What Have You Done for Me Lately?

Copyright 2010  Lauri Lumby Schmidt

Moses spoke to the people, saying: "The priest shall receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God, 'My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation great, strong, and numerous. When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, O LORD, have given me.' And having set them before the Lord, your God, you shall bow down in his presence."              Dt 26:4-10

In the scripture passage above, we have an opportunity to see the early developments of Hebrew worship.  Speaking to the people, Moses is reflecting upon all the blessings that have come to them as a result of their willingness to surrender to the guidance of the Divine.  As a result of listening to this guidance and taking a profound leap of faith, the Hebrew people (that so chose), were able to escape slavery and settle into a new land of freedom and abundance.  Moses is inviting the people to remember the hand of the Divine in this profound transformation and to respond to that transformation with gratitude.  The Hebrew people were then invited to ritualize their gratitude by offering the first fruits of the harvest as a sign of their thanksgiving.

The natural response to receiving something amazing is gratitude for that gift and a desire to give something in return.  Ritualizing this gratitude is a fulfilling practice that invites us to not only reflect on what we are grateful for, but also invites us to freely share with others from the gifts that we have been given.  In sharing these gifts, we are contributing to the welfare of others, increasing the initial value of that gift a hundredfold. 

This being the first Sunday of Lent, we are perhaps reflecting upon how we will mark these 40 days of retreat and reflection.  Typically, we are invited to give something up, while tending to fasting, prayer and almsgiving.  Instead of giving something up, perhaps we can gather inspiration from the early Hebrew worship and embrace a practice of gratitude and gift giving.  During these 40 days of Lent, perhaps we can take time each day to observe the gifts that we have received that day and offer to God a prayer of gratitude and thanks.  After we have offered a prayer of gratitude, perhaps we can then take time to examine the gifts we have received for ways in which we can share these gifts with others, and then, share them.  So instead of sack cloth and ash, perhaps this Lenten season could be marked with an attitude of gratitude and the spirit of joy.

NOTE:  For a great inspirational read on gratitude, check out:

http://www.29gifts.org and the book of the same name by Cami Walker.