June 24, 2010

Do You Know Who You Are?
Deuteronomy 26:5-11 (NLT)

“Say in the presence of the LORD your God,

‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation. 6 When the Egyptians oppressed and humiliated us by making us their slaves, 7we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! 10 And now, O LORD, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground.’

Then .. . . . go and celebrate because of all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household." Deuteronomy 26:5-11 (NLT)

Pastor’s Blog

When asked who they were, most Jews probably were able to recite today’s verses. When you are asked who you are, what is your answer?

A wandering Aramean in verse 5 refers to Jacob, who married the daughters of his uncle Laban, an Aramean. The rest of the passage recounts how God loved, rescued and blessed the descendants of the speaker’s family.

Anyone who recited this passage would know exactly who he was. He was a loved, chosen, cared for, and blessed child of God.

I had the thought that I could say something similar. I could say, “my ancestor was a wandering German. His family was few in number but grew and came to the United States. When the depression hit, they cried out to God and God rescued them. He brought them out of poverty with miracle after miracle (at least my Aunt Martha thinks so). He brought us to this place of prosperity. And now , O Lord, we bring you the first tenth of our blessing to show you our gratitude.”

And as a result of being able to believe and say this as the description of my identity I can celebrate all that the Lord has done for me and my household. In short, if I am to say anything about who I am, it is a story about God.

I like that story a lot. It really is who I am.

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