First Sunday in Lent: A Journey Into Our Best and Our Worst

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 29:8-17 (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 25:1-9 (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

In my preparations for this blog post, I have been doing a word comparison study on the words, "And the Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness."  

Mark's Gospel account of the temptation of Jesus is the shortest version of the story. There is no detailed information about how Jesus was tempted, and what the conversation between Jesus, the Scriptures and the devil was about.  Mark's description begins with "the Spirit drove Jesus."  In Matthew 4:1 and Luke 4:1, they read that The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted.  There is quite the different meaning in those two words led and drove.  When I researched other translations of this text, I found some interesting variations on the word drove.  The word used in The Common English Bible is forced, while the word used in The Message Bible is pushed.  The New American Standard Version uses the word impelled.   The only version that suggests that the Holy Spirit was more gentle with Jesus is the New International Version which reads that the Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness.

To better understand what is happening in Mark's Gospel, it is best to go back to the beginning where we reread about what took place at the Baptism of Jesus.  As Jesus was coming up out of the waters of His Baptism, and the heavens are torn apart and the Holy Spirit descends on Him and a voice says: "You are my Son the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."   The Holy Spirit represents the Essence of God.  A good synonym for Essence is "the Intrinsic Nature" of God.  The word 'intrinsic" is best understood as "in and of itself (herself, himself)."  So why would the Essence of God drive, push or impel God's Beloved into the wilderness to be tempted among the wild beasts?   If God is so "pleased" with Jesus, why send (or drive) Him to face such personal danger?

To contemplate this mystery it is a good idea to look at the lives of Desert Mothers and Fathers.  They went into the desert not to escape the world as some suggest; although that was certainly an important part of the reason.  In the desert, one loses all attachments to how things used to be.  All of the illusions of ourselves are gone.  It is in the desert (or in solitude) with God, that we see as clearly as possible, the best and worst of ourselves.  We are confronted with the reality of just how wounded our bodies and souls are by our false-sense of self.  The false self that thinks that we are "someone" or "something" other than who or what we really are.  We see how we define ourselves by the damaging labels others place upon us.  We see how much we really rely on wealth, personal pleasure, possessions, power, fashion and knowledge to make up who and what we are.  If we are to receive some kind of healing with the help of God's Essence; then the Holy Spirit must be united with our own spirit, our own essence.  When we remove all the deceptions in our bodies and souls and seek a holy union with the Intrinsic Nature of God within our own essence, we are living from our Eternal Truth.   Then there can be true healing and we can live from our true selves.

So, why did the Spirit drive Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted?

Because Jesus is the Word of God, united with the Essence of God.   In Jesus Christ, the Perfect Revelation of God in the human Person, our humanity finds its fulfillment and healing when we face the best and worst of ourselves in the Light and Grace of God's Intrinsic Nature.  If God's Beloved in Christ can face the best and worst of our human nature in the wilderness, and rely on The Essence of God within Him: He will be more than able to face the reality of all human suffering in His Passion and Death on the Cross.  Humankind continues to fail under the reality of our communal, personal and spiritual immaturity.  We are all tempted.  At times, we all give in and live by our false-sense of self.  We all suffer because of things that have happened to us, including addictions, abuse, violence, prejudice and more. The reality of our human nature does not disappear because of God's grace.  On the contrary, we must, by faith in God, accept our false-selves and let go so that we can live into and from our true selves, united with God's Holy Essence.   

If we are to see a change in the Church and society with regards to the marginalized, destitute, sick and oppressed; we must begin by facing the best and worst of ourselves, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, find victory and strength in Jesus the Christ.  We must experience and live from our essence and the Essence of God, and seek healing and reconciliation within ourselves and the world around us.  In this great mystery, is that "truth" that "sets us free" (See John 8:32).

As we continue in our journey of Lent, may we be willing to walk with Jesus to face the best and worst of ourselves; so that, we can also seek and find the rejuvenation of God the Holy Spirit to live into our true selves to respect and uphold the dignity of every human person.

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 in Lent, The Book of Common Prayer, p.218).

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the
earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those
who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people
everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the
nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh;
and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p.100).

Second Sunday of Lent: Discretion, Hospitality and Mission

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18 (NRSV)

The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Then he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess." But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates."

Psalm 27 (BCP., p.617)


Philippians 3:17-4:1 (NRSV)

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

Luke 13: 31-35 (NRSV)

Some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Blog Reflection

I found the readings for today to be very challenging.   My preparation for this blog post required more research time than usual.  There is a lot to be considered in the Liturgy of the Word for this weekend.  It is full of valuable information and some things that are worth some real thought.

The reading from Genesis requires some careful attention.  There is always the danger of walking on the side of antisemitism when we do not pay attention to what is going on.   This is why I like to shy away from the idea that the Hebrew Scriptures (still referred to as the Old Testament) suggests salvation by works and the Christian Testament (the New Testament) is salvation by faith.   This reading from Genesis very much challenges those notions.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes: "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the scripture say?  Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" (Romans 4:2-3).  Later on in verse 13 Paul wrote: "For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendents through the law but through the righteousness of faith."   Abraham and all the people of Israel were chosen by God from the foundations of the world.  It was out of God's love and holiness that God delivered them and kept them close to the side of Yahweh at all times.

Abram's gift to God and God's response to him, was because of his faith in God.  God shows Abram that he is to receive an enormous gift that shall come by way of the generations yet to come.  The example made by the animals, was for Abram to receive confirmation from God of the promises made to him.  His faith is being given a sense of direction so as to lead him forward in what God has in mind for him and his descendants.   The works that Abram did through out the remainder of his life, was in response to the faith he was given in God who would do many things that brought a great blessing to Abraham and those who would come after him.

Do we receive good things from God with thanksgiving and faith?

A story from the Conferences by St. John Cassian will help us understand a little bit of what is going on in the Gospel for today.

Blessed Antony and  the Desert Fathers were hermits.   They lived in the deserts of Egypt.  They fasted.  They prayed vigils very religiously.  They gave themselves to very austere practices.  Blessed Antony said that the most important grace that a monk should ask for is discretion.   The discretion that can discern the difference between doing too  much or not enough.   He illustrated the importance of discretion when he told a story of two monks who went on a long journey.   They fasted for three days of their journey.   They wandered into a territory where the Mazices were very well populated.  The Mazices were known for cruelty that was labeled beyond barbaric.  Many of the desert monks feared them immensely.   However, when the two monks on the long journey wandered into the territory of the Mazices, two of them greeted the fasting and weary monks warmly, and offered them food.  One of the monks realized that though he was in the territory of the Mazices for which he should be very afraid for his life, the one who was offering him food, was doing him a very good deed.  So, after using the grace of discretion, he took, ate the food and lived.   The other monk did not and died not too long after, of starvation and total exhaustion.

The scene in the Gospel for today shows us Jesus being warned by a few Pharisees to get out of the area, because Herod is looking to kill him.   Here we  have some Pharisees who are normally thought of as being quite nasty to Jesus, doing him a very good service.  What we see here is Jesus welcoming individuals who are normally perceived as enemies of his.  Jesus welcomes them and receives their warning.

We have to be very careful about supposing that the Pharisees themselves are enemies of Jesus.  This kind of thinking has been a great source of antisemitism.   The Pharisees were part of the power structure within the Jewish Religion as well as the Civil Government, but they were also heavily controlled as to how much power they had because of the Roman Empire.  Their concern about what Jesus says and does is heavily influenced by their commitment to the traditions as they understood them.  They feel a sense of entitlement because of their influence and it leads them to many issues with Jesus.  But, their motives and reasons were quite legitimate.

This Gospel shows Jesus exercising two very important aspects of his ministry.   Discretion so as to receive those who are talking with him, from the level of their sincerity.   He is also receiving them with the greatest of hospitality.   His schedule and life have been interrupted for a bit, but Jesus has made room for them and responds to their concerns.   Jesus sets for us an example of how we need to receive others with a sense of openness.  Even those who tend to come from groups of people that appear to be working against our interests.  Yet, Jesus speaks of who the real problem is.  When Jesus refers to Herod Antipas as a "fox" he is suggesting that Herod is among the slyest, the most destructive, and yet the most worthless and insignificant of animals of his time.   Whatever Herod's issues are, Jesus cannot set aside his mission of heading to Jerusalem to eventually give his life on the cross.  

As we struggle with the very important issues of our time.  Racism.  Economic inequality.  The prejudice towards LGBT people, women and individuals of different political positions and the like, the Gospel has something to say to us.  Especially during this holy season of Lent.  We will make headway towards justice, equality and inclusion, if we will exercise discretion, hospitality and hold to our sense of mission.  As difficult as it is, if we are going to make progress towards equality and inclusion for LGBT people, we need to recognize that not all religious conservatives are our enemies.  There are many who sit on the more conservative side of the Christian faith, who may have opinions and ideas that we do not exactly agree with, but they are still children of God just as much as we are.   While we are not obligated to agree with them, we are instructed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to receive them with the same discretion, hospitality and compassion with which He has received all of us.

In addition, it is crucial that we hold onto our sense of mission to bring the Gospel message of justice, equality and inclusion of all persons as we receive and work with those who do not share our opinions, values or means of accomplishing our goals.   The Commandments to love God, neighbor and ourselves is our Gospel basis for how we receive each person who presents themselves to offer us help.   We all need each other to do the work of the Kingdom of God.  We also need each other to help us to stretch ourselves and each other beyond our current comfort zones, so we may receive each other with the hospitality and purpose of reconciliation, with which God receives each of us.

As we practice our Lenten works of fasting, prayer and alms giving, we are creating more space for God in our lives.  We are also creating space to welcome Christ as He comes to us through others.   Those others include those who are like us, and those who are different from us.   It is a challenge that I need this Lent.  It is a challenge that all of the Christian Community needs.

Not everyone who comes to worship with us, understands what is so important about admitting women to be ordained Deacons, Priests and/or Bishops. We need to give them the opportunity to struggle with their faith in these matters as we were given.  There are people who have interpretations of the Bible that are in and of themselves incorrect with regards to homosexuality.  However, if we tell them that they cannot worship or receive the Holy Communion with us, just because their ideas or opinions are not shared by us, we are no better than those who will not admit LGBT people to Holy Communion and/or the ministries in the Church.  We will not be an inclusive community, if we do not include those whom we would describe as "not quite getting it."

As we journey through Lent,we should pray that we will stay true to our mission.  But, we should also keep in mind to ask for the grace of discretion and hospitality, so that we may be part of the healing and reconciliation of the Church and society that we have been called to be.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious
to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them
again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and
hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ
your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second 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.  (Collect for Ash Wednesday, 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. (Prayer for Mission, Book of Common Prayer, p. 100).