Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
15After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ 2But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ 3And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ 4But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ 5He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ 6And he believed the Lord; and the Lord he+e -->reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7 Then he said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.’ 8But he said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?’ 9He said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ 10He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.'
Philippians 3:17-4:1
17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 41Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
Luke 13:31-35
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ 32He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Lent 1, Cycle C
The Gospel According to Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,“Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,“He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”, and“On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
The Gospel of the Lord…
I tend to excel at games that involve lying. I am not sure that if, as a pastor, this is something I should be fessing up to, but ever since being a child I have discovered that I am a fantastic liar. It isn’t the kind of skill you can put on a job application, but it is something that I do better than most. One of my favorite games as a child was called two truths and a lie. In this game, much as the title sounds, you tell two truths about yourself and one lie. The other players are challenged to identify the lie among the truths. The key, I’ve found, the secret that makes me one of the better players and this game, is to make the lie so close to the truth that it is almost true. It sounds like our text for this first Sunday in Lent. The lies, the temptations are so close to the truth, that they almost seem like a good idea.
Today we have gone a bit back in time. Last Sunday, we heard the story of Jesus' transfiguration, this Sunday we go back to Jesus’ baptism. He has just gotten wet in the River Jordan, and now he is led into the wilderness. Now he begins forty days of fasting and praying. Here Jesus confronts real temptation. Real struggle. This is where Jesus faces some deeply difficult choices, and there is something to be learned from his journey through the desert.
Life sometimes feels a lot like that childhood game I used to play. We are constantly sifting through the truths and the lies, because life is certainly not as clear-cut as some people pretend it to be. There is a whole lot of gray, our choices are not always obvious. The temptations are strong. Those things that try to draw us away from relationship with God and with one another seem to overwhelm us at every turn. Those who pretend that the answers are always clear cut and easy certainly know something that I don’t.
How do we make the correct decisions when things are complicated? How do we know- like those old bracelets used to say- what Jesus would do? How do we live lives that connect us with God and each other rather than separate us?
In our text for today, Jesus is first confronted with the temptation to satisfy his own hunger. He is challenged to turn a stone into bread. He has been fasting for forty days. Our text even tells us how hungry he is. He is tempted to make from a stone a warm loaf, to fill his own stomach. But, he says that man shall not live by bread alone. Chapters later he will feed 5000 people with just a few loaves and fishes. The lie is that knowing God is all about having our immediate needs met. The lie is that being a Christian, following Jesus, is an easy path where all stomachs are full, and all cares are satisfied. The truth, is that following Jesus means that the poor will be fed by the hands of those who hear God’s word and act on it. The truth is that the poor are not ignored in God’s kingdom- they are upheld and honored, the hungry are not ignored by God, but loved. The lie is that we can all have whatever we want whenever we want it. The truth is that there is enough for all, if we are willing to serve rather than be served.
Next, Jesus is asked to worship the tempter. To turn away from God and put faith in one who can give to Jesus all power and authority. Many of us gathered here this morning know the power of this temptation. The struggle to seek our own glory over the glory that comes from giving of ourselves. The struggle that keeps us awake at night, that keeps us tied to jobs that cause us to neglect our families and our relationships. The struggle that pushes us to do more and more, always keeping out of our grasp that finish line when we will have achieved it all. The temptation facing Jesus is to gain all power and authority over all the kingdoms of the world, yet only chapters later we see him hang on a cross, die the death of a criminal, and then rise from the dead, gaining power and authority over death itself. The lie is that greed and corruption will ultimately bring us the glory that we need. The lie is that compromising integrity will, in the end, work for our good. That we will be able to do so much good, if we just do a little evil. The truth is that powers and principalities crumble under the power of God. The truth is that oppressive rule and exploitation are not God’s ways, and they do not achieve God’s ends. Our passage from Deuteronomy tells us the story of God leading the people out of Egypt, of God hearing their cries and their groans, and bringing them to a land flowing with milk and honey. The truth is that without holding onto what we know of God’s character, we will always find ourselves sinking into the muck that is the search for glory on our own. The truth is that in God’s kingdom the last shall be first and the first shall be last. The servant becomes the savior of all.
Finally, Jesus stands on the pinnacle of the temple. The temptation to challenge God, to test God, stands before him. If he throws himself off, will the angels bear him up as God has promised? Only chapters later we see Jesus walk on water, we watch him calm a storm. The lie is that our God is all about signs and wonders. The lie is that a God that we can test, a God that we can challenge and get what we want is a God worth following. The truth is that the signs and wonders of God’s gracious presence are around us all the time. The truth is that when I look out into this congregation and watch you circle around someone you know is struggling with grief and loss, the truth is that when I receive a call from one of you wondering about how one of our hospitalized members is doing and sharing how hard you have been praying, the truth is that when I watch you hug each other, and tell one another that you love each other, that is enough to make me marvel at the wonder of what God is doing in the midst of this congregation. The truth is that when we gather on Shrove Tuesday to share pancakes, and I watch the hospitality and the grace that you seek to offer this neighborhood, I couldn’t imagine anything that seemed more miraculous.
Our world is full of truths and lies, lies that seek to tempt us, that seek to blind us to the truth of our baptismal identity, a baptism that we share with Christ Jesus. As we journey through Lent together, today we make one more step towards the cross, and this step leads us in truth. A mentor of mine once said that they greatest evil in the world is the belief that we are all doing this alone- that no one can understand what our lives our like, no one can know our pain and the temptations with which we struggle. This morning we read a story that reminds us that we are not alone. Jesus struggles with us. God struggles with us, as we struggle with one another. Life continues to unfold before us, and at every turn we play a game of truths and lies. But what we share in our baptism is an adoption into God’s family, a place in God’s family that we can never lose. And, that, my brothers and sister is Christ, is the truth. Amen.
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,“Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,“He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”, and“On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
The Gospel of the Lord…
I tend to excel at games that involve lying. I am not sure that if, as a pastor, this is something I should be fessing up to, but ever since being a child I have discovered that I am a fantastic liar. It isn’t the kind of skill you can put on a job application, but it is something that I do better than most. One of my favorite games as a child was called two truths and a lie. In this game, much as the title sounds, you tell two truths about yourself and one lie. The other players are challenged to identify the lie among the truths. The key, I’ve found, the secret that makes me one of the better players and this game, is to make the lie so close to the truth that it is almost true. It sounds like our text for this first Sunday in Lent. The lies, the temptations are so close to the truth, that they almost seem like a good idea.
Today we have gone a bit back in time. Last Sunday, we heard the story of Jesus' transfiguration, this Sunday we go back to Jesus’ baptism. He has just gotten wet in the River Jordan, and now he is led into the wilderness. Now he begins forty days of fasting and praying. Here Jesus confronts real temptation. Real struggle. This is where Jesus faces some deeply difficult choices, and there is something to be learned from his journey through the desert.
Life sometimes feels a lot like that childhood game I used to play. We are constantly sifting through the truths and the lies, because life is certainly not as clear-cut as some people pretend it to be. There is a whole lot of gray, our choices are not always obvious. The temptations are strong. Those things that try to draw us away from relationship with God and with one another seem to overwhelm us at every turn. Those who pretend that the answers are always clear cut and easy certainly know something that I don’t.
How do we make the correct decisions when things are complicated? How do we know- like those old bracelets used to say- what Jesus would do? How do we live lives that connect us with God and each other rather than separate us?
In our text for today, Jesus is first confronted with the temptation to satisfy his own hunger. He is challenged to turn a stone into bread. He has been fasting for forty days. Our text even tells us how hungry he is. He is tempted to make from a stone a warm loaf, to fill his own stomach. But, he says that man shall not live by bread alone. Chapters later he will feed 5000 people with just a few loaves and fishes. The lie is that knowing God is all about having our immediate needs met. The lie is that being a Christian, following Jesus, is an easy path where all stomachs are full, and all cares are satisfied. The truth, is that following Jesus means that the poor will be fed by the hands of those who hear God’s word and act on it. The truth is that the poor are not ignored in God’s kingdom- they are upheld and honored, the hungry are not ignored by God, but loved. The lie is that we can all have whatever we want whenever we want it. The truth is that there is enough for all, if we are willing to serve rather than be served.
Next, Jesus is asked to worship the tempter. To turn away from God and put faith in one who can give to Jesus all power and authority. Many of us gathered here this morning know the power of this temptation. The struggle to seek our own glory over the glory that comes from giving of ourselves. The struggle that keeps us awake at night, that keeps us tied to jobs that cause us to neglect our families and our relationships. The struggle that pushes us to do more and more, always keeping out of our grasp that finish line when we will have achieved it all. The temptation facing Jesus is to gain all power and authority over all the kingdoms of the world, yet only chapters later we see him hang on a cross, die the death of a criminal, and then rise from the dead, gaining power and authority over death itself. The lie is that greed and corruption will ultimately bring us the glory that we need. The lie is that compromising integrity will, in the end, work for our good. That we will be able to do so much good, if we just do a little evil. The truth is that powers and principalities crumble under the power of God. The truth is that oppressive rule and exploitation are not God’s ways, and they do not achieve God’s ends. Our passage from Deuteronomy tells us the story of God leading the people out of Egypt, of God hearing their cries and their groans, and bringing them to a land flowing with milk and honey. The truth is that without holding onto what we know of God’s character, we will always find ourselves sinking into the muck that is the search for glory on our own. The truth is that in God’s kingdom the last shall be first and the first shall be last. The servant becomes the savior of all.
Finally, Jesus stands on the pinnacle of the temple. The temptation to challenge God, to test God, stands before him. If he throws himself off, will the angels bear him up as God has promised? Only chapters later we see Jesus walk on water, we watch him calm a storm. The lie is that our God is all about signs and wonders. The lie is that a God that we can test, a God that we can challenge and get what we want is a God worth following. The truth is that the signs and wonders of God’s gracious presence are around us all the time. The truth is that when I look out into this congregation and watch you circle around someone you know is struggling with grief and loss, the truth is that when I receive a call from one of you wondering about how one of our hospitalized members is doing and sharing how hard you have been praying, the truth is that when I watch you hug each other, and tell one another that you love each other, that is enough to make me marvel at the wonder of what God is doing in the midst of this congregation. The truth is that when we gather on Shrove Tuesday to share pancakes, and I watch the hospitality and the grace that you seek to offer this neighborhood, I couldn’t imagine anything that seemed more miraculous.
Our world is full of truths and lies, lies that seek to tempt us, that seek to blind us to the truth of our baptismal identity, a baptism that we share with Christ Jesus. As we journey through Lent together, today we make one more step towards the cross, and this step leads us in truth. A mentor of mine once said that they greatest evil in the world is the belief that we are all doing this alone- that no one can understand what our lives our like, no one can know our pain and the temptations with which we struggle. This morning we read a story that reminds us that we are not alone. Jesus struggles with us. God struggles with us, as we struggle with one another. Life continues to unfold before us, and at every turn we play a game of truths and lies. But what we share in our baptism is an adoption into God’s family, a place in God’s family that we can never lose. And, that, my brothers and sister is Christ, is the truth. Amen.
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