| Deuteronomy 26:1-11 |
| 1“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, 2you 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. 3You 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.’ 4When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5you 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. 6When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8The 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; 9and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10So 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. 11Then 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. |
| From Oppression to Promise. We are people of story. In today’ reading we hear of God’s promise of deliverance, land, prosperity and growth to the Israelites. A people who endured years of slavery, affliction, toil, and oppression. God was faithful and generous even as they struggled physically, emotionally and spiritually for years in a wilderness, uncertain time. I am struck by the gratitude practiced, the practice of offering the first fruits, and reading on we learn of their generosity to those with less. The Israelites paused to remember: where they came (the stories of their ancestors), how they shaped their own story, while remembering whose they were. Gratitude is a practice that supports our physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational well-being. A practice of pausing to reflect and name what we are grateful for. You might begin each day, or journal at the end of day, or intentionally letting others know our gratitude. An attitude of gratitude builds resistance to stress, negative emotions, and depression. It improves self-worth, fosters stronger relationships, immune systems, supports better sleep and overall hope. Whatever our story, its built on the shoulders of our ancestors. We have been shaped even through challenging and painful experiences. Whatever your wilderness experience, we belong to a God of promise, generosity, love, compassion and faithfulness. May you be grateful! Prayer: God of love, peace and justice, strength our hearts, minds and bodies to live with generosity, gratitude and never forget whose we are. Amen —Deacon Tammy Devine |