Readings
for Lent 1A
Gen.2:4-3:7; Mt. 4:1-11
February 13, 2005
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Jackson Lake is at the base of the great Tetons in Wyoming. Early in the morning when the lake is perfectly calm, the reflection of the Tetons is magnificently mirrored on the lake's surface. However, if you take a little flat stone and skip it across the surface of the lake, the image of the Tetons becomes distorted and marred. The same things happens to us when we allow the image of God (in which we were created) to be distorted and marred by succumbing to temptations in life which encourage us to place our will ahead of God's will. How can we resist the many temptations that destroy our relationship with God and each other? This is the subject of today's sermon. Since there is a connection between the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden and Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, I will use both of these readings for my text.
Today is the first Sunday of Lent. The season of Lent begins with the challenge to turn around, to change our mind, in other words, to repent. Lent is not a time to become saturated with guilt or pain. Instead, it is a time to respond to God's calling to cleanse our hearts and to prepare with joy for the paschal feast at Easter.
The season of Lent evolved over a period of time, taking into account the many spiritual practices and customs of the early Christians. The 40 days of prayer and fasting that are traditionally undertaken by faithful Christians during Lent, come from today's gospel reading where Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness, immersing himself in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, solitude, and fasting. He was led into the wilderness following his baptism, where he struggled with his own inner demons. Before he could fully embrace his ministry of preaching the Kingdom of God, of guiding the lives of other people, and of healing them from their infirmities, Jesus had to face his own choices and temptations. The greatest temptations, of course, have to do with succumbing to the demands of the ego rather than following the will of God.
The Holy Scriptures are made up of many different kinds of literary genres such as historical, epic, saga, legend, parable, poetry, exhortation. In today's readings, the genre of myth is freely used. The purpose of a myth is to lead us into a deeper truth about our human nature through the avenue of story. The different authors of Holy Scripture often use mythic language to describe the power of evil and temptation. Life-like creatures such as the devil, Satan, the evil one, the serpent, and Beelzubul, are simply a personification of the forces of darkness. Perhaps personifying evil and temptation makes people of the 21st century smirk. Maybe that kind of language is passé. Never the less, evil and temptation exist and they cause a great deal of suffering in the world. They destroy relationships! To deny their existence, is a great error in judgment.
A temptation begins with a thought that either originates in our own mind or is implanted by an outside agency such as a person, an advertisement, an experience. Thoughts that are thought about can begin to take on a life of their own. When we ponder a thought, "a trail of thoughts" often follows. This pondering of a thought can lead to desire, then to passion, then to a decision, followed by a concrete action. At anytime in this sequence, we have the ability to say no. Unfortunately, by the time we get to the stage of desire and passion, it is very difficult to resist the temptation. That is why it is important to be conscious of our thoughts. Here are a few reflections I have on the subject of temptation.
1. The temptations that were presented in today's readings are not inherently bad. That is why they sometimes go under the radar. No one is being tempted to murder, or kidnap, or engage in robbery. Instead, we are talking about eating some fruit for the purpose of gaining knowledge, providing food for bodily comfort, taking a risk to have a thrill, and finally, deciding whether or not to become a cosmic real estate agent. [Who among us wouldn't want to add some additional real estate to our portfolio?] When we have to make decisions about money, power, success, worldly comforts, and control, we need to ask whether we are pursuing these goals for the glory of God or whether we are pursuing these goals for our own glory. One posture supports abundant life. The other supports self-centered behavior.
2. Money, power, success, worldly comforts, and control can often be used for the good. But they can also destroy our relationship with God and others when pursued in excess. This is why it is important for us to seek guidance so that we are not deceived when making important decisions. There are consequences to every action. Some consequences are more serious than others. By ignoring God's wisdom and calling their own shots, Adam and Eve lost their innocence and realized the terror of their human vulnerability. Selling one's allegiance (i.e. to an individual, to a company, or even to a nation) for the purpose of gaining money, power, success, and comfort, can literally kill the soul. Many instances of anger and depression in today's society are the consequence of such actions.
3. The workings of temptation are often subtle. We have an incredible ability to deceive ourselves, to justify actions that are wrong or untimely. The serpent in today's story actually had some good arguments. "Hey look, no way are you going to die by eating a little fruit. The only reason God told you not to eat it is because God knows that when you do eat of it, your eyes will be opened, you will know the substance of good and evil, and you will be like God." This argument seems valid. "Why not become more wise," Eve thought to herself? "Couldn't harm anyone. Besides, that particular tree is especially delightful"
We face these subtle temptations every day and our arguments for embracing them are often not bad. "Why not cheat on my taxes. I don't support the war in Iraq." "Why not cancel that important dinner engagement with my friend. I am tired and I wouldn't be a good conversationalist anyway." "Why not work an 80 hour week for a few years. After all, I am trying to provide for my family." "Why not buy a bigger car. Certainly, using a little more gas on my part will not have a significant impact on the world's ecosystem." In each of these justifications, the distorted ego makes the decision.
4. Have you ever noticed that oftentimes, temptations focus on what you don't have? Instead of being grateful for all of the blessings in our lives, we can fall into the habit of obsessing about what is missing (e.g. a life-long partner, a house, a convenient parking place at work.) When we begin to focus on what we don't have rather than on what we do have, temptation can be very powerful. In our mythic story of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had access to every tree but one. The temptation focused on that one tree that was forbidden. We need to practice the prayer of gratitude more often.
5. Jesus was able to resist temptation. Was it because he was a superhuman hero? Did he have special powers? Was it because he was divine? Orthodox Christian belief confirms that Jesus was fully human and subject to the same temptations and choices that each of us face. What seems different about Jesus, is that he always relied on the God's grace and wisdom rather than ego strength and conventional wisdom when making choices. Before he was faced with the temptations in the wilderness, he spent a long time practicing some serious spiritual disciplines. He prayed, fasted, and spent many days in solitude, reflecting on his relationship to God. These disciplines opened him up to the power of God's transforming grace. He didn't have to pull himself up by his bootstraps in order to resist the forces of darkness. He simply turned his heart, mind, body, and soul towards God and allowed the power of grace to move him forward.
We are not our thoughts. Thoughts come and go. Thoughts that are pondered, can lead to a trail of thoughts. This can lead to desire, passion, decision, and action. At anytime in this sequence, we have the ability to say no. Unfortunately, by the time we get to the stage of desire and passion, it is very difficult to resist the temptation. That is why it is very important for us notice our thoughts and to learn the spiritual tools which are necessary to resist temptation. During this season of Lent, I will teach a five week series on Making All Things New: The Spiritual Practice of Thinking Differently. I hope you will join me in this process of transformation.
"Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save..." [BCP 218]
| Updated 3/14/05 |
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