The Rev. Carol S. Wedell

Last Sunday, when I asked the kids if they knew what Lent was there was a noticeable silence.  Even among the adults, there was a fairly long pause.  It is not my intention to embarrass any of you.  There is a good reason for the lack of response!

Most of us who were raised in Protestant homes learned very little, if anything, about the season of Lent as children. (Those of you who were raised Catholic, Lutheran or Episcopalian may have an advantage here!  My own recollections of Lent are of my Catholic friends "giving something up.")  Some of you who came Wednesday evening indicated that it was the first time you had attended an Ash Wednesday service. This is new territory for many among us.  One gift of the ecumenical movement has been a reclaiming of ancient traditions that still have the power to touch lives today.    

By now, I'm hoping that most of you have figured out that Lent is the season in the church year which precedes Easter. To be fair, you won't find the word in the Bible.  The word "Lent" comes from an old English word for springtime, literally translated "lengthen."  It is common during Lent to reflect on Jesus' suffering and death.  Lent is ordinarily seen as a more somber season, when we remember the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness. So, there are 40 days in Lent, which began last Wednesday, and which concludes Easter morning. 

Now if you are good at math, you'll have figured out that there are more than 40 days between February 21^st and April 8^th.  That's because the Sundays in Lent are still considered celebrations of the resurrection.   Take away the 6 Sundays in Lent and you arrive at the number 40!

So Lent is a time set apart, when we are invited on a journey.  Truth be told, this journey may not look appealing at first sight.  For it is a journey into the wilderness, where we are invited to learn what it means to follow Jesus, where we are asked to face the darkness and listen for God's leading.  It is a time that highlights the stark contrasts between the Christian life and the world in which we live.

Today, on the first Sunday in Lent, the common lectionary always takes us to the temptation of Jesus.  Matthew, Mark and Luke all include this story.  This year, our reading is from Luke.  We are told that immediately following Jesus' baptism, when he was filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.  There, by himself, Jesus was tempted by the devil for 40 days.

That's the first thing to notice.  Jesus was tempted.  Just like we are.  Like every human being, he faced choices and temptations.  How would he live?  Who would he be?  What would he claim as most important?  What really mattered?  In the wilderness those questions were brought into graphic relief. 

What temptations do you face?  I think it's probably safe to say that most of us here this morning are not tempted by those things we would quickly label as "bad."  After all, we come to church!!!!  On the surface, our temptations probably look fairly benign: will we said yes to that delicious-looking chocolate cake (I've given myself away!), buy that new shirt we really don't need,  succumb to gossip, or procrastinate on school or house work, in favor of a movie? 

But if we take a closer look at what was presented to Jesus, we see that the temptations which really matter are often more subtle, and of much greater consequence.  "If you are the Son of God, turn this stone into bread."  Now remember that Jesus is hungry - really hungry.  Not like one of us who starts whining when a meal is delayed by an hour or two.  He hadn't eaten in a really long time.  Besides that, there's nothing wrong with bread!  In Jesus' day, it was the staple of the common diet.  It's what kept folks alive.  Jesus isn't being tempted by something bad, but by something essential.

If Jesus turns the stone into bread, he can do far more than simply feed himself, he can feed all of the people who may be starving that very day.  Good could come out of this, no doubt.  Jesus is faced with a choice.  Say yes and the problem is fixed.  An easy answer and a full belly.  Security can be his.  Physical needs and more.  A life of comfort and ease, a life without worry about the future.  Why not go for the biggest cookie?  Why not make sure we get what we want?

Those are the toughest things to resist - things that look good, but take you down a path you shouldn't go. Jesus pauses, and responds, "No, bread isn't all that is needed for living.  Connection to God is what really matters."

Joy Carroll Wallis puts it this way, "Much of life is like that. We go to great lengths to have an easy life. It can be a daily temptation for us not to discipline ourselves in areas of greed, materialism, or even sensuality. Health and wealth - we want it now. We want God to speak to us now, to guide us now, to heal us now. And Jesus is saying: No, have patience. Be in the wilderness and discover how to rely on God. Simplify your lifestyle, reject the easy answers, and the wilderness journey will start to teach you something about trust in God and how to serve God with your heart, your soul, and your mind." (Sojourners online, February 2007).

The tempter persists.  "Look at all the kingdoms of the world.  They're all yours - if you'll simply pay me your respect."  The lure of power is great.  After all, that's what Jesus has come for -- to save the world.  This would certainly expedite things.

I would doubt that many of us here this morning are out to rule the world.  But on a smaller scale, power is still tempting to us.  How many of us want to control things, make sure things turn out a particular way?  How many of us would like to dictate the actions of our children or spouses - or even the driver in front of us on the road?  How often do we want to make sure that everyone plays the game we want to play, or watches the movie we want to see? How many of us are willing to relinquish control and trust God's goodness?

Jesus stands fast.   Once again he quotes scripture, "Worship God alone." 

One last temptation remains - one that may seem a bit strange to us at first glance.  Jesus is taken to the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem - the place where the Messiah was to have been revealed.  "Throw yourself down - for after all, if you're really God's son, God's angels will catch you!'  The tempter has figured out that scripture is a useful thing to throw around, and is trying to beat Jesus at his own game.

Admittedly, more than a few of us like being the center of attention.  If Jesus says yes, there is no doubt that his fame will spread in an instant.  A miracle like that would not go unnoticed.  He would have more followers than he could count.  Again, it looks like something really good could come out of this.  But Jesus understands that to say yes is to deny who he is. The kingdom he is bringing is built on a different kind of power - the power of suffering love. "No!" is his final answer.

In all three cases, Jesus is being tempted to forget.  Forget who he is.  Forget the story of God's people.  Forget what he is called to do.  Indeed, that is the greatest temptation for each of us:  to forget who we are and whose we are and to forget that God alone is God.

But Jesus doesn't forget.  He remembers.  He recalls the story of his people:  "One does not live by bread alone."  "Worship the Lord your God."  "Do not put God to the test."  After each temptation, Jesus recalls and gives voice to the story of God's people.  Jesus lets that story wash over him like the waters of his baptism.  He remembers the words that were spoken as he came up from the water, "You are my Child, my beloved."   When we hold on to that memory, we stand strong in the face of temptation.

Two week ago in an Inquirer's Class those who were present remembered and shared their faith stories.  They talked about their baptisms, and the way that God had been present at various points in their lives.  They remembered who they were as God's beloved children.  As they met with Session just prior to this service and as they stand before you in just a few minutes, they claim their identity as children of God.

As we enter this Lenten season that is what each one of us is called to do: remember who we are. We too are God's beloved children.  We recall and reclaim that identity when we find ways to open ourselves up to God's presence in our lives.  It's not a rushed process.  Lent is an opportunity to spend 40 days reflecting on our lives, to sort through the choices and decisions that face us and seek God's leading. One way to do this is to take on a "Lenten discipline." 

Rather than "giving up" something for Lent, as is commonly done, I would suggest something else.  Consider letting go.  Let go of the need for power and control.  Leave behind your attachment to comfort and security.  It has been said that security depends not so much upon how much you have, as upon how much you can do without (Joseph Wood Krutch).  To "let go" is one way to make room for God, to create space within.  Just as Jesus began his ministry by doing less and listening more, we are invited to carve out time in our lives to let listen for God's leading.

We are given an invitation to follow Jesus as he enters the wilderness.  This may mean seeing things we would rather not see.  It will certainly mean examining how we live.  Simply sitting in quiet for ten or fifteen minutes may take us into the wilderness of our own anxieties, fears and temptations.  Lent is a time to get in touch with the emptiness inside.  We choose a Lenten discipline not to be miserable, but to discover our hunger for God - a hunger that cannot be filled by food, or drink or possessions or power or control or fame, but by God alone.

So what might you do?  I invite you to take a few minutes in silence to think about what would open up that space within you.  Some possibilities might be a quiet time, set apart for prayer; time spent at the end of each day reflecting on decisions and choices and how those aligned with God's purposes; a daily reading of one of the gospels or other devotional literature. 

If you are an adult, what about finding out the name of one our children whom you don't know and praying for them daily?  Or if you are a child, what about doing the same for an adult you don't know?  I pretty much know everyone here, and would be happy to introduce you or tell you someone's name!  If you choose to "give up" something food related, what about giving the money saved to the Hunger Bus ministry? 

When you've thought of what you would like to do, I would invite you to find the plain piece of paper in your bulletin and write it down.  Don't sign it.  When the offering plate comes around later, place it in, as your Lenten offering to God. 

I think the early church was right.  We need the season of Lent.  We need every encouragement available to push us out of our comfort zones and into the arms of our loving God.  Welcome to the journey!