Readings for Lent 1C:
Luke 4:1-13
February 25, 2007
The Rev. Karen Faye Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA
“Jesus said: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” [Luke 4]
Whenever my friends or family come for an extended visit, I have to make a space in my spare bedroom. My spare bedroom is quite small, about 9’x10’. It contains three large bookcases, a bed, a chair, and a TV. The small closet in this room is where I store extra quilts, wrapping paper, and odds and ends. Each time someone comes to visit, I have to clean out the closet, so that my guests have a space in which to hang up clothes and store their suitcase. And while it is a challenge to make enough space, it is a necessary part of making my guests feel welcomed and comfortable. What I would like to talk about today is making space for God. I will use the gospel as my text.
Lent, is that time of year that we consciously set aside time to make a space for God in our busy lives. It involves setting aside time for prayer and reflection so that we can better come to know God’s will for us. It is also a time to be purified of those things that inhibit our character from being more loving, generous, and compassionate towards others. Some of us take up a spiritual discipline during Lent like fasting, or serving the poor, or engaging in biblical readings. The purpose of these disciplines is not to make us feel miserable, or to appease some God up in the sky. The purpose of these spiritual disciplines is to open up a space within us, so that the Spirit of God can move us towards the Light and move us away from tempting choices that are self-centered.
There are three basic instinctual needs that must be met if a child is to grow into a healthy, independent, and faithful adult. These three instinctual needs are security, affection or esteem, and power. Security has to do with meeting the basic needs of survival such as having enough food, water, shelter, protection, and physical touch. Affection and esteem have to do with the feeling of well-being. It involves being appreciated and respected for who we are; being supported to choose a successful path that honors our gifts and passion. Power is the need for self-determination; the permission to separate from the parent in order to grow into an independent adult. Power is having the choice to make fruitful decisions. If any of these instinctual needs are frustrated or unmet, a wound occurs in the psyche. This leads to a distorted view of the level of security, affection, and power that are necessary in order to be whole.
For instance, those whose need for security were not met earlier in life, often have a distorted sense of what is necessary to be secure. These folks often work day and night, trying to make lots of money in order to buy more, bigger, and better, (often at the cost of their health, their families, and their happiness). Many who felt deprived of affection in childhood tend to choose spouses who they think can meet their dependency needs. They may choose a mate to be their mother or father rather than wanting a wife or husband. This can create a marriage that is headed for serious trouble. Those who had little power or control growing up, often have a distorted/insatiable desire for power later on. These kinds of folks are either control freaks or if in a high-level position, will often put a company at risk or engage in unethical practices in order to satisfy their desire for power and control.
It is tempting to want more security, esteem, and power to fill the empty hole that is inside us. Today’s gospel points to these temptations. Let’s take a closer look at the text. After having been baptized and set aside as God’s beloved one, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for a time of prayer and reflection. For forty days and forty nights, Jesus made a space for God in order to listen and to become aware of his mission and ministry. Instead of feeling a sense of spiritual bliss during this time in the desert, he was tempted with the three basic instinctual needs that all human beings have: security, esteem, and power.
After having fasted, Jesus is hungry (a security issue). He has natural, biological drives that demand attention. We all do. How Jesus deals with these biological needs is the focus of the story. The first temptation that Jesus faces is to make bread from stones. It is a weird request and yet making bread from stones is what we demand of our elected officials whom we expect to lower taxes, reduce the deficit, and cut nothing essential. We expect poor countries to make bread from stones by demanding that they pay back enormous debt while keeping their people fed and secure. Jesus says no to this request. Bread comes from grain. We have enough grain and food in our country alone to feed the world. If we want the hungry to eat, we shouldn’t ask them to make bread out of stones. Instead, we need to become more generous and compassionate and think of creative ways to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
The second temptation that Jesus faces, is the offer of power in exchange for allegiance. All Jesus has to do is to switch allegiance from worshiping God and he will be granted the power that comes with owning large pieces of real estate. Power in and of itself is not evil. But the degradation of moral principles, by joining corrupt allegiances in order to gain power, is evil. It ultimately hurts the common good and can destroy the creatures of God.
The third temptation invites Jesus to jump an exhilarating leap with an absolute guarantee of no pain. Distorted views of affection and esteem create a situation where people actually believe they can go through life with little or no pain. Gain without pain is so much a part of the American dream that people avoid pain at all costs. This avoidance of pain is often expressed by denying the reality of death, by protecting our children from the consequences of their actions, by stuffing our faces with alcohol & food, or by keeping so busy that the deep aching wounds in our psyche cannot voice their concerns.
And speaking of pain avoidance, there are some folks who want to avoid Lent altogether because of its somber, penetrating, mood that often gets us in touch with our deeper pain. They would prefer upbeat, slaphappy music that avoids the darker side of life. These are the people who are prepared to make a spiritual journey, as long as it has no risks or struggle. But if we are to take the example of Jesus seriously, we soon realize that life is full of pain, disappointment, and loss. To get in touch with this part of life need not make us despair but should inspire us to turn to God for the grace to remain faithful under stress.
The temptation story describes the ethical challenges that all Christians face: The temptation to forget one’s baptismal promises, to use religion for personal gain, to try to be successful at the cost of faithfulness, to be seduced by the riches of the world, to make compromises where one is called to stand for justice, and to avoid the path of sacrifice and suffering.
Today we have an opportunity to look at these temptations and to make a space for God; an opportunity to become more compassionate and generous. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori is calling on Episcopalians to commemorate this Sunday to pray, advocate, and give support to the eight Millennium Development Goals. It is call to join congregations together in prayer and giving to help people suffering from chronic hunger, disease, and poverty. By donating to the Episcopal Relief and Development, we can support a fund that gives to programs such as protecting people against malaria and AIDs, providing clean water and sanitation, helping people start small businesses. Instead of giving up something for Lent (e.g. such as chocolate or sex), how about giving a chunk of money to help make the Millennium Development Goals a reality! What exactly are these goals?
The problems underlying each of these goals have to do with poor people being denied their basic need for security, esteem, and power. The reason poor countries are facing such critical problems is that those in power set up structures that deny them of these needs. “First world” countries use 80% of the world’s resources to take care of only 20% of the population. Our perception of what is enough for ourselves (whether food, energy, success, or control) is distorted and out of balance. Working toward the Millennium Development Goals is one way to restore the balance. Make no mistake; these are very ambitious goals. And without a change of heart, without a healing of our unmet childhood needs, without our dependence on God’s grace, chances are they will not be achieved. That is why we need to make a space for God in our lives. Have a holy Lent!
| Updated 03/21/07 |
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