A Test for Lent

A Test for Lent
Matthew 4:1-11
In the Christian calendar, the season of Lent includes the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. For reasons that I can’t recall, Sundays are not counted in the period of 40 days, so technically, there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The season of Lent has traditionally been a time for Christians to examine their lives and to prepare to remember the days of Holy Week. That is the week that begins with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, and ends at the place of his burial on Saturday. Of course, the next day is Easter Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection.

As a guide to self-examination it can be helpful to look at the story of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. This story happens at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. We are told that after Jesus is baptized, he is led by God’s Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, or tested, by the devil for 40 days. The interesting part of the story is that it is God who leads Jesus into the testing. This was all part of God’s plan. Another note is the correlation between the 40 days of Jesus in the wilderness and the 40 days of Lent. Both are times for self-examination and testing.

The test questions that face Jesus in the wilderness have to do with his identity and his purpose in life. Jesus is challenged to answer questions about who he is, how he will use his power, and what his values are. These are good questions for us as well during the season of Lent.

The first question is one that tests both the identity of Jesus and his power. “If you are the Son of God… “ is a question of identity. It is a challenge for Jesus to prove who he is. “…then turn these stones into bread.” This is a question about how Jesus will use his gifts, abilities, and resources. Will he use them to benefit others, or primarily himself? Will he share who and what he is, or will he keep it all for himself? This is a question that each of us must answer daily. How will we use our abilities and resources?

Jesus answered the first test question by looking beyond his own immediate needs, to focus upon the greater mission that God had for him. The story says that this test came to Jesus after he had been fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. He was obviously hungry. What would it hurt if he turned a few stones into bread so that he could satisfy his hunger? But Jesus knew that this was about more than just being hungry. It was about seeing beyond his physical needs and wants, to focus upon his spiritual life. He passed this test question when he answered, “It takes more than bread to stay alive.”

The second question is one that asks, “Do you make wise decisions, while considering the consequences of those decisions? There is a test again of the identity of Jesus in the wilderness. “If you are the son of God, then throw yourself down, and the angels will catch you.” The temptation is to place himself in a dangerous situation, and count on God to rescue him. In other words, you can do whatever you feel like doing, because God will save you.

Jesus answered the second test question by calling upon the wisdom of the Scriptures. “You shall not put God to the test.” God expects everyone to use the wisdom that God has given them. It is foolish to take unnecessary risks, and count on God to save us. We can do our best to make wise decisions, knowing that God has given us the ability to make good choices, and he expects us to use that ability.

The third question is about values. What is really important to you? In the wilderness, the devil showed all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus and told him that the world could be his, if he would fall down and worship the devil. Who wouldn’t want to own the whole world?

Jesus answered the third test question by quoting Scripture. “You shall worship God and serve him only.” Jesus had passed the test. He had answered all of the questions correctly. He was now free to carry out the mission that God had for him to do. He had chosen to be faithful to God’s call.

This story reminds us that we too have the ability and power to make important choices. The good news is that God’s Spirit is always with us to give us wisdom and to help us to make the right decisions. God’s Spirit gives us strength to resist temptations and to pass the tests that we face every day.

Who are we? We are sons and daughters of God. We are called to use the gifts, resources, and abilities that God has given to each one of us. We are challenged to use the wisdom and strength that God gives us to make wise decisions. And we are called to worship God and to serve God alone. We can’t do this by ourselves, but when we follow the lead of God’s Spirit we can pass every test that comes our way.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday
Psalm 51:1-3, 10-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And put a new and right spirit within me. (v.10)

I started attending Ash Wednesday services several years ago, almost because I had to. Or, you could say that I got paid to go to Ash Wednesday services. Actually, the reason I started going to the services was because I was a pastor and the church where I was serving had a tradition of Ash Wednesday services, and I wanted to continue that tradition.

The printed services for Ash Wednesday suggest that the leader say one or more phrases when putting the ashes on people’s foreheads. The two that are suggested in the United Methodist Hymnal are, “ Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”, and, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”. I must confess that I was never comfortable with using the phrase about dust. It just seemed too dark and deadly to me. And so, I repeated the phrase about repentance and believing when I conducted Ash Wednesday services.

Usually Ash Wednesday is a time to focus directly on self-knowledge. In the Scripture lesson, King David makes a brutally honest confession. He does not make excuses. “I know my transgression, and my sin is ever before me.” A modern author writes about our tendency to avoid self-knowledge. “We are always perpetually smoothing and rearranging reality to conform to our wishes; we lie to others and ourselves constantly, unthinkingly. When occasionally we are forced to see things as they are, we are like naked people in a storm.” We tell ourselves that if we are not hurting anyone, then what we do is ok. If no one knows, or if everybody else is doing it, then what we do is nobody else’s business.

King David, the writer of Psalm 51 learned to see sin as God sees it, as an offense against the God who created us. Ash Wednesday calls us to look at our sin and the sin of the whole human race. If we take an honest look at ourselves we will see that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s expectations for us.

The good news is that when we are honest with ourselves, we are able to welcome and receive the mercy of God. We can remember that God is gracious and forgiving. David wrote this as he began the Psalm: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your lovingkindness…”. When we remember that God is a loving and forgiving God, we realize that we don’t need to defend ourselves, or lie to ourselves, or pretend to be sinless people. We can be honest with ourselves and with God. And when we confess our sins, God shows us mercy, and forgives us.

The honest truth is that we are all sinners. The good news is that in the name of Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Repent and believe in the Gospel.