St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church
3800 East Third Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
(812) 332-5252
Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent (February 10, 2008)
Liturgical Color: Purple
Pastor Kelli Skram
Guidance for the Journey
We find ourselves this morning having just begun the journey of Lent. As is the case on any journey, it is good to know where it is we are headed, and it is good to remember from where it is we have come. Our gospel reading today from Matthew is one that helps to orient us and direct our way.
The temptation of Jesus appears not only in the gospel of Matthew, but also in the gospels of Mark and Luke. While each of these gospels has a slightly different take on what happened between Jesus and the tempter, all three make a point of saying that Jesus is tempted following forty days and forty nights of fasting. And, in all three versions of the story, this period of fasting in the wilderness comes immediately after Jesus' baptism and the divine declaration that Jesus is "God's beloved Son", the one with whom God is so pleased.
So the question lingering in the background while Jesus is being tempted is: Will Jesus believe that what God declared at his baptism in the Jordan is true? Or will Jesus be tempted to think it was all an illusion? Will Jesus question the faithfulness of the Spirit who annointed him as God's very own?
The tempter makes multiple attempts to plant a seed of doubt in Jesus' mind. Three times, Jesus is tempted to prove his power and his place. Three times, Jesus has the opportunity to escape his destiny and take a path that would have been far easier than the way of the cross. And three times, he resists taking these alternate routes.
In the first instance, the devil suggests that Jesus use his power to satisfy his physical hunger. One would think this might be an easy sell, but Jesus refuses to use his power to satisfy the rumblings of his stomach. Rather than giving in to his own personal wants and needs, Jesus points to God's word as the source of real and lasting satisfaction. Thus Jesus begins to mold his ministry focused to God's future, a future that takes into consideration the longings of the entire creation.
In the second temptation, the devil suggests that Jesus throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple and allow God to swoop down to save him. Presumably, were the world to witness such a miracle, people will instantly identify Jesus as the Messiah. But Jesus refuses to test God. Here again Jesus refuses to use displays of power to his own advantage, and Jesus opts instead for the work of ministry. Rather than confine himself to a divine pedestal where he can passively enjoy the adoration of others, Jesus begins a life of raw encounters with those who have been deemed unworthy. Jesus chooses use his power to touch people, and he does so for the sake of their status; he does so at his own peril.
The third time Jesus is tempted, the devil dangles before him the possibility of political and practical power. Presented with the opportunity to rule over the nations, Jesus is tempted to make a name for himself. In the end, however, Jesus chooses to trust in the name that was handed him at his baptism: "Son of God."
Through each of these temptations, Jesus remembers who he is. Despite the temptation to do otherwise, Jesus trusts in God's plan for his life. Jesus stays the course and he submits to God's word and God's ways, however unreasonable or uncomfortable they may seem in the moment.
During the season of Lent we, too, are called to submit to God's word and God's ways. During Lent we are called to trust in the faithfulness of God. During these days of wandering in the wilderness, we are called to remember who we are and whose we are.
Like Jesus, we are tempted not to believe the words that God declared over us in baptism. Along the way, we are tempted to doubt that we have been claimed as children of God, forever marked with the love of Christ. We are tempted by the voices of this world to make a name for ourselves. We spend our days trying to justify our existence because the world around us tells us we must prove ourselves worthy of other people's time and attention, love and respect.
Living in a university town, we are surrounded by examples of such striving. Students are assessed according to grades and standards. Musicians are critiqued by teachers and peers and audiences. Employees are evaluated according to effort and outcome. In the workplace and every other place we are judged according to the way we dress, the people we know, the money we make or the influence we have. For better or worse, things like these matter, for different reasons to different people in different settings.
And when the time comes that we find ourselves up for review, the question is: Are we good enough? Are we worthy of the job? Are we worthy the degree? Are we worthy of the part? Are we worthy of tenure? And of course, deep down, we doubt that we are up to snuff. But today, through Jesus' example, we are reminded once again that it doesn't have to be this way.
Last Sunday at the 11 o'clock worship service, those of us who gathered here witnessed the baptism of a little Zoe. We watched as the waters washed over her. We listened as words were spoken over her. Zoe was declared a child of God, sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the love of Christ forever. That declaration — that promise — means no matter what happens in Zoe's life, God has claimed her as God's very own. No matter what, she will always be wanted; she will always be loved; she will always have a place to call home.
We as a congregation take a vow on behalf of the entire church of Christ, to help the newly baptized remember who they are and whose they are. When it all falls apart, we as the body of Christ to help the baptized person re-member; we help him or her put the pieces back together. Together, we help people get over their spiritual amnesia. Together, we help them find their footing and we empower them for the journey ahead.
During this season of Lent God laments over those gotten lost along the way. God weeps that we have forgotten who we are and whose we are. And God welcomes us back into the arms of grace. Today, Christ calls us to remember the promise of our baptism. Christ calls us to remember who we are and whose we are.
If that's something you've forgotten along the way, allow me to refresh your memory. You are, first and foremost, who God says you are. You are a child of God, loved by God, created by God to use your time and your talents and all that you have been given to bring new life to this world and to all that is in it. Surely all of us will have moments when we doubt our purpose, our calling, our worth. We will all have times in which we question the path that God has set before us because unlike Jesus, we do not have perfect faith.
But thanks be to God it is not our lack of doubt that saves us from death and despair. You and I are saved by one who didn't succumb to doubt. We are saved by the one who took his trust in God beyond the wilderness, all the way to the cross, just so you and I and people everywhere would know the depth of God's love.
Even when the journey before him was difficult, Jesus remembered who he was. And in doing so, Jesus showed us that God is who God claims to be. God is faithful, God is forgiving, and God is forever lifting us up, drawing us in, and binding us together as one family, in Jesus' name. Amen.
