Two Sundays ago, I preached on the literal meaning of salvation and the call to live out our freedom beside one another. Joshua, whose name means deliverance, shares the same name with Jesus, I said. This week, we hear about the first days in the land. The passage opens with the Lord explaining to the people that they are now free of "the disgrace of Egypt." Slavery cripples people. Slavery creates a world where obeying God and loving each other freely is nearly impossible even when safe in the wilderness. And so the new generation enters Israel with not one survivor of Egypt among them, not even Moses. The disgrace of their disobedience while enslaved has been rolled away. They move into the land uncorrupted by the experience of oppression.
Dennis Tucker Jr. on workingpreacher.org makes a helpful observation: notice the connection between forgiveness, freedom, and feasting. The Israelites are forgiven for their ancestral transgressions. They are given a bounty of crops in a sign of the Lord's faithfulness. Further, it is the Passover feast which they keep. As we read with Christian eyes, we may think of the Last Supper and the ongoing relationship between forgiveness and nourishment in divinely ordained meals.
There's another connection too in our lives. I cook for people when I am done arguing with them. And they cook for me as well. How many times have you found yourself sharing a meal with someone with whom you have reconciled be it a family member or friend? Eating and forgiveness go hand in hand. The bounty of our kitchen tables can be a sign of healing. I lost my best friend once for more years than I care to recall. When I couldn't take it anymore, I flew to her city. She drove me to her home, sat me at her table, and fed me.
Reflection
- Imagine yourself at Gilgal. What would you have been thinking before stepping foot in the promised land?
- When has reconciliation been sown through eating in your life?
Prayer
Lord of our freedom, you keep promises. You roll away the shortcomings of our past and lay a feast before us, your people. You heal us with crops grown on promised land. We give you thanks in your Holy Name, Amen
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