It Is Tempting Matthew 4:1-11

The season of Lent is now here which means that many of us will be giving something up. At least, for a few weeks. So we’ll give up social media: Facebook, Instagram, etc. We’ll deny ourselves the “vices” like alcohol, fast food or cigarettes. In the past my big denial was chocolate. The positive was the effect of losing a couple pounds. The negative was on Easter morning gorging on the chocolate covered marshmallow bunnies and eggs. The result was gaining the weight back and sometimes a pound or two more. The great denial of Lent starts out with good intentions but the lure to return to former ways is strong. This is how temptation works. It just keeps pulling and pulling and pulling at our weakness like the taste for sweets, the excitement of how many likes are on Facebook or the social connection at the bar. Temptation feeds off our fears, anxieties, desires until it has caught us in its trap.

The readings from the first Sunday in Lent are about two great scenes of temptation: Jesus in the the wilderness, Adam and Eve in the garden. The temptations were much more that eating an apple from the forbidden tree or turning rocks into bread to fill an empty tummy. The temptations were really about our relationship with God.

The Old Testament reading is from Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7. The serpent tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit while Adam seems to be silent in the background. The serpent’s challenge is to the goodness of God who denied them the chance to be like God and know good from evil. Eve and Adam both took a bite; so do we. Yes we do know what good is because we have come to know evil so well. The desire to be like God has brought us war, poverty, division, ecological damage to creation. In the end, death comes.

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness by the devil seems to focus on the devil getting Jesus to do what he shouldn’t but the temptation goes much deeper. “If you are the Son of God…” is how each temptation begins. Lets be straight forward. Jesus knew who he was and the devil knew who Jesus was as well. What was at stake wasn’t Jesus’ ability to do what the devil tempted but his identity. Jesus came as God incarnate to save a fallen world. Would he surrender that identity to fill his empty stomach, force the hand of God to serve him or worship what is evil for the world’s power? Jesus refused to give in and take a bite from that forbidden fruit.

The first Sunday in Lent seems to be about temptation but really it is about identity. The verses just prior to Jesus in the wilderness were on his baptism. The Spirit’s presence and the voice from heaven affirmed his identity, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Baptized into Christ, we are marked with his cross and declared to be a child of God. While we think temptation is about eating chocolate, the real temptation is to deny our new identity. Will we deny this identity to claim the place of God? Will we give up our identity to serve ourselves…get God to serve us…or, serve what is evil for power? Giving up our identity is temptation’s real goal.

Whether you decide to give up chocolate or Facebook or fast food for Lent is up to you but hold firm to who you are in Christ – a child of God.

Peace.

Are You Hungry? Matthew 17:1-9

[Taken from a sermon to be preached this coming Sunday]

I start out with this opening question, “Are you hungry?” Right away our minds turn to breakfast, lunch or maybe a quick raid on the leftovers in the refrigerator. Yet, there are different kinds of hunger beyond food. If we are sick, the hunger is for healing and health. The hunger inside might be for peace or justice or truth. While the word ‘hunger’ can be used to describe the yearning that is inside each of us, this coming Sunday I’ll turn to what can be called the hunger for God.

I am going to ask you the question again but this time it isn’t about food. “Are you hungry?” This time we are looking at a different kind of hunger. The kind of hunger that reaches down into the soul.

Are you hungry to look upon the face of Jesus, the risen Lord?

Are you hungry for the presence of God to be as sure and as obvious as a tent pitched in your backyard?

Are you hungry for the divisions that hurt so deep in society to be removed as the kingdom of heaven brings healing to the nations?

Are you hungry for heaven’s feast…when death has been swallowed up in victory…when you will lift the cup of victory with the ones you have loved…and lost…and miss?

So are you hungry this morning? If the question is about looking upon the face of Christ in glory and for the coming of God’s reign, then the hunger is real and begs to be satisfied. The older you get, the hunger pangs get all the stronger.

This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday and Lent begins with Ash Wednesday in a couple days. Preaching on this text is really hard because how do you with words tell of a vision that words can’t adequately explain? How do you describe what it would be like to stand next to the likes of Moses and Elijah from the Old Testament? How do you describe with words Christ suddenly glowing with the glory reserved for God alone? How do you describe the voice which said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” How do you make tangible the touch of Jesus saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” You can’t. You simply have to be there and experience the moment first hand. What we can do is express the hunger that we share with Peter and James and John. In the end, description isn’t good enough, we want fulfillment.

So this morning we are given a description of a vision that Peter, James and John were blessed to experience. Lets begin by engaging in what the Gospel of Matthew is trying to tell us.

Just prior to this amazing vision on the mountain top, Jesus tells the disciples that he was going to Jerusalem. What was about to happen in Jerusalem was not what they expected, he would be rejected and killed, but in three days he would rise. Peter pulled him aside with the message to stop such talk. Jesus responded with “Get behind me Satan.” He went on to say that if you wanted to have life and be considered a follower of his, you take a cross and die to this world.

We tend to be really tough on Peter then and in the reading today when he wanted to build three booths for Jesus, Moses and Elijah to stay. Shouldn’t he have known better but in reality he was just like the rest of us. He had a hunger that needed to be filled that was instilled as a boy hearing the stories of the glorious past and of a redeemed future brought by the Messiah. Unfortunately he had a hunger but didn’t know fully what the hunger was for. The problem is that we aren’t always sure what we are hungry for either. Haven’t each of us stood in front of an open refrigerator door not knowing what we are hungry for? So it is with faith.

We think the hunger is for political power and exert our will over others. Or, we think it is about celebrity and the biggest church, or how we remember or think life was like fifty years ago. And so we try to fill the hunger but to do so we lie, deceive, con each other, con ourselves and sell our souls. In the end we have nothing, not even life. The hunger instilled in us is not a re-branding or shuffling of the deck in terms of who is in power. The hunger is to look upon the face of God…to feel the touch of Christ and to hear his call to rise and not be afraid…to live in a world pulsating with God’s justice and peace.

Matthew then moves to the voice which speaks from the cloud saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved listen to him!” The voice from the cloud announced, “this is my Son, the Beloved” which is much like what was announced at his baptism. This time the voice said something more, “listen to him.” Just after the amazing vision on the mountain top, Jesus was going down the mountain and gave the three disciples a stern warning to keep this quiet until he was raised from death. The very presence of God for which we hunger the most is sandwiched between Jesus’ announcement that he was going to die and rise from the dead.

The hunger that runs so deep in the soul is satisfied only by the love of God in Christ who emptied himself out on the cross for us…satisfied only by the resurrection where the power of death is no more.

So we return to the opening question about being hungry. There is a meal for the people hungry for God. It is called Holy Communion. We are fed looking forward to the day when all hunger is gone.

Do not be afraid, this is the body of Christ given for you.

Do not be afraid, this is the blood of Christ shed for you.

A foretaste of the feast to come when we raise the cup of victory with those we have loved and lost and miss.

A day when all the lies and deceit and division and abuse will have come to their end in the cross of Christ. A new creation will be free in the resurrection.

So are you hungry? Then come, come to God’s Holy Table this coming Sunday in anticipation of the day when the hunger is no more.

Peace.

You Have Heard It Said…Matthew 5:21-37

These days I find myself stunned by the things that are said. I am not thinking about cursing, the four letter word kind. I am thinking about the disinformation, lying, deception, spin and so on that are being used to justify what is wrong…make corrupt appear honest…take the things we were taught to be a sin and make them seem noble instead. Since this is an election year, I will likely be spending much of the coming year stunned by what is said. As is the case, humanity hasn’t changed from two thousand years ago. We have simply refined our techniques and with social media become more devious and stunning.

Jesus was still giving the Sermon on the Mount in the reading. He tackled the prickly topics of murder, adultery, divorce and oath taking. His listeners would have likely been stunned. Not because of how he was able to diminish these topics and how he rationalized a way around them, rather how he intensified them and left no room for spin. We need to remember that Jesus told of the need to be more righteous than the Pharisees and teachers of the law to enter into the kingdom of heaven. He also said that he came not to abolish the Law and prophets but to fulfill the words spoken through them. Righteousness was so central to the importance of relationships.

You have heard it said…do not murder. This seems very straight forward or is it? Murder can be more than the ceasing of physical life. Do you know of anyone whose career was ruined by personal attacks or vengeance? Do you know of a reputation destroyed by disinformation? Jesus warned that even calling someone “Fool” will make you liable for the fire of hell. Now we all know people who are difficult to get along with in life. Yet, Jesus advised that before we come to the alter go first and reconcile with our neighbor. How we live in our relationships is how we live out our righteousness.

You have heard it said…do not commit adultery. You have heard it said…anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. These two are lumped together because they arise from the same problem which is the advantages and power of men over women. Today misogyny is still alive and prominent. The ‘Me Too’ movement shows how little things have changed over time. Jesus warned that it would be better to be physically maimed than to continue in such behavior and be liable to the fire of hell. How we live in our relationships is how we live out our righteousness.

You have heard it said…do not break your oath. Who hasn’t known the hurt of broken promises? Who hasn’t known what it is like to have trust destroyed because a promise was never kept? Have you ever been swindled? Have you ever been surprised by a person/business keeping their promise? Finding integrity can be a challenge these days. Jesus simply stated that our in relationships with others ‘yes’ should mean ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ should mean ‘no’ because anything else comes from the evil one. How we live in our relationships is how we live out our righteousness.

These days we might be stunned by how disinformation and spin have become normalized in life. Yet, Jesus will have none of it. Righteousness is demanded and it is found in how we live out our relationships.

Peace.

Blessings Matthew 5:1-12

If you ask people what a blessed life looks like, you would get a perspective of life that is going well. A person will say they are blessed because they enjoy good health. Another will cite family and speak of them being a blessing. Still another could describe living in a good neighborhood where they feel safe is a blessing. So blessings in a way are about the parts of life that work well and bring us joy. We direct our thankfulness toward God as the giver of such blessings. So as we read from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we get a different perspective on blessings. What Jesus calls a blessing, leaves us scratching our heads because they don’t fit on our list.

Jesus taught that the blessed are: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the merciful, those hungering and persecuted for righteousness, etc. How can this be? Well, we can try to rationalize his words and make them fit our world. We might say that their suffering will change and become a blessing when they get their act together but Jesus didn’t say this. Or that God sent this suffering as a way of testing and that blessing will come in the future. Jesus didn’t say this. We might pass this off as a future event, as being blessed someday in heaven but Jesus didn’t say this. He said, “Blessed are…” meaning the blessings are now in the present. So how do we reconcile Jesus’ view of blessings and our own? We don’t.

The verses just before this tell of Jesus gathering disciples and preaching the message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” His call is for life to be turned around and taken in a different direction. A new way of understanding the world from God’s perspective has been brought near in Jesus. So how does this work? Well, the kingdom of heaven doesn’t belong to those parading the power of faith for all to see. Instead, the kingdom of heaven belongs to those willing to admit the poverty of their faith. Those that struggle for peace when ‘might is right’ seems to be the dominate belief, are the ones blessed to be called children of God. Those insulted and persecuted for speaking truth in the face of power toward the pursuit of justice, walk in the same path as Jesus and the prophets of old. The kingdom of heaven is also theirs.

So what does it mean to be blessed? One perspective is to have life go well. Jesus’ teaching of blessing is to conform our lives to God’s perspective which he lived out for us to see. The two don’t always mix together well. So how do we transform our understanding of blessing? The prophet Micah gives us a start in the companion reading (Micah 6:1-8). “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Peace.

What Does Jesus do Now? Matthew 4:12-23

Jesus’ early years up to now have been surrounded by political turmoil. Herod tries to eliminate him by having the children of Bethlehem slaughtered. His family flees to Egypt for refuge. Following his baptism, Jesus is tempted by the Devil in the wilderness to rely on his self-sufficiency…manipulate God to serve him by the use of Scripture…finally sell his soul for political power. John the Baptist has been imprisoned for challenging Herod Antipas’ immoral conduct. In response to this news, Jesus heads off to Galilee. What is Jesus going to do now?

The political turmoil Jesus faced in many ways is not all that much different from what we face today or that has been faced by countless others through the centuries. Politics is about power: obtaining and keeping it. The methods include lies, silencing the opposition’s voice, fear, manipulation, division, etc. So what does a person or the church do? Do we look out for ourselves and go with the flow? Do we alter the church’s message for influence or the power that comes with wealth? Do we simply sell out? These options aren’t all that promising or very hopeful. In fact, they seem rather dreary. Scripture calls these options darkness. The way we do politics does seem really dark at times.

The Gospel of Matthew (referring to Isaiah 9:1-4) tells that people living in darkness have seen a great light and that those living in the shadow of death a light has shined upon them. Jesus is that light. The message Jesus announced was enough for the brothers Simon (Peter) and Andrew along with the brothers James and John to leave everything behind and take a chance on something new. Jesus’ message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Repent often has the negative connection of judgment and punishment. Repent can also be positive. Repent really is turning around and taking life in a different direction. Matthew uses ‘kingdom of heaven’ instead of ‘kingdom of God.’ Using ‘kingdom of heaven’ gives the impression not so much of a place but a concept. So when Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,” he was saying, “turn your life around and grab hold of a new idea which is different as light shining in darkness.”

Currently, the political battle rages on with Republican vs. Democrat and conservative vs. liberal. The resulting division in this land leaves us feeling as though we really are in darkness. When tempted by the Devil to opt into the world’s ways, Jesus chose to be the light that shines in the darkness: the kingdom of heaven. His life, death and resurrection has brought to us this light which will unfold in the following verses of Matthew. So how did Jesus start out being a light in the darkness? He brought healing to all who came to him.

Peace.

Threatened By A Baby Matthew 2:13-23

Less than a week ago we celebrated the birth of Jesus. We sang hymns that tell of news bringing joy to the world. We sang about mangers and angels and shepherds and Mary. Christmas comes with a great crescendo and then it is back to life as we know it. In a few days children return to school. After taking a couple days of vacation, it is back to work. Christmas with the baby Jesus in a manger surrounded by adoring parents, shepherds and docile animals is easily sentimentalized. We gladly take the comforting news of ‘God with us’ but we quickly ignore the challenge and judgment that ‘God with us’ entails. Matthew jolts us to reality with Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to seek refuge in Egypt. Matthew also described what happens when rulers feel threatened. In this case, the poor suffer and the innocent are killed. Christmas is about Jesus’ birth. The following Sunday is about the world with its Herods.

Magi had come to Herod to find the one born ‘King of the Jews.’ Herod and his grasp on power felt threatened. He wanted the Magi to return and give the location so he too could worship – Herod lied. The Magi didn’t return to give Herod what he wanted to learn. Thrown into a rage Herod ordered the massacre of Bethlehem’s children. Only Matthew records the history of this brutality but it was well within Herod’s normal behavior. Bethlehem was a small bump in the road town outside of Jerusalem. Such news wouldn’t have caused a stir in the region but it would have caused parents to fear a little more for their children’s well being.

The Christmas message is truly good news. Each Christmas we are reminded that in Jesus, the God of mercy and love has come to live with us. The Christmas message is also that in Jesus, God has entered this world with those forced to flee for refuge…under the lies and fear…in solidarity with the powerless often paying the price of the world’s brutality.

So celebrate the good news that is Christmas of ‘God with us.’ Also celebrate that God has come for those under the brutality of the world’s Herods. The world’s salvation has truly come, born to us.

Peace.

God Is With Us Matthew 1:18-25

Christmas is only a few days away but we are still in the season of Advent. The time continues for us to consider the coming of God to be with us. Including, the responsibilities and consequences that are a result of God’s arrival. What usually happens when we consider Immanuel (God with us), we assume that God is coming on our terms. God is coming to bless my business. God is coming to make the country powerful. God is coming to thrash my enemy. Yes, the coming of God does bring to us blessing. Yet as we prepare to receive the Christ child, we do so not on our terms but on God’s terms. This is the only way the blessing can be received.

These verses from Matthew might seem a few days early. They are Matthew’s description of Jesus’ birth. Two points are made by Matthew. One is about Jesus’ identity. The other is the reaction of Joseph to the news of Mary’s pregnancy.

Joseph lived in a culture where the worst thing you could do was to bring shame upon the family. Mary was betrothed to him. In those days marriage was a two step process. The first step was betrothal. The second step was the husband at a later date taking his wife to his home to be his wife. During the betrothal step the woman was considered the man’s wife. So the news of Mary’s pregnancy was sure to bring shame upon Joseph and the future marriage. Joseph chose to dismiss her (break off the betrothal) in the least shameful way possible. Later in a dream, an angel told Joseph to keep Mary as his wife. Mary’s pregnancy was Immanuel (God with us) and Joseph was to name the baby Jesus because he would save us from our sins. Joseph did as the angel advised and welcomed Immanuel – God’s flesh and blood presence into the world. He did this regardless of the cultural consequences.

Joseph lived in a time where kings and rulers were not opposed to blurring the line between humanity and divinity. Matthew wanted to clear up any confusion here. The claim of divinity was not through a position of human power. The presence of divinity was not the result of human declaration. Immanuel is God’s action to be with us.

So here we are a couple days from Christmas. The challenge for us is to prepare ourselves to receive ‘God with us.’ How will we do this? According to our expectations or upon our declaration? Or in Jesus, who was not ashamed of our flesh and blood…not ashamed of the cross…in order to bring us forgiveness and a resurrected life? How will we receive him?

Peace.

Burglar Alarms and Jesus’ Coming Luke 24:36-44

These days surveillance seems to be the normal for life. Stores have signs warning of surveillance to protect against theft. Maybe you have invested in home monitoring equipment with cameras inside and outside on the watch for a burglar in the night. Jesus told of a house holder being on the watch to prevent his home from being broken into. The threat at night comes not from a shady character but from Jesus himself. While a house owner will keep watch to prepare to stop a burglar who might come at any time, Jesus is telling us to also be prepared for his unexpected arrival.

The church is in a transition. The church begins its new year with the start of Advent which is about preparing for Christ. This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent and the emphasis is on the second coming of Christ. The preparation for his coming leads us to Immanuel – Christ with us – Christmas. The readings also shift to the Gospel of Matthew. So we begin the start of the church’s new year looking at Christ’s coming.

The tough challenge for us is not be so caught up with the ways of life that we forget the warnings. As an example, the vast majority of scientists are sending out the warning of damage being done to the environment by high levels of carbon dioxide. Will we continue as normal until the weather changes become too severe?

Jesus has just told of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and of great hardship to come. Naturally, all those in attendance wanted more information to prepare. Jesus gave no exact timeline but that the Son of Man will return. When that right moment comes, the elect will be gathered to welcome his coming. This moment is secret. Jesus doesn’t even know but only the Father. This isn’t an excuse to ignore his coming but to make all of life a way of preparation.

Jesus referred to Noah and the flood. Life was going on as normal. This normal was so full of corruption and evil that God was pained in his heart. The flood came and the unrighteous were washed away. So it will be when Jesus returns. People will be doing what is normal: working, marriage, raising children, etc. Then one will be taken and another left behind. As with the image of the flood, what is unrighteous will be taken away. The ones left behind are the ones to welcome Christ’s return as King and Lord.

So how do we prepare? How do we get ready for the day we don’t have an exact timeline? Imagine a newly engaged couple. Even if the date hasn’t been set, their lives are changed with future plans starting to be put in motion. Life has suddenly changed for them. Christ’s death and resurrection has begun a new age that is on the way to being fully established at his return. Like the newly engaged couple, the focus is to be on the future in God’s reign.

Jesus does give some examples of what are expected in the following chapter. One is in the Parable of the Talents. This is using of our resources and abilities to further not the corruption of this age but the age of God’s justice and mercy to be established. More specific items are listed with the Sheep and the Goats: the hungry are fed, drink is given to the thirsty and clothing to the naked, the stranger is welcomed and the sick are cared for while the imprisoned are visited. This is how we prepare.

Life as normal is concerned about Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday specials. Life as normal is worrying about paying the credit card bills in January. Jesus is telling us to prepare with a life that is a new normal; one prepared for his coming.

Peace.

Faith for and during the crisis Luke 21:5-19

As time rolls on by, we encounter those moments which shake the faith we have for life. A child dies. A spouse dies. Faith is challenged in the after effects of disease or flood or tornado or hurricane. What we believe about life is questioned. We wonder about the goodness and presence of God. As we look at the political landscape with the partisan attacks, lying and manipulation of the truth, where do we put our faith may be at the front of our minds. Where do we put faith when the world seems to be a chaotic mess?

Jesus and the disciples were walking by the Temple. A few disciples boasted about the amazing structure and beauty of the Temple. It was an amazing building constructed by Herod, largely to the glory of Herod. For the faithful, however, the Temple served as a solid reminder of God’s presence during the trials of Roman occupation. Then Jesus declared the Temple would be destroyed (at the time Luke was written the Temple had already been destroyed by Roman forces). Jesus went on to tell of a persecution for his followers that would go far beyond what is called the ‘War on Christmas.’ The things we look to for security such as family and friends would betray his followers – even to the point of death. Why? Jesus and the kingdom of God stand in direct contrast and challenge to the chaos. Our sin – our defiance – leads us to choose the chaos.

So where does faith go when Temple and family and friends are part of the chaos? First of all, Jesus warned about con-men and manipulators who would use the times for their personal advantage – don’t be deceived. Jesus offers more than a stoic approach to ‘tough it out’ kind of faith. He shows us the God who brings life out of the chaos.

The beginning of Genesis tells of the Spirit of God hovering over the formless void (chaos) and an amazing, life sustaining creation was formed. From the chaos that nailed him to a cross, Jesus was raised to a resurrected life. This world will give way to the resurrection into a life that goes beyond our comprehension. The Spirit of God, present from the very beginning, is a witness to us so we can be a witness of hope to others. Faith looks to Christ’s return when this hope is fully realized.

Time passes by and we are all challenged to find a place where faith can grasp. Jesus’ death and resurrection points us to God who raises life out of the chaos. Let faith hold firm to this and gain the life that comes in Christ.

Peace.

A Different Vision of Life Luke 20:27-38

How does the idea of resurrection affect the way we live out our lives? Maybe we look only to a future life and overlook the here and now. Maybe we don’t believe in a resurrection and the whole idea seems ridiculous. However if we are willing to rethink our concepts of God and the power of God, life is given a new perspective. Jesus tells us that God is a God of the living. In the power of God, even those who have died are alive to him. This power of God has the capacity to not only change thoughts of life lived in the future but also in the present as well.

Jesus was being challenged by the Sadducees about the resurrection. They were closely aligned to the Temple in Jerusalem and held firmly to the Torah – first five books of the Bible. Since no mention is made of the resurrection, then it isn’t a possibility. The Sadducee saw the work of God to bring justice as limited by the parameters of the Torah. Jesus challenged them to widen their views on the power of God.

The Sadduccees tried to show the concept of resurrection as ridiculous. They used the teaching that if a man died childless, his widow was to marry the man’s brother. A child born would then carry on the name, the life, of the deceased man. If this man had seven brothers who all died without a child with this woman, who would she belong to in the resurrection? While this arrangement did help protect the widow in a male dominated society, it also highlighted the understanding of a woman’s life from a purely biological value. Her purpose was to produce children that carried on the man’s life.

Thousands of years have gone by and women are still looked upon in many ways from a biological viewpoint to serve men. Not having children is looked down upon. Choosing not to have children is thought of as strange. So Jesus’ teaching about the resurrection is radical. God is a God of the living and we are children of the resurrection which means our relationships are based upon this God of the living. Jesus’ death and resurrection changed everything. Relationships are more than biological arrangements. A woman has greater purpose than to carry on a man’s name through a child. A child is of greater value than the mere continuation of a legacy. Serving God in ways that foster and enhance life to flourish in God’s good creation goes beyond human reproduction.

So Jesus’ words with the Sadducees about the resurrection left them either praising him for his wisdom or reluctant to challenge him again. How does the idea of the resurrection affect the way we live out our lives? If we have children we are blessed to be children of the resurrection. Raise those children for who they are, children of the resurrection. If we don’t have children because of choice or infertility, we are blessed to be children of the resurrection. The resurrection really does have a way of changing everything.

Peace.