Rite and Remembrance
Deuteronomy 26:3-12
Synopsis Deuteronomy 26:3-12 3/14/2018
Moses directed the children of Israel to conduct a offering rite as thanksgiving for the harvest.
Rite and Remembrance
It wasn’t enough to simply give the tithe. The tithe wasn’t intended to be a payment. It was intended to be a gift that proceeded from the overflow of the heart and the abundance of the harvest. So, the gift was given in the context of remembrance.
Reciting this brief history was a part of giving rite. Sharing the offering of first fruits with the local Levites and the resident aliens was a microcosm of what the experiment in Authentic Community was always supposed to be.
The mark of Authentic Community is universal sharing in the goods of the earth. Acceptance and sharing – remembering that all good comes from God.
The overt act of remembering keeps the community grounded in this foundational reality.
“You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God” 2Cor 9:11
