Lent 1 March 9 2025
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:1-13 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”
5 Then the devil[a] led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil[b] said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’ ”
9 Then the devil[c] led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,’11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
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Sermon: Someone we can trust
Today, in our scripture, we find ourselves in the wilderness. Now, when you and I think of wilderness, we might think of that nature hike, or that forest walk that we do for recreation. We might think of deserts or rainforests that we have explored on vacations. We might think of beaches and lakes where you don’t see another human being for miles. I have to say it sounds pretty good. No busses rumbling by, no parking problems, no nosy neighbours. I might like a little wilderness now and then.
But the wilderness we read about in the Bible is different. This was isolation from every other human being. It was the danger of extreme hunger and thirst, it was lack of sleep and physical exhaustion. It often led to delusions and hallucinations, strange voices, people walking off cliffs or being attacked by wild animals.
If you can think of being adrift in boat in the middle of the Atlantic ocean – taking that kind of risk is our wilderness. Think of finding yourself in a desert, when all you can see is sand and rock and all you hear is the wind. Think of being in the Arctic, with thousands of kilometres between human habitation, with no roads or compass to direct you home.
That’s the kind of wilderness we find in the Bible. The wilderness of Jesus and Moses’ Israelites, of Abraham, Sarah and Elijah. It’s a place where help is hard to find. That’s where we find Jesus today.
If you look at the cover of our bulletins today, there’s a picture of an Inukshuk. That little stack of rocks that maybe looks almost human. As Canadians it is something we might recognize from the flag of Nunavut, one of our northern territories, or the logo used for the Vancouver Olympics.
Essentially, the inukshukwas a marker that was left behind by a traveller who had crossed the wilderness before you did. It was more durable than any written note or sign, but it always took some interpretation, something you could only read from the heart. It might mean “You’re on the right path.” Or “This is a good place to rest.” Or “Only a little ways and you will find food and community.” The word inukshuk, coming from the Inuktitut language means "to act in the capacity of a human." So it was a symbol or a signpost indicating our common humanity, our common ground, our common journey and our connection with creation.
This story that we hear in scripture today, the story of Jesus tempted in the wilderness, is another signpost for us, a Christian inukshuk to help lead us through the hunger and thirst, the confusion and isolation, of every wilderness we face, and to help us find spiritual peace and a place to rest.
Of course this story is best known for the appearance of the devil in the gospels. The word most commonly translated in our English Bibles as the “devil” is based on the Greek word “diabolos” – which sounds like something diabolical, but is actually closer to dialogue. The diabolos could be someone who is acting like a devil’s advocate, someone who slanders, or someone who bears false witness. It was not necessarily the anthropomorphic devil figure that we have built up with horns and pitchfork and cloven hoof.
The dialogue between the devil and Jesus was about making choices. These were choices that should have been easy an easy YES! given that Jesus had been starving and alone and powerless in the wilderness for forty days already.
You know those old cartoons, where someone had an imaginary devil sitting on one shoulder, advising some evil, self-serving step. And on the other shoulder there would be a little angel, saying “don’t do it! You’re too good for this.’
What did the devil offer? Exactly what Jesus was missing. Food, power, and security. If we were living without, I think most of us would find the devil’s offer pretty irresistible.
If the devil was a politician, looking for votes, and the people are worried about housing insecurity, the price of groceries, fluctuating employment, and poor health care, the devil would be the kind of politician who says: “Don’t worry, I’m going to take of all that for you.” It’s pretty tempting to just let someone else do the worrying and the work for a while.
But Jesus said “no.”
· The food that the devil offered might fill his empty belly, but it was not food for his soul.
· The power that the devil offered was power over, not power within or among, which was Jesus’ power.
· The security that the devil offered might have offered immortality or life without pain, but Jesus also knew it was not his path nor the way that God would lead him.
By saying “no” Jesus is a signpost, a reminder, an inukshuk, that points us on the right path.
I hope you’re all aware of the ancient Christian tradition of “giving something up” for Lent. These are usually small meaningless sacrifices: if I give up chocolate, I won’t starve.
If I get out of bed fifteen minutes early to read the Bible, in forty days I won’t even make it through Genesis. If I stop drinking coffee, it might lead to a lot of conflict with the people in my household, who interact with me in the morning, but it won’t kill me.
That’s because the sacrifice itself is not the intention of giving something up for Lent. The intention is making space to draw closer to God. So the sacrifice is a signpost or a symbol of something that is much deeper and which has more impact.
When we say no to coffee or chocolate or sleeping in, we are strengthening our spiritual muscles so that we have the courage to say No when the choice before us is something really important or really significant.
When someone treats us badly and we say no to further contact. When the world around us seems to be going crazy, and we say no I won’t be part of it. When we witness someone else being hurt or denigrated and we say stop or no – they are a child of God, don’t disrespect them.
It is tough to stand up for what is right – we need a lot of spiritual muscle to do it. We might think it was really easy for Jesus to make the most faithful choice, but I am sure it was hard for him in the wilderness. However, that wilderness prepared him for the really hard road that lay ahead.
The world we are living in right now is a world that distracts us with social media and information overload and too many choices. Whether you are scrolling,or reading or listening or watching – doesn’t it seem like our attention is always going out there. Well, Lent is the alternative. It is a time for looking inward, for doing an inventory on our spiritual resources, for strengthening the spiritual muscles that help us to stand strong in the face of evil or opposition.
And Jesus is the sign post, the inukshuk that speaks to our hearts, saying: I have been here before you, so I know it is hard. But you are on the right path. Or: This is a good place to find food for your soul. Or: Soon you will be find a place to rest and be renewed. Or, he simply says: You are not alone.
Lent may be 6 long weeks, but it is not forever. We may lose hope, but hope will never lose us. We may miss the signpost, but God will send unexpected angels to nourish us. We may have broken hearts, but broken hearts are hearts that are open, and hearts that will love again.
Thanks be to God for this spiritual journey through Lent, and for all Jesus’ signposts along the way, Amen.
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