Christ Lutheran Church
Cleveland, Ohio
March 9, 2025
by: Rev. Dean Kavouras
Lent 1C
Christ – The First Fruits Of The Ground
When you come into the Land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and have taken possession of it, and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the Ground which you harvest from the Ground that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and shall go to the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name Dwell. (Deut. 26:1-5 DKV)
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Fellow baptized, our Lord Jesus Christ is the First Fruit of the Ground that Moses commands in today’s Old Testament lesson.
By his prophetic eye Moses saw the Savior who would be born of a woman who was made of Adam who was made “of dust from the ground.” And he saw further the Lord’s death and burial where he would be planted into the ground like a seed. One that broke ground and sprouted as our Lord says in John 12:24 “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit.” He is the Seed. The grain of wheat. And we are the “much fruit” that sprout from him.
Now remember that all Scripture is about our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was made Flesh and dwelt among us. Who lived, died and rose again for us as the propitiation for the sins of the world – the blights of humanity! And who, moreover, imparts the salvation he gained to us in this Divine Liturgy.
By this divine command that Moses gave those who were the recipients of salvation were able to take part in it. And today we do the same. We are enabled to liturgically enact God’s salvation in Christ as often as we bring our tithes and offerings to our God.
Now Lent is a season of repentance and sorrow over our transgressions. But which transgressions? One only need read the 10 commandments with their Christian meaning in the Catechism to learn that. But today we focus on the 7th Commandment – You shall not steal – which we will return to in a moment.
But first let us find out what is involved in bringing our gifts today.
There is a part of the Service called the Offertory when the ushers come forth and receive an offering. Why do we do that? The answer is simple. We give for the same reason that the Old Testament church, and Christians of all ages, have made their offerings: 1) To purchase bread and wine for the Sacrament. 2) To support the church. 3) To support the clergy. 4) And to distribute to the poor.
Yes the church needs money. But notice we don’t have an offering box at the entrance so that people can place their offerings before or after the Service. No. The offering or “Offertory” as it says in our worship books is an essential element of the Service. It is, in fact, the first move in the Liturgy of the Sacrament. It is based on today’s reading, but also on the feeding miracles of Jesus. Remember?
A young boy offers Jesus 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Surely not enough to feed the 5,000 hungry people who could not break away from his magnetic words. But in the hands of Jesus with whom nothing is impossible, this tiny offering gets multiplied in quantity such as no one has ever seen or can imagine when that small offering feeds 5,000 people with 12 baskets left over.
Something similar happens today. Our Lord receives our offerings of bread and wine given in the form of currency, since we are neither fishermen nor farmers. And as before he multiplies them. Not in quantity this time, but in quality. We give our God bread and wine, and he gives us the Body and Blood of Jesus in return; which is the Bread of Life, and the Blood that purifies us from every sin. Which according to St. Ignatius of Antioch in the early 2nd century is “the medicine of immortality.” That is what we obtain at this altar.
Now when people are near death sin is sorely on their minds. They wonder if they will face punishment for their wrongs, or sometimes for one particular wrong that they put on the back burner, but now on their deathbed returns to disturb them.
There are no sweeter words to such a person’s ear than to hear than the words of our Lord in John 6:54-56 “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
But all this begins as the church heeds the command to bring our offerings which, again, serve four purposes: 1) To purchase Bread and Wine for Holy Communion. 2) To support the church. 3) To support the clergy. 4) To distribute to the poor.
Now there are many offshoots from this teaching, but let us focus on just one today, namely: how much should we offer to the Lord?
Speaking just in terms of the money that God provides us the general rule has always been 10%. The same applies to rich and poor alike.
The person who has an annual income of $10,000 per year should give $1,000. The person who has in annual income of $100,000 per year should give $10,000.
Adjust accordingly.
But while 10% is the guide there are those who can give more. And those who must give less. Our God does not judge us on the amount, but by the spirit with which it is given. The chief question is: are we giving sacrificially; and there is a test for that! If when thinking about how much to offer you recoil, or feel stress, that is a sign you are sacrificing to your God, in response to His sacrifice for us. If you don’t feel that pinch maybe you should give more.
In the prophecy of Malachi we find this particular verse: The prophet asks, “Will a man rob God?” The people answered: “How have we robbed God.” The prophet replies: “You have robbed him in tithes and offerings: and that was a transgression for them, and is for us.
As we have said before even young children should give: of their own monies if they have some; or by the parents providing it for them in their own envelope.
Remember that Christian giving is not just a matter of practicality because every organization needs money to survive. But it is a vital part of our worship by which the Christ, the Firstfruits of the Ground, reach us. The eternal gifts that are handsomely poured out upon this day, in this place, where the Lord’s name dwells.