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Passover
(Exodus 12.1-20; Leviticus 23.4-8)
Moses said:
1 People of Israel, you must celebrate Passover in the month of Abib, because one night in that month years ago, the Lord your God rescued you from Egypt. 2The Passover sacrifice must be a cow, a sheep, or a goat, and you must offer it at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. 3-4Eat all of the meat of the Passover sacrifice that same night. But don't serve bread made with yeast at the Passover meal. Serve the same kind of thin bread that you ate when you were slaves suffering in Egypt and when you had to leave Egypt quickly. As long as you live, this thin bread will remind you of the day you left Egypt.
For seven days following Passover, don't make any bread with yeast. In fact, there should be no yeast anywhere in Israel.
5Don't offer the Passover sacrifice in just any town where you happen to live. 6It must be offered at the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. Kill the sacrifice at sunset, the time of day when you left Egypt. 7Then cook it and eat it there at the place of worship, returning to your tents the next morning.
8Eat thin bread for the next six days. Then on the seventh day, don't do any work. Instead, come together and worship the Lord.
The Harvest Festival
(Exodus 34.22; Leviticus 23.15-21)
Moses said to Israel:
9 Seven weeks after you start your grain harvest, 10-11go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped and celebrate the Harvest Festival in honor of the Lord your God. Bring him an offering as large as you can afford, depending on how big a harvest he has given you. Be sure to take along your sons and daughters and all your servants. Also invite the poor, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows. 12Remember that you used to be slaves in Egypt, so obey these laws.
The Festival of Shelters
(Leviticus 23.33-43; Numbers 29.12-38)
Moses said to Israel:
13-15 After you have finished the grain harvest and the grape harvest, take your sons and daughters and all your servants to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. Celebrate the Festival of Shelters for seven days. Also invite the poor, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.
The Lord will give you big harvests and make you successful in everything you do. You will be completely happy, so celebrate this festival in honor of the Lord your God.
Three Festivals
(Exodus 23.14-17)
Moses said:
16Each year there are three festivals when all Israelite men must go to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped. These are the Festival of Thin Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelters. And don't forget to take along a gift for the Lord. 17The bigger the harvest the Lord gives you, the bigger your gift should be.
Treat Everyone
Moses said to Israel:
18-19 After you are settled in the towns that you will receive from the Lord your God, the people in each town must appoint judges and other officers. Those of you that become judges must be completely fair when you make legal decisions, even if someone important is involved. Don't take bribes to give unfair decisions. Bribes keep people who are wise from seeing the truth and turn honest people into liars.
20People of Israel, if you want to enjoy a long and successful life, make sure that everyone is treated with justice in the land the Lord is giving you.
Don't Set Up
Moses said to Israel:
21 When you build the altar for offering sacrifices to the Lord your God, don't set up a sacred pole for the worship of the goddess Asherah. 22 And don't set up a sacred stone! The Lord hates these things.
Reflect
Imagine being at the river on the day that Israel crossed over? What must it have looked like, sounded like, and smelled like that day! And then there were the battles for land – triumph, defeat and repentance. They had come out of Egypt in a hurry. They were driven away in scorn and fear. This was a story to celebrate down the ages.
Now fast forward to a humble birth in Bethlehem. The entire creation breaks out in celebration, skies alight with angel fire. Later, Jesus puzzles the banquet master but keeps the wedding guests satisfied with new wine. The celebration goes on. On Palm Sunday, as we call it, Jesus enters the city in triumph. All of this celebration points to the final party. At the culmination of the story in Revelation is the biggest celebration of all – that of the Lamb.
Moses establishes the opportunity for celebration. But celebration is not as an end in itself, but a token recognizing God’s grace and gifting. Moses knows that Israel will have its faith tested in the new land. This is a seductive place they are heading to. So he provides a normative practice for transmitting success from one generation to the next. Teach, learn, obey, sacrifice, forgive are all disciplines that will strengthen Israel’s faith. “Deuteronomy is a book for people on the move, literally at first, spiritually and morally thereafter” Brueggemann says (1). Celebration is a time of release and renewal. It is a time for thanksgiving and remembering. And in a profound way, it opens us up to acknowledge God, our creator, as the source of all we have. We celebrate in gratitude for all he is and does and will do in our lives.
(1) Brueggemann, Walter (2009). An Unsettling God: The Heart of the Hebrew Bible. Fortress Press,Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Respond
Lord of life your spirit surrounds us always. From the rising of the sun your name is praised by creatures great and small. Today we join these voices in thanksgiving, praise and celebration. Rejoice! The Lord is here. Celebrate, our God reigns over all of life. Amen!
John Wood
Dr. Wood is Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at The King's University and Dean of the Natural Sciences Faculty. His research is on urban ecology, campus sustainability and food insects. John was born in Japan, grew up on a clear-cut in western Washington State and attended North Park University in Chicago. He has written and spoken widely on caring for creation to church and campus groups. His recent publications include: How Then Shall We Eat? Insect-Eating Attitudes and Sustainable Foodways; Stewarding the gift of land: Christian campuses as land management models; and Sustainable Missions: Ethical Principles for Holistic Practice in a Broken World.