Park UMC march 1 2009 Lent 1
I was just thinking about this first Sunday in lent
and if you follow the lectioanary
the three year cycle fo lessons assigned for the Sunday
the first Sunday of lent is always one of the gospel lessons
about the temptation of Jesus
now normally
when that happens
we actually name the Sunday after that scripture lesson or topic
last week
for example
was about the transfiguration
so it was called transfiguration Sunday
or the festival of the transfiguration
Pentecost is called Pentecost Sunday

and so on
Maybe we should call this morning.. temptation Sunday
the festival of the temptation
A Celebration of temptation
I think that could have some possibilities
I bet some of you could get pretty creative with that
peter Johnson could have fun one
.which
now
that I think about it might be a good reason
to not have something called temptation Sunday
Leslie Hobson heard me talk about this idea
and she said we already have a celebration of temptation and its called Mardi gras

ok enough of that...back on subject
two of the gospel versions for the the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness
get a little more detailed
they give us three examples of temptations
but Matthew and Luke don’t list them in the same order
which I don’t think is all that important

but Jesus gets
tempted to turn these stones into bread
or to show some special privilege or divine protection by jumping off the high point of the temple...
. And having God send angels to rescue him

And then to rule over kingdoms of the world..if he would just worship the devil


And these are versions of power fame or protection...
they are temptations of the ego
temptations of the flesh
would be an old way to put it.
But Mark
which most scholars tell us is actually the oldest of the gospels
the first one written down
Mark didn’t get into those three details
...just that Jesus was tempted..
And he overcame temptation....
That’s marks main point
All of this comes right after his baptism
Mark says it happened
immediately
just as he is about to live out his baptism
and set the path. for his ministry
he gets tempted
for forty days and forty nights
That’s a symbolic number in the bible
for this time of tempting and being shaped
the Hebrew people in Exodus were in the wilderness for 40 years
the story of Noah and the great flood
was about forty days and forty nights
Elijah had some 4o day experiences
Moses was on the mountain getting the law for 4o days
so this is not just a number that t you count on a calendar

This is is a period of revelation and struggling and learning
it represents being prepared . and changed
and it goes of course
e with our own 4o days of lent..
40 days of preparation and growing

So lets follow Mark this morning
and think about temptation
not with the kind of pattern from Luke and Matthew
but in larger terms of faithfulness
ministry and how we live our Christian life
Im thinking about one general temptation
the temptation to deny our temptations

We might be tempted
to deny the fact
that we have to deal with our temptation

This insight one come from verse 12
it says
it says that the spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness
were going to get biblical here in the Greek
The word is the same one that you use to catapult a stone...its like ballistic
its thrown
.
Eugene Peterson in the message
says that the spirit pushed him out into the wild
actually that a mild translation
its more like the spirit tossed him ..
forced him.
Projected him
this is a very forceful word

why would spirit do that..why that language?
think about that
do you ever have to be forced into something that just needs to be done?
God knows that you and I cannot
and will not spiritually grow
unless we deeply, honestly
face the powers of our inner life and our conditions,
but we don’t naturally do that..
are there some things in life
that you wont look at
unless you get forced into it..
im thinking we all have some topics
, that we are touchy about..
don’t want to talk about it..
Might be your finances .,, or something painful from your family
don’t want to have to feel it or deal with it
parts of our lives..
I think that the Spirt knows
we have to be forced into some of this spiritual work
and we have to let that happen
if you don’t face your real temptations
Could you also be resisting Gods work in your life
You are refusing to do your faith..work
if you don’t face your demons


,Temptations sort us out
thy reveal things about ourselves
The word for temptation
can also be translated as testing or trying
so you could also call this
the testing in the wilderness..
a time of self discovery ..examination
sorting yourself out
have to look at our selves .
.and see what is really there
testing the strength .
.maybe exposing something
look at our compulsion
our needs
our ego stuff
our passion
our fear
our true values and loyalties
our motives
Who wants to do that!
(but couldn’t it also be healing and freeing)
you also might find some gifts and blessings
..maybe the higher power
gets revealed in the wilderness

a gain
emphasizing
according to this scripture...it is required by the holy spirit
and if we don’t do that
we are simply not going to grow .,, as people of faith
Does that make sense with your expreicne?
Have you had those discovery expediencies in your life
Maybe they were horrible at the time..
but now look back..
. at what that this has done for you...
what happened because you went into the the wilderness

Let me say this another way
On Tuesday the pest control guy from plunketts
stopped in here at church
he came by the office
and said he was from Plunketts
..he said I just want you to know
I will be walking around in the church
checking my monitors
monitors
I suppose that’s a fancier word for bug trap
but pest control in the church
Looking for bugs and ants and spiders and hopefully not any mice
pest control in the church
Now that idea could preach
because what about
the pests that are more like spiritual pests
we need to have some spiritual pest control
emotional
social pest control

we better not talk about some people in the church being like a pest

But we
all have to take care of our own pest control
attitudes
Prejudices
Ideas
that need to examined,
,the grudges that we nurse
entitlements ... I deserve this..
the resentment
that we wont let go of
pests
it is tempting to say that we have no problems to deal
....................
What s that silly little song..

well there aint no bugs on me
there may be bugs
on some of you mugs
but there aint no bugs on me
but there is..
Lent is pest control time
its testing time
time for monitoring
And we need to see what’s out there
creeping around in the world
and in here
thats what confession is about
isnt?
its soul searching
and examining
reading the Bible As a guide
prayer
Reflection
getting some ashes on Ash Wednesday
to say that we are mortal
.and frail and need to repent.
.and believe the gospel
being honest
getting real with our selves

The spiritual practices
the act of Following Jesus
taking up the cross
self denial
the tools of Christianity
those are all gifts
to help us do that monitoring
but as I said
it tempting
to say that we don’t need to do that
there is a verse in
I John 8
that says
if we say we have no sin ..we deceive ourselves
hear that
we deceive ourselves
its interesting
that the other word for the devil or Satan is the deceiver
the liar

We resist deception
by going into the wilderness
and facing up to ourselves
face the deceiver

Getting monitored
and saying yeh
I got to watch out for the pests
or they take over
and spread diseases
and they multiply
and cause spiritual pestilence.
That’s what the word "pest"
actually comes from
pestilence
plague disease .... we get sick if ignore the spiritual pests
So the first thing we do in lent
on this temptation Sunday
is to say yes
we have to deal with our temptations
with our egos
with our forces that can plague us
our sin
...
Well..
How do you become aware of that.?
I already mentioned confession, prayer, bible study
but That’s also the idea behind this giving up something for lent

That idea of some kind of fasting
Has a great wisdom to it.
And fasting is going to be the spiritual practice for the month of march
...
its another form of pest monitoring
its so that we can get reminded
in at least some way
that we need to resist temptation
in some way..
It becomes a little sample experience of the bigger Picture
fasting
giving up something..
Is also a time to Get in touch withe power of those forces ..those hungers
those habits maybe
that operate in our lives un checked
trying resisting something
that you like..
and then you see how strong it is
Now believe me this gets a lot deeper
than just giving up meat on Friday
or giving up chocolate or ice cream

or smoking
or tv..
or whatever.
but we have to get in touch
with our deep addictions..the power of those things
and our deepest struggles
the pains that drive them


again it is tempting
to just play it off easy
And simply not do it.
---------------------------------------
I wonder if that is the reason that lent..
Is no longer done in many churches and
attendance tends to be down for those special lenten events
There might be several reason for that
(Sometimes we are just boring and dreary and out of touch )
but it could also be
avoidance
We are a "feel good" society
and it shows up in religious trends
this is serious hard stuff.
In the language of the scriptures

the temptation is fierce out their
the temptations fierce in here
in this wilderness
Its about wilderness untamed..
Frightening
barren..life threatening
with the wild beasts
is the way Mark put it..
or as the others gospel
say Jesus was hungry
he was famished
He felt his needs
His temptation was real
probably in ways that we cant fully imagine,,
but he passed through the testing
the soul searching
and the good News is
we are now led by his path
and held by his promise
he opened the way beyond the wilderness
to be with us ...fed by his grace..
in the journey

so People of park church
I invite you to consider your temptations
and first of all be aware of them
admit them
face them and name them
and do not take them lightly ..
And you will have to do that in some personal way
what is your version of the wilderness
at this time..


what is it for you, ..that you know Is an issue
or a struggle
I cant name that for you..
But you can ..you can

if you dare to be in the wilderness
will you make that part of your lenten experience
follow the example of Jesus
face the temptation struggle
but also let Jesus go with you
as the wilderness guide
Go there with One
who will bring you through
to the other side
amen