Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany (Lev 19:1-2. 9-18)  2/23/2014

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One of my favorite books of the Bible is the Book of Ruth, a short book of only four chapters that centers on the life and relationship of two courageous women, Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. The story begins as a tale of loss and challenge: After the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi was determined to return to her homeland of Bethlehem and seek a better life. Ruth was equally determined to faithfully remain at Naomi’s side, and although Naomi encouraged Ruth to remain in Moab with her people, Ruth joined the journey and left her homeland of Moab behind. These two poor widowed women reach Bethlehem and begin their search for food and shelter, hoping to find favor with relatives of Naomi’s late-husband. In desperate need of food, Ruth approached the servant in charge of the fields and asked to harvest the grain, following behind the reapers in the field. The servant granted Ruth permission to harvest the grain that was left, and she worked from early morning until late in the day. The owner of the field soon arrived and heard the challenging story of Naomi and Ruth, and he said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not leave this field and do not harvest in any other field, for I have ordered no one to bother you.” Ruth was astonished and said to the man, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take care of me, when I am a foreigner from Moab?” The owner replied, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me…May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” (Ruth 2:8, 10-12) For Naomi and Ruth, their story of loss, challenge and sorrow was transformed; their story became a new journey full of hope, promise, and joy!

The basis for Ruth’s generous treatment by the owner of the field is rooted in the Book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus, in large part, presents a detailed account of the commandments of God. In fact, the name Leviticus is derived from the tribe of the Levites, the temple priests that followed the commandments for worship. At first read, we can easily feel overwhelmed by dry and dusty rules…and in our reading this morning from Leviticus we hear the phrase “shall not” sixteen times, in just twelve verses! However, we discover something very different before and after those sixteen “shall not’s;” we discover some powerful words, powerful promises that give depth and meaning to all those “shall not’s.” We first hear the Lord speak to Moses, saying: “Speak to all the congregations of the people of Israel and say to them: you shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Lev 19:2) We are holy because God is holy; powerful words that indicate our full participation as children of God, “and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,” as the Apostle Paul told the early church. (Rom 8:17) And on the other side of those sixteen “shall not’s” is the powerful commandment “you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Lev 19:18) These seemingly onerous “shall not’s” attempt to reach our hearts and point us in an outward direction; turn our hearts and minds from considering ourselves first and providing us with a road map toward love of others, as God loves us. And if we fully participate in God’s radical, outwardly directed love, there must be something asked of us; if we are to let others become the focus of our attention we must sacrifice a bit of ourselves in the process.

Phillips Brooks, a 19th century preacher and Episcopal Bishop of MA, spoke of our relationship with God and how our understanding of that relationship motivates our actions of love toward others. Brooks wrote, “If when we think of God, the great privilege of God’s perfect life seems to us to be that God is perfectly happy…then the great gift of God will seem to us to be mere happiness…but if, on the other hand, God’s great possession is His holiness, [that in God’s perfection] we can be sure God never sins, then God’s great gift to us will be holiness too. Not safety from [any sorrow] but purity from sinfulness…And in the giving of this holiness of God’s glorious life we can well see…how there not merely may be but there must be sacrifice.”^[i] Brooks’ insight of sacrifice given for the love of our fellow brothers and sisters holds the meaning behind the sixteen “shall not’s” in our lesson this morning. “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field…You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes,” says the Lord. (Lev 19:9-10) The farmer leaves grain in the field, not because the silo is full and there is no more room. The vineyard is left with grapes on the vine, not because the wine casks are full. The silo is not full, the wine casks are not full, yet these fruits are left behind because our hearts are full, full of love for God and for others. “You shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God,” says the Lord. (Lev 19:10)

God is asking us to make that important sacrifice that opens our hearts to the holiness of God; that sacrifice that allows us to participate directly in God’s holiness. This is the sacrifice that Ruth made when she left her homeland of Moab to follow Naomi. This is the sacrifice that the farmer made when he allowed Ruth to harvest grain in his field. This is the sacrifice we are called to make in our Christian lives, in our journey of charity toward others: a small sacrifice of our time on Sunday morning to teach Christian Education to our youth; a small sacrifice of how we might spend a weekday evening or Saturday morning to tutor a child, to build a house, or to cook a meal; a small sacrifice of our family budget to provide financial resources to the ministries of this Christian community. This is God’s invitation to give these things, not because our calendars have empty spaces, not because our purses are filled with money, but an invitation to give these things because they are needed and we are blessed with the resources to give, to give as Christians in charity to God and to others. “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Lev 19:1-2) When the small sacrifices of our life together turn us around, point us outward toward the mission of God, and fill our hearts and not our grain silos, then we have found the holiness of God. AMEN.