A
JUBILANT JUBILEE
LEVITICUS
25.8-10 COLOSSIANS 3.12-14
AUGUST
17, 2008
WESLEY
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Douglas
Norris
Yesterday,
Eleanor June Smith and I celebrated our 50th
wedding anniversary. The celebration continues today, a jubilant
jubilee. The reading from Leviticus told us about the year of
Jubilee, celebrated every 50 years.
There
is a great deal of wisdom in the ancient literature. Our spiritual
ancestors were wise beyond their years. Every seventh day was
observed as a day of rest. Some of us have yet to learn the wisdom
of resting. Two wagon trains left St. Louis and decided to race to
see which would arrive in the west first. One observed the sabbath
day of rest; the others were in a hurry and decided not to waste time
by resting. Of course, the wagon train that stopped every Sunday and
let their animals and themselves rest arrived first.
The
seventh year was observed as a day of rest for the land. Leviticus
25.4, “In the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete
rest for the land.” The fields were untilled every seventh year.
It took our American farmers quite some time to learn the wisdom of
crop rotation so that the land could rejuvenate itself. On our farm
in Minnesota we raised corn and alfalfa, and rotated the crops to
replenish the land with nutrients.
And,
in the Old Testament ancient times, the year after 7 x 7 (or 49) was
the Year of Jubilee, the 50th
year. The Year of Jubilee was a year of liberation, a year of
forgiveness. In the Year of Jubilee, not only did the land rest, but
the land was restored to its original owners. Debts were forgiven.
Land was only sold and purchased for a period of 50 years, or a
portion thereof. Leviticus 25.8, “It shall be a jubilee for you:
you shall return, every one of you, to your property and everyone of
you to your family.” Why? v. 23, “The land shall not be sold
in perpetuity, for the land is mine; (says the Lord) with me you are
but aliens and tenants.”
How
wise were our ancient spiritual ancestors! The Jubilee prevented the
accumulation of land in the hands of a few. It prevented monopolies.
We have yet to learn this wisdom. Across our nation, small family
farms have been lost to huge agri-businesses. By the time of Jesus
also, the Jubilee had been lost. Small farmers in Jesus' day lost
their farms to the lenders. When they had to borrow to make ends
meet, the high interest charged forced them into foreclosure. They
became homeless and known as “the poor”.
The
Year of Jubilee was not only the forgiveness of debts and the sale of
property, but also the liberation of Jewish slaves. Leviticus
25.39-41, “If any..become so impoverished that they sell themselves
to you..they shall remain with you as hired or bound laborers...until
the year of the Jubilee. Then they and their children with them
shall be free from your authority; they shall go back to their own
family and return to their ancestral property.” The captives are
freed. Slaves are emancipated. What a jubilant jubilee! Jubilee
is about forgiveness.
In
the second reading this morning, Paul instructed the Colossians how
to treat one another. In the church, the Christian community, in
friendships, in the family, in a marriage, treat one another with:
Compassion—be
aware of hurts, pain, and needs of the other; be concerned and
caring.
Kindness—be
kind to one another, polite, courteous. Can we be as kind to our
spouses or our siblings as we are to our neighbors, or the stranger
on the street?
Humility
and meekness—put the needs of the other ahead of our own. When you
put your spouse first, and your spouse puts you first, you are both
winners. Be humble.
Patience—your
spouse, your children, are not perfect. You may be perfect, but they
aren't. Be patient.
And
a necessary virtue, Colossians 3.13, “Bear with one another”. I
like that. In every church, in every friendship, in every family, in
every marriage, there are times when we must bear with one another.
The Palo Alto Church newsletter once quoted a member as saying that I
was fun to work with. To which my wife responded, “I hope they
don't ask if you are fun to live with!” There are times when none
of us is fun to live with. Be patient. Bear with one another. At
those times in a marriage when times are rough, don't give up, don't
run, don't divorce; bear with one another.
Another
essential virtue in church, friendships, family and marriage is
forgiveness. Colossians 3.13, “Forgive each other, just as the
Lord has forgiven you.”
Continuing
my series on forgiveness, forgiveness means more than saying, “I'm
sorry.” Some people expect to be forgiven when they glibly say,
”I'm sorry.” When the wounded one is reticent about accepting
the “I'm sorry”, the now insulted perpetrator belligerently
responds, “What else do you expect me to do? I said, 'I'm sorry'.”
What else? How about honesty (being sorry enough to tell the
truth)? How about repentance (being sorry enough to change one's
behavior)? How about restitution(being sorry enough to make amends)?
Repentance,
being sorry enough to change one's behavior. Children, when your
parent is irritated and gets upset because you drop your clothes on
the floor, or leave the bathroom in a mess, don't just say “I'm
sorry.” Be sorry enough to change your behavior. Hang up your
clothes. Clean up after yourself. Repent!
Restitution.
Make amends. When a wife fumes, “You don't hear a word I'm
saying,” don't just say, “I'm sorry.” Repent, change your
behavior. Make amends. Take time, sit down, look her in the eye,
give her your undivided attention, listen, converse, communicate.
When your work and pleasure take precedence, don't just say, “I'm
sorry”. Make restitution. Make amends. Cancel a golf or bowling
date, and take her out. Wives, when you catch yourself nagging,
criticizing, complaining, bitching (!) about your husband's
shortcomings, don't just say, “I'm sorry”. Repent. Change your
behavior. Keep your mouth shut. Make amends. Make him some sushi,
or bake him an apple pie. Forgiveness
means more than saying, “I'm sorry.”
Also,
forgiveness means to stop being angry. Forgiveness does not mean you
don't get angry. Forgiveness means you stop being angry. Take you
hands away from the other person's throat! Dick Corson sent me a
quote from the recent Carrie Fisher one-woman show, "Resentment
is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."
Anger
is not bad; holding it in is harmful. When anger is repressed, it
festers and often builds up until it explodes in inappropriate ways.
Anger
helps us clear the pipes and focus the hurt. But, deal with it.
Express the anger productively. Confront the one with whom you are
angry. Especially to your spouse, don't say, “You make me so
angry,” but say, “I am angry.” Don't be accusatory which then
causes a defensive reaction. Take responsibility for your anger.
Anger is what you feel. It belongs to you. Don't blame it on the
spouse.
I
recall an incident with my senior minister when I was a young
associate back in Minnesota. I was in charge of the educational
ministries-- children, youth and adults. I worked hard developing a
summer camping program with the children and youth. One day, the
senior minister came into my office and handed me a camping brochure
from another church. I don't recall what he said, but it was
something judgmental like, “Look at what they do!”, as if my
camping program did not measure up. I took the flyer, glanced at it,
crumpled it up and threw it in the waste basket. He left the room,
and sometime later said, “I sensed you were angry.” He had
tremendous powers of observation! I said, “Yes, I am angry. I
don't appreciate the unfair comparison.” Confronting him and
expressing the anger cleared the air. I didn't verbalize
forgiveness, but I did forgive him. From then on, our relationship
was built on mutual respect. We became good friends.
If
I hadn't expressed my anger and confronted him, the anger would have
festered within me, causing me to hold a grudge, and as John Moody
told me, a grudge is a heavy load to carry. The anger would have
come out in different ways, coloring our relationship and making me
very unhappy in my work.
When
you are angry, feel it, express it, confront, but don't stay angry.
Expressing anger and forgiving allows you to let it go and move on.
Jesus did not expect us to never become angry. He was certainly
angry when he chased the money changers out of the temple. Paul
taught us not to stay angry. Ephesians 4.26-27, “Be angry but do
not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make
room for the devil.” In other words, deal with the anger
immediately. Do not let it fester and ferment, or the devil will use
it to destroy you. Anger will eat at you, robbing you of your joy,
building a wall between you and God, between you and others. Be
angry and forgive. Let it go!
Paul
taught us—you and me-- to treat one another with compassion,
kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, and Colossians 3. 14,
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything
together in perfect harmony.” Love one another as God loves us. In
the United Methodist wedding service, the couple is asked, “Will
you love?” Some ceremonies ask “Do you love?” “Will you
love” involves the future. “Will you love” implies a
life-long commitment. Will you love for better or worse, for richer
or poorer, in sickness and in health. Will you love while you are
bearing, putting up, with one another? Love is an action—putting
the needs of your spouse ahead of your own needs. Love is an action,
an act of compassion, kindness, humility, patience and forgiveness.
And, in those beautiful moments when the feeling of love wells up
within you, rejoice and express your love. We sang, “I love you,
Lord.” How recently have you said to your spouse, “I love you?”
To your children, “I love you?” To your parents, “I love
you?”
God
gave us the gift of love. Accept, receive the love God has for you,
and express that love in your friendships, in your family and in your
marriage, whatever the number-- one year, ten years, or fifty years,
which is a jubilant jubilee!
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