Greeting Members and Friends
It time once again for our weekly Sunday School preview so thanks for joining me and welcome back. The Spring Quarter entitled “Acknowledging God” focuses on ways God’s people have acknowledged His Greatness. The May unit is entitled “Give Praise to God,” and has four sessions that emphasize the people’s response by bringing offerings and dedicating their lives to God’s work. Three of the responses are found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and 2 Corinthians. The unit concludes with one session drawn from the books of Psalms and Hebrews that rejoices in God’s reconciling action on behalf of the people.
This Sunday’s lesson is entitled “Remembering With Joy” or “Creating an Equitable Economy”. Last Sunday’s lesson was about bringing the “first fruit” as a way of honoring God. Today’s lesson is also about honoring God, but instead of with first fruits it is by how well we observe the Lord’s sabbaths. In today’s text, Israel was commanded to allow the land to rest in the seventh year and eat from whatever the land produced of itself. They were not to plant or harvest anything, but to use only what they needed. Furthermore, in the 50th year, they were to return every one to their own property and be released from all debt. God is a God of faith. This is another way of acknowledging our dependence on God.
God lets us know that the land is His and we are simply using what He allows us to use. He is the one that causes it to be productive. By giving the land a sabbath, they were doing what the landowner who is God said to do with His land and trusting God to provide for their needs without the need to plant or harvest. By returning the property, God intended for everyone to be able to start fresh and for no one to become too greedy or large by keeping all the property of their brothers. People who emphasize possessions tend to forget that they are the creature and not the creator.
We should never seek to accumulate things beyond what is needed to provide for our family. We should always remember that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. God allows us to use it to sustain our existence. If and when we begin to attempt to hoard any part of it and heap it to ourselves, then we have replaced the creator with the created. Instead of worshipping the Creator, we are worshipping the created. Well, that’s all for this week’s preview. Be sure to join us in Sunday School this week for a fuller discussion of this lesson and the general topic of Give Praise to God. So, until then
Grace and peace
Pastor Jordan
