Lent I

By the Reverend Martha Frances

Year A, Lent I

10 February 2008 

Text:  Matthew 4: 1-11

Others: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19 

      Today's opening collect probably sounds like most of us when we're at the end of one rope or another in our lives:  "Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save. . . ." 

      "Come quickly to help us. . ." we cry when we're boxed into a corner or we're just sick & tired of being sick & tired.  At this season of Lent, this 6 weeks preceding Easter, we turn our attention to self-examination & getting our own spiritual house in order so when we celebrate Jesus' victory over death on Easter morning, we will be free both of petty daily sins & also deeper sins of jealousy, anger, appetite & greed. "Come quickly to help us" is a necessary plea for those of us who are ever in the process of making Jesus the Lord of our lives.  In fact, we are not able even to see ourselves clearly—warts & all—without the eyes of God to guide us.

      Immediately after John baptized Jesus, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for retreat where we know Jesus fasted, & we also assume he prayed, read or recalled scripture, & contemplated just what form God wanted his ministry to take.  Jesus was tempted by those things which one would assume would make him a more effective representative of God.  Notice that the tempter didn't arrive on Day 1 but waited until Jesus was good & famished before beginning the temptations. 

      Jesus fasted 40 days & 40 nights, just as Moses did on the mountain when he received the 10 Commandments.  When he returned from his rendezvous with God, what did the Hebrew people cry out for in the wilderness?  Bread, of course, the same thing Jesus was tempted to make out of stone during his wilderness experience.  How many of us find that our temptations originate with our taste buds or our growling tummies? Though we are sometimes mildly hungry, how often does our attention turn to those who do not have adequate nourishment when our own hunger pangs begin?  Such a discipline is appropriate spiritual reason for fasting rather than a desire to lose weight, for example. It's curious, isn't it, that Jesus is later able to feed thousands of people from just 5 loaves & 2 fish? This isn't about his ability to perform the miracle but rather about who is in charge of his life. 

      Further, Satan tempts Jesus with his ability to do good works, to influence others, to broaden his sphere of influence as he goes about bringing God's Reign into the world of that day.  When Satan takes Jesus up to the pinnacle of the temple, he questions Jesus' very identity, "IF you are the Son of God. . . ."

Notice that the tempter—that's the true meaning of the word we translate "Satan"—has studied his scripture well & uses it to tempt Jesus.  He quotes from Psalm 91 [from which we sing today], "He will command his angels concerning you," and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone."  Here certainly we have a 21^st Century ploy full-blown:  battering someone with scripture quotes.  Jesus doesn't need to prove his identity with miracle-working, does he?  If Jesus could accept his own boundaries as a human being, why do we continue to push the boundaries of what it is to be human & to be obedient? 

      In fact, our story from Genesis in today's lectionary is a great example not only of people's misusing scripture, in this case to blame the evil in the world on the woman, but also of taking a story literally & thus missing the more cogent & universal point.  Adam & Eve are easy to take pot-shots at because they remind us so much of ourselves; temptation to sin has always been part of human nature.  As inconvenient & downright devastating as our own tendency to sin is, such is a necessary part of being humans who have free will;  otherwise we'd simply be puppets.  Notice the tree is of the knowledge of good AND evil, not just one of them.  Adoration of God as well as obedience to God's will would be meaningless if we had no choice. 

      Scripture scholar the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Wright points out:

"The knowledge referred to is not limited to moral knowledge; rather, it is the tree of infinite knowledge, of knowing all that it is possible to know.  The point is not that trying to discern between good & evil is somehow wrong or at least prohibited, but rather that trying to have all knowledge is a grasping to be God, to be without limit.  That may be what God is warning the first gardener."  Whether we call that desire to accumulate all knowledge pride or self-sufficiency, when we think we don't need God, that in itself is a misuse of knowledge & therefore sinful.

      In fact, returning to Jesus' temptations, Satan's final temptation is to power, so Jesus' influence will be great enough to be able to do all the good things he wants humans to do & be.  All Jesus had to do, & all we have to do, is worship Satan, & that tempter can be anything which we put in place of God.  In churchy language, we call that idolatry, putting something else in God's place.  Although we sometimes put raw power or an addictive substance in place of God, very common is for us to hold positive things up to be our gods such as making a living for our families or being good, upstanding citizens.  Very good goals as long as they do not take the place of God in our lives. 

      Yesterday, our youth group, their sponsor Elizabeth, & a whole group of supportive adults held a garage sale.  What an amazing assortment of "treasures" were donated for sale!  Many individuals cleared out garages & storerooms & closets to contribute to the garage sale.  Others saw the beauty or usefulness in those things that others discarded, & everyone won:  the givers, the buyers, & the youth who will be able to furnish their own space.  We need times like this to cleanse our insides, to empty out the clutter in our lives & leave space to invite God to fill that God-shaped hole in our hearts.  Lent is that time of year, needed every year.  This year its beginning even coincides with Asian New Year, for all cultures have representative times for starting over.

      And we don't just do this emotional & spiritual house-cleaning by ourselves.  Just as the youth needed a lot of help to hold the garage sale yesterday, so we need each other in community to shovel out the refuse from our lives & prepare to celebrate our resurrected Christ again.  Our Sunday & Wednesday Bible studies help us do that, prayer groups & spiritual directors & companions aid us in our house-cleaning, & our Wednesday evening Lenten programs will invite us to stay open to God's guiding us to be more fully human & more fully communal. 

      Further, if you believe your spiritual house-cleaning should be sacramental this year during Lent, I am available in one of my priestly functions for sacramental confession & reconciliation.  You may look at the services in the Prayer Book on page 446 & following.  Just call me for an appointment.

      As we journey through the 40 days of Lent,  let us pray for each other as a community & encourage each other to be open to how Christ calls us to give ourselves more fully to God's greatest gift, Jesus Christ, who is our redeemer.