Bible Text: Deu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 26:1\u201312, 18, 19b | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Tho\u00admas Grie\u00adve | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | What do you do befo\u00adre you move into a new home? What do you do befo\u00adre you move into a new home? What do a who\u00adle peo\u00adp\u00adle do when they move into a new home? Today\u2019s Bible text deals with aspects of this ques\u00adti\u00adon. We are deal\u00ading with a text from the 5th book of Moses. The Israe\u00adli\u00adte peo\u00adp\u00adle are on the east bank of the Jor\u00addan River pre\u00adpa\u00adring to enter their new home\u00adland. The pro\u00adphet Moses, who has been lea\u00adding his peo\u00adp\u00adle for over 40 years, will not lead them the\u00adre. His time as a lea\u00adder has come to an end and he is pre\u00adpa\u00adring for his death. As a fare\u00adwell, the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes recei\u00adved a long ser\u00admon from Moses to put in their U\u2011Haul. He repeats the Torah (the coven\u00adant law of Sinai) in a new or second rea\u00adding of the law, a Deu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy (second law).<\/p>\n
We find our text for this mor\u00adning in Deu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy chap\u00adter 26. \tPas\u00adso\u00adver is the first of the\u00adse fes\u00adti\u00advals and the most important fes\u00adti\u00adval in Juda\u00adism. Pas\u00adso\u00adver cele\u00adbra\u00adtes God\u2019s sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon from slavery in Egypt. This year, Pas\u00adso\u00adver beg\u00adins on Fri\u00adday. We also cele\u00adbra\u00adte God\u2019s res\u00adcue from slavery this week. Today is the begin\u00adning of Holy Week and we are remin\u00added of the rejoi\u00adcing Jesus recei\u00adved when he arri\u00adved in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem. But the shouts of \u00abHosan\u00adna\u00bb (save us) would soon turn into cries of \u00abCru\u00adci\u00adfy\u00bb him and Jesus was exe\u00adcu\u00adted on Fri\u00adday, the first day of Pas\u00adso\u00adver. We humans are very quick to con\u00addemn God when he does not live up to our expec\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons. Good Fri\u00adday and Eas\u00adter are the most important Chris\u00adti\u00adan fes\u00adti\u00advals and their mea\u00adnings are deep\u00adly roo\u00adted in the mea\u00adning of Pas\u00adso\u00adver. The day after the first Pas\u00adso\u00adver Sab\u00adbath (Eas\u00adter Sun\u00adday) is cal\u00adled Yom Habik\u00adku\u00adrim \u2013 the day of the first fruits. On this day, the first she\u00ada\u00adves (or first fruits) of the new har\u00adve\u00adst were offe\u00adred in the Temp\u00adle. Yom Habik\u00adku\u00adrim is also the day of Jesus\u00bb resur\u00adrec\u00adtion and Jesus is named as the first fruit of the resur\u00adrec\u00adtion from the dead. Do you noti\u00adce how our faith is part\u00adly an inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon of the Jewish faith? The feasts were times for reflec\u00adtion, but they were also times for cele\u00adbra\u00adti\u00adon and joy. I think an important prin\u00adci\u00adple is that the king\u00addom of hea\u00adven is a par\u00adty. There\u2019s a lot of joy in hea\u00adven, it\u2019s not sad in hea\u00adven the\u00adre. And if hea\u00adven is such a joyful place, I think we don\u2019t have to go through life in a mise\u00adra\u00adble way. Hea\u00adven is in our hearts, we have the right and the respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty to real\u00adly savour and enjoy the life we have been given. \tTithing here is not main\u00adly about fun\u00adding reli\u00adgious insti\u00adtu\u00adti\u00adons, but being gene\u00adrous to peo\u00adp\u00adle in need. Isra\u00adel was an agri\u00adcul\u00adtu\u00adral socie\u00adty and wealth was mea\u00adsu\u00adred by the amount of land a per\u00adson owned. The peo\u00adp\u00adle men\u00adtio\u00adned: Levi\u00adtes, widows, orphans and for\u00adeig\u00adners had one thing in com\u00admon. They had no ara\u00adble land. This fact made sur\u00advi\u00adval very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult. At that time the\u00adre was no wel\u00adfa\u00adre sta\u00adte and no social insu\u00adrance. Peo\u00adp\u00adle wit\u00adhout ara\u00adble land could very easi\u00adly find them\u00adsel\u00adves in a despe\u00adra\u00adte situa\u00adti\u00adon. The jus\u00adti\u00adce that the Sinai Coven\u00adant deman\u00added said the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing: Be gene\u00adrous to the nee\u00addy and share the bles\u00adsings you have received. My Father: The Home\u00adl\u00adess Aramean \tWhe\u00adre is your home? Do you strugg\u00adle with the fee\u00adling of being homeless? \tRemem\u00adber who we are Bible Text: Deu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 26:1\u201312, 18, 19b | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Tho\u00admas Grie\u00adve | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | What do you do befo\u00adre you move into a new home? What do you do befo\u00adre you move into a new home? What do a who\u00adle peo\u00adp\u00adle do when they move into a new home? Today\u2019s Bible text deals with\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[24],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-thomas-grieve","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2154","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nDeu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 26:1\u20134: \u00abYou will now come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you to pos\u00adsess. You will con\u00adquer it and sett\u00adle in it. Then take some of the first fruits of each har\u00adve\u00adst that you gather in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Put them in a bas\u00adket and go to the place the Lord your God choo\u00adses, so that his name may be wor\u00adship\u00adped the\u00adre. Go to the priest on duty and say to him: \u00abWe con\u00adfirm to the Lord your God that we have inde\u00aded come to the land he pro\u00admi\u00adsed our ances\u00adtors with an oath. Then the priest shall take the bas\u00adket from your hands and place it befo\u00adre the altar of the Lord your God\u00bb(NL<\/span>).
\nDeu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 5 is about the law. The law was the reason why the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes could move into their new home\u00adland. In a sen\u00adse, the law was like the let\u00adter I brought with me when I came to Switz\u00ader\u00adland. The law brought with it many rights and respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties. It con\u00adtai\u00adned many ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions about what was expec\u00adted of Isra\u00adel as God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle when they took pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adon of their new home\u00adland. The\u00adse ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions were the terms of the Sinai Covenant.
\nIt is important that we are careful when we look at the laws of this coven\u00adant. We risk eva\u00adlua\u00adting or deva\u00adluing them from 21st cen\u00adtu\u00adry values rather than from when they were writ\u00adten. This would be a mista\u00adke that is unfort\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly very typi\u00adcal of our age. Unli\u00adke other Midd\u00adle Eas\u00adtern reli\u00adgi\u00adons of its time, the Sinai Coven\u00adant was not pri\u00adma\u00adri\u00adly about power, but about rela\u00adti\u00adonships and jus\u00adti\u00adce. Cen\u00adtu\u00adries later, the pro\u00adphet Micah gave us a won\u00adderful sum\u00adma\u00adry of what the Law was about:
\nMicah 6:8: \u00abYou have alre\u00ada\u00addy been told what is good and how God wants you to live. He demands not\u00adhing of you but that you obser\u00adve jus\u00adti\u00adce, tre\u00adat one ano\u00adther with love and mer\u00adcy, and lead your lives hum\u00adbly befo\u00adre God\u00bb(NL<\/span>).
\nAnd what is the right, what is jus\u00adti\u00adce? Today we want to learn some\u00adthing about it.
\nInterpretation
\nDeu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 26 forms the basis for two important pil\u00adlars of Juda\u00adism: the feast of first fruits and tithing.
\nThe festivals
\nThe Sinai Coven\u00adant estab\u00adlished three fes\u00adti\u00advals that were obli\u00adga\u00adto\u00adry for all Jews. The\u00adse were the so-cal\u00adled pil\u00adgrim fes\u00adti\u00advals, and during the Temp\u00adle peri\u00adod all Jews were expec\u00adted to make a pil\u00adgrimage to Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem to cele\u00adbra\u00adte the\u00adse fes\u00adti\u00advals. Pesach (the Pas\u00adso\u00adver), Shavuot (the Feast of First Fruits or Pen\u00adte\u00adcost) and Suk\u00adkot (the Feast of Taber\u00adna\u00adcles) were and are very important in Juda\u00adism, and becau\u00adse we as fol\u00adlo\u00adwers of Jesus fol\u00adlow a Jewish car\u00adpen\u00adter and itin\u00ader\u00adant pre\u00ada\u00adcher, the\u00adse are also signi\u00adfi\u00adcant for us.<\/p>\n
\n\tExact\u00adly 50 days after Yom Habik\u00adku\u00adrim comes Shavuot or the Feast of First Fruits. The Greek word for fif\u00adtieth is pen\u00adte\u00adkos\u00adte, which in Midd\u00adle High Ger\u00adman means phin\u00adges\u00adte or pfingst. Shavuot cele\u00adbra\u00adtes the gift of the Torah at Sinai as well as the gifts God gives in the har\u00adve\u00adst. Shavuot is a fes\u00adti\u00adval of joy. It cele\u00adbra\u00adtes that God has given so much good. For Chris\u00adti\u00adans, with Shavuot we cele\u00adbra\u00adte the birth of the Church. By \u00abchurch\u00bb I do not mean some insti\u00adtu\u00adti\u00adon or buil\u00adding but a move\u00adment and a living inter\u00adac\u00adtion bet\u00adween God and his child\u00adren. This is some\u00adthing worth celebrating.
\n\tThe third of the obli\u00adga\u00adto\u00adry fes\u00adti\u00advals is cal\u00adled Suk\u00adkot, or the Feast of Taber\u00adna\u00adcles. Suk\u00adkot takes place two weeks after the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hash\u00ada\u00adna. Just as the Jewish day beg\u00adins in the evening, the Jewish year beg\u00adins in autumn. The year beg\u00adins Suk\u00adkot on 13 Octo\u00adber. Suk\u00adkot cele\u00adbra\u00adtes the late har\u00adve\u00adst. It also cele\u00adbra\u00adtes God\u2019s pro\u00adtec\u00adtion for his peo\u00adp\u00adle during their time in the desert. Suk\u00adkot con\u00adta\u00adins important mes\u00adsia\u00adnic signi\u00adfi\u00adcan\u00adce, and Jesus cho\u00adse the fes\u00adti\u00adval to make some of his most important claims about hims\u00adelf as Messiah.<\/p>\n
\nThe tithe
\nThe second main topic of today\u2019s text deals with tithing. You have pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly heard quite a bit about this topic and I don\u2019t want to say much about it. Howe\u00adver, I think we can make some comm\u00adents about tithing in the con\u00adtext of our text:<\/p>\n
\n\tSha\u00adring with the nee\u00addy is not just giving money, that can actual\u00adly be cheap and heart\u00adless. The jus\u00adti\u00adce that the Sinai Coven\u00adant demands is cele\u00adbra\u00adting tog\u00ade\u00adther with the nee\u00addy and iden\u00adti\u00adfy\u00ading with them. True jus\u00adti\u00adce means sha\u00adring life. Today we live in a socie\u00adty with a more or less func\u00adtio\u00adning wel\u00adfa\u00adre sta\u00adte and social secu\u00adri\u00adty. I think Chris\u00adti\u00adans can and should be proud of the role we have play\u00aded in brin\u00adging the\u00adse things into our socie\u00adty. But the insti\u00adtu\u00adti\u00adons of the wel\u00adfa\u00adre sta\u00adte do not allow us to for\u00adgo caring for and iden\u00adti\u00adfy\u00ading with tho\u00adse in need. They do not give per\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon to sim\u00adply look the other way.<\/p>\n
\nWhy should God\u2019s peo\u00adp\u00adle be gene\u00adrous, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly with for\u00adeig\u00adners? In Deut. 26:5 we find an ans\u00adwer to this ques\u00adti\u00adon and a key to the text we have read today. At the fes\u00adti\u00adval of Shavuot, the pil\u00adgrims said a ritu\u00adal pray\u00ader. This pray\u00ader included the sen\u00adtence: Our pro\u00adge\u00adni\u00adtor was an Ara\u00adme\u00adan who wandered.
\nThis sen\u00adtence is rather dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to trans\u00adla\u00adte becau\u00adse of the Hebrew word \u05d0\u05d1\u05d3 (avad). This dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adty cau\u00adses the phra\u00adse to appear very dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly depen\u00adding on the Bible trans\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon. The word means: home\u00adl\u00adess, lost, clo\u00adse to peri\u00ads\u00adhing, wan\u00adde\u00adring, wan\u00adde\u00adring, or in des\u00adpair. The phra\u00adse descri\u00adbes someone who has taken a gre\u00adat risk. In the words of the poker game, he is \u00aball in\u00bb, he has bet the farm. Home\u00adl\u00adess Jacob, the tri\u00adbal father of Isra\u00adel, was total\u00adly depen\u00addent on God.
\nJacob and later the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel lived as for\u00adeig\u00adners and unders\u00adtood the needs and desi\u00adres of for\u00adeig\u00adners; it was part of their iden\u00adti\u00adty. This iden\u00adti\u00adty was an important part of Isra\u00adel and I think it is one reason why Jews should live as pil\u00adgrims during the obli\u00adga\u00adto\u00adry fes\u00adti\u00advals. It was a remin\u00adder of who they were.
\nHome and Father
\nWhen we talk about \u00abhome\u00bb, we are often con\u00adfron\u00adted with the idea of a father. A syn\u00adonym for home is fat\u00adher\u00adland. Fat\u00adher\u00adland comes from the Latin patria: the land of our fathers. Patria is the root of words like patri\u00adots or patrio\u00adtic, which are also clo\u00adse\u00adly rela\u00adted to home. The logic here is that my true home\u00adland is the land of my ances\u00adtors. But what hap\u00adpens if my fathers are not from that coun\u00adtry? What hap\u00adpens if we live tog\u00ade\u00adther in one coun\u00adtry and do not have the same fathers? Can we expe\u00adri\u00adence homeland?
\nWhe\u00adre is your home? Whe\u00adre do you feel at home? In your father\u2019s coun\u00adtry? That\u2019s not a bad ans\u00adwer, humans have been using it for mil\u00adlen\u00adnia. But may\u00adbe we need to ask our\u00adsel\u00adves the next ques\u00adti\u00adon: Who is your father? For the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes of the Sinai coven\u00adant, the ans\u00adwer to this ques\u00adti\u00adon was \u00aba home\u00adl\u00adess Ara\u00adme\u00adan\u00bb. This ans\u00adwer was to bring them clo\u00adser to their coven\u00adant part\u00adner. The wan\u00adde\u00adring Ara\u00adme\u00adan belie\u00adved and trus\u00adted his God, who made and ful\u00adfil\u00adled the pro\u00admi\u00adse of a homeland.
\nWhen we fol\u00adlow Jesus, we are like this wan\u00adde\u00adring Ara\u00adme\u00adan. In a way, we are also home\u00adl\u00adess. But we can cling to ano\u00adther father and cla\u00adim his land as our home. The father we can cling to is eager\u00adly wai\u00adting for his child\u00adren to come home. He is the one who runs to them from afar and puts his arms around them. He is the one who res\u00adto\u00adres digni\u00adty, aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty and free\u00addom to his child\u00adren, child\u00adren who have often lost their free\u00addom and been ens\u00adlaved. His home is our true home. Amen.
\n
\nQues\u00adti\u00adons we can take away and for the small groups
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Deu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 26: 1\u201312, 18, 19b<\/p>\n
\n\tWho is your father?
\n\tCan you iden\u00adti\u00adfy with the wan\u00adde\u00adring Aramean?
\n\tThe Bible often encou\u00adra\u00adges us not to fall into forgetfulness:<\/p>\n
\n\tDo not for\u00adget what God has done
\n\tDon\u2019t for\u00adget the hel\u00adp\u00adless and the homeless<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"