by God to use the gifts that he has given to us to accomplish his mission. Jesus told his disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, by baptizing them and teaching them.”

We should frequently evaluate our efforts as a congregation and make sure we are following God’s vision for our congregation. Whatever activity we are about we should be prepared to answer how we are sharing God’s grace.

The conversation continues with an accounting of the work of God. Our identity in this congregation is entirely through the work of God. Last week as we celebrated the amazing grace of God we give thanks that though lost our savior found us and restored us back into a relationship with him.

Moses directed the person to remember.

To remember that their father was a wandering Aramean is a remembrance of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. How Jacob went down to Egypt at the urgings of his son Joseph. There in Egypt they became a great and wondrous nation. But the Egyptians hated them and treated them harshly. The Lord heard their voice and saw their affliction, toil, and oppression. With a mighty hand the Lord God brought deliverance and gave them the land flowing with milk and honey.

This remembrance of their time in Egypt and the rescue the Lord is an important part of giving an offering to the Lord. The offering is given with confident faith that the Lord has acted in the past and that he will continue to act in the future for the care of his people.

This story of a wandering Aramean and talk of suffering in Egypt may very far removed from your life. But I want you to consider your story. We were sinners and even before we were born our savior Jesus saw our affliction and suffering and so came to rescue us by dying on the cross.

With his resurrection he ushers us into the promised land flowing with grace and mercy.

We give our first fruit offerings with trust that our Lord God will continue to provide for us with the same love and care that caused him to send his son Jesus Christ to rescue us.

Point four: In the final verse of our Old Testament lesson for today Moses states, “And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.”

These words were directed to the one that was making the offering.We give with rejoicing, trusting in the Lord’s care.

Soli Deo Gloria

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