Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you (Deuteronomy 16:9-11).

Let's take another look at worship services in ancient Israel. When you enter your worship space, what do you hold in your hands? Possibly a leaflet handed to you by an usher. If you are a parent, you might hold you child's squirming hand, so she doesn't run off to visit with a friend.

In contrast, the Israelite worshipper had their hands full of their work. Along with fellow workers and family members, they brought into God's holy presence the fruit of their labour. They had spent months selecting and preparing it. No one came empty handed before God.

Further, it was not the priest, but the worker who initiated and designed worship. The bulk of the worship was not the spiritual insight of the priest, nor the songs composed by unknown artists, but the physical work of the laborer. Worship was not prepared and then consumer by the worshipper but prepared at home and brought along.

Worship was initiated by the laity when the material for worship was ready. If the harvest was late, worship was late. The worker came to stand in the presence of God, therefore, the offering needed to be of such quality the worker felt comfortable with. It was not one size fits all. Each time of year brought unique offerings and the amount depended on income level.

Further, wine, oil and bread—the merging of God's creational gifts and human craftsmanship—were all to be brought into worship. God's creation was developed, molded, transformed, glorified by human labour. While at worship, Israel was reminded that creation is good and that human craftsmanship is good. And combined, they are worthy of being offered to God.

Through these rituals, the farmer was formed not only to approach work as good and valuable but also, more importantly, to offer that work up as worship and praise. The liturgy guided them into an economy of gratitude. In response to God's economic blessing, they gave him thanks and shared with those in need. Worship developed patterns and postures of gratitude, dependence and humility in God's people.

We obviously should not try this at home. But how will we form habits of gratitude? Do we offer up the best of our labours to God in worship? How do we offer our daily living to God? Will you come to worship in thanksgiving for both the physical blessings and the spiritual blessings in Christ? What changes do you need to make so that you come to communal worship not grumbling and not haphazardly but to give thanks? Think about these things this week.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Wherever God takes you today (this week), may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Galatians 6:8-10; Luke 19:32-46. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN!

1. When was it difficult for you to keep doing good? Think of other situations where it takes real effort to keep doing good?
2. What is the Greek word for "good" used in verse 9? What are some of its characteristics? Where else do we find this word used in the New Testament?
3. How does Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on a donkey illustrate 'good'? What surprising aspect of goodness does he display on this day?
4. For what good things was Jesus crucified?
5. Where do we find the 'inner resources' to persevere in doing good?
6. Paul uses a different word for good in verse 10. What does it add? Give some examples of doing good.

Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land. The Lord Almighty has declared, "Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants. A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath of wine; a homer of seed will yield only an ephah of grain" (Isaiah 5:8-10).

These ancient words judge our own culture. Whereas, our rural areas were once occupied by many small family farms, they are now littered with large houses surrounded by manicured lawns and gardens producing nothing of value. Many a retired couple lives in a house much larger than the one they raised their children in.

Our text speaks to greed for bigger houses and more land. The rich buy it, dispossessing the former owners one by one until at last the rich live alone on a vast estate, the former owners reduced to serfdom. This sin was particularly offensive to God because in the covenant the land is his. He gives it in the form of grants to his people, to be maintained in the respective families for all time. This reinforced the idea of dependence on God and a means of subsistence for the small landowner.

Such sins of greed are rooted in a failure to admit that God has the right to establish limits for us. The desire for more is coupled with the failure to recognize that our desires are insatiable and that the only way to control them is a conscious decision to stop. Self-indulgence is possible for all of us when my needs are all-important. Who has the right to tell me enough is enough? Soon, comfort, pleasure, and security become absolute goals, and whatever seems to increase them we seek to acquire.

But God announces a judgement that fits the crime. Just as the rich dispossessed others, they will be dispossessed, and all the land acquired will produce almost nothing. Would God say that same thing about rural displacement and urban gentrification that dislocates the poor and the vulnerable? Such extravagances are unsustainable. Many large and beautiful houses will be destroyed or vacated. The abandoned agricultural land will fail to produce.

What should we do when our own hearts move toward this sin of greed? The answer is simple, "Sabbath." Stop working. Only then do we have time to remember that we do not control our own destiny. During sabbath we learn to rely on God. While at rest, we have time to know that God is able to take care of us.

Today, Christian's need to reacquaint themselves with Sabbath. It's meant to be like a factory reset—putting us back in line with God. It is not a day of drudgery to be endured, but rather a day to celebrate our God who provides. God puts a stop sign before our desires to acquire and warns that ignoring that sign will have dire consequences.

Sabbath also gives us time to see our neighbour, to notice their needs. Then we realize that out our excess God desires to care for that neighbour. That is why an offering is taken during worship services. What will you bring to God this weekend, to bless your neighbour in need?

As you journey on, receive Jesus' invitation into this rest:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).