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Hello and welcome whoever
wherever you are. You are invited to be part of the Lenten journey,
Turn Around - Take Off, you, me,
individuals ,groups people all across the country
questioners, seekers, the spiritual but not religious,
maybe church people, long-time members are maybe folk
just checking it out .Lent is one of those times.
when there's space for everybody an opportunity to take
time out to slow down to ask yourself
what really matters in life, in my life?
Or what really matters for a community of faith
a church. the United Church? Lent is an opportunity for
asking questions about direction,
purpose, meaning. Lent is a time to look in
to the mirrot, to look honestly at yourself
and hear those core questions more directly
more personally .Now the Bible is good
at asking questions despite the fact that many people try to turn it into a
straightforward answer book with no room for doubts,
contradictions let alone questions. But
take for example the very first thing the God says to humanity
after Adam and Eve do their happily eating thing it's not a scolding or
condemnation but rather
it's a question. where are you?
And in the next chapter when Cain and Abel are going at it when we have the
first ***
God again asks a question. Where
is your brother ? You could go a long way with those two questions alone.
Where are you? Where is your brother your sister
your neighbour? Jesus is good asking questions
according to John's Gospel the very first thing Jesus says at the beginning
of his ministry is
what are you looking for? Now that's
a good Lenten question. These are the questions will be sitting with
for the next six weeks that I'm inviting you to ponder as you
think about your own faith journey and as you think about where the United
Church
is being called. Today's reading
Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 - 11 set that up in a classic sort of way.
A description that Jesus temptations in the wilderness launches
every Lent, year by year . So
Jesus has just been baptized and then the Spirit leads them into the
wilderness
for forty days wrestling with questions. Trying to sort of out the direction
of his life, his ministry what really matters
trying to hear his call. And we're invited to walk along with him
experiencing temptations struggling with what knocks
us off course? What sidetracks us from listening to
our call? Wilderness, which we humans know
all too well those times when we are stripped down to the basics
when we come face to face with our mortality,
our own shortcomings, threats and dangers.
We spent a lot of energy trying to keep out of
all wilderness. And yet we also know there can be a gift
in the wilderness when everything we have relied on is taken away
well sometimes we can catch a glimpse
what's essential. We might hear the voice of the Spirit,
we might discover a new way to live, new possibilities
might emerge. Wilderness, that's what some people say the United Church
is in the midst of ,all those statistics of shrinking numbers declining
finances aging membership. And some have even suggested
that God is in this diminishment that it's the Spirit
that is driving us into this wilderness, forcing us to confront questions about
what it really means to be people of faith
to discover again they why of church
rather than how? Now today's passage talks about Jesus
and the three temptations that confront him in his wilderness
and in many ways these are the temptations
we still face. "Turn these rocks
into bread ", remember that Jesus has been fasting for 40 days
and so having his fill of bread looks mighty tempting
almost the question of survival. Taking care of myself my own hungers
that's what I spend a lot of my life's energy on.
And even when I basically have what I need ,I get caught up in wanting more
thinking it's never enough can't be too safe!
Or maybe turning stones into bread hooks our desire to be known as you do gooders
handing out bushels a bread to every food bank across the land,
nobody starves but nothing changes.
Or that second temptation take a flying leap off the temple:
You gotta save me God that's your business keep a secure,
guarantee my safety. I expect miracles
thanks to a string pulling prayer answering God,
except it doesn't usually work that way. So
then what ?Or the final temptation
power and glory and money all the kingdoms at the world and their splendor
now
that's tempting! Stuff,
endless stuff, the lifestyles of the rich and famous or simply of those in
the Western world which is probably most about us.
Reminds me of another Jesus question; what will a profit you to gain the whole
world if you lose
your life, yourself ? And this temptation,
this last one sure has hooked the church over the centuries.
Seventeen hundred years ago the church jumped at Constantine's offer to become
the official church of the State and in return
bless the status quo Roman power.
We've been willing most at the time to offer a blessing to whatever government
needs a religious backup
in return for recognition and status.
Seductive for any church. We're important,
we have power, we can influence the government and will
of course use at all for good. But
oh my, we've seen over and over where
that leads to real trouble ; talk about
losing your soul . All good questions these
their powerful temptations but the real question
is, what's tempting you?
What is distracting you from paying attention to
and from acting upon what really matters?
What's distracting you from the urgency and wonder
of your own journey and that have your faith community?
And I wonder where we might find the strength to do
as Jesus did, to root ourselves in God?
To draw upon ancient resources in the stories of Scripture,
of people who would walk this wilderness before.
Maybe that's what this Lenten journey is about, the discovery of how we might find
our
true selves? How we maneuver through all that might seduce us from becoming the
people
and the church that God would have us be?