21 February 2010

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13

In Junior High, we had a science teacher who had a unique way of putting the fear of God into us, just in case we might be tempted to cheat on one of his quizzes.  As he passed out the papers, he sang this song: “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin.  Each victory will help you some other to win.  Strive manfully onward, dark passions subdue, look only to Jesus, he will carry you through.”

No public school teacher would dare to sing a song like that today, not in a time when prayer in school and many other aspects of religion have been removed.  But from what I know about contemporary religion, any serious mention of temptation may also be a relic -- as well as the forty day season of Lent that calls us to a self-examination not only of our mortality but of the reality of sin in our lives that separates us from God and from one another.  The “common wisdom” seems to be that people today are looking for a “feel-good” religion.  Starting a service as we did this a.m. with a confession of sin -- or of emphasizing self control to avoid falling into the “seven deadly sins” is thought to be too much of a “downer” for a lot of people.  If you want your church to grow and attract religious “seekers,” the key is to soft-peddle any mention of things like God’s judgment and instead preach and emphasize things people want to hear, like self-esteem and the prosperity Gospel.

Whether that is true or not, the fact of the matter is that on this Sunday of the Church year -- the First Sunday in Lent -- the central message is about “temptation.”  Every year, churches that follow a liturgical calendar move from the bright lights of Christmas and Epiphany into the somber darkness of Lent.   One week ago, we were standing on top of a mountain, caught up in that moment when Jesus was bathed in light so bright the disciples with him needed to put on one of those masks welder’s wear to avoid  being blinded.  And three days later, ashes were etched on our foreheads, reminding us that we are mortal beings, made of dust and destined to return to dust.

The season of Lent always begins for us with this mid-week service of penitence, confession, and ashes.  And now, as we come to the First Sunday in Lent, we read the story that is read on this day every year: how Jesus spent forty days fasting in the wilderness after he was baptized by John in the waters of the Jordan and at the end of those days facing a series of temptations.  And each year, the task of a preacher is to say something new not only about the temptations that Jesus faced but also how they might shed light on the temptations we face -- in a world that probably doesn’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about this matter of temptation in the first place.

One of the books I often pull off my shelf for insight  is The Good Book by Peter Gomes.  It contains a series of marvelous essays about contemporary ways to read the Bible with both mind and our heart -- and how the Bible can shed light on issues ranging from race, anti-semitism, feminism and what he calls the “last prejudice:” homosexuality.