1
“A Lenten Gut Check” March 5, 2017 Matthew 4:1-11 This sermon was preached by Pr. Sarah Semmler Smith at Trinity Lutheran Church
Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Creator and Jesus our brother and redeemer. Amen.
There are times when you know that you are hungry, and you are. Maybe it’s been a long day at work or school, away from the house, and you drive into the garage and before you even open the door you can smell what has been simmering in that God blessed crockpot, for hours. Oh, you cannot get your coat off and to the table fast enough!
There are times when you don’t know you are hungry, but you are. This phenomena is most readily observed in children—who have a seemingly sudden and drastic change in mood and choices in behavior. That’s why we’re always feeding them snacks, snacks, and more snacks! To keep the ‘hangry’ monster at bay.
Then, there are times when you are not hungry, physically at least –but you find yourself with the plate of nachos, as you flip on Netflix – or your car going through the DQ drive through, or you are reaching for that place in your desk that you keep the Hershey’s kisses.
It’s to that last hunger, or void, that is an underlying factor in both of our scripture readings to day. St. Augustine is attributed as having said, “our hearts are restless until they rest in thee, Oh God.” What if, the common temptation—that reaches back to Adam and Eve, through the earliest Christians, and into this room and very hour—is the temptation to fill our hearts, minds, time—to fill the God shaped hole in each of us, with everything but God…with countless little gods instead.
Jesus is not immune. As you may have heard how the gospel started, Jesus has just come off of his baptism. He’s dripping with God’s grace, just anointed with the Spirit as God’s son. But, I guess there’s no faster way to dry off than a trip to the desert. So notice, he is led by the Spirit to the wilderness, not as a punishment or an accident –but for a very intentional test. Jesus knows it perhaps, and like a good Jew he prepares himself with a ritual fast –a long one, 40 days and nights (Forty—the number of days Noah and family endured the rain aboard the ark, Forty, the number of years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness.) Forty days--a long to go without calories! And so, he is famished, so very human. He’s weak. He is empty, he has a non- metaphorical void, to be filled.
That’s when the Tempter (aka the Satan or devil or the embodiment of all that is not light) comes onto the scene. Whether he was a physical being with a little red body and pointy horns, or the voice in Jesus’ own head (his own demons) we don’t know. But we do know that he goes strait for the throat, saying, “IF you are the son of God, turn theses stones into bread. Eat. Save yourself. Not just yourself, make loaves (plural) of bread—wave a wand ‘God-man,’ and save all those who are hungry.” Titian –the artist—pictured this scene this way, with the Temptor as an innocent and perhaps hungry child, handing a stone to Jesus. Jesus will soon feed 5,000—and 2 the ministry of his followers has very much to do with providing for the poor. But for himself, and for this moment—he wants to be clear. “One does not live by bread alone, but by ever word from God.” He defies the temptation to fill the void with the immediate or on anyone’s terms but God’s.
But the devil isn’t done with him yet. Off they go to Jerusalem. To the pinnacle of the temple. And the ‘double-dare,’ is to base jump, without a parachute. To—as the son of God, -- defy physical limitations totally. And to add to the temptation, Satan proof texts Jesus, quoting the scriptures at him! In fact, we know that Jesus will walk on water, and by the empty tomb who wins when it comes to death. But here – when it’s not on God’s terms, Jesus says, no.
Finally, they are up on a mountain. Like Mufasa with Simba looking out on the Pride lands. “All this could be yours, plus power and riches that go with it. If the last temptation was to be physically untouchable, this one was to be materially set up for life, to live the ultimate rags to riches, ‘born in a barn’ to the halls of power in Rome story. The temptation is to fill the void with material things and influence. IF he would but bow to Satan, of course. That’s when Jesus gets ticked. ‘Away with you Satan!” he says. Worship God only. Only God. Worship not our physical bodies or comfort, nor glory or power or possessions. Only God fits, the gap, made for God.
Temptation – to fill the place where our relationship with our creator is supposed to go, with anything but that—it is as old as Eden. Adam and Eve, with the seed of doubt about the fidelity of God planted in them, they thought, “Maybe we can be our own God? Fill that hole, with ourselves?” So they grab for that fruit. And as we know, it changes everything.
And they are our kin! Such behavior – runs in the family. We may know we’re hungry, and very much recognize the need in our souls for something deeper and bigger and more enduring than our day to day lives; we may know we need the nutrients of Spirit (like one of those green kale avocado super smoothies) and yet, the dust of the Cheetos is on our hands. And instead of picking up the Word we play the game, Words with Friends. Instead of hearing the Good News, we read countless news outlets and twitter feeds. Instead of dwelling with the gift of God’s presence, we click again and again, adding things to a shopping cart, here in just two days thanks to Amazon prime!
Other times, we don’t even know that what we hunger for is God, for meaning, for an identity grounded in worth and love. We might not recognize that what we yearn for are authentic relationships instead of the fronts and fakes we encounter daily. Not all, but perhaps many addictions begin this way—trying to fill a void, momentarily finding satisfaction, but then needing to go back for more and more because it never really comes.
It’s like the shape sorter toy—you just can’t get the star shape into the heart shaped hole. Or vice versa. It’s never going to work. Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee. Thanks be to God, Adam and Eve are not our only ancestors.
Jesus –he was fully human. He felt real hunger; he felt real temptation --to sustain his life rather than sacrifice it. He was tempted to more magician than Messiah. He was tempted, to take up kingship instead of become the servant Christ. He has been where we have been, as 3 fully human person. And yet, as fully God – he has the power to save us from… ourselves. From our own free will gone haywire; from our tendency to make everything and anything god in our life except the God who actually gives us life!
Christ came out of the desert to launch a movement. He still moves with us and beside us, whatever wilderness we may find ourselves in, whatever demons attend to us, whatever temptations call -- Christ moves with us and offers his strength and his angels to overcome.
The forty days of Lent are just getting going. As such, I invite you to a Lenten ‘gut check’ –to see what’s going on with your God-shaped hole: 1) What have you been trying to fill your void with—that in fact, does not lead to life that is really life. Is that something you fast from? Is that something you might seek help with, finally? 2) How is God calling you back into relationship, this season? How might you turn to God this Lent—and not just the idea of God, but the experience of and relationship with God. Prayer and sacraments, community and the Word – aren’t just nice things, they are places where God has promised to show up. That’s why they are our anchors, in good times and challenging.
Most kids quickly find out something about those shape-sorters: you can just skip the business of figuring out what goes where and take the lid off. Ultimately, all our needs derive from this one basic need; to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. May God show up this Lenten season, right where you need God most, and may you find Christ, has been there all along. Amen.