Ordinary Time
March 1, 2022
Scripture Reading:
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’ When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the Lord your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.
Ukraine demonstrating to the USA the importance of democracy is ironic as some factions in the USA are working hard at making us an oligarchy as Russia has become, ruled by the rich. We do not learn from history, yet we fear teaching it in our schools. Ask the Egyptians about how they fell from great power. Divide and concur politics, climate change,
The Ancient Egyptian Empire was one of the oldest and longest ruling empires in history. The empire spanned over 3,000 years. . .. However, history shows that even the mightiest empires can fall and after 1,100 BC, Egypt went into decline. There were several reasons for this including a loss of military power, lack of natural resources, and political conflicts*.
Divide and concur politics along with climate change, both primed by greed now assaults the USA. A periodic report of the progress of climate change was highlighted on the morning news today. The authors continue to say we still have a little time, but less and less, left to curb its worst impacts. How many years have we ignored that advice?
Part of our problem is we view ourselves as the escaping Israelites, not the empirical Egyptians. Our ancestors in faith also failed to note the transition. We have a little time left, to turn around and follow God’s instruction to love God and one another which requires us to care for the earth and assure that all have enough to survive and thrive.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for burying our heads in the sand, help us to see and do what we need to be the people you desire us to be in the land you provided all your children. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.