First Sunday in Lent: Jesus' Temptation Faces our Emotional Systems With Us

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 (NRSV)

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, `You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, `You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Psalm 32 (BCP., p.624)


Romans 5:12-19 (NRSV)

As sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned-- sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the one man's trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Matthew 4:1-11 (NRSV)

After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him,

"If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written,

'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Blog Reflection

The number forty in the Bible has great significance.  The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years before entering the Promised Land.  Elijah spent forty days on the Mountain.  Nineveh spent forty days in a fast to repent and return to the Lord.  

The First Sunday in Lent each year takes us to a Gospel narrative of Jesus' temptation in the desert for forty days.  Continuing with the idea written by Thomas Keating in The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience beginning on page 39-42, what Jesus is doing in the temptation is facing the emotional systems of all of us.  The emotional systems are survival/security, affection/esteem and power/control.  Each of us has these built into our human system.  By themselves, they are not evil or wrong.   How and where they are directed can determine the moral impact of what our emotional systems lead us to.  If they lead us to use them for the sake of themselves, there is a problem.  If we use them out of love for God, neighbor and self, we are growing in holiness and relationship with God.

In Jesus, is God's prefect revelation of God's Self.   Jesus is the human face of God made real.  God did not wait for us to reach God's level.  God came to us as one like us. In Christ, we are shown how God walks with us as we face the temptations of our emotional systems.   In all of the examples that Matthew's Gospel gives us of  how Jesus was tempted, and responded to Satan there is one common theme that the devil is trying to get Jesus to do.   In the end, the issue is not how hungry Jesus is.  Nor is it whether Jesus is the Son of God, or how much of the world He could rule.   The common thread in all that Jesus is tempted to do, is will Jesus be His own god, or will He rely on God for His salvation?   Yes, Jesus is hungry after forty days.  But, if Jesus does change the stones into bread, what He would do is decide that He and not God is the one who ultimately fills his hungering heart.   If Jesus were to jump off the pinnacle of the Temple, He would indeed be protected.  But, He would have made Himself God, deciding what God should and should not do for Him.  Jesus could have bowed down and worship Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the earth.  But, He would have made himself God, and not worship the Lord, His God.

In the temptations and His response to them, Jesus shows us His great humility.  The very humility written about in Philippians 2:1-11.   He does not regard His likeness to God to be the most important thing.  Jesus out of His love for us, empties His glory, and shows us the way to God.  Jesus does not exalt Himself as God's Son.  He serves humankind and therefore receives the glory of God as God's Son because of what He gave.  

What are some of the emotional systems that we cling to?

Could the reason be that Christians in not too few number continue the campaign against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people because it challenges our emotional systems of security, esteem and control?

Do we ignore the dangers of climate change because the security, esteem and control of the rich and powerful has too strong of a hold on our government and politics?

Do we resist the real need to change our gun laws so that our schools, neighborhoods and communities are safe, because the Second Amendment worshipers are afraid of losing their security,esteem and control?

Do we remain silent about the real existence of racism and sexism, because we like the security of a Caucasian/male dominated system, by which we are highly esteemed and in control?

Are we willing to speak up about the current violence in Ukraine, and give up a bit of our security, esteem and control over the fact that the United States has too invaded countries and taken them over against their will?  Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan and drone missile attacks come to mind.

Our Lenten observance of fasting, self-denial, abstinence, alms-giving and prayer is to help us individually and collectively draw closer to God in trust and hope for our salvation in Christ Jesus.  These practices are not for Christians to wave flags and banners to show others how good we are in our own spiritual journey, while we ignore the real needs beyond our church walls.  Needs such as the exploitation of the weak, sick, poor and disenfranchised.   The beatings of gay men that have taken place in New York City, Minneapolis and in Russia.   The regular sexual harassment and assault on transgender people.   The bullying of LGBTQ students in schools, families and church communities.   If we are doing our Lenten practices and becoming more self-centered and less concerned about things like what I have named, we might want to spend a bit more time being very honest with God and ourselves about what kind of conversion we are open to.  

This Season of Lent is God's gracious gift to us, to be able to confront those parts of ourselves that won't live up to the call of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and ask the Holy Spirit for a renewed heart and mind.   A heart with reverence for God's presence in our neighbor, and love God in her/him without distinction.  

In today's Gospel, Jesus faces our emotional systems and shows us how to be victorious by trusting in God to help us.   As we look upon our own lives in the presence of God's mercy and forgiveness, we have the opportunity to experience God's healing and reconciling grace.  The grace that enables us to not just face and over come our temptations, but also tell the world about Jesus through our lives redeemed and changed for the better.

Amen.


Prayers

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; through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.218).

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.217).

 Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on
the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within
the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit
that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those
who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for
the honor of your Name. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.101).

First Sunday of Lent: Materialism, Power, Individualism without Community

Today's Scripture Readings

Deuteronomy 26: 1-11(NRSV)

When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us." When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, you shall make this response before the LORD your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me." You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

Psalm 91 (BCP., p.719)


Romans 10:8b-13 (NRSV)

"The word is near you,

on your lips and in your heart"

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Luke 4:1-13 (NRSV)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written,

'Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.'"

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

'He will command his angels concerning you,

to protect you,'

and

'On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Blog Reflection

If we are to understand the point to be made in the temptation of Jesus on this First Sunday in Lent, we must begin with understanding it's connection with the history of the People of Israel.   The faith of Christ is the tradition of the Jewish Religion.  It is not independent of the history of the Religion.  It gains it's power and meaning as it connects us to salvation history.

The book of Deuteronomy contains the continuing story of the People of Israel wandering in the desert for 40 years before entering the promised land.  The generations that would have left Egypt with Moses in Exodus by the time of Deuteronomy would have died.  The generations now preparing to enter into the land God promised to their ancestors, are receiving the same Law, though updated and explained for them to take with  them as they obtain God's promise.   In this reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, God is instructing the people through Moses honor the God who delivered their ancestors from the slavery in Egypt by offering to him their first fruits.  The God who is their Savior is not to be put on the back burner.  God wants to receive the first, the best, the most important and the most precious.  God is to be central to the worship of the Israelites. 

How are we putting God first during this Season of Lent?

Are we giving God the first and best of ourselves, or are we giving God what is left over and broken only?

Can we know God as our Savior and Deliverer, so as to honor God with what comes first to us?

The reading from Paul and the Gospel are quite well connected.  So, I will get right to it.

Lent is a time of great grace.  It is a period of time by which we have the opportunity through prayer, fasting and alms giving to make more room for God.   If we are to do that faithfully, we must be in touch with what it is that keeps us from giving God more room in our hearts and lives.  What is it that I do, or do not do that not only injures my relationship with God, but also hurts the human community?

The first temptation of Jesus is that of materialism and consumerism.   The idea that if I can have control over every thing in terms of what I eat, wear, and what I am able to do with the environment I live in.  It's the attitude that I can have it all.  Even at the expense of the poor, marginalized and those less fortunate than ourselves.   In this kind of temptation Jesus is tempted as are we all, with the idea that if we can only have more, the biggest, the latest and the most exquisite, then we are really making it in life.

Jesus has been fasting for forty days.  His hunger is legitimate.  His need for nourishment and relief from bodily hunger is overwhelming.  More important to Jesus, however, is his need to honor God first and foremost with what has been given to him.  When Jesus responds with "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God," he is simply putting the bread he seeks and the devil tempting him to control everything around him, in it's place.   In do doing, Jesus puts materials and the need to consume them in their proper context. 

We do not have to have the best and greatest, right here, right now.  What we need more than all of those things, is God.  We need to seek God in our hunger for things.   In our aching desire for what is basic, God is more basic than even those things.  Everything that has been given to us to use, even our own lives, are a gift from God.   We have a duty to be good stewards of what has been given to us.   We have as much of an opportunity and a privilege to be able to take what God gives us for the nourishment of our bodies, as well as our general welfare.  However, we also have the same opportunity and privilege to share them with others around us.  

In Psalm 8: 3-9 in the Common English Bible, we pray with the Psalmist:

When I look up at your skies, at what your fingers made--the moon and the stars that you set firmly in place--what are human beings that you think about them; what are human beings that you pay attention to them?  You've made them only slightly less than divine, crowning them with glory and granduer.  You've let them rule over your handiwork, putting everything under their feet--all sheep and all cattle, the wild animals too, the birds in the sky, the fish of the ocean, everything that travels the pathways of the sea.  LORD, our Lord; how majestic is yoru name through out the earth!.

As God has honored us with the responsibility of caring for the world, so we have the responsibility to respect it and share it with others.  Each time we pollute the air, destroy the rainforests, and work to dominate something from another tribe of people, we are abusing the goods that God has given us. 

The issue of everything that is at stake in the first temptation, has everything to do with the second.  The temptation to have all power at his disposal to do as he pleases.  Satan tempts him with "I will give you all the kingdoms of the world if you will worship me."   The opportunity to have everything work to his benefit.   Jesus resists this temptation by saying that He is to worship God alone. 

What might some thing like this have to say to us in a society where money is power, and power to control and manipulate is in the hands of those who have the most money?   The corruption of our government since the dreaded Citizens United ruling of the Supreme Court cannot be over stated.   The power of those who have millions to spend, and those who have next to nothing with everything to lose because of the wealthy, is beyond description.   Corporate money now has our government at a stand still.  Even with the overwhelming victory of the Democrats in November 2012.  The influence of money as power to control the potential future for education, health care, care for the unemployed, the poor, the disabled and the retired is out of control.  Politicians eager to hang on to their wealth and power, along with their influence is another way of worshiping power at the expense of God.

Racism, sexism, heterosexism, the prejudice towards Jewish people, Muslims, women and many more to number is another example of power being worshiped and God being put lower on the priority list.  Many of these issues being promoted  and manipulated at the hands and mouths of people using erroneous interpretations of the Bible and the misuse of the Christian Religion places power ahead of God.   It is more important to use the greatness of the Christian Faith to scare, control and stigmatize than to bring the justice, equality and hope Jesus brought when He showed us the very face of God.  

When Jesus answered Satan, he referred all of the powers at his disposal into the hands of God.  It is God we worship, and it is God who directs us.   It is for God we make use of what we do or do not do with the graces God gives us.

The final temptation to write about is individualism at the expense of community.  If only I can do something amazing, something potentially destructive to myself, I might gain everything that no one else has.  This kind of thinking has a sort of self-absorption to it.  What is lacking is the freedom to be who oneself is, and the opportunity to allow others to be who they are.  To accept one's limits, and to know one's boundaries so as to respect one self and others.   In resisting this temptation there is a deep sense of humility of recognizing that God is God and I am not.   Even though Jesus was God in the flesh, He knew that the worst thing he could do is seek all of God's power only for himself.   Here, Jesus is completely unselfish and totally non-narcissistic.   His ultimate concern is for the good of God and others.

As we have seen the effects of the misuse of public funds by Wall Street to crash the economy on bad mortgages and financial transactions, we have to ask ourselves, who really is our priority?   Do we try to live in solidarity with others, or are we completely absorbed by ourselves to the point where no one else really matters?

Sometimes as a gay man this one really strikes me at the core of who I am.  We  have been given this incredible gift by God to love other men physically and romantically.  Yet, when I use this gift for only my own self-gratification to the point of exploiting others for my own personal use, I am not being faithful to God or others.   Is the gift of my sexuality to love and share with my partner really about love, tenderness and seeking to honor God in him?  Or am I only interested in what he can do for me?

These questions are not just for me.  These and other questions I could ask are directed to any person, gay, straight, bisexual, etc who seeks to use another person's body and/or emotions for our own use.   We do ourselves, others and the human community a terrible disservice when we fail to honor another individual person as someone to be loved, cherished and cared for.  When people are reduced to mere objects of desire only, they are nothing more than a human sex doll.  God creates people with bodies, hearts and minds so that God can be loved in them, and they love God through them.

I am sure all of my readers have noticed that I have all of these in their wrong order with regards to the actual reading from Luke.   When Luke finishes with his version of the temptation of Christ, he notes that this is not the last time, but one of many times that He will face Satan in His public ministry.   Therefore, regardless of what order each fits in to, the important thing here is to understand that as long as we are on this earth, temptation will be part of our lives too.  As God was with Christ through all that he was tempted with, so God is with us.  The Holy Spirit that guided Jesus, also guides us as we face those things that can take us further away from God.

The final piece of good news on this First Sunday of Lent, is that whether we are successful in resisting temptations or not, God will forever love us and seek us out.   God is always on the look out for  us, and is walking with us in Christ, to redeem us and help us.   If we are over come by our temptations, we have the grace of the Cross that we have been forgiven and renewed in the Holy Spirit to get up and try again.   We all have the opportunity to reach out for God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we struggle with those things that are so difficult for us.

How are we reaching out to God during this Lent?

What are the temptations God is challenging us to deal with his Lent?

What ever our issues or answers are, God in Christ is with us and will be there with us on Easter Day to receive us as God's Beloved with whom God is well-pleased.  

Amen.


Prayers

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; through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday of Lent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 218).

Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with
all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and
the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we
probe the mysteries of your creation, we may come to know
you more truly, and more surely fulfill our role in your
eternal purpose; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen  (Prayer for Knowledge of God's Creation, Book of Common Prayer, p. 827).

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and
light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all
our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou
wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save
us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see
light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Guidance, Book of Common Prayer, p.832).

Monday of the First Week in Lent: Who Do You Go to the Desert With?

Today's Scripture Reading

Mark 1: 1-13 (NRSV)

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
   “Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight” ’,

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. 

Blog Reflection

Henry J. M. Nouwen in his book, The Wounded Healer writes: "The great illusion of leadership is to think that a man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there" (p. 72).

During this Season of Lent we are being led into our time in the desert, by One who knows all too well what it means to be out there.  Unlike, the scene a couple weeks ago of a group of men testifying before a Congressional House Panel about the dangers of contraception for women, when they have no understanding of the experiences of women; Jesus has actually been in the desert and witnessed the dangers and knows exactly what we are getting into.  He knows what it is to be a Baptized believer set loose in a world of spiritual, physical and psychological challenges.

We can infer from the reading from St. Mark's Gospel, that Jesus' experience of the desert follows the experience of John the Baptist.  Therefore, is it possible that Jesus looked to the experience of his baptizer as his model for going into the desert with complete trust in God?  How else could Jesus have known that it was the Spirit who led him out there, and that there would be angels waiting on him as he faced the wild beasts?

In today's commemoration of the Priest and Preacher George Herbert, the Episcopal Church gives us the Gospel reading of the Beatitudes from Matthew 5: 1-10.  This Gospel reading follows Matthew's account of Jesus' temptation.  How else might Jesus have known that it was the poor in Spirit who would inherit God's reign if he had not faced his own Spiritual poverty and need for God, as he hungered for food, was tempted by the illusion of world domination, and putting God to the test?    

Jesus' experience of his temptation in the wilderness is our model during this Lenten Season.   Jesus knows of what we face, and by God's Holy Spirit, Jesus attends to our needs by the assistance of angels just as they attended to him.  

As lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer Christians, we are led by the Spirit into the wilderness of a Church and a world where the wild beasts of those afflicted by attitudes and behaviors of prejudice and violence are waiting.  They wait with their erroneous interpretations of Scripture, the untested version of Church Tradition, and a blind understanding of Reason to attempt to harm us.  They would rather stay in their own cocoons where they are protected from a more educated and critical understanding of the Bible, the history of the Church, and the actual experiences of others, through which Reason is applied to a renewed understanding of human sexuality and gender identity/expression. 

At the same time, if we as LGBT Christians do not leave the illusionary world of "by the bars and internet alone will we find love," or of unhealthy and uncontrolled sexual appetites, to allow the Gospel to heal our hurts and forgive ourselves and others; we become only an extreme version of those who hate us, on the our own side of the social and political isle.  We are challenged by the Gospel and the Cross, do to a lot better than that.

The Holy Spirit may be challenging a number of us LGBT Christians to recognize the goodness that exists in our hearts and our desire to share our love with another person physically and romantically.   To do that, we must go with the Spirit into the wilderness where we will face the wild beasts of oppression and prejudice and resist the temptation to respond to them with the same attitudes and biases that feed separation and segregation.  We can go there with Jesus who knew what it was like to be around people in his own country who did not accept him, but loved them any way.  We can look for others who are marginalized and oppressed and become part of the missionary work of showing that God does not hate or reject anyone.  But, welcomes everyone and gives them the opportunity for healing and reconciliation.

This Lent, we are challenged to go in to the desert with Jesus and trust in the Holy Spirit to help us face the wild beasts, and experience being waited on by the angels.  So that we may come to the celebration of Easter as God's risen people, ready and able to do the Apostolic work of new life in Christ in our world.


Prayers

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; through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (First Sunday in Lent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 218).

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer, p. 217).

Our God and King, you called your servant George Herbert from the pursuit of worldly honors to be a pastor of souls, a poet, and a priest in your temple: Give us grace, we pray, joyfully to perform the tasks you give us to do knowing that nothing is menial or common that is done for your sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (George Herbert, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, p. 247).

O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth:
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for our Enemies, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).    

First Sunday in Lent: Covenant, Baptism, Temptation, Inclusion

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 9:8-17 (NRSV)

God said to Noah and to his sons with him, "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Psalm 25 (BCP, p.614).


1 Peter 3:18-22 (NRSV)

Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you-- not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Mark 1:9-15 (NRSV)

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." 

Blog Reflection

The Genesis story of Noah, the flooding and the Covenant that God establishes with humankind, has some major problems.  It is highly doubtful that the story is an original. Pieces of the narrative have very similar themes, events and endings as the Mesopotamian flood hero Utnapishtim, a principal character in the Gilgamesh Epic.  The story may be factual.  It might also be a mythological tale taken from other literature of the day.   

Part of the problem with the narrative is that it is comprised of two different versions woven together.  Some of the details appear to have been from a Priestly version, such as the first account of Creation in Genesis 1.  Other parts of the account are provided from the Yahwists perspective such as the case in the second story of Creation in Genesis 2.   The two versions of the story, leave the reader quite confused as to which version has it's facts in order.  The text in and of itself does not give us a very good picture.


The issue of it's origination is not finally the point.  What the story is saying to us as we are on this journey of Lent cannot be overlooked.  

In this Year of 2012, it is really difficult for us to imagine a scenario in which a "loving and merciful God" would decide to destroy all that God had created, because it had gone corrupt.  After all, it was God's creation.  Is it possible that the corruption was the fault of God, with something God got wrong? 


The narrative challenges us to consider the question: Does God change?


I am of the opinion that God's unconditional and all inclusive love and forgiving mercy do not change. Given that God is One who has  been consistently active in the events of the world, I do think that God meets us in the changing course of things, with a willingness to be the origin and destiny of all changes.  I think God works as much with science including the theory of evolution as a possible explanation of what the Creation story actually means. God works through the technological and medical advancements of the modern age. God is present  and active even in politics, as much as God influences religious communities and theological geniuses.  God is not a stagnant Being, but as the One in Whom all that is good originates and ultimately ends.   The concept of "God" is one that human beings have been struggling with ever since time began.  Humankind will continue to come short of being able to fully understand who God is, or what God does, well after our lifetime.

What I believe the Genesis story says to us quite clearly, is that whatever happened in the flood, God made a covenant by which God has to be accountable.  John C. Holbert in a commentary our reading from Genesis today, provides some insight into what he thinks the rainbow covenant means.

"I am about to establish (or "set up") my covenant with you (pl) and with your (pl) seed after you, and with every living creature with you, the birds, the domestic and wild animals, all those that left the ark, every last creature" (9:9-10). The grammar of this sentence is somewhat tortured in Hebrew, but the implication is extremely important: the covenant, the contract between God and God's vast and disparate creation, poised on the divine tongue, is thoroughly and completely inclusive of all those made by God in Genesis 1. No one is excluded; no one is left out. The horrors of the cataclysmic flood are never to be repeated. "I now set up my covenant with you that never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood and that never again will a flood corrupt the earth" (9:11).

Two words from that last sentence contain large ironic resonance. First, the word "cut off" is regularly used in other places in the tradition to describe the very act of making covenant! It is often said that a covenant is "cut" (this same verb), possibly referring to the ancient practice of cutting animals for proper sacrifice by way of symbolizing the covenant being made (see, for example, Gen 15's covenant between God and Abram). This covenant, though it might be said to be "cut," will stop any future "cutting off" of the world's creatures.

The second ironic word is "corrupt." God says that no flood will ever again "corrupt" the earth; it is this same word that in Gen 6:11 describes one of the very reasons for the unleashing of the flood in the first place! Human "corruption" may have grieved the heart of God, but now after the flood, God vows never again to bring divine "corruption," despite the continuous presence of human evil.

The Covenant God establishes is inclusive.   This in and of itself implies that the separations that many Christianists make with regards to women, LGBT, people of differing religions, races, cultures and languages, etc., is a distinction that is human made. Not God ordained or sanctioned. Such are not an exception being made by God.

This brings us to the reality that as Christians, the story of Noah and the Covenant prefigures what Baptism means for us. 

The Gospel narrative from Mark begins with Jesus' Baptism.  So begins Jesus' public ministry.  Baptism  is our starting point, through which we are adopted as God's own.  We, like Jesus and because of Jesus, are Beloved of God, with whom God is well-pleased.  In our Baptism, not only do we receive our name as God's beloved, but we also die with Christ on the Cross, and rise with Christ on Easter Day. (See Romans 6: 1-11).

As sure as the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness among the wild beasts to be tempted, and was waited on by angels, so God does not leave us alone in our desert journey.   God was guiding  Jesus and helping him to know that God was the One by which he would survive and be saved.

Jesus then begins proclaiming the Good News, by saying that the Reign of God was at hand, so repent and believe.

As God's beloved, with whom God is well-pleased, we can trust that God is with us through our journey's of life and faith.  As LGBT Christians, we too are claimed as God's beloved.  In Jesus Christ we have been redeemed and forgiven for our sins. 

Our sins of having denied the reality of who we are by living in closets of death and deception.  Our sins of lying to God, others and ourselves about who we are.  Our sins of trying to fool others into thinking we are someone other than who we really are.  The sin of allowing ourselves to be caught up in the false teachings of a so called Bible-belief that our being LGBT and acting on it with in loving relationships would some how mean, that God damns us and hates us.  

Those signs with the words: "God Hates Fags!"  Those signs are blatant lies, not actual truths.  Those who write them know what the Bible reads, but they do not know what it actually says or means.  If they did, they would never write such horrible words.

The faith that we profess during this season of Lent, is by which God embraces everyone.  Even those with whom we disagree.  This morning, St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral had the privilege of having as our Preacher. the Rev. Canon Peg Chamberlain, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Council of Churches.  During her outstanding sermon, she asked us to participate in an activity that a colleague of his uses, whenever he visits a Baptist church.  He tells every person to turn around to the person and say: "God loves you, and so do I, and there is nothing you can do about it."

What would happen if all of us Christians learned to act in such a way that we turned to everyone we meet with the attitude of "God loves you, and so do I, and there is nothing you can do about it?"   Do you think that at last people might actually see peace as the acceptable alternative to war?  Would people who prefer discrimination and violence, begin to realize that all are children of God and that hospitality and reconciliation is the only acceptable form of relating to others?

Today's message for us in 2012, as we are on this journey of Lent, is whether you are tempted, or in sin, or feeling like you have been excluded because of someone's poor judgment and/or behavior, or that no one really cares about you, is that God loves you, so do I, and there is nothing you can do about it.


Prayers

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; through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (First Sunday in Lent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 218).


Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.  (Prayer for Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer, p. 217).


O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,
the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away
all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body
and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all
of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth
and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and
one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.  (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 818).

First Sunday of Lent: The Temptation of Jesus' and LGBT's Identity

I struggled a lot with the readings for this first Sunday of Lent and how they relate to the justice, equality and inclusion of LGBTQ people in the Church and society.   I consulted many sources from the Collegeville Bible Commentary, Sermons that Work in the Episcopal Church and finally Out in Scripture.   All of them offered perspectives on the meaning of the Gospel story of the temptation of Jesus found in Matthew 4: 1-11. 

The  most important understanding I have gained from the temptation of Jesus that relates to LGBTQ people is that of our identity. 

As I print the Gospel reading for this weekend, I suggest we think of this narrative as being linked with the story of Jesus' baptism that came before the temptation.  In Matthew 3 Jesus has been baptized by John the Baptist.  A voice came from heaven saying that Jesus was God's beloved, with whom God was well-pleased.  To interpret the temptation of Jesus correctly in a way that is so very important to the spiritual and social lives of LGBT and to our activism, we must begin from the point that Jesus has just been told that he is the beloved Son of God.  So through Jesus God tells all of us that we are God's beloved and with us God is well-pleased.

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 4:1-11 (NRSV)

After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written,

'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Before we begin to unpack this Gospel, we must look to the first reading from Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, `You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, `You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

This reading from Genesis has been used by Christianists to demean women and LGBT people.  There have been plenty of full-blown arguments about whether Eve the woman was responsible for responding to the serpent or Adam for participating with Eve without question.  These theological arguments miss the point of what actually happened.

Why was it that after Adam and Eve took and ate the forbidden fruit that they discovered they were naked and covered themselves up?


The traditional response is because sin came into the world and they were now ashamed of their nakedness.  that is not a completely wrong answer.  However, it is quite incomplete.

The shame that came with their nakedness once their disobedience to God happened, was in that they suddenly saw themselves as shameful people, who were no longer loved by God.   They "covered up" their identity as individuals created in God's image, as their sin of disobedience had corrupted them to the point that they had demeaned themselves as created out of God's love.  Very much like LGBT people as they question their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.  Adam and Eve no longer saw the beauty of who they were before God and each other.  They hid, as LGBT people do in a closet where the death of who they are, and how they are to love which really is pleasing to God, is trashed, and covered with the "fig leaves" of shame and confusion.

After Jesus emerged from the waters of the Jordan in Baptism, he had a full understanding and sense of who he was.  God's perfect revelation in God the Son, Jesus the Christ.   What is the very first thing the devil tempts Jesus with in the desert?  "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."  The actual temptation here is not Jesus' understandable hunger.  The deeper temptation is not to change the stones into loaves of bread.  Satan is tempting Jesus to invalidate Jesus' sense of his identity as God's Son.  

Jesus' response: "'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'" is awesome in and of itself. It means much more.  Jesus' response is a declaration that his identity of being the beloved Son of God, is because of the word of God that has given him his life, identity and strength to uphold his dignity in the face of the greatest test. 

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people from the moment that we sense that our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression is different from the status quo are for a very long time, battling with a sense of dignity over our identity.  We are told by Christianists and ex-gay groups that if we accept who we are, we "diminish" our sense of being created in God's image.  Organizations like Exodus tell us falsely that "there is no good in a life of homosexuality.  Why?  Because God has said so."  When in fact, nothing is further from the truth.   

What is behind this kind of thinking?  The temptation of Satan on the lives of LGBT children of God redeemed in Jesus Christ  when the devil says: "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus responds as should we: "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

In other words, do not put God to the test of catching us because we throw ourselves off the ledge of heterosexism to see if an ex-gay group can help us to "pray away the gay."  And that if somehow we fail the system of "change" of an ex-gay group, it is because we did something wrong and God has punished us.    Do not question your identity as a child beloved by God, with whom God is well-pleased, by allowing the evil of Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics/Anglicans to suggest that somehow God does not love us because of our sexual and gender diversity.  

We might even be led by the devil through Christianists to worship the idolatry of their philosophy of Biblical literalism that is full of erroneous interpretations.  Instead of worshiping God as the God of our lives as LGBTQ people, we might be tempted to make the Bible itself our god, instead of the Incarnate Word of God, who is Jesus the Christ.   

Many of us have been tempted by well meaning parents and ministers: "If you will only leave that sinful lifestyle, you might become part of a famous Christian rock band, or tour with a famous evangelist.  You will be known as a great example of God's transforming grace."  

In other words, worship a lie, a falsehood that is paved and disguised by a multi-billion dollar capitalistic enterprise, designed to make hate and bigotry a profitable business.  Worship that, and all will be well.

We cannot honestly and fully love God and build a life of integrity and dignity before God through such greed, dishonesty and personal and spiritual deprivation. 

In this Gospel of the temptation of Jesus is a reminder of the necessity of recognizing, living and protecting our dignity as God's beloved with whom God is well-pleased. 

LGBT people are daily and weekly attacked at the heart of who we are and who we love.  The dignity of our identity within which is how God has created each of us to love ourselves, God and others must be respected as sacred space and allowed to grow.  The beauty of the stamp of God's created wonder in LGBTQ people is so loved and valued by God, that God gave the life of God's Son on the cross to save us from our sins and become God's adopted children. 

Any Christianist preacher, Catholic/Anglican/Orthodox Bishop, Priest or the Pope himself who attempts to distort us about our identity as LGBT people, even if their intention appears loving, have unfortunately become an agent of the devil's plan of prejudice and violent self destruction.   We have every business to say no, and become active in replacing their ill understood ideologies, with the truth of how all of us are loved by God as God's holy people. 

During our Lenten journey to Easter, let us pray that we will be open to the grace of God in Jesus to recognize the dignity and integrity of who we are as LGBTQ individuals.   Let us fast and work towards justice, equality and the full inclusion of all marginalized persons, including but not limited to LGBTQ people.  So that, the full identity of who we all are as God's beloved people, with whom God is well-pleased may be understood and appreciated. 

When we appreciate God's created and redemptive beauty within who we are, we can commit ourselves to the alleviation of oppression, injustice, and inequality of all persons  We will work for the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions.  We will see and guard the dignity and integrity of Muslims from congressional hearings designed to target them for the purpose of persecution.  We will do all we can to alleviate the suffering of the people of Japan as they recover from the horrible earth quake and tsunami this past Friday. 

God knows and loves all of us as God's beloved with whom God is well-pleased.  May we not only learn to resist the temptation to trash our own identity, but to work to help others recognize those marginalized by the Church and society as among God's beloved, with whom God is well-pleased.  Amen.

Prayers

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; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday of Lent, Book of Common Prayer, page 218).

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer, page 217).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, page 815).


 Ever-welcoming God,
        you invite us to bring all that we are,
        our questions and our failures,
        into your life-giving presence;
    Give us courage to live before you without pretense,
        that we may know the joy of forgiveness and renewal
        without fear of expulsion.
        Amen.  (Prayerfully Out in Scripture).