Love for You be Lived
Love for You be Lived
Today is the first Sunday in the season of Lent. We read together the Lenten liturgy at the beginning of the service. In that liturgy we were reminded that Lent is a journey. We read together: “God is with us in our journey of becoming, guiding our steps all the way.” (author the Rev. Karen Horst). On the back of the bulletin it states: “We began the season of Lent this week, as season of reflection, repentance and renewal.” (author the Rev. Helen Smith). Expanding on those thoughts we can say that in our Lenten journey we are called to reflect upon how we are living our life…we are called to repent of those actions that are not loving toward God and our neighbour…and we are called to renew our life so that our living is a loving reflection of what God has done for us in Jesus. We take time for reflection…for repentance…and for renewal…so that the love we have for Christ Jesus our Lord is lived. Love for You be Lived.
When I was looking through the Book of Praise for hymns for this service I came across the hymn we sang earlier, Teach Me God to Wonder. I chose it because it was in the Love section…and today is Valentine’s Day…a day for celebrating love. But I also chose it because throughout the season of Lent we are called to reflect upon the gift of love freely given to us in Christ Jesus. I like the way the hymn writer puts that call: love for you be lived. The refrain goes like this: “Praise to you be given…love for you be lived…life be celebrated…joy you give.” In Lent we journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter and in that time period…as we are drawn closer and closer to the cross…we experience with greater abundance the love of God and God’s redeeming grace. As we get closer to Easter Sunday and the victory of Christ over sin and death we realize the sheer joy that is the gift of salvation. That is of course something worth celebrating and that fills us with joy. “Praise to you be given…love for you be lived…life be celebrated…joy you give.”
Lent is 40 days in length – about a month and a half – and began this past Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, and will end Saturday evening, March 26th, just before Easter Sunday. The 40 day period commemorates the time Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and praising and engaging in scriptural debates with the devil. The story of the temptation of Jesus is the traditional story for the first Sunday in Lent. It’s a story that takes place in the wilderness – not the go to place for joy and celebration – and yet throughout the story we are reminded of God’s care and protection…and that when Jesus was in the wilderness, he placed his trust in God…and God was with him. As we reflect upon the story today it is good to remind ourselves that when we find ourselves in the wilderness… we are not alone. God goes with us into the wilderness. No matter how far we may wander… we are never too far from God. God loves us and by his grace, God sustains us.
The story of Jesus’ temptations appears in the first 3 gospels and today we are looking at Luke’s version. The temptation of Jesus takes place following his baptism. Luke tells us that ‘Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work.’ ‘Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit…was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.’ Now that is an understatement. In the wilderness – the desert – for 40 days and 40 nights…and fasting the whole time. Fasting not because Jesus didn’t have any food…but fasting or going without food as a means of spiritual discipline. I don’t know if any of you have ever fasted, for any length of time – I know I haven’t – but it is hard to imagine being without food for 40 days and 40 nights. The first thought that goes through my mind is that’s an awfully long time to be without food. We live in a part of the world where there is an abundance of food and we rarely go without for 40 hours let alone 40 days. Very few of us go to bed hungry and very few of us wake up not knowing where our next meal will come from. We know that many in this world do go without – and not out of choice but because there is nothing. It is hard for us to imagine not being able to provide a basic meal for our children…for our loved ones. It is hard for us to imagine being without…and what that might cause us to do.
Food is a staple…a basic need. What better place for the devil to start. The devil played on Jesus’ hunger. The devil invites him to tell a stone to turn to bread. “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” The devil knows Jesus can do it… Jesus knows he can do it… but he doesn’t. As the Son of God, Jesus knows that he is not to use his divine power for himself. His power is for healing, feeding and ministering to others. Even in the wilderness… after forty long and hungry days… he trusts in God to provide and sustain him. He responds and quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3 “One does not live by bread alone.” The remainder of the verse is not recorded by Luke – it is by Matthew – but we can probably all recite it: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
‘Then the devil led Jesus up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.” The devil offers to give to Jesus all their glory and authority. You can rule the world… if…you worship me… says the devil. But again Jesus places his trust in God. He does not deny who he is… nor whose he is. His allegiance is to God alone, and all the power in the world will not tempt him to switch allegiance from God to the devil. Jesus quotes this time from Deuteronomy 6:13 stating: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
And then for the final temptation, the devil takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, and said: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.” Using Jesus’ tactic of quoting scripture, the devil quotes from Psalm 91, verses 11 and 12 – which we read earlier. He quotes saying: “He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” The writer of the Psalm wasn’t promising protection for recklessness. The words preceding the words recited by the devil tell us that the Psalmist was speaking of obedience: “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.” The devil…once more…attempts to separate Jesus from God. But as quickly as the devil quotes scripture to Jesus…Jesus responds. This time Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16 stating: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Jesus understands that if he put God to that kind of test it would be a clear sign that he did not trust God.
And so after trying three times… and not succeeding… the devil leaves…for the time being…for that opportune time.
Jesus’ time in the wilderness was long. It was difficult. It was tough. And though we ourselves will likely never be in the desert without bread…or shown all the kingdoms of the world…or placed on the top of a tall building…we all face temptations. We all find ourselves in situations where the choice is to go with God…or not.
I’m currently working through a Lenten study called “Lent 2016 – The Gift of New Creation” written by Thomas Ehrich. In his reflections on the temptations of Jesus as recorded by Luke, Thomas Ehrich writes: “This Gospel reading isn’t just a quaint story from the mythological prehistory of Jesus. It connects directly with the worlds we know, and its message is clear: When times are tough – as they inevitably will be – the evil one tries to draw us inside a bubble where we lose touch with reality. In such times we must remember with renewed dedication to worship God, cling to God, listen to God, and serve God alone.”
In the wilderness Jesus shows us that he belongs to God. Jesus shows us that he will use his divine power not to meet his own needs, but to serve others. Jesus shows that he will not put God to the test. Jesus shows us that love for you be lived, is possible.
Jesus spent time in the wilderness. We spend time in the wilderness. All of us have been… are in… or will face a wilderness of some type. All of us face such wildernesses no matter our age or circumstance. We face temptations. We experience struggles. We are challenged. But we don’t face them alone. We are not alone now, nor will we ever be. Jesus…God with us…is with us now and always…and will be until he returns, just as he promised.
As we find ourselves in the wilderness…what can we learn from Jesus’ time there? Jesus shows us that we belong to God, and that our allegiance is to God first. Jesus shows us that the gifts of God are for service to others. As followers of Christ, it is not a me, myself and I way… but love the Lord your God and your neighbour as yourself. Jesus shows us that we are not to put God to the test.
We are all guilty of quietly… or not so quietly… asking God to follow our will. After all we know what’s best. So…change this…stop that… get rid of this…do this. God if you’ll only do this…then I know the situation will get better. Too often we try to trump God with our desires. Another way we ask God to follow our will is by telling God to show us a sign. Just show me a sign, we say. Sometimes we’re a bit silly in our seeking a sign to justify something we want or want to do. We’re out shopping and if we see something we’ve wanted, and it’s on sale, then, well that must be sign we are meant to buy it. We can all think of other silly examples. But we can just as easily think of times when we have asked for something from God…prayed that God will come through with it…tried to manipulate God into doing what we want…and then when we don’t get what we want…we have trouble trusting God. But was our prayer really ‘Thy will be done’…or was it ‘My will be done’? Seeking our will is a real temptation we all face, and are challenged with.
Each day, we are called to trust that God is there and is sustaining us…even when the wilderness seems like it is never-ending. In Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians he reminds us to place our trust in God. We will not be put to shame…and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. There is nothing wrong with calling out to the Lord – the Lord of all who loves even us – but we don’t call out to put the Lord to the test. We call on God to forgive us…to help us… to strengthen us to live the love we have been given. Loved for you be lived. Our desire should be to live more and more in God’s loving ways.
Our Lenten journey is just beginning. During the season of Lent…we can use the time to get closer to God. No matter how busy and preoccupied our lives are…or how tired and overwhelmed we may be…there is always time for God. God is there… we just need to give ourselves to Him and let Him work. Lent is the perfect time to put into practice those spiritual disciples we all know are good for us…and yet don’t always follow. It takes practice…but we have 40 days. During Lent, take time to read God’s Word. Take the suggested scripture readings for the season of Lent and read them. You can find them all listed on the internet. Spend time with God in daily prayer. Spend time in reflection…repentance…and renewal. Take time to reflect upon how you are living your life. Take time to repent of those actions in your life that are not loving toward God and your neighbour. Take time to renew your life so that your living is a loving reflection of what God has done for you in Jesus. Let us all do so…so that the love we have for Christ Jesus our Lord is lived. Love for You be Lived. Amen.