Let us pray:
Here we are, Lord, worshipping on the first week during Lent, the week of temptation. Fill us with the courage of your presence. Amen

Matthew’s Gospel was written primarily for Jewish-Christians. It was written by tax-collector-turned-disciple Matthew. A Jew writing to convince Jews that Jesus fulfilled their Torah’s predictions. So it is quite natural that he tied Jesus as the Messiah, to the heritage of Jewish faith.

The temptations Jesus faced in his 40-day wilderness experience echo the temptations Israel faced in their 40-year wilderness experience.

The Big T — Temptation. Is the story of the temptation of Jesus literal history? If so, how does it relate to us? Have you ever wanted to turn stones into bread? Or jump off the top of the church? How many of us expect to be offered leadership positions in a new world order?

So what are the lessons for us today? First we need to know the word temptation does not mean “temptation”! To us, to tempt is to seduce, to entice, beguile, inveigle, maneuver. We are tempted to action that is inadvisable or foolhardy, even sinful.

The Greek word here translated “to tempt” is peirazein (peirazein), and is
more accurately translated “to test.”

A good example is Genesis 22, where we read, “And it came to pass that God did tempt Abraham . . .” Does that mean God tried to make Abraham into a wrong-doer, a sinner? Of course not. So the New Living Translation reads, “God tested Abraham’s faith . . .”

Detroit auto companies test every component to be sure they will “stand the test,” meaning they will be strong enough to be used as they will be used.

That this test of Jesus took place in the wilderness between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.

On this first week during Lent, we begin a walk with Jesus, heading for Jerusalem. We begin by going with him into that wilderness.

Maybe considering the life of Jesus, including the temptation/testing, is to challenge us to think seriously about what’s moral and what’s evil, what’s good and what’s bad, what’s right and what’s wrong.

I see the purpose of preaching as to challenge you, not to judge you, to ask you to make decisions, not to tell you what decisions to make. Above all, it is to present concepts which will give some things to think about, and pray about.

Decision-making is your job, yours and the Holy Spirit’s. Sometimes preachers sound like we have all the answers . . . and you better accept our answers. That is a Temptation for us. A big T!”

You’ve heard of the preacher who came down hard on gossip. An old man sitting near the pulpit whispered rather loudly, “Now that’s preachin’.”

Then he excoriated greed, and the old man whispered, “Now that’s preachin’.”

When the preacher got to the danger of alcohol, the old man blurted out loud, “Now he’s quit preachin’ and gone to meddlin.’ ”

That is a significant matter on this first Sunday of Lent. The scriptures speak of Sin, a topic which evokes much theorizing! It seems, in fact, to call for forthright meddlin’!

Or does it? Is our job really to catalogue and denounce specific acts — give up smoking, abstain from gossip, curb sexual desires, control my sharp tongue? Or is that misunderstanding, trivializing sin?

What is sin? Is sin all the bad things I have done? Well, yes, they are surely sins. And yes, there have been many things in my life that I regret. But that doesn’t really give us a definition of Sin!

Sin is a virus. If we can cure the virus, we won’t suffer the symptoms. Sin (with a capital S) can also be what you don’t do — what you don't do! Let me explain: A teacher told his students about someone who did not steal and did not lie and did not carouse and did not envy . . . Then he asked, “Do you consider that one a pretty good Christian?”
The class agreed that he had described a pretty good Christian. Then he said, “I have been describing my neighbor's dog!”

Someone said Sin (capital S) is nothing in particular, no thing in particular! To understand what God calls “good news” is to dispel the image of Sin as primarily a catalogue of misdeeds.

In our Epistle today, Paul makes clear that sin is a condition more than any thing in particular. Sin is being out of sync with God and with God’s plan. Sin is a virus.

Jesus made very clear how to be in sync with God and with each other. “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” And “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22) He even said, “love your enemies.”

Notice some Bible texts not in today’s lections. “Whoever commits sin transgresses the law, because sin is the transgression of the law.” (I John 3:4) Paul wrote to the church in Roman that “love is the fulfilling of the law.”
(Romans 13:10)

So . . . Sin is the transgression of the law. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Therefore, Sin is obviously the absence of love. Jesus is saying explicitly, “The failure to love is sin”? That means we must look at people with empathy, sympathy, try to see them in the light of God’s love and forgiveness.

We seem to be captivated by what is called the “taboo mentality.” Example: When Bill Clinton had an affair of sorts, I got a letter from an old friend who responded to a printed sermon in which I pointed out what I considered (still do) a gross evil — the refusal of Congress to pass national health insurance. It had been researched and proposed by the Clintons. I called that action, rather inaction by Congress, gross immorality.

My friend wrote, “Don’t send me any more of your liberal stuff. I suppose you approve of Bill Clinton!” My friend of 60 years ago (with whom I served on the board of The Young Republicans) is an example of “taboo mentality.”

We have another good example right here on our doorstep. The media are having a field day with the Detroit mayor’s problem.

Why weren’t the headlines just as large when the legislature failed to pass national health insurance? Or when they failed to pass S-Chips, insurance for poor children? I guess it’s because we just love gossip.

Our “taboo mentality” lists are not all the same. Paul had his list, too. His list includes drunkenness, swindling, slandering . . . a lot of reprehensible things.

I think God wants us to give up lists. Sin is “no thing in particular.” It is a virus within us more than the warts that appear on the surface. Sin-virus. Since it is the lack of love, some might call it hate. The opposite of love is better called indifference. Shoulder-shrugging!
Sin may be no thing in particular, but righteousness is everything in particular, God’s grace is everything in particular. Paul dramatizes the mystery of righteousness by comparing Adam and Christ. By his disobedience, Adam contaminated the human community at its source.

Christ healed the contamination, inaugurated a regenerated humanity by his life of unconditional love, leading to his death on the cross. “Christ Jesus, our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption.”
(I Corinthians 1:30)

During Lent, I urge you to move from the old paradigm of checking off old habits, and asking for some kind of annulment, to a paradigm of spiritual ambience. It is what Jesus called being “born again.” When we are born again, our lives change from a me-first to a mission-first mentality.

Lent is a perfect time for us to activate such a change. Dear saints, I am desperately striving for that in my own life.

While strolling in the park one day, a minister struck up a conversation with a soap salesman. They talked about religion. The salesman said, “The stuff you preach doesn’t seem to have done much good. The world’s still full of evil.”

The minister pointed to a child playing in the mud. “The soap you sell doesn’t seem to have done much good, either. It’s been around a long time, and there are still a lot of dirty hands and faces”!

“That’s true, but soap is only effective when it is applied.” To which the minister answered, “So it is with the Gospel I preach”! It must be applied.

There is a Jewish legend about a young lad who wanted to become a rabbi. He walked to a synagogue each day for his lessons.

On his way, he passed a fruit stand, owned by an atheist, who taunted him. “Where are you going, young man, to see God again?” Or “Did you find God in good health today?”

One day, to evoke a response, the atheist selected the biggest, shiniest apple from his stand, and said, “Young man, you are wasting your time over there studying about God. I’ll give you this apple if you can tell me where God is.”

The boy tho’t for a minute, then said, “Sir, I’ll give you two apples if you can tell me where God isn’t.”

Someone gave that legend a rather fascinating twist simply by changing one word: Instead of “I’ll give you this apple if you can tell me where God is,” he says, “I’ll give you this apple if you can tell me where Satan is.” To which the boy responds, “Sir, I’ll give you two apples if you can tell me where Satan isn’t.”

In our super-materialistic world, it is easy to identify with Tevya, in “Fiddler On the Roof.”

Tevya complains, “Dear God, you have made many, many poor people. I realize it’s no shame to be poor. but it’s no great honor, either. So what would be so terrible if I had a small fortune?”

Then he sings, “If I were a Rich Man.” The lyrics remind God that if Tevya were a rich man, he wouldn’t have to work so hard. He would just “deedle, deedle. dum.”

“I’d build a big house with rooms by the dozen, right in the middle of town — a fine tin roof with real wooden floors.

“There could be one long staircase just going up, and one even longer coming down, and one more leading nowhere, just for show. How wonderful it would be to have a small fortune! How great life would be! How secure life would be! How fulfilling to be able to possess things just for show!”

Jesus asks us today, Are we, like Tevya’s “One more staircase,” simply going nowhere? Do we possess things just for show?

Our lives are formed not only by what we affirm, but also by what we reject. Being a disciple of Jesus means we accept his way, his lifestyle, his priorities. Our lives are formed also by what we refuse to affirm, by those temptations to do as the world does, believe as the world believes, accumulate things like the world does.

What do you need to give up in order to make room in your heart for Jesus? Is there anything in your life that preoccupies your mind?

I mean, anything you find yourself constantly dwelling on? If not, I envy you . . .

What are you giving up for Lent? I want to give up myself.

Let us pray . . .