Let us Pray:
Dear Lord,
Help me to expect miracles.
Help me to get past the borders of my eyes,
the roadblocks of my mind,
the narrow door of my heart.
May my soul embrace
the mystery of Your magnificent love!
May my heart rejoice
over the unexpected and undefined!
May my mind and body sigh
with the sheer awe of it all. Amen.
Okay. When I hear words like those of today’s Psalm 91,
“Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name,”
I think. Uh-huh. Right. I’ve been a man of faith (at least that’s what I told the UCC Committee On Ministry). And I’ve stubbed my toe plenty of times! I won’t even go into the evil that has befallen me (actually, in reality, I’ve had it pretty okay insofar as evil befalling me goes). So, what gives? Do I not have enough faith? Is that the problem? Is that why I don’t always get what I want? I mean, the bible – from the beginning of the bible – seems to tell me that my faith will provide me with all I want and need. Well, let’s take a look. At that, and few other related topics.
From the time they can talk, practically, the youngest Jewish child sitting at the Passover Seder table asks the 4 questions. It’s a ritual that is repeated every year at Passover, often on the first and last night. They ask, “Why is this night different from all other nights,” and “why do we eat matzah,” and “why do we eat bitter herbs,” and “why do we lean on pillows when we eat this night.” Same questions every year. Since forever. And one generation after another. Why? Well, to learn the traditions, of course. But, also, as Rabbi Rachael Jackson, from a favorite podcast states, Jews are taught to question their religion from as early as possible. Question their religion. I really like that idea. Mostly because I’m questioning all the time. All the time. So, what do my doubts infer about me? That I’m a man of little faith. This idea of not questioning and accepting everything on faith gets me, personally, nowhere with my faith. And, it also may be a leading contributor to the fact that so many people leave the religion. If you have trouble with a belief in Christianity, you can be accused of not having enough faith, of being a sinner, of being unworthy. Unworthy? Of what?
On the other hand, if you ask a question, you get an answer. You ask another question and get another answer. And who knows if the answer is true? Well, in most cases, only God. The important thing is that you then have an ongoing conversation about your faith. For me, that’s the point of religion: to have a group of similar-minded people discussing topics that they have in common. And in so doing, get closer to God. That’s what I want our Wednesday sessions to be about. Reading and discussing books written by theologians who are interesting and pose interesting questions and thoughtful answers that lead to more questions from us as well as answers.
So, in today’s reading from Luke, the devil is tempting Jesus with, largely, those gifts presented in Psalm 91:
Command this stone to become a loaf of bread
To you I will give authority over all the kingdoms of the world
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.
And Jesus will have none of it. Why? Well, first of all, couldn’t he do all those things if he wanted to on his own? Good question! What do you think? A possible answer is that in this incarnation Jesus is human. But, isn’t he God? Some say not now, only after his resurrection. Some say now. Who knows for sure? What do you think?
Here’s another answer, from one of my favorite theologians, Michaela Bruzzese, “All of the devil's offerings come with strings attached—that Jesus worship the devil, and that Jesus uses the gifts for himself and his own satisfaction, making the gifts ends in themselves instead of instruments of new life for all.”
See? Ask a question, maybe you can get an answer that you can live with and that reflects God’s work in your life.
Jesus was tempted by the devil during those 40 days in the desert with temporary satiation, prestige, and power through privilege. He rejected those things because they didn’t reflect his journey. They didn’t reflect his purpose on Earth, or his relationship with God. And so, I ask you and I ask myself, what Rev. Terry Yasuko Ogawa asks us during the season of Lent, “What will you give up that separates you from God? Lent is a great chance to put down that which only buries us faster and leaves us wrapped in blankets of despair. And this year, more than ever, what might each of us pick up that roots us deeper in God’s care and hope.”
It’s not about giving up candy, or dessert, or television in order to induce some sort of low grade suffering, or even weight loss, but think of it more as what you might let go, or take on that keeps you held in God’s loving embrace. What is God’s loving embrace? How does that feel? I’m not sure. I think I feel it when I find words that are meaningful to me when I’m writing my sermons. So, for clarity, I’ll ask these questions instead: What practices bring you hope? Possible answers might be daily readings, volunteering, daily walks, scheduled telephone conversations. What can you give up that will bring more light into your life and the lives of those around you? Items in your household that you haven’t used in years, turning around a thought or belief that only makes you angry, giving up politely refusing when someone offers you a ride somewhere?
The Wilderness of Lent is right here, within us. We don’t have to go anywhere else to find our uncharted dark places except within. The blessings that God bestows are freely given so that we can discard our false idols and trust in the liberation promised by God. Our own wilderness journeys give us the opportunity to name and reject those false idols we may desire—power, earthly riches, fame. That’s when we are able to recognize, accept and live God's promise to those whose riches are not of this world: "Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
And, as Cheryl Lawry states:
i just realized
that in my imagination
the wilderness is always somewhere else;
a foreign landscape i actively have to enter
in the act of being faithful.
truthfully,
the wilderness is always where i am
right now
and faith is the courage to stay with it
when i’d rather pretend i am
anywhere else.
Amen.