1 Lent/Year A - March 1, 2020
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
Setting the Scene for Lent
A table ready to receive a pile of sand, a cross, a purple cloth, a candle blown out, a bible and some pebbles. Place these on the table during these words.
The dust that shapes the journey,
the cross that guides it,
the colour that surrounds it,
the light that fades through it,
the word that foretells it,
the wilderness that invites it.
This is Lent,
and into its wilderness
God calls us.
Come,
brothers and sisters,
Christ is heading for Jerusalem.
~ written by Roddy Hamilton, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/
We are already 5 days into the season of Lent….Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent…At the Ash Wednesday service we are invited in the name of the church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.
After a time of silence….
A prayer is then offered while holding up the ashes to be used: Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Then the people gathered come forward, one at a time, and are marked with the sign of the cross with ashes on their foreheads…and with these words spoken by the priest: remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
This isn’t the only time, in our life in the church, that we are marked with the sign of the cross on our foreheads…
We are marked with the sign of the cross on our foreheads, too, at the time of our baptisms…when we are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism, and marked as Christ’s own forever.
Think about that… your baptism…reflect on that…carry it with you…as you begin your journey in the wilderness that God is calling you into this Lent…
Baptism….That is where the story begins for Jesus, in today’s gospel reading….
Matthew 4:1-11 (Children of God storybook)
As soon as he was baptized, Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to be alone with his Father and pray. He became very hungry and thirsty. The devil came to tempt Jesus and said, “If you are God’s Son, then change these stones into bread.”
Then Jesus answered, “Scripture says, ‘People can’t live on bread alone. God’s Word is even more important than food.’”
Then the devil took him to the very top of the temple in Jerusalem. “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself off the building. Doesn’t scripture say, ‘God will send angels to catch you?’
Jesus replied, “Scripture also says, ‘You must not test God.’”
Then the devil took Jesus to the top of a high mountain, looking out over all the kingdoms of the world. “I will give you power over everyone if you will bow down and worship me!” he said.
Go away, Satan!” Jesus cried. “the earth belongs to God alone, and he is the only One who must be worshipped.”
As the devil disappeared, angels came to comfort Jesus.
Three times, Jesus is tempted, in today’s story… three times, he was able to resist the temptations, and turn to God, remembering that God alone, provides all that he needs…Jesus, in his times of weakness, after 40 days and nights of fasting, was able to trust in God’s word and compassion, to comfort and guide him…Jesus was able to listen and to hear God’s voice speaking words of love, and peace, and hope…for the days ahead.
We might not be tempted in our daily lives, exactly as Jesus was in today’s reading…but we surely do understand how difficult it is to resist temptation, of all kinds, at times…it’s seems no matter how “good” we want to be…or how loving, or how patient, or how forgiving we want to be… there are so many distractions and temptations that can snatch us up so easily…and make us do those things we don’t want to do…or make us say things to others that we later regret…or tempt us to make choices that leave us feeling worse off than we were at the beginning….
There are all kinds of temptations that will lead us astray, easily… if we don’t take the time, to fully ground ourselves in the love and the presence of God…who provides us with all that we need…and who loves us, just as we are…in times of brokenness, and in times of joy and wholeness…
Lent is a time, to begin again… it’s a season of remembering that we are mortal, we are human, we fall short sometimes, we make mistakes sometimes…we allow fear, and anger and frustrations to separate us from knowing and receiving the love of God…This is what sin is…anything that separates from the love of God…
Lent is a time, to turn and return to God once again: and answer the call to go out into the wilderness for a season of learning who God is, who Jesus is, who we are…it’s an invitation to observe a holy Lent embarking on a season of self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.
Here’s a story to send us out this week…to think about the temptations we will inevitably face in our daily lives …and the choices we will need to make…Will we be tricked and swayed in the wrong direction by the devil or by our own will? Will we choose to follow Jesus in listening for the voice of God, God’s will and trust in God with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind?
*Read the children’s book: Oh No, George! (by Chris Haughton)
(George is a dog with all the best intentions. But when George spies a delicious cake sitting on a kitchen table, his resolve starts to waver. You see, George loves cake….What will George do? Chris Haughton’s fetchingly funny story and vibrant, retro illustrations are sure to lure dog loves of all ages – and anyone who has met a temptation too good to resist.)
Prayer
(inspired by Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13)
Almighty God, your Son fasted in the wilderness, and faced human temptations. Give us courage to face and name our own temptations, and to direct our lives in obedience to your Spirit. You know us better than we know ourselves; may we know you and grow closer to the vision you have for us, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever; Amen. http://presbyterian.ca/worship/
Instrumental after sermon: : 40 days and 40 nights – H150
Rev Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska