Ushering in Jubilee for All
Leviticus 25:1-4,8-13,35-41,55
This morning I want to ask you whether you believe God is good, loving and just. I believe that today’s Scripture reading reveals that this is the nature of God; and it is also his will for our world. Moses received God’s good, loving, and just plan for His people Israel as they prepared to settle in the Promised Land. Each of the 12 tribes would receive a plot of land that would then be divided equitably so everyone family had their own plot. Each could build their home and have property for farming, raising animals, or otherwise earning a living. They were to live and work together and observe holy days as a community.
We are following one of those teachings this morning: we’re observing a day of Sabbath. This teaching is one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses. God’s followers are instructed to work for 6 days but rest on the 7th, for it is holy. On that set-apart day we are to worship God, spend time with our family and friends, and allow our bodies and souls to be refreshed. All who follow this commandment please God and are blessed. My fellow believers, may we who are hearing again about this commandment to honor the Sabbath take it to heart. The one who created us has given us this holy pattern of living. Observe this 7th day; do not stray from it; let there be no excuses. Obey the Lord our God and your life will be richly blessed.
This morning we heard how God also set in place a whole Sabbath year for the Israelites, every 7 years. The fields and vineyards, the land itself, was given a year of rest. Allowing land to lie fallow is recognized today as a best practice, but we see here that God knew that all along and gave good guidance in the stewardship of the earth. For those who had sheep, cattle, and other animals needing care in a Sabbath year, they were allowed to hire workers from nearby countries. God also promised enough food in their 6 years of harvesting to eat well in the 7th (and part of the 8th) from their stored surpluses. Can you imagine how restorative it would be to have an entire Sabbath year? What might that be like for you personally, or for your family? How might that bring a community out to enjoy one another during those 12 months? If a Sabbath day refreshes body and soul, imagine the impact of a Sabbath year!
What comes next in the Scriptures is even more exciting in scope. God declared that after 7 consecutive Sabbath years of rest, 7 times 7, there would be a 50th Jubilee Year. After 49 years of shorter periods of rest and freedom their nation would have one extravagant year. Not only would the people and the land rest, all debts would be cancelled, anyone who lost their family land would have it restored, any who had become an indentured slave would be set free.
God said this was His holy will for all of Israel; they were to gather and blow a ram’s horn and consecrate themselves in readiness to obey God in all of these matters. What we see here is not only the good and loving heart of God, but his requirement that there be justice for all. God understands that some in every society will experience hard times, even tragedies. While one setback might be recovered from, a series of hardships can make a family destitute. Their children and grandchildren will be impacted by their losses. A relative could step in and pay for debts that had accumulated - they were called a kinsman-redeemer. But if the debt was beyond their means, those who were in deep poverty could become the unpaid servants of others. They lost their liberty. Over time, some in society accumulated more land and other resources. They accumulated wealth and power.
God, who is sovereign, reveals that is not his holy will for His people. When there are inequities across the land, with some living full and free lives, and others enslaved and living meager lives, God intervenes. God wants every man, woman, and child to have a home, and a way to earn a living. While short-term solutions, like a year of Sabbath or a kinsman-redeemer helping someone may provide temporary relief, God desires more. His kingdom flows with liberty and justice for all, with respect and dignity for all people.
If you love what I’ve just described, this expansive, equalizing Year of Jubilee every 50 years, I have some bad news to share with you. We’re told that God set this restorative plan in place, but Israel did not observe it, not even once. The Israelites understood the holy will of God, but they failed to be an obedient people. Though chosen by God and set apart from all the other nations in the world to be a role model, they refused to live out God’s Kingdom teachings.
I remember the excitement I felt when I first read about the Year of Jubilee; I imagined what it would mean for so many to have a fresh start, to feel hope and dream a good future. It was jarring and terrible when I learned that God’s people stubbornly refused to live out God’s plan. Couldn’t they see the broad advantages of this wise design? I have wrestled with the “why’s” of it. Why did God’s people keep everything just as it was, with obvious haves and have-nots? With indentured slaves and any number of people in their own community unemployed? What frayed the fabric of their communities so much that they became callous or blind to the poverty and inequalities around them?
How could those who were well-off justify in their minds and hearts having access to things like a decent home, with a roof that didn’t leak, or having enough food so they didn’t go to bed hungry - knowing their neighbors were struggling? What was it like to be able afford medicine for their elderly relatives, while their poor neighbors went without? How did a mother who had carried plenty of fresh water to their home for bathing and cooking look across her well-tended garden at another woman who was unwell, had no garden and could not often access fresh water?
Was anything being done by individuals or community leaders to alleviate poverty? Did they help people find lodging, access food and clothing or find work? Those answers are not given to us in Leviticus. But in the person of Jesus Christ we know full well what we as God’s people are called and empowered to do.
I have shared this ideal and idyllic Year of Jubilee with you this morning, this vision from God for all lives, because I believe it remains God’s plan for His people. Jesus Christ himself came to earth and embodied it. He helped usher in God’s good and loving kingdom by modeling justice. He did that by disregarding man-made systems that excluded some people yet included others. He ignored established hierarchies and treated all as equals.
Notice where Jesus spent most of his time; it can serve as a roadmap and guide for us as well. He went on purpose to the margins, to be with those who had endured tragic events and now had broken hearts. He spent time eating meals and talking with those who had been used and abused. He hung out with addicts and law breakers, the lonely and the least, the invisible ones that are rarely noticed by most of us. He looked into their eyes and spoke their name. He listened and helped them know how much they were loved and valued. He treated them with respect and great kindness. They felt seen, heard, and accepted as they were. After encountering Jesus, they knew there were beloved. He had told them he came to save sinners, to welcome the lost prodigals home, to set people free from all that chained them. To restore both hope and dignity after the way others had mistreated them. Jesus was Jubilee incarnate - in the flesh.
None of us are pure in heart like Jesus, we too fail to be an obedient people just as the Israelites long ago. Surrounding us today are the hurting, homeless, hungry, imprisoned, and downtrodden. Their past losses have in many cases diminished their potential to live a good life today. Their current burdens may be too complex to remedy in the short term.
But isn’t God’s plan for our own lives, and that of our neighbors, the same as it was for the Israelites long ago? Doesn’t God expect us to step out of the security of our own lives and be ready and willing to follow the example of Christ? Would you pour yourselves out in love to those in our community who are in need? Would you follow the example of Christ who engaged one on one with the hurting and lonely? Ushering in justice and equality is also needed. His voice was raised as he challenged the status quo of his day. He was angered when he saw inequities. Perhaps Jesus’ closed fist was seen as he raised his arm high, making it known that he stood in solidarity with the powerless.
Speaking of being in solidarity with the powerless, last Saturday was Juneteenth, a newly established national holiday commemorating the freedom of slaves in America. It is not a well-known celebration for many of us, though it is far more so for other regions. In 1862, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an order that declared that “all slaves shall be...forever free”. This news was very slow in making its way to southern states; it took 2 1/2 years for 2,000 federal troops to travel to Galveston, Texas. On June 19th, 1865 they heard General Granger of the Union Army announce that the Civil War had ended, and from that day onward the 250,000 slaves in that state were to be emancipated.
While that didn’t happen right away for some, with harvest season before them and little means to provide for themselves, June 19th began the unchaining of humans held against their will in Texas. One slave by the name of Felix Haywood said, “We was all walkin’ on golden clouds... everybody went wild, we was free. Just like that we was free.”
Do you know that at the close of the Civil War there were 5 million men, woman and children who were slaves, that were set free? But few could read or write; they had no legal name, no home, or land, tools, seeds, or stock animals. They owned no wagons and had no money. But they banded together and soon formed associations; some cared for the sick, others did funerals and burials, some took on the task of caring for the widows and orphans. With great resolve and resourcefulness those who had once been forced to plant fields and prepare food for others, to build and maintain other people’s homes and barns, to sew and mend their clothing and raise their children could now, at long, long last have the opportunity to use their days and strength to do such things for themselves.
Historians say that one year later in Texas there was a Jubilee Day held by freedmen on June 19th. They were forbidden from using the central parks in any city, so they went to the outskirts where there were prayer services, music, and barbecuing. It was a time for spread-out families to come together, to tell their stories and thank God for their liberty and blessings. This became an annual tradition, a celebration that has migrated across the country, gaining in popularity.
I want us to now consider what God may be saying to us, either as the Church or as His people. Let me go back to the basics, the way I began. Is God good? And is God loving and just? Do you believe it is still God’s desire and hope that every man, woman, and child have a home on some patch of land, and be able to work? Do you think God wants people to be free, treated with dignity and given equal opportunities? And does Jesus Christ set before us His own example of how to engage with hurting people? Absolutely!
What then might we do in response? I’d suggest it begins with raised awareness. Ask God to open your eyes to see the people around you, and in your community, through Jesus’ own lens. Then read for yourself what it says in Leviticus chapter 25. There we see the foundation which will ground us, the requirement to keep the Sabbath and not neglect it. With that pattern of worship, family time, and renewal, we will then be equipped to help meet the needs of others. We also have the inspiring example of a Sabbath during the 7th year and again on the 50th.
I have been abiding in those Scriptures, inviting God to reveal ways we might help people help themselves out of poverty. I am dreaming of ways people can come into our church building and find hope and healing that transforms their lives. I can see this church being a hub for diverse ministries that meet practical needs and help people experience the love and goodness of God in their lives. I look forward to sharing some of those ideas with our leadership and with anyone else who is eager to usher in God’s kingdom – for all.
Part of what we’ll need to do to accomplish such things is have a new way of thinking and leading. That’s why I am meeting weekly with several others who are exploring what it might mean for this church to “Canoe the Mountains”! So, stay tuned, everyone; be prayerful and participate any way you can. God is with us, helping us move into the future He has prepared for us! Thanks be to God, amen.
We are following one of those teachings this morning: we’re observing a day of Sabbath. This teaching is one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses. God’s followers are instructed to work for 6 days but rest on the 7th, for it is holy. On that set-apart day we are to worship God, spend time with our family and friends, and allow our bodies and souls to be refreshed. All who follow this commandment please God and are blessed. My fellow believers, may we who are hearing again about this commandment to honor the Sabbath take it to heart. The one who created us has given us this holy pattern of living. Observe this 7th day; do not stray from it; let there be no excuses. Obey the Lord our God and your life will be richly blessed.
This morning we heard how God also set in place a whole Sabbath year for the Israelites, every 7 years. The fields and vineyards, the land itself, was given a year of rest. Allowing land to lie fallow is recognized today as a best practice, but we see here that God knew that all along and gave good guidance in the stewardship of the earth. For those who had sheep, cattle, and other animals needing care in a Sabbath year, they were allowed to hire workers from nearby countries. God also promised enough food in their 6 years of harvesting to eat well in the 7th (and part of the 8th) from their stored surpluses. Can you imagine how restorative it would be to have an entire Sabbath year? What might that be like for you personally, or for your family? How might that bring a community out to enjoy one another during those 12 months? If a Sabbath day refreshes body and soul, imagine the impact of a Sabbath year!
What comes next in the Scriptures is even more exciting in scope. God declared that after 7 consecutive Sabbath years of rest, 7 times 7, there would be a 50th Jubilee Year. After 49 years of shorter periods of rest and freedom their nation would have one extravagant year. Not only would the people and the land rest, all debts would be cancelled, anyone who lost their family land would have it restored, any who had become an indentured slave would be set free.
God said this was His holy will for all of Israel; they were to gather and blow a ram’s horn and consecrate themselves in readiness to obey God in all of these matters. What we see here is not only the good and loving heart of God, but his requirement that there be justice for all. God understands that some in every society will experience hard times, even tragedies. While one setback might be recovered from, a series of hardships can make a family destitute. Their children and grandchildren will be impacted by their losses. A relative could step in and pay for debts that had accumulated - they were called a kinsman-redeemer. But if the debt was beyond their means, those who were in deep poverty could become the unpaid servants of others. They lost their liberty. Over time, some in society accumulated more land and other resources. They accumulated wealth and power.
God, who is sovereign, reveals that is not his holy will for His people. When there are inequities across the land, with some living full and free lives, and others enslaved and living meager lives, God intervenes. God wants every man, woman, and child to have a home, and a way to earn a living. While short-term solutions, like a year of Sabbath or a kinsman-redeemer helping someone may provide temporary relief, God desires more. His kingdom flows with liberty and justice for all, with respect and dignity for all people.
If you love what I’ve just described, this expansive, equalizing Year of Jubilee every 50 years, I have some bad news to share with you. We’re told that God set this restorative plan in place, but Israel did not observe it, not even once. The Israelites understood the holy will of God, but they failed to be an obedient people. Though chosen by God and set apart from all the other nations in the world to be a role model, they refused to live out God’s Kingdom teachings.
I remember the excitement I felt when I first read about the Year of Jubilee; I imagined what it would mean for so many to have a fresh start, to feel hope and dream a good future. It was jarring and terrible when I learned that God’s people stubbornly refused to live out God’s plan. Couldn’t they see the broad advantages of this wise design? I have wrestled with the “why’s” of it. Why did God’s people keep everything just as it was, with obvious haves and have-nots? With indentured slaves and any number of people in their own community unemployed? What frayed the fabric of their communities so much that they became callous or blind to the poverty and inequalities around them?
How could those who were well-off justify in their minds and hearts having access to things like a decent home, with a roof that didn’t leak, or having enough food so they didn’t go to bed hungry - knowing their neighbors were struggling? What was it like to be able afford medicine for their elderly relatives, while their poor neighbors went without? How did a mother who had carried plenty of fresh water to their home for bathing and cooking look across her well-tended garden at another woman who was unwell, had no garden and could not often access fresh water?
Was anything being done by individuals or community leaders to alleviate poverty? Did they help people find lodging, access food and clothing or find work? Those answers are not given to us in Leviticus. But in the person of Jesus Christ we know full well what we as God’s people are called and empowered to do.
I have shared this ideal and idyllic Year of Jubilee with you this morning, this vision from God for all lives, because I believe it remains God’s plan for His people. Jesus Christ himself came to earth and embodied it. He helped usher in God’s good and loving kingdom by modeling justice. He did that by disregarding man-made systems that excluded some people yet included others. He ignored established hierarchies and treated all as equals.
Notice where Jesus spent most of his time; it can serve as a roadmap and guide for us as well. He went on purpose to the margins, to be with those who had endured tragic events and now had broken hearts. He spent time eating meals and talking with those who had been used and abused. He hung out with addicts and law breakers, the lonely and the least, the invisible ones that are rarely noticed by most of us. He looked into their eyes and spoke their name. He listened and helped them know how much they were loved and valued. He treated them with respect and great kindness. They felt seen, heard, and accepted as they were. After encountering Jesus, they knew there were beloved. He had told them he came to save sinners, to welcome the lost prodigals home, to set people free from all that chained them. To restore both hope and dignity after the way others had mistreated them. Jesus was Jubilee incarnate - in the flesh.
None of us are pure in heart like Jesus, we too fail to be an obedient people just as the Israelites long ago. Surrounding us today are the hurting, homeless, hungry, imprisoned, and downtrodden. Their past losses have in many cases diminished their potential to live a good life today. Their current burdens may be too complex to remedy in the short term.
But isn’t God’s plan for our own lives, and that of our neighbors, the same as it was for the Israelites long ago? Doesn’t God expect us to step out of the security of our own lives and be ready and willing to follow the example of Christ? Would you pour yourselves out in love to those in our community who are in need? Would you follow the example of Christ who engaged one on one with the hurting and lonely? Ushering in justice and equality is also needed. His voice was raised as he challenged the status quo of his day. He was angered when he saw inequities. Perhaps Jesus’ closed fist was seen as he raised his arm high, making it known that he stood in solidarity with the powerless.
Speaking of being in solidarity with the powerless, last Saturday was Juneteenth, a newly established national holiday commemorating the freedom of slaves in America. It is not a well-known celebration for many of us, though it is far more so for other regions. In 1862, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an order that declared that “all slaves shall be...forever free”. This news was very slow in making its way to southern states; it took 2 1/2 years for 2,000 federal troops to travel to Galveston, Texas. On June 19th, 1865 they heard General Granger of the Union Army announce that the Civil War had ended, and from that day onward the 250,000 slaves in that state were to be emancipated.
While that didn’t happen right away for some, with harvest season before them and little means to provide for themselves, June 19th began the unchaining of humans held against their will in Texas. One slave by the name of Felix Haywood said, “We was all walkin’ on golden clouds... everybody went wild, we was free. Just like that we was free.”
Do you know that at the close of the Civil War there were 5 million men, woman and children who were slaves, that were set free? But few could read or write; they had no legal name, no home, or land, tools, seeds, or stock animals. They owned no wagons and had no money. But they banded together and soon formed associations; some cared for the sick, others did funerals and burials, some took on the task of caring for the widows and orphans. With great resolve and resourcefulness those who had once been forced to plant fields and prepare food for others, to build and maintain other people’s homes and barns, to sew and mend their clothing and raise their children could now, at long, long last have the opportunity to use their days and strength to do such things for themselves.
Historians say that one year later in Texas there was a Jubilee Day held by freedmen on June 19th. They were forbidden from using the central parks in any city, so they went to the outskirts where there were prayer services, music, and barbecuing. It was a time for spread-out families to come together, to tell their stories and thank God for their liberty and blessings. This became an annual tradition, a celebration that has migrated across the country, gaining in popularity.
I want us to now consider what God may be saying to us, either as the Church or as His people. Let me go back to the basics, the way I began. Is God good? And is God loving and just? Do you believe it is still God’s desire and hope that every man, woman, and child have a home on some patch of land, and be able to work? Do you think God wants people to be free, treated with dignity and given equal opportunities? And does Jesus Christ set before us His own example of how to engage with hurting people? Absolutely!
What then might we do in response? I’d suggest it begins with raised awareness. Ask God to open your eyes to see the people around you, and in your community, through Jesus’ own lens. Then read for yourself what it says in Leviticus chapter 25. There we see the foundation which will ground us, the requirement to keep the Sabbath and not neglect it. With that pattern of worship, family time, and renewal, we will then be equipped to help meet the needs of others. We also have the inspiring example of a Sabbath during the 7th year and again on the 50th.
I have been abiding in those Scriptures, inviting God to reveal ways we might help people help themselves out of poverty. I am dreaming of ways people can come into our church building and find hope and healing that transforms their lives. I can see this church being a hub for diverse ministries that meet practical needs and help people experience the love and goodness of God in their lives. I look forward to sharing some of those ideas with our leadership and with anyone else who is eager to usher in God’s kingdom – for all.
Part of what we’ll need to do to accomplish such things is have a new way of thinking and leading. That’s why I am meeting weekly with several others who are exploring what it might mean for this church to “Canoe the Mountains”! So, stay tuned, everyone; be prayerful and participate any way you can. God is with us, helping us move into the future He has prepared for us! Thanks be to God, amen.