We continue today our sermon series:
Sometimes we can make assumptions in our relationships about who is sick and who is well. As we open ourselves to radical hospitality, both in the giving and the receiving, God begins to gently open up the sick parts of us to healing from surprising places and people. Nouwen was opened up to a new level of spiritual intimacy and vulnerability when he was led to serve at L’Arche Daybreak, a home for those with physical and mental disabilities in Canada.After straining and striving in the hallowed academic halls of Yale and Harvard, he found himself among those facing enormous challenges in navigating the very simplest tasks of daily life. There he met Adam, about whom he writes; I think about the community Nouwen describes here, and compare it to times when I’ve been in professional gatherings. Many of us have gone to them; they may be organized around a particular profession, or an academic discipline or a business venture; I find when I have attended these things I sort of grit my teeth through the posturing and the preening, as we all try to “make an impression” or “get noticed”; pass around business cards or instagram handles and do our best to look successful. It’s exhausting. You know what the best part of those gatherings is? After all the formal sessions. When people gather in groups of haggard people, tired of the show, and be themselves. Intimacy is not fostered in great halls of power but in quiet side rooms where people allow themselves to be vulnerable, in a community of the weak. In our text today, Jesus receives the radical hospitality of Levi Matthew the tax collector. He reclines at table with those the powerful people ignore, overlook, judge, or ridicule. He enters into spiritual intimacy around food and drink in a community of the weak. It is his way. And it makes no sense to the powerful people in town. I’m sure there were many who raised their eyebrows at the Harvard and Yale professor who left the halls of academic prestige and influence to spend his days with those who struggled to get dressed in the morning. But thiat is the way of Christ. And Nouwen found in community with them that vulnerability leads to solidarity--when all are included, all are built up and encouraged in the Body of Christ. It is the first Sunday of the month, and as such it is our custom here at Brookings First UMC to celebrate communion. There is a distinctively Methodist practice when it comes to communion that demonstrates our commitment to Jesus’ radically inclusive way in the world. We practice an open table. Consider the scene at Levi’s house on that joyful evening. He invited all his friends. The disciples were there. Jesus were there. All were welcome, even the scribes and Pharisees if they could have stopped looking down their noses at these people long enough to see them. All were welcome around the joyful table of radical hospitality, this rowdy, celebrating group of misfits. This is the way of Jesus; it is the way of shocking welcome, of arms wide open, of spiritual intimacy and open communion. IN her book Searching for Sunday, Rachel Held Evans said; As we gather around our communion tables, whether it be here or in our homes, we are practicing the radical hospitality, the spiritual intimacy, and the open communion that are hallmark’s of Jesus ministry on earth. The sacrament of communion opens us up to communion with God and communion with one another as we share the bread and the wine; as we remember the body broken and the blood poured out. We celebrate, we remember, we give thanks. It is a most intimate, incarnational act. What does it look like to be a community of the weak? It looks like saying “yes” when Jesus meets us along the way of our lives and calls out; ‘Follow me.” It looks like sitting down at the table of abundance with no one left out and always room for more. It looks receiving the gift of one another, letting our hair down, and passing the bread and cup. As we come to the table today, know this; you are welcome. You are always welcome. Come and celebrate the feast of Christ. Let us pray: Lord as we gather around this wonderful meal everywhere and in every place; bless us all your children. As we eat this bread and drink this cup linking arms around the world, pour your grace into us all. Grace us with your presence as we quietly and loudly pray to you. May we see in each other your light, your love and you. May it not matter our differences, our names, our languages, our looks, and our way of doing things. May what matter today and everyday be that we are one in you. And as we pray many we call to mind our brothers and sisters who are unable to be with us today whether in body or spirit. May you bring comfort to those who are grieving, lonely, heartbroken, ill or broken of spirit. May you strengthen those whose lives feel shattered, don’t make sense, in crisis, and experiencing loss. May you say the healing word to those who need it. May you bring the human touch of love to those who have not been touched. May you love the unloved through us. May you shine your light into those whose world is covered in darkness. May you use us to feed the hungry, clothe the ones who need clothes, give a cup of water to those who are thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and those in prison. May our lives be awakened to you, Lord, to your love and to your kingdom whose door is always open to all. Amen. (introduce Closing song) Benediction: Go in peace and may God’s peace go with you; and may you bring bring hope and healing and radical welcome to all whom you meet. AMEN. https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/10/pastoral-prayer-world-communion-sunday.html From Fear to Love
By: Pastor Krista Ducker 3/27/22 (Gary Norton at 10:00 service): Our scripture comes to us today from Psalm 27, verses 4-5: We are continuing our Lenten journey through Henri Nouwen’s book Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit. Each week, we have focused on different movements of the spirit as we mature in Christ: from Opaqueness to Transparency, From Illusion to Prayer, From Sorrow to Joy, from Resentment to Gratitude, and this week, from Fear to Love. In the companion video for this week’s movement, REv. Rebecca Trefz, our District Superintendent, highlights Nouwen’s insight that that these movements indicate not stepwise progressive stages of development, but rather, “movements, from the things that enslave and destroy to liberation and life.” As we have witnessed countless times throughout our global history, nothing enslaves and destroys like fear does. And consequently, nothing frees and rebuilds, like love can. In this chapter, Nouwen reminds us of the story in scripture, in Matthew 8, of the disciples huddled in terror as their boat crashed among stormy sea waves; Jesus, calm and steady, reminded them of the truth--they were held in the presence of the One who held sway over the wind and waves. And their faith was strengthened. There are many things that can trigger that deep pit-of-the-stomach dread that is an all too familiar feeling these days. Perhaps it is the looming phone call from a doctor with what could be a serious diagnosis; perhaps the fear we will be rejected by a loved one or a colleague if we find the courage to tell the truth; perhaps we fear for our children in a culture that seems all too willing to injure the sensitive and vulnerable; even a simple act like opening our social media apps or turning on the news can bring on feelings of fear, anxiety and dread without warning. We live in uncertain times. In such times, it is natural to respond by building our walls, putting up our defenses and protecting our turf. But this is not the way of love. Fear leads to bondage; but love leads to freedom. Nouwen offers a powerful cautionary picture of the end result of our fearful efforts at self protection: isolation; This is the end of all our capitulations to fear. It is the way of the world we live in; but it is NOT the way of the world we come from. Let us remember that our home is not of this world; we are citizens of another country; God’s country. And in that country, love, not fear, holds sway. Our home is with God; the God who chose to dwell with us, so that we could find our home in him. In the Gospel of John, Nouwen reminds us, we are told that Jesus came to earth to “make his dwelling place with us” (1:14). Jesus admonished his disciples (and by extension, us) to “abide in me, as I abide in you.” (15:4) As once we Adam and Eve did with God in the Garden of Eden, Jesus invites us to dwell, to live, to hang out, with him, there to find rest for our souls. In Jesus, we have enough. In Jesus, we are enough. I don’t know about you, but I often feel like the way of this world is the way of “never enough.” There’s never enough time; never enough money; no matter how much effort or energy, or wit, or humor, or resources, we pour into the things of the world, it is never enough to quiet the shouting voices of fear in our minds or untie the knots in our gut. The truth is, the world uses us. But God loves us. Sometimes even in the church we can get confused and forget that we follow the way of Jesus; we are an outpost, a way station, a pit stop for the faithful on the way to our true home with God. We need to look more like God’s world, than this world. We need to remember our way is not a way of fear, but a way of love. I’ve heard it said that the phrase “Don’t be afraid” occurs 365 times in the bible. I’ll admit I haven’t counted. But I like that idea. One for every day of the year; a reminder every day that fear is not the essence of our being. In Hebrew, the command looks like this: In Hebrew you read from right to left, not from left to right; so the first word is actually that one on the right: al. Then you read the word on the left: tiyra. Al-tiyra. What I love about the word order is that reads a little like Yoda; “Not afraid shall you be.” Or, put a little more simply; “be not afraid.” Notice how the emphasis changes; it is not a negative (do not be afraid), but a positive; “BE not afraid. The state of freedom from fear is how we should be; in the very core of our beings, we are unafraid people. We have been created for love; love of God, love of neighbor, love of ourselves. Fear is foreign to our nature, and it is the mechanism by which this world lures us back into slavery. But we have been freed. Our home is with God, and God’s way is love. So when we are afraid, how do we find our way back to our home in love? Through prayer, Nouwen tells us. So much of what drives our anxieties and fears is the enemy’s lie that we are not okay; that we will not be okay; that somehow we can worry our way into okay-ness. But when we pray--that is, when we take time away to waste time with God and open our hearts to God’s loving Spirit work within us--we are reminded that all the machinations, pressures and distractions of the world only serve to lure us away from our true home in God; the God of love. The work of love is daily work. It calls us toward a movement of growing up into Christ. It is not a quick fix. It isn’t glamorous. It won’t make us famous. But it will make us free. Every day we have a choice: Will we run like the prodigal toward the empty promises of the world, or will we turn toward our true home in God? I know we have wandered a bit from our text today, so let me remind us of it; from Psalm 27:4-5: Often when I have come across these verses I have focused more on the first one: that I would live in the house of the LORD forever. But it’s interesting to read these two verses together; they imply that God’s loving protection doesn’t stay just in one place. Look at it; God hides us in God’s shelter; God conceals us under his tent; God sets us high on a rock. So think about it; these verses taken together tell me that God’s home moves with me. Whether I am at worship, or whether I am out doing my daily work, or on a journey, wherever I am, God’s protection is with me. That means that at any point in my day, and you in yours, we can be covered in God’s protection, like a tent. We can find a way station along the way for shelter. When we are confused and can’t see the way, we can trust that God will set us in a place of clarity. What if we looked at our times of prayer this way? I want to invite you to try that this week. In your devotion time, or in those moments you steal for quiet reflection in your day, especially if fear begins to take hold, say to yourself; “I’m going into God’s tent for a little while.” The psalmist reminds us that God is always with us, always caring for us, always available, anytime of the day. Even if it’s just for a minute or two--we can go into God’s tent; we can hide in God’s shelter; we can seek to find a high rock where we can see clearly. God’s home is not a specific place; God’s home is wherever we are. The people of Israel were accustomed to moving around. For most of their history they were nomadic peoples; sometimes they were able to worship at a temple, but even then, many of them were spread far and wide; a vast diaspora that continues to this day. For them, as for us, the mobility of God’s presence, whether it was symbolized in the Ark of the Covenant, the pillar of fire, the pillar of cloud, or the sacred words of scripture, has provided a grounding sense of home. For us, that home is Christ who saves us. That home is the Holy Spirit, who guides and sustains us. That hope is God, our creator who made us, breathed life into us, and continues to make us new. We can be unafraid. God is with us; and we are going to be okay. From Resentment to Gratitude
By: Pastor Pete Grassow 3/20/22 Luke 15 The Prodigal Son Intro: There are a number of really well known parables that Jesus told: we learn them in Sunday School and repeat them to our kids – I can think of the Parable of the Good Samaritan / the Sower and the Seeds – but the most preached is the Parable of the Prodigal Son: we know all about the son who took his inheritance and ran away from home: who came to his senses and returned home… Do you know that this parable is not just about a son who ran away: it is really a story about two sons: Listen to it again.. 11 Jesus went on to say, “There was once a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the property now.’ So the man divided his property between his two sons. 13 After a few days the younger son sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a country far away, where he wasted his money in reckless living. ….. 17 At last he came to his senses’ 20 So he got up and started back to his father. 25 “In the meantime the older son was out in the field. On his way back, when he came close to the house, he heard the music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him, ‘What's going on?’ 27 ‘Your brother has come back home,’ the servant answered, ‘and your father has killed the prize calf, because he got him back safe and sound.’ 28 The older brother was so angry that he would not go into the house; so his father came out and begged him to come in. 29 But he spoke back to his father, ‘Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders. What have you given me? Not even a goat for me to have a feast with my friends! 30 But this son of yours wasted all your property on prostitutes, and when he comes back home, you kill the prize calf for him!’ 31 ‘My son,’ the father answered, ‘you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’” Intro: From Resentment to Gratitude His younger brother had abandoned his responsibilities on the family farm to go off to the city and do whatever he liked. Not only that – but he had taken some of the family money with him….. And just when everything had settled down – and things were returning to a new normal: the young man is back… and his father was welcoming him with a party. I really do understand the resentment of the brother who stayed at home: Surely loyalty should be rewarded! This cuts close to the bone:
“Resentment is the curse of the faithful, the virtuous, the obedient, and the hardworking” (Henri Nouwen).
Jesus tells this story about the two sons in a specific context: Luke 15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." 3 So he told them this parable: The religious leaders of Israel were complaining that he was telling sinners and social outcasts that God loved them… and that this was unfair because surely God should love only those who were faithful and loyal. And Jesus says that this is not how God’s love works: God’s love is freely given – both to those who think that they deserve it, and to those who know that they do not. If we are honest: we who are religious struggle with this: we want God to be conditional: to reward those who are good and punish those who are not (and obviously we expect that we will be among those who are rewarded!) Here’s the core teaching of this parable: Some might have strayed further from home than others – but we have all strayed… Romans 3: 23 tells us that none of us deserve God’s love – because all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God… Rom 3:23 everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence. Rom 3:24 But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. Lutheran Biblical scholar Helmut Thielicke suggests that this parable should be called “The Parable of the Waiting Father”: The father waited for both sons, because both had strayed from home: The one son went far away and the other son went only as far as the garden – but they both were not in the home: And the Father waits for them both with equally gracious love…. This is the way of God – is called Grace: the abundant favour of God offered to all people: So the challenge of today: to move from Resentment to Gratitude. The best way to deal with our resentment is to take our eyes off our good deeds – and see the goodness of God: To return to the parable. Listen to the complaint of the older brother: What have you given me? Not even a goat for me to have a feast with my friends! 30 But this son of yours wasted all your property on prostitutes, and when he comes back home, you kill the prize calf for him!’ 31 ‘My son,’ the father answered, ‘you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours The father is saying: “Take you eyes off the one feast I have given your brother, and you will see the size of the blessings you already have…” Let us too take our eyes off the blessings other people have – and see our own blessings. Acts 16:6-15
6-8 They went to Phrygia, and then on through the region of Galatia. Their plan was to turn west into Asia province, but the Holy Spirit blocked that route. So they went to Mysia and tried to go north to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them go there either. Proceeding on through Mysia, they went down to the seaport Troas. 9-10 That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans. 11-12 Putting out from the harbor at Troas, we made a straight run for Samothrace. The next day we tied up at New City and walked from there to Philippi, the main city in that part of Macedonia and, even more importantly, a Roman colony. We lingered there several days. 13-14 On the Sabbath, we left the city and went down along the river where we had heard there was to be a prayer meeting. We took our place with the women who had gathered there and talked with them. One woman, Lydia, was from Thyatira and a dealer in expensive textiles, known to be a God-fearing woman. As she listened with intensity to what was being said, the Master gave her a trusting heart—and she believed! 15 After she was baptized, along with everyone in her household, she said in a surge of hospitality, “If you’re confident that I’m in this with you and believe in the Master truly, come home with me and be my guests.” We hesitated, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. We are in a preaching series that invites us to connect with Our Creator – to become co-creators with God - creating beauty and love in our world. Today’s theme is called “Listen”, and is about how, when we listen to the Creator, amazing creative space can open up. So here is our story from Scripture: Paul, Silas and Timothy are traveling through what today is the country of Turkey – back then it was the Roman province of Asia. Paul has been here before – his first trip took him south of the province Asia into the coastal region of Pamphilia. It seems that Paul had decided to expand his missionary travels into the central regions of this province, when the Spirit of God stepped in and blocked this route. Paul then thought to turn north, and again the Holy Spirit stopped him So he travels to the coast and arrives at a sea port called Troas: and I suspect Paul spent the night in prayer asking God where to go. “Lord, we are at a port city – we can take a boat anywhere. My plans have changed twice: where to now?” Pause at this point and ask us a question about change: How easily do you adapt to change? Paul had his plans changed – how would you respond? Test yourself: • When you go on vacation – do you like to have everything planned out – or do you make it up as you go along… • Try this one: when your cellphone company tells you that they have upgraded you phone – do you try to hang onto the old one, or are you first in the line for the new one. Here is Paul, a pedantic, rule-following Pharisee, one who described himself as faultless in keeping the rules: having his plans turned upside down. Now this was not the first time that this happened: you might remember the story of how, a few years earlier, Paul thought his life’s work was arresting Christians – and how, on the road to Damascus, God changed Paul’s plans. And this disruption opened up God’s creative possibilities in using Paul as a missionary to the Gentiles. Here's something to think about: when your plans are disrupted – before getting angry or frustrated, pause and ask if this might open up space for God’s creative possibilities in your life. And so back to Paul: his plans are changed – again. He has a vision that tells him Don’t go West, don’t go North – go across the sea to Europe. And this is the moment when the narration of this story changes: Proceeding on through Mysia, they went down to the seaport Troas. 9-10 That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” …. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. Language has changed from “they” to “we”: many suggest that this is the moment that Luke joins the group: Luke is the writer of the Book of Acts… Paul and his missionary team (now including Luke) had to sail across the Agean Sea, from the continent of Asia to the continent of Europe. This was a big step, perhaps bigger than Paul even knew. Paul’s missionary group sailed to New City/Neapolis and travelled to the Roman garrison at Philippi. It is the sabbath and so Paul and his friends look for somewhere to pray and to complete their Sabbath washing ceremony. And again Paul’s plans are disrupted – here is a Pharisee who has ritually cleansed himself – who is ready to say his prayers. Paul’s religious training would be to keep away from women when you are praying – and at this moment God’s creativity breaks through. There are women present for Paul’s prayers. And this time it is Lydia who listens! Lydia listens to Paul’s prayers and gives her life to following Jesus. And the first church in Europe opens in her home. And today there are 450 million Christians in Europe. Here is the lesson from this story: when someone pauses to listen: God’s creative Spirit gives birth to a new thing. • Paul makes plans, but he learns to be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit – and when Paul is willing to change: God’s creativity has space to work. • Then Lydia listens: and because Lydia was willing to listen to the prompting of the Spirit of God, she became part of God’s new, creative work in Europe. So what can we take away from this? This story challenges us about our capacity to listen…and to change. We live in a culture that struggles to listen – and struggles to change: We have become polarized into “us” and “them” / “my people” and “their people”. And once I have identified who my people are – it becomes very hard to listen to anyone else….or to adapt to doing things differently from my group. And we have become angry, and mean, and bitter… If we had less human opinions and more listening for God’s guidance, places such as the Ukraine, and the Middle East, and Central Africa, would have the tools to work for peace. If the politicians, and the business leaders of our country would have less opinions, and listen more – we would discover God’s liberating creativity providing space for people to be fulfilled at work and in society. And if we would listen more carefully in our relationships, and in our friendships, and in our human interaction – we would discover a kinder and more loving community. I am pleading with us to learn to listen; and to be open to things being different. - Pause and take a breath…allow our pulse to slow down and breathe: we have allowed ourselves to become angry and defensive…and so have stopped listening. - Before answering someone - Pray. Not the kind of prayer that tells God to fix someone else: but Ask God if this might be an opportunity to learn something new. - Be open to change. Not one of us is perfect! Let me speak for myself: I have blind spots – I have many weaknesses – and I have much to learn. And so, like St Paul – I discover that I need to change my plans so that God’s creativity is set free. I know that sometimes it is tempting to say to myself: I am only one person – what difference can I make: this does not take our partnership with God into account: There is a well known quote from Thomas a Kempis: "Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit" - “Man Proposes, but God disposes” This quote can be paraphrased as “we might propose our plans – but it is God’s prerogative to change them”. Which leaves us with the invitation: when we encounter change, let us pause, and listen / and see if God has something creative that is about to be born. Hover
By: Pastor Krista Ducker 2/6/22 The 2022 Winter Olympics have only been going on for a couple of days, but already the US is making a strong showing. Do you have a favorite winter Olympic sport? I love following the Jamaican bobsled team, cringing every time a luger takes a sharp curve, or appreciating the curlers’ mad sweeping skills. But I have to admit, my favorite sport has always been figure skating. I am just mesmerized by the way these incredible athletes can marry artistry and musicality with amazing feats of athleticism. We are only a couple of days in, and Nathan Chen from the US team is already dazzling the world with his near-perfect performances. You would think that someone like him would be laser-focused on skating, spending endless hours in the rink at the expense of any sort of normal life. But as the 22-year-old Chen has recently shared in an interview with CNN, that’s actually not the case. In fact, Chen says that, after spending much of his childhood years from the age of three on on the ice, he has found that it is what happens outside the rink that has helped him to succeed over the long haul; specifically, the time he has taken away to rest, to recharge and spend time with his loved ones. Chen says; "A lot of being able to perform well is resulted upon being able to spend time off the rink and recovering, giving yourself the time to be a human and friend and fill the role that's not an athlete all the time.” At just twenty-two years of age, Chen has learned something that many of us take a lifetime to realize; we need time away. We need time simply to be human; to be; apart from our producing, our doing, and our succeeding. In our “Drawn In” series this week, we have been thinking together about the practice of being away; taking time to simply rest in God’s loving presence, instead of focusing on our own ambition to get ahead. Today, we will visit a key moment in the life of Jesus; when he is led away to the wilderness, tempted and challenged. In this powerful account of Jesus’ wilderness temptation, we will discover together a few key truths that can help us to remain faithful and effective followers of Jesus over the long haul. Let’s look at the scripture together: Henri Nouwen was a renowned Catholic priest and scholar, student of psychology and minister for many years at a home for people with developmental disabilities. As he navigated these vastly different vocational settings, he began over the years to recognize some of the great temptations that befall us as human beings living in a broken world; and the great grace we receive as we live into our true identity as beloved children of God. In 1989, a few years after he arrived at L’Arche, the community for the disabled where he ministered until his death in 1994, he published a book of reflections on Christian Leadership, called In the Name of Jesus. This book is an extended meditation on the temptations of being human--because after all, that’s what we all are, Christian leaders or not. His story follows Jesus’ wilderness temptations; and the treasure Nouwen’s meditation offers to us is his recognition that with each temptation Jesus faces from the Devil, Jesus offers a way out--a discipline that draws him back to his center in God. I’d like to spend our time today reflecting on these temptations and disciplines, with Nouwen’s help; and I also want to take the time to let you know that next month, we will begin a lenten study on another book that contains Nouwen’s reflections: Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit, along with our Dakotas Conference Cabinet leadership. If something grabs you from our talk today, you will likely get a lot out of our lenten study in a few weeks. Nouwen’s reflections from In the Name of Jesus So as we begin, let’s set ourselves in the story of Jesus, at this point in his ministry. The gospel writer tells us that Jesus has begun his earthly ministry, having been announced by John the Baptist his cousin, Baptized and named God’s Beloved in the river Jordan, and then led by the Spirit (who had just called him the Beloved of God) into the wilderness. All three of what we call the synoptic gospels, Mathew Mark and Luke, tell this story, and all three make clear. This was not a gentle time of retreat and quiet reflection. It was a time of trial. For forty days, all three gospels say, Jesus was tried, tested, and tempted by the Accuser; our English translations captialize the Greek word Diabolos almost like a proper name--but the sense of the word is that this figure who tests Jesus is an adversary; an accuser; on who has come to slander or unjustly criticize and malign Jesus; literally one who “casts through”; slinging verbal arrows to wear Jesus down. For forty days Jesus is subjected to the accusations of this diabolos. And at the end of this forty days, the Accuser unleashes his final salvo--three temptations; when Jesus is starving and at his weakest. Three things Jesus could easily do; three temptations that reach to the very core of our human prides and fears. The first of these comes to us in verses 3-4; the temptation to be relevant: The first temptation: To Be Relevant (4:3-4) Like Jacob did with Esau in the early days of Israel, the accuser appeals to Jesus’ hunger; “make yourself useful!” he says; “there are rocks everywhere. Take one and make yourself something to eat, if you are who you claim to be.” But Jesus resists the temptation to perform; he recognizes that any “doing” in his life of service must first come out of being rooted in God first. The adversary is not in charge. The many demands for useful productivity do not dictate his vocation. And so Jesus responds in a way that leads him back to God; for us, an inspiration to the discipline of contemplative prayer: The discipline: Contemplative Prayer We are not required to be “all things to all people” at the expense of our integrity; to chase after productivity and usefulness at the expense of our rootedness in God. “Beneath all the great accomplishments of our time” Nouwen says, “there is a deep current of despair. While efficiency and control are the great aspirations of our society, the loneliness, isolation, lack of friendship and intimacy, broken relationships, boredom, feelings of emptiness and depression, and a deep sense of uselessness fill the hearts of millions of people in our success-oriented world.” Whatever useful things we may do over the course of our lives, Jesus reminds us in this moment of testing that what will matter eternally is our rootedness in Christ. When we are tempted to chase after the demands of the day, frantically trying to make ourselves productive, Jesus says to us; “stop. Do not be a stranger to God’s heart and your own. Lay down your armor of productivity. Come away and be nourished by God’s word of love to you. This is your daily bread.” The second temptation: To be Powerful (4:5-7) The adversary goes on to say; “if you then will worship me, it will all be yours.” The adversary is up to his old tricks. Remember Adam and Eve in the garden? They are met with the same temptation; importance. If we eat the fruit, we will be like God! We will have hidden knowledge! We will be spectacular. This is the temptation to idolatry. Here the accuser offers quite a deal; “You can be like God; all you have to do is make me your god.” It is such a human temptation. We are constantly tempted to play God; to put other things in the place of the God who loves us; to take the quick fix, like the one the Tempter offers Jesus. Idolatry: to fall into the trap of Adam and Eve; to try to be God. In so doing, we chase after any and every juicy enticement that the latest thing or the newest celebrity will make us like God. (cf. Genesis 3:6) But Jesus’ response is different; Jesus allows the temptation to drive his thoughts back to God; when tempted, he turns to worship and to humility: The discipline: Theological Reflection Have you ever wondered at what moment Eve and Adam chose to turn aside from God? What was the first choice to set them on the path toward separation from God? I would submit to you that it was NOT when Eve bit into that fruit. It was NOT when she recognized its enticing power to give her secret knowledge or make her like God. No, it was when she was first tempted and she chose NOT to turn her heart back toward God. It was when she chose to turn away. When she first heard the tempter’s lie-- “God is trying to deceive you because he doesn’t want what’s best for you”--she didn’t immediately recognize the deception and turn her heart and mind back to God. This was the first mistake. Once the path of separation was chosen, all the other effects flowed from it; until finally Adam and Eve found themselves ashamed and hiding from the God who had lovingly formed them from the dust of the earth. God is still asking us; “where are you?”. When we are tempted, Jesus says in these moments of great temptation, turn to worship. Turn your heart and mind to the things of God, and allow God to re-center your being in God. You do not have to hide from God. You do not have to put your trust in the deceivers around you, hoping falsely that they will make you special. You are already of infinite worth. Through the discipline of careful reflection on God’s word and work in the world, you will recognize the tactics of the deceiver when you see them. The third temptation: To be Spectacular (4:9-12) In his book, Nouwen notices the pervasive cultural inertia around celebrity culture; “Stardom and individual heroism, which are such obvious aspects of our competitive society, are not at all alien to the church. There too the dominant image is that of the self-made man or woman who can do it all alone.” Yet this is not unique to our time. Jesus encountered the same temptation, even as he neared the beginning of his earthly ministry--he had just been called God’s Beloved in front of everyone. Surely the temptation to be “spectacular” was strong. And the Accuser plays it up even further by taking Jesus to the very pinnacle of the Jerusalem temple, urging him to prove just how special he is; surely if he threw himself from the parapet, the angels would rush in to catch him. It is the temptation of specialness and control. But Jesus realizes the danger in playing God, and instead, he reminds the accuser of God’s ultimate lordship; when tempted to be spectacular, he chooses humility. Here is where we find our third discipline: Confession and forgiveness. The discipline: Confession and forgiveness We do not need flashy stunts and theatrics to prove how special we are; we are already of infinite worth. And when we are tempted to make things all about us, our salvation can be found in humble confession. Running to God, pouring out our hearts, our mistakes, our missteps, our sins; and receiving God’s grace, freely given. There is a pattern in Jesus’s responses to the devil; It is so striking that it almost seems as if Jesus has practiced this himself; surely since Jesus was human, temptation was a part of his life all the time, as it is a part of ours. Almost as if by habit, when Jesus faces the arrows of the accuser, he comes back with centering scriptures, as one conditioned by hours and hours of prayer, reflection and confession over the course of his life. This wilderness sojourn was not a retreat; it was not a peaceful getaway. This was a time of trial. And he was prepared. Are we? Let us cultivate habits of prayer, reflection and confession so that when temptation come, and they will, we will be prepared. To allow our acting to follow from our “being” we must take time away from the noise and busyness--to be re-centered in God.. We must recover the sweet fellowship with God that Adam and Eve once enjoyed. God still asks us today; “where are you?” God still desires our presence. God is always with us; that is the promise of scripture. But how often do we commit to be with God? And one final thought; we must remember that these practices are not only individual practices. We navigate our lives in a very individualistic culture--and as Nouwen tells us, this individualism often bleeds over even into our thinking about God and our spiritual life; we may think about prayer, reflection and confession as purely private, inward, individual practices. And they are--but they are not ONLY solitary practices; they are also communal. Like the wise olympian who recognizes the need for community, rest and fellowship along the journey of training and diligent work, we must recognize our need for community in these pursuits. When we join together as a community of believers, whether in twos or threes, or larger groups, around coffee tables or in sanctuaries, we pray together. We learn about God together through scripture. We even practice our confession together, as we are vulnerable with one another in safe, honest conversation. In his book, Nouwen reminds us of a stark truth; “It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life.” For each of these temptations, God offers us a way of escape, as the Apostle Paul reminded us in 1 Corinthians 13; a way to bear up in the struggle--not by gritting our teeth alone, but by sharing our lives with God and with each other in prayer, reflection, and confession. We are not left to face our struggles alone. God is with us; and we are here for each other, in Jesus’ name. This morning we have had the opportunity to practice these disciplines together; prayer and reflection. And on this Communion Sunday, we have the chance to share in the third; confession and forgiveness. The Lord’s Supper is one of our sacraments; outward signs of God’s good inward work of grace in us. As Christ’s body in the world, we receive these elements individually, as reminders of God’s forgiveness to us, and corporately as a sign of God’s faithful guiding in this community of believers and a reminder of Christ’s gift of life given for us and for our salvation. As we receive the sacrament this morning, I invite you to take a moment with each element, confess your burdens to God; your sins, your moments of faltering, and as you take the bread and juice, receive God’s grace and forgiveness, accepting the new start God gives you in Jesus Christ. This is a moment of incarnation; of embodied faith. Let us celebrate it together. |
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