EXODUS 13.1-3a & 11-15 AN EXPOSITION FOR the 1st Sunday after Christmas 2010 Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from Almighty God, the Father, @the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. The reading that we shall look at more closely is the First reading we heard this morning in which we were told: "1 The LORD said to Moses, '2 Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine'.
One thing about the first products of the ground or the firstborn in the family is that they are especially appreciated. It is the first produce that show you that you have done your farming well. It is the first-born child that tells you that you are able to be a parent. As such, the first-born hold a special affection to us. Most parents have far more photographs of their first-born child, than they do of subsequent children. (Isn't that true?). Throughout the Bible we read of the importance of being the firstborn son. In Israel the firstborn son was given twice as much of the inheritance as the rest of the sons. The unique feature of being the firstborn son that today's first reading emphasizes is that they belonged to God. In the case of the cattle, they were to be offered as sacrifices to Him. (Think about what that would feel like to do). To be willing to give up that first-born would be the most difficult of all sacrifices and there would have to be something pretty valuable (extremely valuable) that we would expect to get in return to even consider paying such a high price. Even the thought of such sacrifices must have brought revulsion – a visceral reaction – every time a first born animal was sacrificed or, in the case of a first-born human being, a redemption price was paid – roughly equivalent to $500. So why have such prices paid by God's people? We now know the answer - All the laws and promises of the firstborn of man, animals, and crops in the field showed how God was going to offer His most-loved only begotten – most precious and unique Son. All of this sacrificing pictured how God would one day sacrifice His firstborn son to buy back mankind from sin and death. And what could possibly be so extremely valuable that God would get in return that He would consider – indeed more than consider – actually pay such a price – the sacrifice of His only-begotten Son? He would get you and He would get me. That is it – He would get the eternal thanks of sinful guilty people like us whose faith is not in ourselves, but in the One Who loves us and give Himself as a sacrifice for us and for the forgiveness of our sins. And what would God also get in return? He would also" receive the neverending worship of those holy angels that witnessed our redemption. Listen again to how the Bible clearly speaks of Jesus as God's unique son. Colossians 1:15-17, (at Colossians 1:17, 18), ‘He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross”. Through him everything in heaven and on the earth was created, both the things that are visible and those that are invisible. Everything has been created through him and for him, regardless of whether they are thrones, or rulerships, or governments, or powers. He was before everything and everything came into existence through him.’ As Jesus Himself said, (John 8:58) ‘I tell you the truth, before Abraham was, I AM.’ St. John wrote of Jesus, (John 13:3, 4) ‘He came from God and was returning to God...’ John 16:27, 28, ‘The Father cares for you, because you cared for me and you believed that I came as the Father’s representative. I am from the Father and I came into the world. I am also leaving the world and returning to the Father.’ John 17:5, "So, now Father, glorify me beside You with the glory that I had beside You before there was a world". There is nothing that we can claim that we have done to deserve such a sacrifice from God – that of His unique and irreplaceable Son. Yet He did it just the same and the best we can do is thank and praise Him for it. And, as we contemplate that crucifixion-sacrifice of God's Son for our sakes we know from the Scriptures that His death was not the end. Not only is Christ the “First-born” of God – Jesus is also the first-born from the dead – a description of His coming out of His own tomb alive. And although other resurrections have occurred - of people who have been raised from the dead – Jesus' was the first “permanent” resurrection; in that unlike others who were raised from the dead only to die again – Jesus was raised never to die again. As St. Paul wrote to the (Romans 6.9): We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him”. An addition to calling Christ, the First-born on all these different levels: first-born unique Son of God, and “first-born of the dead” - the One whose resurrection is the first among many permanent resurrections of those who have died - there is yet a third concept of the "first born" of which Scripture speaks – and that is that all the faithful, living and departed, who are believers in Him are called the “first born” in a sense. Scripture teaches us that we, as believers, take part in a mystical communion in Hebrews 12:22-24, when it says, ‘What you’ve approached is ‘You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. In saying this, the Bible shows that a person doesn’t literally have to be the firstborn in genealogical terms to be the firstborn of God. All it takes is for a human being to be highly favored by God to be treated as “firstborn”. Take for example, Jacob. His brother Esau was literally the firstborn, but Jacob was able to buy that right from his brother for the price of a bowl of stew. In that case, the birth right of firstborn was purchased from another, because one appreciated it and the other didn’t. And that’s how (by showing appreciation) one can become the firstborn of God. Through their faith in appreciating the gift of God, many others in Bible history who were not literally the firstborn of their families were given the right of the firstborn by God, including some who were actually born close to last. An example of this was faithful Joseph, for his family line was given a double portion of tribes (Ephraim and Manasseh) in Israel. And later, David (who was the last-born son of Jesse) was appointed king of Israel by God, as was his son Solomon, who was far down the list of David’s sons. That David was actually regarded by God to be His firstborn is proven by the word of God as found at Psalm 89:27, where we read: ‘Then I’ll appoint him to be my firstborn, and put him above the kings of the earth.’ Going back to today's Old Testament reading, the concept of the firstborn was intended to remind God's people of being rescued by Him. For it was when the firstborn of the Egyptians died that they were set free. Moses said, “when in time to come your son asks you, What does this mean? you shall say to him, By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. THAT IS WHY I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem'”. What do we have in our lives to keep alive that all-important memory of how God redeemed us with the blood of His first-born and only-begotten Son? Might I suggest that it is this Holy Supper that we observe every week, like clockwork, at Redeemer and in Churches round the planet? For as, St. Paul taught us, “As often as you eat the bread and drink this cup, you do show forth His death until He comes again” (1 Corinthians 11.26). I know its more of an Easter statement than a Christmas one – but nevertheless, I leave you with the following words this morning on the first Sunday after Christmas “Christ...has been sacrificed for us, let us therefore celebrate the festival” (1 Corinthians 5.8). Amen. The Revd Dr Jonathan Naumann, Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church & School 1261 Pennsylvania Avenue, Oakmont, PA 15139-1195 Internet site: redeemer-oakmont.org e-mail: [email protected] Tel. (412) 828-9323 Ext. 10 Cell. (412) 983-9922 Home: (412) 826-8833 The Manse 782 15th Street, Oakmont, PA 15139 Informal blog: engelein.blogspot.com
