Leviticus 23:33-44 (NRSV)
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the people of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, and lasting seven days, there shall be the festival of booths* to the Lord. The first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. For seven days you shall present the Lord's offerings by fire; on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and present the Lord's offerings by fire; it is a solemn assembly; you shall not work at your occupations.
These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you shall celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord offerings by fire—burnt-offerings and grain-offerings, sacrifices and drink-offerings, each on its proper day— apart from the sabbaths of the Lord, and apart from your gifts, and apart from all your votive offerings, and apart from all your freewill-offerings, which you give to the Lord.
Now, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the festival of the Lord, lasting seven days; a complete rest on the first day, and a complete rest on the eighth day. On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic* trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a festival to the Lord seven days in the year; you shall keep it in the seventh month as a statute for ever throughout your generations. You shall live in booths for seven days; all that are citizens in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed festivals of the Lord.
THOUGHTS:
We don't often think of the book of Leviticus when we come to the Bible for devotional text; or least I don't. Though it is filled with rules and commandments that outlined life for the people of Israel, it still hold relevance for Christians today. This particular excerpt outlines the "Feast of Tabernacles" or the "Feast of Jubilee". It celebrates both the yearly harvest and the care God provided during the Exodus while the Israelites were wandering in the desert. Tabernacles or booths were the dwellings the Israelites lived in while they were in the desert. During this time, while the Israelites were between slavery and sovereignty, God cared for their needs in a variety of ways - through manna and quail, through water from rocks, and even through these booths. During their wandering, all of their basic needs were met. This Exodus and wandering time was critical in the formation of the Israelite psyche. During this feast, they were to both remember where they had come from, wandering in booths, and to celebrate what they had gained, the harvest, each year. This balance of remembrance and celebration helped to tie the Israelites closer to God by providing a set aside, special time for them to give thanks.
How is God meeting your needs during your Lenten wandering? Is your Lenten practice drawing you closer to God? Or do you feel lost in the desert? We can use this time to acknowledge where we are coming from: brokenness, sin and death; while also knowing what have gained: grace, forgiveness and life through Christ. We have this time of Lent, set aside as a special time to remember and reflect to prepare us to fully embrace the joy of the Resurrection at Easter.
PRAYER:
Loving God, we thank you for all the ways you meet our needs each day. We ask that you continue to walk through this desert of Lent as we wait with anticipation of celebrating the resurrection of your Son. Help us to remember where we have come from and to draw us closer to you each day. Amen.
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Thoughts by Kriss Buss, Young adult member of King of Kings Lutheran Church (Fairfax, VA)
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