Listen to the gospel lesson and sermon here.
Luke 4:1-13
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,2 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.3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread."4 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone.' "5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.6 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.7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' "9 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,10 for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,'11 and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' "12 Jesus answered him, "It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Welcome, everyone, again to the season of Lent. If this is your first time experiencing Lent within the context of the Christian or even the protestant church, welcome. We’re glad you’re joining us. I deeply enjoy the season of Lent, and I often envy folks who get to experience it all for the first time. From Ash Wednesday, through the next 40 days. Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil. Oh man, I don’t recall my first ever experience with Lent, outside of giving up soda as a kid….but could you imagine if you were new to Christianity and experiencing the Protestant season of Lent for the first time.
Well, if that’s you, welcome. I pray that the next forty days of Lent is meaningful, pleasantly penintial, contemplative, enlightening, and above all full of personal and spiritual growth.
I think too often we take not just Lent, but the whole Christian liturgical calendar for granted. For those of us who have been in the Protestant or Lutheran church for our entire lives, we know it’s coming. We know what to expect...and we know the routine. I think that is both good...and unfortunate. Good because we embody the seasons. Our lives ...hearts, bodies, minds, and souls sync to an internal liturgical pattern that empowers and sustains. A Liturgical pattern that never disappoints. It’s stable and reliable.
But it’s a bit unfortunate because embodying the ebbs and flows of the liturgical calendar shares a fine boundary with complacency and apathy. We risk taking it for granted.
Our lectionary calendar technically has six seasons - Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. These season have a natural flow to them - 1st, a season of reflection and contemplation, then a day or season of celebration, and then a season of Growth. So, in the winter we have Advent, Christmas, and Epipany. A pattern of Waiting and reflection, a season of celebration at Christmas, and then a season of growth - Epiphany. This is why the color of the Epiphany season is green.
Today we start the pattern over again. Reflection and contemplation, celebration, and growth. Lent, Easter, and the time after Pentecost, which is also green.
Lent is a season of penitence and reflection. Introspect and contemplation. For 40 days we look within ourselves and our lives discern the aspects that disrupt our relationship with God. God is fully invested in us. God named and claimed us. God abundantly and endlessly pours out grace upon grace. And for these short 40 days we acknowledge and confess that we have fallen short of God’s gift for us. We identify all the temptations of our life that fester, disturb, and destroy God’s relationship with us.
This is why we start Lent with Ash Wednesday. A service of extended confession and an imposition of ashes. Reminding one another that we were created by God from dust and to dust we shall return. And God does incredible things through the dust. Ash Wednesday ushers us into the season of Lent with a humble and powerful reminder that we are utterly dependent upon God. Everything else fades away, but God and God alone creates, empowers, sustains, and saves.
We’re 4 days into Lent now, and I’m curious, how is your Lenten experience going thus far? I suspect for some of us, we might be thinking...Oh shoot, did I miss ash wed. I completely forgot it was even Lent. I forgot to give something up...or take something on...oh well too late.
Let me say, not true! Lent is not like new years. You know...how you promise yourself that you’ll join a gym on Jan 1 and before you know it it’s March and you think...eh, next year. No, Lent is an intentional 40 day journey, with each and everyday to self-assess, confront the temptations in your life, repent, and try again. If you completely missed the Lent train, jump on today.
Plus, you’re likely in good company. How many of us have every “given something up for lent or promised ourselves we’d commit to some new spiritual practice or exercise of self care..and then once we miss or forget a day we say, oh well?!?! I promised myself I would read 30 min everyday for Lent. May I confess, I haven’t made it past the title.
But for those of you who did make a personal decision to improve, correct, or challenge yourself for 40 days….we’re on day 4, and this is probably about the moment you’re starting to get jittery. Jonesing for that chocolate bar or adult beverage. Craving that diet coke or cigarette. Maybe you're tired of passing up your fiction vampire novel for the Bible. This is probably about the moment that you’re famished and starting to gasp for air. Reaching for a way out or an excuse to have a cheat day. You’re about ready to say oh well, next year. Anybody reach that point?!
You’re fighting temptation. And every time we fight temptation we grow. It’s like committing to running on the treadmill for 20 min only to look up and see that you’re 2 min away from the next mile marker. Gasping for air you could be done and walk away. Or you could you push forward, finish that mile and know you had every reason to quit but didn’t.
Life is an endless cycle of fighting temptations. Temptations that lure you into believing you’re not capable or powerful. Taunting you to believe that you’re important, strong, smart, or beautiful. Temptation mocks, laughs, teases, taunts, and destroys our sense of self-worth and self value. Of who and whose we are. Temptation promises to fill and fulfill us in all sorts of empty ways. And Lent...Lent is 40 days of intentionally acknowledging and fighting the temptations. Even if it is a mountain dew or Milkshake...red meat or netflix. For forty days we choose to acknowledge and fight the lure of temptation itself, to confront our own personal temptations, and they’re different for each of us….but we fight them and we grow...and as we grow we are reminded that we are not dependent upon the things...the stuff...the power or status...the false ideals and temptations…we are reminded that we are only truly and wholly dependent upon God.
And when we’re committed to the season of lent and the beauty of repentance, we can hear the voice of our tempters...dismiss them...and turn to God. Lent can be a rough but rewarding 40 days of spiritual growth. And admittedly, it’s not something that we would typically bring upon ourselves.
It seems appropriate then that our Lenten journey today starts not only within scripture, but with the familiar story of Jesus own experience of temptation in the wilderness.
In today’s story, Jesus who is full of the Spirit and likely still dripping wet from his baptism is led into 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.
And it’s then, famished, tired, and alone that the devil mocks Jesus and makes three final attempts at temptation.
First, the devil asks Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” It should be noted that the devil isn’t question if Jesus is the son of God. In the original language the answer is implied within the question. So, the devil says, if you really are the son of God, and I know that you are….command this stone to become bread.” The devil preys on Jesus being famished and tempts Jesus to convert stone into food. But Jesus fires back without hesitation that One does not live by alone. That is to say that while bread would be delicious for a famished stomach...it would only provide simple, temporary satisfaction. Rather it is trust in God and God alone that nourishes and sustains life.
Next the devil tempts Jesus with power and authority over all the kingdoms of the world if he but worship the devil. But again, Jesus is quick to quote scripture and say, “It is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
The devil offers Jesus the power to impose his control and dominion over all people, and while that sort of power may be tempting, God has a greater kingdom in mind. A kingdom that reaches far beyond the earthly, political realm. The kingdom of God is one that is equitable and fair...one that empowers its people rather than reward status.
Finally, the devil tries a new tactic by quoting scripture himself. He says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,10 for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,'11 and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” But Jesus, truly knowing scripture as opposed to memorizing it says, "It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Jesus faces significant temptation. Temptation that looks nice. Sounds wonderful. Even tastes good. But these temptations, while shiny and luring, are empty promises. Promises that only leave the fleeting feeling of power, satisfaction, or fullness. But Jesus, famished, tired, and alone denies the devil’s lure...and resists with an utter and complete dependence upon God.
Now to be clear, it is not my intention to suggest that our own experience with temptation is anything close to Jesus’. After all, Jesus definitively resist all temptation, whereas we fall short endlessly. I think Jesus is a model and witness by which we all strive to match, but continuously fail to achieve. This is what sets Jesus apart, and he’ll ultimately go so far as to defeat the devil through the cross in the resurrection.
In fact, it’s the resurrection of Christ that even empowers us to choose the discipline of Lent in the first place. It’s the power of Christ and the promise of God to abide beyond sin death and the devil, the we approach lent with penitence and intentional self-reflection.
I think today’s story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, which is perfectly placed at the start of Lent is not simply a lesson or tutorial for fending off satan’s lure, but I think Jesus’ experience in the wilderness is a lesson about just how tempting the devil can be. And it’s different for each of us. Everyone experiences and confronts their own breadth of temptations.
And Lent invites us, if only for 40 days to recognize and acknowledge temptation. Knowing full and well that we will not always be faithful or successful in dismissing the lure. And that’s what we call a wilderness journey. A time of wandering and wondering. Of self-assessment and discernment. Of mirage and false hope. These 40 days are a voluntary trip into the wilderness to face the devils in our life, the very things that destroy or disrupt our relationship with God. And and as we journey, we grow. We confront the all the things that cannot save us, losing our appetite for fleeting power, false wealth, and temporary worth.
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