Sermon 01 march (Lent 1)

First Sunday of Lent

Gen 2.15-17,3.1-7; Ps 32; Rom 5.12-19; Mt 4.1-11

            What a great way to start our Sundays in Lent - with an overall theme of temptation! Fairly fitting - as since Ash Wednesday, we are in a season of fasting - almsgiving - self-denial - self-reflection - prayer - etc. It's a time fraught with - you guessed it: temptation.

            And temptation is one of those biblical and spiritual and religious words that has shifted into mainstream culture. We understand 'giving up chocolate for Lent' with the intention of diving in to those Easter eggs 40 days later. Raising the stakes, we recognize that someone with an addiction - of toxic substance or relationship - will live with temptation daily, fighting against brain chemistry that tells them it will all feel better once they partake.

            Yet for all of us an even more dangerous reality is what's being highlighted to us today: spiritual temptation. This is more than a dessert indulgence or an addict's fix. The biggest challenge with spiritual temptation is this: temptation finds YOU. Every scriptural expression of temptation is one that has come - with forceful intentionality - towards the individual: it accuses - it slanders - it tempts. In fact, the very word Satan (Ha-satan) means these things. And, WOW, is the accuser and tempter VERY good at their job.

            Because part of what this trickster does, is to show you something very simple. Basic. Common. An everyday thing that might make your life a little bit better.  And hidden deep within that offer is the fine print. And the tempter doesn't want you to read the fine print.

            Take our first passage this morning - the infamous fruit in the Garden (Fruit, not apple; it was likely a fig, if the later fashion show is anything to go by!). The temptation to bite into that fruit is not about a succulent morsel - it's a taste of ego, of arrogance, of pride. It's the entitlement - our earthly Eve and Adam believe the serpent that they can gain knowledge to be equal to or higher than God, without God knowing that they have done this.

            Temptation. It tracked them down - and reached to their most vulnerable space - and thus we began knowing the word "sin" - to turn away from God.

            The Gospel reiterates this. For here we have Jesus - immediately following his baptism, that celebration of community and sinlessness - being swept into solitude, and offered exactly what his body wanted most. 'Hungry?' Satan asks a famished Jesus - 'have some bread - I won't tell that you've broken your diet. Worried about your physical safety? We can keep you safe. Power and fame? I'll give you those too - - -

just worship me. (and, by extension - NOT God.)'

            And.... there it is. The fine print. The catch. The temptation - to turn away from God.

            The tempter is smart - knowing exactly the physical and psychological needs that Jesus - any human - would have. Returning again and again with increasing temptations. The tempter threatens, and when vulnerability is highest - slides in with an offer. Food for the hungry; safety for the threatened; control over others when feeling weakened or vulnerable.

            I'm going to point something out here, that might be overlooked: the tempter is not actually offering anything. Temptation - biblical and otherwise - is all smoke and mirrors. The fruit was already on the tree, never touched by the serpent. The bread is only a stone that Jesus would have to change himself. The pinnacle descent would rely on Jesus to call his own heavenly attendants. And the authority - well, that's an empty promise, as Satan never had it to give in the first place.

            Temptation. It looks really good - on the surface.

            It's when we go below the surface that things get more complicated.

            It takes significant faith to stand up to our temptations. BUT - this is the Good News - we can do it. When we are prepared, when we are firm in our hearts and minds and souls, we can overcome the tempter.

            This is what Paul assures the church in Rome - that through faith in Jesus Christ and a holy lifestyle the forgiveness of sins will be paramount - and we shall benefit from "justification and life for all."

            It's there in the psalm - that as we bring ourselves truthfully before God, we are never alone. There's a highlight here on community - which we know we need - to carry us through the temptation of our desires or addictions! "Great are the tribulations of the wicked; but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord."

            And this is what we do - especially during Lent. We acknowledge temptation. We spend time in prayer, to make our connection with God stronger. We fast, to remember our frailty and not get caught up in entitlement. We give alms - sharing of our abundance that others may have basic needs met. We reflect on our own lives and journeys, so that we might be better prepared for when the tempter - in whatever form - comes to us.

            And we do this together. Because temptation is easier to face when we're not alone: this is one of the joys of being in Christian community: not just holding one another accountable to that chocolate intake; or helping one another through the moment of weakness where we fear we may succumb.

            It's the benefit of being family: of knowing and loving one another well enough that we come as we are: sinners in need of redeeming, lost sheep in need of a shepherd, children in need of loving arms. And in this family we do receive just that: the love of God, the salvation of Christ, the blessings of the Spirit.

            So I invite us to spend a holy Lent - aware of the temptations around us, preparing ourselves for what we may face: and embracing one another as beloved in the Lord. For in this communion we will lean on each other for strength, engage one another for guidance, delight in communal worship. For the love of God, and in God's holy name: may we share a blessed Lent.