On the Way to Wonder

First Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

¹After these things 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.” ²But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” ⁴But 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.” ⁵He 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.” ⁶And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
  ⁷Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” ⁸But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” ⁹He 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.” ¹⁰He 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. ¹¹And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
  ¹²As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
  ¹⁷When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. ¹⁸On 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: Psalm 27

In the day of trouble, God will give me shelter. (Ps. 27:5)

 ¹The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?
  The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
 ²When evildoers close in against me to devour my flesh,
  they, my foes and my enemies, will stumble and fall.
 ³Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear.
  Though war rise up against me, my trust will not be shaken.
 ⁴One thing I ask of the Lord; one thing I seek;
  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek God in the temple.
 ⁵For in the day of trouble God will give me shelter,
  hide me in the hidden places of the sanctuary, and raise me high up-  on a rock.
 ⁶Even now my head is lifted up above my enemies who surround me.
  Therefore I will offer sacrifice in the sanctuary, sacrifices of rejoicing; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
 ⁷Hear my voice, O Lord, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.
 ⁸My heart speaks your message—“Seek my face.”
  Your face, O Lord, I will seek.
 ⁹Hide not your face from me, turn not away from your servant in anger.
  Cast me not away—you have been my helper; forsake me not, O God of my salvation.
 ¹⁰Though my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will take me in.
 ¹¹Teach me your way, O Lord;
  lead me on a level path, because of my oppressors.
 ¹²Subject me not to the will of my foes,
  for they rise up against me, false witnesses breathing violence.
 ¹³This I believe—that I will see the goodness of the Lord
  in the land of the living!
 ¹⁴Wait for the Lord and be strong.
  Take heart and wait for the Lord!

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17–4:1

¹⁷Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. ¹⁸For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. ¹⁹Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹He 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. ^4:1Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

³¹At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus,] “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” ³²He 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. ³³Yet 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.’ ³⁴Jerusalem, 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! ³⁵See, 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.’ ”

CHILDREN’S SERMON: This morning I want to remind you of a story most of us have probably heard but is worth repeating.  This is how the Internet tells the story of the hen and her chicks caught in a fire:

         The forest fire had been brought under control, and the group of firefighters was working back through the devastation.  As they marched across the blackened landscape, a large lump on the trail caught a firefighter’s eye.  It was the charred remains of a large bird. Since birds can so easily fly away from danger, the firefighter wondered what must have been wrong with this bird that it could not escape.  He decided to kick it off the trail. As he did, he was startled by a flurry of activity around his feet. Four little birds flailed in the dust and ash then scurried away.

         The bulk of the mother’s body had covered them from the searing flames. Though the heat was enough to consume her, it allowed her babies to find safety underneath. In the face of the rising flames, she had stayed with her young. She was their only hope for safety, and willing to risk her own life. She had gathered them under her body and covered them with her wings. Even when the pain reached its most unbearable moment, when she could easily have flown away to start another family on another day, she made herself stay through the raging flames.

         What love must have constrained that hen!

Let us pray:  Lord may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

“At that very hour…”

We are journeying with Jesus to Jerusalem and to the crucifixion.  Last week reminded us that on this Lenten journey Jesus, and we, will face temptations to distract us from God’s goal for our lives – eternity with him.  Today we will start looking at the time between the beginnings of the journey and reaching the goal.   “At that very hour” on his journey, Jesus is approached by the Pharisees.   At this very hour on our journey, we are gathering here around the altar, making our way to God.

“Leave this place and go somewhere else”

         The Pharisees tell Jesus to flee for Herod Antipas is seeking to kill him.  Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great who was ruling when Jesus was born, is the tetrarch of Galilee in northern Israel and we will see him again on the night Jesus is tried after the Garden of Gethsemane.  Herod will go to Jerusalem for the Passover but his area of jurisdiction is Galilee.  Herod is the man who had John the Baptist beheaded.  The Pharisees tell Jesus that Herod wants to kill him.  Herod is ruthless.  Danger cares nothing about us. The temptation is to flee.

         We do not have to ponder very long to recognize this scenario in our world today.  The news is full of Technicolor pictures of people fleeing from political powers seeking their lives.  Others are fleeing so as not to be identified with those powers.  We imagine Europe, Afghanistan and let us not forget our borders with refugees lined up seeking a safe place. We know this danger, this dynamic.  In the face of danger we flee for help.  Jesus speaks into this very human dynamic.    

         We might take a moment and reflect on the forces that tempt us to flee a situation.  Perhaps the situation is not political but fear of failure, fear of finances, fear of aging, or fear of what or what comes to us all.  Somehow the grass is often greener on the other side of the fence.  For many this danger is real, not imaginary.  Getting women and children out of war zones is not a situation to take lightly.  I am not saying that faith should lead us to foolish decisions that endanger lives of people.  Sometimes we have to flee.  We are indeed unable to defend ourselves in our own strength.  We need an intervention.  At that very time when the danger is real, we will weigh all the voices in our heads.

“Go tell that fox..”

Jesus hears, Jesus knows, and Jesus responds to the threat of evil that plagues our lives.  I will say it again, the presence of danger and evil does not mean we are out of God’s will or that God is not aware and active.  We must never doubt that.

“I will keep on driving out demons and healing people…”

In the midst of the traumas of our lives God is active, working for good.  Jesus does not abandon his post and his people.  Jesus is not driven by the dynamics of Satan.  Jesus is living out a plan that is in God’s hands and is not driven by fear and panic.

         Our hearts are warmed today to see, read, and hear the reports of the different aid organizations working in the war effort.  Clothes and supplies are being donated.  Soup kitchens are functioning.  People are sharing their homes.  I cannot list the Lutheran organizations present in the middle of the horror.  Christians in Russian are putting their lives on the line and demonstrating and going to jail.  Let me remind us Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  In the midst of all the chaos evil can throw at us politically, socially, emotionally or any other way, God is active and not abandoning us.  Satan like Herod is a sly fox trying to steal our faith but God is working and standing firm, fighting for us.  Jesus is on the way to the cross and working to defeat the evil that causes us to flee.

“…today, tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.”

Not only is Jesus continuing to do good in the midst of the battles with evil, Jesus reminds us that his timing is right.  Confrontations with evil can lead us to panic and think that God has forgotten us or is asleep on the job.  Our text today grounds us in God’s timing, not ours.  Perhaps you are like me and imaging that “evil other” to have a heart attack or a coup or some sort of intervention that will end the pain quickly.  Pain and suffering wear us down and discourage us.  The evil voice whispers that God does not care or even that he is not powerful.

         God does not need me to defend his ways in the world and explain them but he does ask me to trust that he can somehow make good come out of what appears so evil now.  “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)” Jesus will reach his goal and at this point in the biblical narrative, no one was thinking of the cross and resurrection.  That is not today’s sermon.  At this very time, as evil is seeking to destroy Jesus and us, he is continuing to work good and on schedule.  Jesus is actively doing good and he is on course to achieve his goal.

“…it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem”

Jesus turns our eyes to Jerusalem.  Jerusalem is “headquarters.”  It is the seat of power socially, religiously and economically for the Jews.  It’s kind of like saying he was headed to Washington DC or Kyiv or Moscow.  It is impossible for him to die without dealing with the core of the problem.

         I suspect we often get bogged down in the details of a problem.  We imagine and fear what the catastrophe or problem might bring.  We think about the timing of a solution, or even the various people who are involved and we loose sight of the forest because of all the trees!  Jesus gives an example.  Over the centuries, God sent prophets to Jerusalem with messages.  The people thought that by killing the prophets themselves, they somehow killed the truth of the message.  Wrong.  God is the only source that sees our plight correctly.

         We think if we could just silence the voice of the messenger then the message would disappear.  Often we deal with problems like that.  The temptation is to turn off the TV and news because it is too disturbing.  Get a second opinion so perhaps the outlook will change, or gossip with a friend so they can confirm that we are right in our evaluation of something.  If all else fails, there is always food, alcohol, gambling and sex.  Getting to the core of a “complicated” problem is hard.  It requires prayer, reflection, perhaps group think, and often time.  Jesus will deal with the disease and demonic problems on his daily path but he is on his way to Jerusalem to deal with the core issue – Satan, evil, must be defeated.  It is evil’s involvement in our world that distracts us from the reality that “this is my father’s world.”

“I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,”

Our text now gives us a window into God’s heart as Jesus laments the Lenten journey he and we are on.  God does not desire to kill and destroy us but he desires to gather us under his wings.  I’m sure you have heard the story in the children’s sermon in some form.  The charred body of a hen was found.  When they lifted her wings, they found tiny chicks huddled underneath.  She gave her life shielding her children.  God loves us like that hen and is shielding us from that sly fox Herod or Evil or whatever name we want to put in this sentence.  God will not stop doing good as he is dealing with a bigger picture.  God’s timing is always right. He is on task heading to the core, the Jerusalem, of our situation.  He will deal not only with Herod but also with all forms of evil that threaten to unhinge us today.  We need only take shelter under his wings.

And the people of God said, “AMEN!”

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

¹When 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, ²you 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. ³You 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.” ⁴When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, ⁵you 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. ⁶When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, ⁷we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. ⁸The 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; ⁹and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰So 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. ¹¹Then 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: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

 ¹You who dwell in the shelter of ^| the Most High,
  who abide in the shadow of the Almighty—
 ²you will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my stronghold,
  my God in whom I put my trust.” 
 ⁹Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
  and the Most High your habitation,
 ¹⁰no evil will befall you,
  nor shall affliction come near your dwelling.
 ¹¹For God will give the angels charge over you,
  to guard you in all your ways.
 ¹²Upon their hands they will bear you up,
  lest you strike your foot against a stone. 
 ¹³You will tread upon the lion cub and viper;
  you will trample down the lion and the serpent.
 ¹⁴I will deliver those who cling to me;
  I will uphold them, because they know my name.
 ¹⁵They will call me, and I will answer them;
  I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue and honor them.
 ¹⁶With long life will I satisfy them,
  and show them my salvation. 

Second Reading: Romans 10:8b-13

 ^8b“The word is near you,
  on your lips and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹because 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. ¹⁰For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. ¹¹The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” ¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. ¹³For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ²where 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. ³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” ⁴Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”
  ⁵Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶And 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. ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸Jesus answered him, “It is written,
 ‘Worship the Lord your God,
  and serve only him.’ ”
  ⁹Then 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, ¹⁰for it is written,
 ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
  to protect you,’
¹¹and
 ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
  so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
¹²Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” ¹³When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  The Fox and the Crow

         One bright morning Master Fox was going through the woods in search of a bite to eat. He saw a Crow on the limb of a tree overhead.  She held a bit of cheese in her beak.

         “No need to search any farther,” thought sly Master Fox.  “Here is a dainty bite for my breakfast.”  He greeted the crow, “Good morning, beautiful creature!”

         The Crow, cocked her head suspiciously.  But she kept her beak tightly closed on the cheese and did not return his greeting.  Mr. Fox began to compliment her, “How charming you are and how your feathers shine!  What a beautiful form and splendid wings you have!  Surely you have a very lovely voice.  Could you sing just one song, I know I should hail you Queen of Birds.”

         Listening to these flattering words the Crow forgot all her suspicion, and also her breakfast.  She wanted very much to be called Queen of Birds.  So she opened her beak wide to utter her loudest caw, and down fell the cheese straight into the Fox’s open mouth.

         “Thank you,” said Master Fox sweetly, as he walked off. “You have a voice sure enough.  But where are your wits?”

PRAYER:  Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

Writing a sermon with what looks like war in Ukraine and a possible threat of nuclear response by Russia feels not so very different from the power “smackdown” we see going on in our text today.  Jesus and Satan meet in the wilderness to duke it out.  We use polite words like “Temptation” because we know who the winner is but, in fact, it is a power battle.  Evil thinks it is dealing with a vain crow and with us, her feathered friends, but we shall see differently.  The temptation while occurring at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry after his baptism, sets a theme and provides a framework as we are being asked to reflect on it today as Jesus turns and heads to Jerusalem at the beginning of Lent.

         Today is the first Sunday in the church season we call Lent.  Epiphany told us about our God ass he ushered in his kingdom.  Lent will tell us how God secures this kingdom and our eternal salvation.  Our world may debate who truly has the power – the guy who threatens to use nuclear power at his finger tips or economic and social sanctions — but we will see it is the God who created the world and gifted us with free will.  My friends, we do not want to be that crow flattered by false promises.  I suspect we are not debating whether we resist chocolate for 40 days.  Even as the news keeps on telling us, “The next 24 hours are critical,” I suspect we need to dig into our text today because how we stand in the spiritual battle going on and how Jesus walks the next 40 days to the cross, “is critical!”

CONTEXT

¹Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ²where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.

Our context that sets the stage for the confrontation holds two important facts.  Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is in the wilderness.

         We have seen the Holy Spirit active in Jesus’ life.  The Holy Spirit was at the conception, enabling the incarnation.  The Holy Spirit appears at the baptism, descending like a dove.  Jesus is not a lone ranger walking to the cross but is walking in partnership with the Trinity.  I say this because I think we often forget that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives too.  Often we live as if God’s presence is like a savings account we have in reserve for a rainy day.  God is somewhere over in Europe and on call for our emergencies…if he has time.  This text reminds us that the Holy Spirit was leading Jesus even during difficult times. The Holy Spirit is our GPS today, if we look and listen.

     Secondly Jesus is in the wilderness.  Do we need to hear that again? Jesus, God, is in God’s will in the wilderness, those horrible forsaken places in life.  He is not off in heaven.  He is in our ugly places. True, he has not eaten for forty days.  I suspect life for him was not that different than the pictures of the people huddled in the subways of Kyiv while fighting is going on.  I think Jesus understands completely the wars going on in our lives so impacted by the passions of those around us and those passions surging up from within us.  There must have been a human sense of extreme vulnerability as the evil one starts whispering in his ear.  That sly fox starts with complements, “If you are God…”

POWER CONFRONTATION: “IF”

Jesus is questioned three times by the devil.  Perhaps you do not believe in a being we call “the devil” but the doubts, the questions here are questions that have rung down through the centuries.  Does God’s Word really say, does it really mean, and is there not another way.  We read the words at the creation account and we read them again in the wilderness account and we will see the challenges to Jesus as he walks to the cross.  We will hear the little voice question us as we walk through Lent.  So let’s listen now.

Stones to Bread

         The first temptation was: in the face of hunger, could Jesus not use his power to turn stones into bread.  I have always understood this temptation was for Jesus to use his power to satisfy his own personal needs.  The challenge is to be self centered and not God centered.  Jesus was famished.  A little selfishness to alleviate pain can’t be wrong, right?  Jesus responds quoting Scripture that we are not to live by bread alone.  For sure if chocolate is what we are refusing to eat this month, it will appear from some forgotten place in the refrigerator or at a friend’s house for dinner.  I can almost hear the little voice asking if God really said we can’t eat chocolate.  And for sure we see Jesus on the cross refusing the wine to dull the pain of the crucifixion.  The fox complements the crow about her beautiful feathers.  Surly there must be a beautiful voice also.

           But could there be a deeper meaning?  Jesus told Peter that he was going to build his church on the rock of Peter’s faith. Matthew 16:18 reports Jesus turning and saying to Peter after Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”  The Sermon on the Mount uses the example of the wise man building his house on the rock and not on the sand.  Could it be that Satan was tempting Jesus to soften the Gospel and make it more palatable, easier to swallow? 

          I think of the evangelists that equate the Gospel to a TV commercial, “Try it, you’ll like it.”  Try Jesus and you’ll be healthy, wealthy and wise.  Just touch the TV and pray.  It seems so logical that faith should not be hard and if God is good and loving then our lives should be happy and we should not have to suffer with at least hunger and certainly not disease and war.  If God is God then for sure we think a god worth worshipping is a god who gives us the good life and success.  Many a person struggles in their faith when hardships come. Satan is tempting Jesus to use his power to make life easy and make the Gospel eatable.

         The draw of materialism is a real challenge I suspect many of us know this.  There is the temptation to work long hours and skip church.  How many times have we heard complaints about tithing?  God does not need my life because he has it all but I need God to make my life better.  I no longer see God in relationship but begin treating him like an ATM.  If I deposit good deeds then he owes me.  Ouch.  I think we will face that temptation during Lent and Jesus will face it as he faces the cross.

Popularity for Worship

The second temptation is the devil offering Jesus popularity in exchange for worship.  The devil shows Jesus the kingdoms of the world and offers them to Jesus if Jesus will only worship him.  Wait one moment, please.  Listen to that temptation carefully.  Jesus answers the temptation with Scripture but do you hear the lie within it?  Who created the kingdoms of the world and who has the power to give, use or take them away?  Certainly not the devil.  No.  Evil is a lie that claims power that it does not have.  Many go down this rabbit hole of misinformation.  The fox can call the crow “Queen of Birds” but that title is not his to give.

     Alcohol does not bring happiness, resolve problems, or bring wealth.  It brings headaches, clouded thinking, and vomiting.  Political power does bring fame … for awhile but the truth is that we all age and as Solomon laments in Ecclesiastes 2:18-19,

         “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must   leave them to the one who comes after me.  And who knows whether       that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun.”

I hear a similar despair in reports of statements of Pres. Putin that a planet without Russia is unthinkable so a nuclear response is thinkable.  Evil tries to convince us that it has the power to give life and happiness if we only worship it, follow it, but whatever the offer, it is a lie.

         As we walk to the cross these next weeks we will see Jesus in the last events of his earthly life reversing the lies of evil.  The sick are healed not only in body but also from guilt.  The abandoned are not alone.  Jesus sees and calls them into visibility.  Death will not have the last word.

         So how are we deceived by evil today?  Are there ways that we trust the powers of this world and forget that the kingdoms of this world belong to God to give and rule?  Lent is a time to peel back those lies and refocus ourselves.  Popularity, health, and wealth last for a time but let us worship the One who will rule for eternity!

Suffering or Security

Jesus is tempted to turn stones into bread, misusing his personal power.  Jesus is tempted to worship the lies of evil misrepresenting his social power.  Lastly Jesus is tempted to throw himself from a high tower twisting God’s promise of physical security, protection from pain and suffering and implying that God ultimately is not the eternal spiritual power.  In fact, all three temptations call into question our understanding of God.

         One of the hardest challenges we face is the challenge of suffering.  As we listen to the news about the war in Ukraine and see our fellow human beings told to kill or being killed, we may wonder if God is truly all powerful.  When a doctor gives us a terminal diagnosis or says that surgery is in our future, we can despair.  When our children struggle and rebel or perhaps are hurt, our spirits are crushed.  The cross was an accepted execution by the Romans.  Jesus saw this form of execution in his country and knew it was not a pretty death he was facing.  The temptation again is to avoid the cross and death as that cannot be of God.  God by definition is there to protect us.

         Luke is a little more polite in Jesus’ dismissal of this voice, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test,” but Matthew reports Jesus saying, “Away from me, Satan!  For it is written ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only!’”  Jesus does not argue or reason with evil but now dismisses it.  Some temptations we deal with by refusing to engage.  When the crow opened his mouth to respond to the temptation of the fox, the cheese was lost.

          I know I cannot eat just one chip.  To try is only going down a road that leads to failure.  The truth is that God is God and I am his creation.  He has not promised me a rose garden now.  Only tales and TV series end that way.  For the next few weeks, we will be walking with Jesus to the cross for we also must all die.  Only God knows the master plan for the world, for Ukraine, and for us.  God in the wildernesses is ushering in a Kingdom that will be under his rule.  We have free will to choose.       Temptation would whisper in our ear that God’s way is hard like a rock and should be eatable like bread.  God’s way is unpopular and involves rejection.  And ultimately God’s way should not involve suffering and danger.  Jesus responded to the lies of evil by quoting Scripture and by refusing to engage with it.  The sly fox fools the vain crow into dropping her cheese but evil does not fool Jesus.  Jesus is walking to the cross for us so that we will have eternal life in his kingdom where there is no hunger, where we are loved, and where we need not fear danger.  The Lenten journey to the cross takes us to that kingdom.  Let us refuse the lies of the sly fox and focus on Jesus during Lent.

Let the people of God say AMEN.