“First Fruits-Honoring God”

Leviticus 23:10-14; Proverbs 3:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

When I was a young child, I remember my mother excitedly announcing the first fruits of certain seasons. Because back in the 1960s, we actually had months when certain fruits and vegetables were not on grocery store shelves. Anyone else remember those days? Mom always got particularly excited about serving the “First asparagus” of the season. She would put melted butter and lemon juice on it, then announce, “It is the FIRST asparagus of the season! Make a wish!” I felt like that was a special time at the dinner table and always looked forward to eating one of my favorite vegetables.

Did anyone else out there used to make wishes on fruits and vegetables? Well, it was tradition in our house. The first asparagus, first orange, etc. were announced with fanfare, and I made my wishes. Sadly, none of those fruits and vegetables ever DID turn into bacon, but I didn’t give up.

Nowadays, there are few seasonal fruits and vegetables. We have resources from all over the world for most of the year. I can have asparagus pretty much whenever I want, and a couple of weeks ago while grocery shopping, I felt I'd had so much asparagus that I bypassed it altogether. Were I, the child, able to time travel to the future time of now and see that decision, I would have been appalled.

When my mom made those announcements about the first fruits of the season, she created a special moment, set aside to be thankful for the first of whatever we were about to eat. There was an ebb and flow to what we ate, and I really was thankful for that first bit of whatever we were about to partake. That same ebb and flow was present in ancient Hebrew society. It was an agrarian culture, and food was grown or raised and became ready for harvest at certain times of the year. Festivals such as the Festival of Weeks (also known as Shavuot) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread incorporated first-fruits offerings. Offerings of the first produce were then given ceremonially to God to honor God, and festivals were often centered around that agrarian calendar.

We are calling this time of year the “First Fruits offering” for our Ashland 1^st Pres. congregation, as we collect financial gifts from members and friends to support our capital campaign. We hope to honor God in our giving as we renovate our church campus and prepare it for God’s future here at the corner of Walker and Siskiyou. Does this kind of offering have personal practical applications? Let’s take a closer look at this spiritual practice of offering first fruits and see how it might apply to us today.

The practice of setting aside a first-fruit offering for God was established in early Israelite history. We see this reflected in our passage from Leviticus, emphasizing that God was the source of all blessings and that the first and best portion of the harvest should be dedicated to God. This was an act of honor, gratitude, and dedication to God, symbolizing trust in God’s provisions and blessings.

During this period of Israelite history, first fruits (Bikkurim: בכורים) were offered to God from crops, wine, oil, and livestock. These offerings were selected to be given at the temple as follows: Upon visiting his field and seeing grain, a fig, a grape, or a ripe pomegranate, the owner would tie a cord of reed-grass or similar fiber around the fruit, saying, "This shall be among the bikkurim." 

Once the temple was fully established, there was a grand procession during certain festivals when the people presented their first fruits. Wikipedia in part describes this procession as follows: “The bringing of first-fruits was incorporated into a beautiful and grand festive celebration, with a procession of pilgrims marching up to Jerusalem and then the Temple.

Stations assembled in the chief town of the district, and stayed there overnight in the open squares, without going into the houses. At dawn the officer in charge called out: "Arise, let us ascend to Zion, the house of the Lord our God.” Those from the neighborhood brought first fruits- fresh figs and grapes; those from a distance, dried figs and raisins.”  The people of God were instructed to present these offerings as sheaves (bundles tied together). They would then be placed into baskets.

Pilgrims then began a procession to Jerusalem. A bull with horns gilded and head wreathed with olive leaves led the procession, which was accompanied by flute-playing. The fruits were brought in gold, silver, or willow baskets to which live doves were tied. When they arrived near Jerusalem, the pilgrims sent messengers ahead while they decorated the first fruits. The Temple officers came out to meet them, and all artisans along the streets rose before them, giving them the salutation of peace, and hailing them as kindred from this or that town.

The flute kept sounding until they reached the temple mount. Here whoever was king at the time, following the custom, took his basket on his shoulder just like all other pilgrims, and marched in the ranks, until they came to the outer court and hall. The Levites would then break out in song. The doves were given as sacrificial offerings, and a very specific script from Deuteronomy 26 was followed. The offering pilgrim would speak to a Levite priest, saying in part, "a wandering Aramean was my father." The basket was deposited from the shoulder, but while the owner was still holding its handles or rims, a priest put his hand under it and swung it up, then repeated the words "a wandering Aramean was my father", etc., until the end of the recitation. Then the basket was placed by the altar, and the pilgrim would bow and leave.

The Levite priests would then wave the offerings before the presence of God as a symbolic act of thanksgiving, recognizing that all things came from the Divine Creator. These offerings were then given directly to the priests as payment for their services. For, according to Numbers 18:21-24, because the temple priests dealt with people’s sins, they could not inherit land or be given money. So, practically, none of these offerings just sat on an altar. The temple priests consumed them as a payment for their services.

In addition to honoring God and seeing God as the source of their food, the faithful also believed God would bless them for these offerings. As the passage from Proverbs tells us, “Honor God with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10) When we bless God by honoring God, we too will be blessed.

There are a couple of mentions of first fruits in the New Testament as well, but with different connotations. Paul mentions first fruits as he writes about the resurrection of the dead. According to some theologians, there was little hope of any life after death in the first-century Greco-Roman world. For Paul, resurrection was central to God’s restoration of humanity and to Jesus' mission. Just before this morning’s passage from 1^st Corinthians, Paul even says if Christ did not rise from the dead, preaching is pointless, faith is futile, and sin is still a huge problem.

However, beginning in verse 20, Paul writes that Christ has, in fact, been raised from the dead and is the first fruits of those who have died. Since the original understanding of first fruits was that the whole harvest comes from God, Jesus’ resurrection as the first fruits affirms that he did not raise only for himself, or just because he was God’s Son. Jesus died and rose again as the first fruit of a great harvest. He opened the gates of heaven for us; that is the whole harvest.

So then, how does this concept apply to us today? How might we demonstrate a first fruit offering to God and express our trust and gratitude to God our provider? There is a three-part core message about first fruits offering to consider as we try to answer that question.

1. First Fruits are about prioritizing our lives. This kind of offering says, “God, you are my only source in life. Thank you.”
2. First fruits offerings are an act of faith and trust. In an agrarian society, giving from the first harvest meant trusting God for the rest of the season.
3. First Fruit offerings align our lives with God and blessing. When we put God first, we align our hearts with God’s will and purposes. God then provides in ways we cannot and blesses us in unexpected ways.

With that three-part core in mind, how do we apply this spiritual principle to our individual lives? Are there examples of modern cultures that utilize this principle?

Dedicating the initial harvest or produce to a deity remains alive in many cultures today, often adapted to contemporary contexts while retaining their symbolic roots of gratitude, renewal, and thanksgiving.

1. Shintō (Japan)
   In Shintō tradition, the shinsen is the offering of the first rice sheaves to the kami (spirits or deities). This practice is still observed in rural areas, where farmers present the first harvest to local shrines to honor the earth’s fertility and ensure continued abundance.
2. Sri Lanka (Buddhism)
   Buddhist communities in Sri Lanka offer the first portion of the rice harvest in ritual ceremonies. This act is both a thanksgiving to the Buddha and a way to seek blessings for the coming season.
3.  Native American Traditions
   Many Native American tribes hold first-fruits ceremonies to give thanks to the Creator, the earth, and to the spirits of the harvest. In the Pacific Northwest, some communities ritually welcome the first salmon of the season, offering it to the community and to the river spirits.

How can we live out the first fruits principle today? Here are some ideas I encourage you to explore.

• Finances. Set aside a portion of your monthly income for God before paying bills. Use it to show love for God, neighbor, and yourself.
• Time. Give God the first part of your day in prayer and Scripture before diving into the rest of your schedule for the day. Let the first moments upon waking be filled with praise rather than worry.
• Abilities. Take stock of your personal talents. Can you teach, build, cook, lead, sing, write, or use some other talent for God before using it for yourself or others?

The First Fruits offering is not just an old Hebrew principle. It is a timeless principle of putting God first in every area of your life. This week, ask yourself, “Am I willing to place an offering from my life in God’s hands before using it for myself?”  Try to identify one area where you can give to God your “First fruits”- whether it is your income, your time, or your talent. Begin with some prayer time. Focus on this core idea: Acknowledge that all blessings come from God. In response, we give God the first and best of who we are and what we have, in gratitude and trust. May God be with us as we offer our first fruits to our source for all of life. Alleluia! Amen.