Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7, Matthew 4:1-11
First Sunday of Lent, 1 March 2020, Eldroth
Rather than a gospel followed by a sermon today, instead a meditation on two of our readings: for the beginning of Lent. You might like to follow them on the blue sheets. The gospel reading from Matthew, and first, Psalm 32.
Happy the one whose transgression is forgiven,
and whose sin is covered.
Happy the one to whom the Lord imputes no guilt,
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
It may surprise you to hear me say this, but Lent is a time for happiness. Yes, it is also a time for self-inspection, inner questioning, a time to search for the God we’ve forgotten or somehow strayed from. But for those who take on these tasks, the work of Lent, for those who recognise their faults and failings and come to God for forgiveness - forgiveness comes; happiness follows.
The Psalmist said these words to God - and can we imagine Jesus also saying them as he starved in the lonely, sun-wracked wilderness for those forty days:
For I held my tongue;
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all the day long.
Your hand was heavy upon me day and night;
my moisture was dried up like the drought in summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and my iniquity I did not hide.
In one of Jesus’ ears, throughout those forty days: the voice of God bringing balm, bringing help, offering forgiveness; and in the other ear, the voice of temptation. Jesus found a way to always hear the voice of God above the sound of the tempter. Our happiness in Lent comes when we find a way to do the same.
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, neither are our ways God’s ways… when it comes to food, when it comes to putting inside our bodies stuff we know will harm us, but doing it nevertheless; when it comes to all the guilt and shame which follows.
And yet, we can ask God to repair us; to nourish us with better food than we can ever buy: God’s word, God’s love’ God’s inspiration, God’s daily bread for our life’s journey. When we do, peace of mind, and happiness follows.
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let all the faithful make their prayers to you
in time of trouble;
in the great water flood, it shall not reach them.
You are a place for me to hide in;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with songs of deliverance.
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and “‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, neither are our ways God’s ways… when it comes to wanting an easy life, free of suffering, an easier gospel, a lighter cross, a less demanding saviour.
And yet, we can ask God to repair us; to help us to bear our suffering with grace and hope, for when we suffer, God suffers with us; to help us not to reach out for ready remedies, quick fixes, to all that pains us, but to reach instead for God’s grace to bring a deeper healing and wholeness to our lives.
‘I will instruct you and teach you
in the way that you should go;
I will guide you with my eye.
‘Be not like horse and mule which have no understanding;
whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you.’
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, neither are our ways God’s ways… when it comes to power and prestige, that urge to possess power over others, that desire to appear to be better than others, that deep-down longing to have the acceptance of all others which causes us to stretch and strain ourselves in ways we cannot easily bear, endangering our spirit.
And yet, we can ask God to repair us; to help us to know that God who made us, loves and accepts us just as we are; that in God’s sight we have everything we need, to be the people he made us to be; to help us to be healed from the worries and anxieties of being accepted by others; to rescue us from doing things just to please others which bring harm to our own hearts.
Great tribulations remain for the wicked,
but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.
-- the Psalmist wrote. And so this Lent,
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord;
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.
Let us pray.
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord.
Give us honest hearts, O God,
and send your kindly Spirit
to help us confess our sins
and bring us the peace of your forgiveness;
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Notes
Sources for this meditation:
[1] ’Your thoughts are not our thoughts: Lent Prayer 1’ and ‘Before you, Jesus Christ: Lent Prayer 2’ from Wild Goose Worship Group, Stages on the Way: Worship Resources for Lent, Holy Week and Easter, p.25-28.
[2] Common Worship: Psalm 32.
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