February 29, 2004
By Jack Price

And so, the season of Lent begins - the season of journey to Easter's meaning.  Our model on this journey is Jesus, who learned who he was in the wilderness of temptation.  Jesus learned about himself and about God in the wilderness.  He learned who he was and what he would do.

Through his wilderness time, Jesus          knew his mission was not to turn stones to bread, but to be the bread of life.  It was not to possess the world by power, but to embrace world with love.  It was not to create a following, but to follow the Creator. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus.  Jesus points to God.  He realized his mission could only be accomplished through the journey itself.  In the wilderness of his temptation, Jesus learned who he was and what he valued above all.

            Lent is such a time for us:  a time for self-discovery and a time for congregational discovery.  It is a time for learning anew who you are, who we are, on the journey.  The Hebrew people knew about wilderness journeys.  We can receive guidance on our journey from the Hebrew scriptures - a passage from the book of Deuteronomy. 

Deuteronomy literally means "duplicate Law".  It is the fifth of the five books of Torah and provides a summary of the first four.  The passage we read today explains a ritual obligation of thanksgiving.  It outlines the appropriate response to God when you inherit the promised land.   (read Deut. 26: 1-11)

The language of this passage is that of the individual, but the sense of meaning and obligation is communal.  When you inherit, settle, and possess "the land," take a  portion (no specified percentage) of the first fruits (not leftovers) of that land to God's place (maybe the church building?).  Give that portion to whatever priest is there.  Release control of that portion to the priest as an act of worship.  Then, recall the community's story and embrace it as your own story.  "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor."  Testify that God has been present on my journey.  God has been the leader of my journey.  God has been the guide throughout my journey.  Then, give thanks to God for the inheritance, for "the land" of promise.  Then, sit down with the priests and everyone else, and have a party.  Celebrate, eat and drink, using the offering you have brought.

Many of the words in this ancient ritual probably predate Solomon's temple.  It is not a solemn religious act.  This is a joyful and earthy recognition of God's providence.  The children of Israel learned who they were in the wilderness, on the journey.  They learned who they were by where they'd been.  In this ritual, they relearn who they are.  They reaffirm their identity as God's people by having a party with God as the honored host.

            What does this story mean for us?  There are two approaches to find the meaning.  First, we see in terms of us as individuals.  You and I receive blessings and giftedness for which we are grateful.  What is your "the promised land"?   Is it wrapped up in the blessings of life?  Perhaps the idea includes your family, career, or financial success.  It's possible that your promised land is a comfortable lifestyle or a particularly meaningful lifestyle.  It might include where you are on your spiritual journey or be your community of faith.  For what blessings do you give thanks as for a promised land? 

What are first fruits of that blessing for you?  Are they a percentage of the money you have earned, given off the top to the church?  Do they involve a portion of your time, energy, and expertise given freely and scheduled before other commitments, to support the church's ministries?  Are your first fruits heartfelt participation in the  worship and the total life of the congregation?  What are these first fruits?  Whatever they are for you, they come first.  They are also the means for a party and the cause for celebration. 

There is a deeper meaning of this story for us.  It is closer to the meaning of the original.  The individual is seen as part of community.  The individual's ritual of thanksgiving is an expression of the whole community.

Crossroads Church was born from a sense of dissatisfaction with what church had become.  It was born from a reaction to a feeling of betrayal.  It was born, as well, in response to the gift of unexpected community. 

Crossroads Church was born to give shape to biblical freedom with a dream of being church authentically.  Its goal was to be led by the Spirit.  Its aim was to practice the ideal of freedom within the context of community.

What is the "promised land" to this congregation?  I suggest that is it your life together as community?  There are many expressions of that life.  There are work groups that meet and work groups that do stuff.  Godspell is an expression of our life together, filled with meaningful and challenging work, and the joy of sharing.  There are study groups, prayer groups, and small sharing groups.  There are mission trip groups, house church groups, and retreat groups.  There are even committees and community meeting groups.  Finally, there is a Sunday morning worshipping group - the congregation.

The promised land for Crossroads Church is definitely not this building nor is it the Broadway Baptist Church building.  It is not any building in which this body has resided; not any building or property where we may someday reside.  The promised land for this body is shared life in community - a shared life that represents your identity and your direction.

What are first fruits of this land?   They are what we bring when we gather where God dwells, where the community is gathered, or at least 2 or 3.  The first fruits of our life together are our "selves" - individually and relationally, nurtured and challenged by our life together.  The first fruits are the monetary tithes and offerings so necessary to keep our congregational presence in the surrounding community and for its ministries to continue. 

The first fruits cannot be leftovers!  This congregation has always stepped up to the new challenges of being church.  The first fruits are your commitments to the ministry of this congregation:  to spiritual formation, missions, worship, and congregational care.  First fruits are the richness of your growth as we are learning to embrace your identity and direction in life of Spirit.

The first fruits are brought to church and released to a priest.  We bring the first fruits and let go our control of them to whatever priest is there.  Remember, we are all priests to each other.  We release control of the first fruits of our life together to the community, to each other.  We release them in celebration.  We have a party as, together, we joyfully acknowledge God as our honored host.

Then, we tell the community's story as our story.  Where have we been?  What have we learned about who we are?  We are telling our story through this Lenten season -- individual stories and the communal story.  We are affirming that God is the formation of our story.  God has been in its struggles.  God has been in its joys.  God is present now.

So, how do we acknowledge God's role on our journey?  We do so by bringing the  "first fruits" of our promised land, our shared life, to celebrate God's presence.  When we gather, we affirm "it's all about God".  We honor God by offering first fruits as we become aware of our whole community:  those actively involved, those on the edges, those hidden from our sight, and those no longer part of this community.  We bring first fruits when we reach out to connect with those who have drifted away, when we reach out to welcome those new to the community, and when we reach out to embrace those who feel estranged.

            We learn who we are by where we have been:  by telling and hearing our story.  We are the children of wandering pilgrims.  We are still on a journey that sometimes feels like the wilderness.  At the same time, we are inheritors of a promised land.  We are "valuers" of freedom and, sometimes awkward, practitioners of church.  We are inheritors of a passion for freedom in worship, in spiritual growth, and in being church.  We are haters of feeling stuck the way we sometimes are.

Who are we becoming?  Let's see what we do with the freedom we value so highly.  Being true to what we have experienced and inherited will mean become more and more people of the Spirit, ready to give first fruits of ourselves entirely to the work of living as free people  in the Spirit.  It will mean being ready to give the first fruits of our financial resources, the first fruits of our spiritual growth, and the first fruits of our effort and energy to grow and live by the Spirit's call, not only as individuals, but also as community.

As the journey of where we have been becomes path of where we are going, let us celebrate the love of God that has led us to this place.  Let us embrace all those in and around this community.  Let us forgive any and all grievances.  Let us forgive each other and forgive ourselves.  Let us consecrate the Spirit's gift of freedom by being creative in our governance, our ministry, and our life together.  Let us bring the first fruits of our life together by connecting journey outward to the journey inward in everything we do.  And let us promise, as an act of worship, never to let our beliefs interfere with loving God, loving neighbor, and loving self.  And as we do this, we will have life and have it abundantly.