Lent Day #22

Matthew 4:8-11 (ESV)
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

"'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

THOUGHTS:

Jesus has just been tempted to turn rocks into bread to fill his belly and to throw himself off a high height to prove he is God's son. Now he is tempted to abandon his faith in God's plan ... to turn his back on God's will ... and to reign the earth in power and glory. In some ways, he's tempted to do what many expected the Messiah would do: take over and rule (justly with divine wisdom, of course).

He doesn't do it. He asserts that he is God's man, through and through. He proclaims that he will follow God's plan even if it seems foolish at times. He proclaims that God is the only entity he will worship or serve.

We worship many things, even though we tend to deny it. Most of us worship money. If you think you don't, hand me $100 of your money and tell me to set it on fire. I know you can find better things to spend your money on. That's not the point...

What if I were to pull out my own $100 bill and light it in front of you? Do you feel you body tighten just to think about it? Why?

What else do we worship? Many of us worship our time -- how hard is it to sacrifice our own plans to help someone else, especially someone we don't know? Some of us worship technology -- we drool at the excesses of our modern society. Others of us worship our own ideas -- we think that our opinions are superior and others are wrong. It's hard not to worship our stuff -- have you ever felt personally injured when you watch one of your favorite possessions break? What do you worship?

Take a moment for self-examination and really dig deep. Confess your failings to God. We all fall short -- it's part of being human. Yet we seek to repent -- to really turn from our ways to try to put God first in our lives...

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, help us to worship you, and only you, with all of our strength, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our might. Help us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Help us to put you first and foremost in our lives. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN.

Lent Day #21

This immediately follows the verses from yesterday, where Jesus was tempted eat rocks (after turning them into bread).

MATTHEW 4:5-7 (ESV)

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said 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, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

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

THOUGHTS:

This is an odd temptation. The temptation yesterday made more sense, didn't it? Scripture tells us that Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. He was HUNGRY, and he was presented with an option to eat BIG, filling, loaves of bread. Cause and effect are pretty clear.

Today, Jesus sees himself on the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem, presented with the option to prove he is the "Son of God".

We still don't know if the devil is a literal being or figurative representation of what Jesus experienced, but either option seems reasonable. We also shouldn't be concerned with whether Jesus was historically sitting on top of a spire, or immersed in an illusion in the wilderness of the same thing. Either way, it is fair to say that Jesus was really faced with the temptation.

So what is the cause and effect? We are told Jesus is tempted to prove he is the Son of God by base-jumping with only angels as a parachute. Cause = jumping. Effect = proof he's God's son or death if he isn't. And who is supposed to be convinced by this proof?

God and the angels presumably know the answer already, as they are supposed to provide the proof.

The "devil" appears to already know who Jesus is...otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to tempt him in these ways. If I'm hungry and tempted to turn rocks into bread, I don't need to consider scripture -- I can dismiss the idea is unrealistic. I just can't do it -- I don't have the power! For the first temptation to be a temptation, both Jesus and the "devil" must believe he has the power to turn rocks into bread. Besides, if the proof is for the "devil" who whisked him to the pinnacle, that might be able to be easily obtained. If Jesus was physically moved here, why not physically move him over 20 feet and see what happens? (Granted, this doesn't work if the temptation is an illusion.)

So, to whom is Jesus supposed to be proving himself? Could it be that Jesus is struggling with his own identity? Is Jesus struggling with doubts about the path he's choosing? Is Jesus being tempted to prove to *himself* that he really is "the One" by testing God? Is Jesus wondering if being Messiah is really the right career for him?

Many of us still struggle with this today. Are we in the right major? Are we in the right jobs? Are we on the right path? Should we work our way up to the top of this ladder, or slide down and start seeking other options? Are my plans going to work?

I think maybe this is exactly what this temptation is. I know I'm not the only pint-sized punk who has ever had the arrogance to ask "am I the second coming?" (Yes, I've had friends admit they pondered the same question as a child.) From a child's point of view, it's not really all that different from when I wondered if I could be Superman or any other hero. I was certainly skeptical about it. Little tests at lifting heavy things, jumping up to see if I could fly, trying to turn water into juice or part a puddle. None of it worked and I concluded I was just the me I already knew, and that was OK too.

Maybe Jesus had his own moment of skepticism about his future. His response was to *trust* God. Maybe he is living out what he talks about later: "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34 NIV).

PRAYER:

God, help us to trust in you. Help us to face the worrisome decisions in life with faith, and lead us to make good decisions. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN.

NOTES:
Reminder that we will gather this afternoon to watch the Simpsons, discuss, and play games. I'll bring the munchies too! Feel free to bring friends. JC meeting room B from 3pm-6pm. Get more info at http://gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lent Day #20

Matthew 4:1-4 (ESV)
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written,

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

THOUGHTS:
Many Bibles tend to head this section "The Temptation of Jesus". The use of "The" implies that this was the only time in his life that Jesus was tempted. We don't know that. Looking ahead to the night he is arrested to be crucified, Jesus says something like "Father, all things are possible for you. If you are willing, allow this cup to pass from me. Yet, not what I want, but what you will." (Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, and Luke 22:42). Just as Jesus is tempted when we begins his ministry, he is tempted near the end. We don't really know, but it's possible that much of the time when he goes off alone to pray, he is trying to fight of temptations he is feeling.

In Matthew 4:1-4 above, we see Jesus being tempted by "the tempter". With all of the focus given to the image in the media, we probably picture a big red devil with the horns and pitch fork taunting Jesus. Think about the temptations in your life ... is a big red devil standing beside you? I've never seen one. It's just as reasonable to assume his temptations worked like ours so often do: a little voice inside his head is whispering: "You are hungry. You can provide yourself with food. Do it."

The devil imagery actually makes it easier to resist, doesn't it? There is an entity to stand up to. There is an "enemy" to rebel against. How much harder is it to fight the voices in our head that tempt us each day?

"Don't give that bum a dollar, he'll spend it on booze."
"Don't go to worship, you have homework to do."
"Don't give that money to a homeless shelter, you need a new iPod."

It seems we can be expected to be tempted throughout our lives...each and every day. Today, look inside yourself to identify what temptations you struggle with. Can you name them? Feel free to insert them in the prayer below.

PRAYER:
God, we feel many temptations, both from within us and from the world around us. Help us to resist the temptations we face each day, especially ...
Help us to focus on You when we are in the midst of these temptations. Help us to remember that You live in us and we live through You. May your will be done in our lives. AMEN.

Lent Day #19

Luke 4:31-37
31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 "Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God." 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!" 37 And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

THOUGHTS (By Pastor Dan Krewson):

The demons of today slip their hands around us almost unknowingly. Resentment. Bitterness. Materialism. Indifference. Busy-ness. These (and more!) have the power to keep us from being what God intended. The miracle Jesus performed for this man in Luke was not that he became some Jesus-freak, or some famous powerful person, but that he was restored to himself. The freedom Jesus offers is for us to embrace ourselves as God made us. Albert Camus once said, "But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?"

PRAYER:
Today, name the demon(s) you struggle with in your life....pray a simple breath prayer, on inhale: "Holy Spirit" on exhale: "Free me from ......"

Lent Day #18

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (ESV)

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

THOUGHTS:

There is a time for everything ... but it isn't black and white. We aren't issued an agenda at birth detailing the "times" in our lives. No one has given me a daily planner for today with instructions like:

6:20 AM - time for showering

7:04 AM - time to gather stones together

7:52 AM - time to dance

8:32 AM - time to meditate on world peace

10:06 AM - time to sew

10:25 AM - time to lose car keys

11:58 AM - time to hate

12:03 PM - time to trip and fall in front of a mocking crowd

12:30 PM - time to laugh

3:19 PM - time to seek lost car keys

4:24 PM - time to keep silence

6:01 PM - time to eat cake

7:32 PM - time for peace

8:43 PM - time to refrain from embracing

9:19 PM - time to build up

And on and on ... day after day ...

Sometimes we don't know which "time" we are experiencing. Yes, sometimes we have a pretty good guess ... someone looks at your and prompts you with your name, you know it is time to speak, right?

Yet most of life is lived in the foggy areas between joy and sorrow. We usually don't live on the extremes. We struggle with when it is time to keep things versus when it is time to clear out the clutter. Life happens in the midst of the big colorful spectrum between black and white. There are times when we can actually be torn between laughing and weeping.

How do you deal with this?

Is it the same time for everyone at once? Can it be time for you to plant while it is time for the person down the hall to pluck up? Experience tells us that when it is time for someone else to speak, it may be time for us to keep silent, right?

What time is it for you, right now?

Does everyone experience all times? Must I experience a time to kill? I don't think so. Then again, I admit I've killed many ants who invaded *my* house. The fact they were there when we bought the place certainly didn't detour me. I decided what time it was for them...it was time to die.

What about hate? Are there times when we should hate? Personally, I sincerely hope not. Sure, Jesus got angry, turning over the tables of the money-changers in the temple...but hate? Based on the example of Jesus, it appears to me that when others are hating, it's probably our time to love...

What do *YOU* think?

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, thank you for a life full of such wonder and diversity. Thank you for creating "time" for so many things and experiences. Help us to figure out our role in all of this. Help us to know when it is time for peace. Help us have the wisdom to know when to keep silence. Help us to have the courage to love in the time when it is needed most. We pray these things in Jesus name, AMEN.

NOTES:

Feel free to share these devotions with your friends. To read past devotions you've missed, visit http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com/

Also, I've recently updated past posts there to include more links to relevant information when I reference a person or book. Enjoy!

Lent Day #17

Psalm 32:1-5 (MSG)
1 Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be — you get a fresh start, your slate's wiped clean.
2 Count yourself lucky — God holds nothing against you and you're holding nothing back from him.
3 When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans.
4 The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up.
5 Then I let it all out; I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God."
Suddenly the pressure was gone — my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.

THOUGHTS:
You probably know that guilt eats away at us. We know that we did something wrong, and you get this feeling in the pit of your gut. It doesn't feel so good... Trying to ignore it, your mind keeps wandering back to it -- distracting you from whatever you try to think about...

With enough focus we hide our guilt from those around us ... we try to hide it from God ... and in time we may find that we hide it from ourselves ... yet it continues to eat away at us somewhere ...

My wife loves all those police investigator shows. How many times do they get the person to crack by making them feel the weight of their own guilt. "You hurt someone you loved -- how could you?"

Confession names our transgressions. It puts them out in the sun rather than festering in the dark places within us. When we confess, we have faith that what scripture tells us time and time again is true: God will forgive us. Talk about good news!

One of the traditional practices of Lent is to look deep within ourselves ... seeking out the tender spots where our guilt eats away at us. We look to name our sins and confess them to God, trusting in God's mercy. This isn't meaningless ritual. Confession allows God to lift our burdens from us. The weight is lifted from us so we don't carry it around anymore. We feel lighter, and can focus our energy on trying to really live!

PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
(From the Lutheran Book of Prayer, Concordia 1970)

It is hard for me, O God, to confess my sins and not merely repeat well-worn phrases with which I try to cover my real guilt.

I am a sinner. Why is it so difficult for me to see that, Lord? Why am I so bothered with a few things I do wrong while I think nothing of my lack of trust in You? Why do I feel guilty when I do not live up to my own standards but hardly blush when I fail You? Why do I imitate unholy men instead of following the Christ? I must confess it is because I follow my own desires, because I am weak in the face of temptations, and without You I am nothing.

All I can do is plead mercy, O God. I cannot even hold up the honesty and fullness of my confession. All I can do is trust Your love in Jesus Christ. I surely cannot trust my love for You or for Him. Hear me for the sake of Jesus Christ, who lived for me and died that in Him I might live.

Forgive me, Father! Forgive me even this, my poor confession. I need Your forgiveness for Christ's sake. Amen.

Third Sunday in Lent

Sundays are not part of Lent, even though they occur in Lent. They are the time when we acknowledge that, as Christians, we always remember the resurrection & we can't keep from shouting "Hallelujah" in response. As I read "The Lutheran" today, I learned in an article by Robert A. Rimbo that the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 actually "forbade fasting, kneeling and any other acts of sorrow and penance on Sundays, even during Lent" [emphasis added]. As Rob Bell said repeatedly during Lent last year, "as far as we know, the tomb is empty!" For more details, read my post from the First Sunday in Lent. This Lent I've picked up the writing of these devotions as a spiritual discipline, and as much as it is a good thing, I find it important to do something distinctly different on Sundays to distinctly separate them out from the 40 days of Lent. Each week, I'm tossing out some quotes I read recently that I hope get you thinking. I provide links to the context in case you are interested in reading more.

-----

Gracious God, who creates all there is and loves all there is; you command us to love as you love. We failed, we fail, and we are failing. Too many of your children, our neighbors, went hungry and died today; too many of your children, our neighbors, were oppressed today; too many of us counted our wealth in material possessions instead of your love today for us to call ourselves successful Christians, successful God Lovers. Please forgive us. For Christ's sake have mercy on us. Give us yet another chance to love ourselves, our neighbors, and you as you want us to. Amen!
- Father Jason Emerson, From http://fatherjason.blogspot.com/2008/02/lent.html

It has become fashionable for science and religion to snarl at one another. They need not. Many scientists are religious. Universities sprouted in Europe to fertilise religious learning first planted in monasteries. Early scientists sought to explain God's role in the Universe, not to deny it.
- The Times (Online) "God Alone Knows" 2/19/2008, From http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article3393161.ece

If you were to stop reading for a moment, look up, and look around you, you would find that your community is surrounding you. It's the people at the coffee shop you go to everyday or the grocery store that you frequent. It isn't just family and friends. Your community is everyone who steps into your path of vision, peripheral or otherwise. It takes a little extra effort, a lot of listening, and at times extreme patience, but it is never lonely.
- From http://doableevangelism.com/2008/01/09/finding-community/

The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong. To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human. To damage this community is to diminish our own existence.
- Thomas Berry, From the ELCA's "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on
Our Relationship With God's Creation"