Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Leviticus 19:1–2, 9–18 “Be Holy”
First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City
February 19, 2017
Today we will look at the Book of Leviticus. Leviticus is the third book of the Bible. It was written after the Hebrews had been freed by God from slavery in Egypt. They had received from God, through Moses, the law on Mount Sinai. As they wandered for forty years in wilderness they were being prepared for life in the Promised Land. And through all of this the most important thing was their relationship with God. Their relationship with God was important because God was with them, leading them through the wilderness as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They needed to know how to live with God residing so close. We will get to this, but first let’s pray.
“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety to thy glory and our own edification.” Amen. (Calvin)
Leviticus19:1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
The basis of the relationship between the Hebrews and God was that people were to be holy just as God is holy. Let’s take a look at what this means. The Hebrew word for holy is qadosh. Qadosh simply means to be separate, apart. God is up in heaven. We are down here on earth. God is infinite. We are finite. God is the creator. We were created. God is separate, apart from us. God is Holy, qadosh, and we are not.
But there is a problem with this because God has chosen to be with his people. God does not want to be separate, apart. That is why he came as Jesus and remains with us as the Holy Spirit. And if God is with us, how can he still be holy, separate and apart? The Hebrews said that if God is with us then the land he resides on must be holy. And the tabernacle they built on that land also must be holy. And the furniture in the tabernacle must be holy. And the priests who enter that tabernacle must also be holy. And so they consecrated the land, the tabernacle, the furniture and the priests as holy, set apart for God’s purposes. The Hebrews built a holy tabernacle on holy land. They consecrated holy furniture and holy priests to serve the holy God. God resided in the tabernacle and he and everything in it was holy, set apart for God’s purposes.
But surrounding the tabernacle were the people of God. And they had to be holy too. For a holy God to be with his people, his people must be holy. And in order to be holy there were somethings that God wanted them to do. Let’s take a look at some of these.
9 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.
In ancient times land owners has an abundance of food. Occasionally they would suffer a draught or war and famine might result, but usually God provided for them an abundance of food. But people who had no land had no food to eat. These would include widows who could not own land, orphans, too young to own land, the poor and the aliens from another country. God wanted to ensure that everyone land owners and landless all had plenty to eat. And so this system of leaving some of the crops in the field for the poor to glean was instituted. By making certain that everyone had something to eat the people could become holy, set apart for God’s purposes.
So too with us. We can be a holy people by making certain that everyone in this community has plenty to eat. Out of you giving the church keeps TV dinners in the freezer which I pass out to hungry families. Also the nonperishables that you bring to church and place on the rattan shelves in fellowship hall help feed needy families. Please keep those shelves full. The need in Ocean City is great. Make sure that no one in our community is hungry and this church will be holy.
So far we have seen that dealing with hunger in the community makes a church holy. Let’s look at how honesty does the same.
11 “‘Do not steal.
“‘Do not lie.
“‘Do not deceive one another.
12 “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.
In ancient times a man without land could work for a landowner for a daily wage. The wage was needed for a worker’s family to eat that night. Failure to pay wages when day was finish meant that a family would go hungry. A holy people would never do this.
We have to consider how to fairly treat workers in our community. I recently met a couple who had moved into our community with a bunch of teenagers and a little one. The father first lost his job and then lost his home. They moved in across the street with enough to pay rent but not enough to feed the family. We gave them some food. But let’s look at the larger issue. We live in a city that only has employment for part of the year. Many people lose their jobs in the fall. Unemployment insurance helps, but it is often not enough. There is usually a gap between the loss of a job and the reception of benefits. Some people don’t qualify for benefits at all. There has to be a better way. Ocean City must find some way to provide some year-round employment. Surely the business community could do something here to provide wintertime jobs. Some kind of industry could come here and provide employment. If we could figure out how to provide offseason jobs for people then we would be holy.
So far we have seen that the church can be holy, set apart for God’s purposes, if the people in our community are not hungry and are given opportunities to work. These are important. But let’s look at one more thing that would make the church holy. For us to be holy, we must treat each other fairly.
14 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.
15 “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16 “‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.
17 “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
18 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
What if a person who couldn’t hear came to our church. Do we provide a sign language interpreter? No. If a blind person came on Sunday would we give them a braille bulletin? No. If a poor person came to our church on Sunday, would we treat them the same way we would treat a rich person? No. At this church do we ever talk about someone behind his back or crack coarse jokes? Yes. Do we hold grudges against one another and seek revenge? Yes. Do we love, really love, everyone who comes in our doors or lives in our community? No.
So how can we become holy? There are some who say that holiness comes about through increased piety. As you read your Bible every day, pray every day, and worship every Sunday you will grow and become more like Christ. This is important, but it is not enough. Others say that holiness comes from taking care of yourself properly. Do not smoke. Do not drink alcohol. Do not have sex outside of marriage. All of this is important and will help each of you become more holy. But it is not enough.
Holiness is not something we achieve alone. We become holy as a group, as a church. The church is called to be holy because the God who dwell within it is holy. If God’s holy presence is here with us, as it surely is through the Holy Spirit, then we must be holy. This church must be set aside for God’s purposes. And God’s purposes are that we must share our food with the poor in our community. God wants everyone in our community to find work that will allow families to support themselves. God wants everyone in our community, the poor, the blind, the deaf, the unemployed, the immigrant from another country, everyone to be warmly welcomed in this church. If we do these things, the church will be holy and God will remain with us. But if we not do these things then the church will not be holy and our holy God might leave us.
So when a poor person comes to this church in the winter, treat them like you do the rich people vacationing here in the summer. Make sure they have something to eat. Help them to find work. Encourage them to come to church and learn about Jesus. Be holy because the Lord your God is holy.
I recently heard a story about a man visiting a church[1]. It was an old Presbyterian church with a large sanctuary, stained glass windows and a tall steeple from another era. Inside was a small congregation. Near the beginning of the service prayers were read and a young women asked visitors to remain seated where they would be greeted by members of the church. He sat there quietly as instructed but no one came to greet him. The members just talked with each other. He was crushed and decided never to come to that church again. What are some of the things we can do to prevent this from happening here?
First, we should stop worrying about ourselves. We don’t talk to new people because we worry that they won’t like us. If this is the attitude of the church then we are going nowhere. We have to swallow our pride and reach out our hands to warmly greet visitors from our community.
Second, we must be willing to put in the time. Getting to know someone takes time. And we often don’t want to spend time with new people. If this is our attitude the church’s decline will continue. We have to spend time getting to know people. We have to learn their names and the names of their children. We have to ask where they work and what they do for fun.
And third, we must walk along with people. So often we walk at people. We come at people with “finger raised and shaking in disgust”. People need to know that church is a safe place for themselves and their families to worship God. If they feel that they are being judged, or fearful of doing something wrong they will run out of the church never to return. This is not to say that we excuse poor life choices or condone sin. But we have to realize that the world is broken and people are broken. Church is a community where people can experience healing and get help with the problems they face. Greet people warmly when they come to your church. Spend time getting to know them. And remember that we are all broken people who need help now and then. Do these things and this church will be holy, set apart for God’s purposes. And God will be with us. Let us pray.
Holy God we pray to you this morning as your people. We ask that you set us apart and use us to achieve your purposes here in Ocean City. Bless us with your presence and make us holy. We pray this in your son’s name, Jesus our lord. Amen.
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