Sermon from 28th January 2007
Today, our Vicar, Cameron Barker, first spoke about the Parish's Listening day which took place the day before - he then spoke about Jesus' tempations - his trials against the devil and how we should consider its relevance in our own lives.
The readings today were from Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-13
A wise and learned Rabbi once said: “My child, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation”.
Those words are a particularly appropriate starting place for today, in the light of what happened in our church life yesterday. If you sniff – genteelly! – you may well catch more than a hint of the whiff of burning rubber in the air!
That’s based on the catch-phrase at our long-anticipated – and very well attended – Parish Listening Day. We talked much – in the planning and then on the day itself – of how the rubber needs to hit the road in our quest to become a more mission-shaped church. And that’s exactly what it did, with a vengeance! Starting today, and carrying on, no doubt, in the weeks and months to come, we’ll be hearing about the practical steps that we agreed to take yesterday.
They’re steps to help us become a more mission-shaped church in any number of ways. For example, they’ll help us to be more mission-shaped in how we pray, and worship. They will help us to be more mission-shaped in how we relate to one another in the church. They’ll help us to be more mission-shaped in how we relate to people outside the church. They’ll help us to be more mission-shaped in the courses and events that we offer to people, in the church and outside it. They’ll help us to be more mission-shaped in how we develop and use our buildings. In short, the rubber will be hitting the road here in a whole host of new and exciting ways in the weeks and months ahead.
It’s going to do so because yesterday various people did come forward to serve the Lord! There’s a good chance that if you’re not one of those people yourself, then you’re sitting very close to one of them. So the Rabbi’s words are specially for you. But they’re not just for you. There’s an even better chance that either you yourself or someone near you is already doing something mission-shaped! Part of what we acknowledged, and celebrated, yesterday is the much good that is already happening here. So many people have come forward to serve the Lord, in so many different and valuable ways. The rabbi’s words are for you too!
And the rabbi’s words may well also be for you even if you didn’t make it to the Listening Day or aren’t doing something mission-shaped already! We went into yesterday with a long list of ideas that we’d come up with as a church. Those who came yesterday agreed almost without exception that the items on the list are all good and valuable things to do. All we lacked yesterday were people with the time and energy to make those other mission-shaped things happen. In other words there’s still loads of room for other people to come forward to serve the Lord. You’re warmly invited to do that, of course – either to help with what is going to happen, or to make other things happen. But, if you do that then remember the rabbi’s words: ‘if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation’.
Now we can’t compare our Listening Day, or any mission-shaped activity, to what Jesus experienced, of course. But there’s no doubt that yesterday was a real spiritual high for us. There’s even less doubt that Jesus’ baptism, which we heard about in the first part of our reading, was an even bigger spiritual high for him. It marked the official start of his public ministry – and it did so with a rather large bang! The way Luke tells it, the main focus of the action is not on the baptism, but on what followed it. Heaven opened, the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus, and his Father spoke!
The words his Father spoke were significant for Jesus too. They confirmed out loud, in front of witnesses, what Jesus already knew about who he truly was. This wasn’t news to Jesus, that he was God’s Son. But this exchange did help him to know that he really had chosen the right time, and the right way, to launch his public ministry. And that, as any such affirmation does, gave Jesus the spiritual high that helped him to go forward with his God-given mission. What is so instructive for us after yesterday is what followed on for Jesus after this great spiritual high at his baptism.
Perhaps we might expect to read about Jesus having an even greater spiritual high next – maybe performing some spectacular miracle. Instead, what Luke records– as Mark and Matthew also do – is that the Spirit led Jesus out into the desert. And there Jesus faced what we read about in the second part of our reading – a 40-day period of temptation by the devil! I realise that in itself that’s not an issue-free statement. But this is a reality that we have to deal with if we are to take Jesus and the Bible seriously. Think about it: Jesus was on his own in the desert. How could any of the gospel-writers possibly have found out what happened there – unless Jesus himself told them about it?
There is no doubt that Jesus believed in the existence of the devil. And it doesn’t take much reading of either the Old Testament or the New Testament to discover that he was far from the only one in the Bible who did. I’ve said here before, and I’ll say it again now, that I too believe in the existence of the devil. In fact, I believe it even more strongly than the last time I said it. I say that largely because I’ve had rather more experience of this reality in the last year. But I don’t want us to fall into the opposite trap, of paying the devil too much attention! What we need to recognise is that God has an enemy – who, by definition then, is our enemy too. And we need to recognise that this enemy wants to disrupt God’s plans.
That was exactly what the devil was trying to do to Jesus – to disrupt God’s plans. We’ll see in a moment how the devil tried to do that, though not in too much detail. But it is worth pointing out the obvious at this stage. We believe that we did hear something of God’s plans for this parish and these churches yesterday. So we – and particularly those who came forward to do so yesterday – do need to be aware that the devil is going to try to disrupt those plans! The good news is that we can’t find a better example anywhere – either of the devil’s tactics, or how to combat them.
As I said, we don’t have time now to go into the details of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. That’s not a big problem, though, because we do hear a version of this encounter every year – usually around the start of Lent. It is a familiar story, then. But it’s one that repays studying again and again – because of the important lessons it can teach us. Those lessons are both about the devil’s tactics, and about how we can stand against them. As I say, the devil’s basic intention is to undermine, to disrupt, to stop God’s plans. But just how he goes about doing that will vary, depending on who he’s facing, and their strengths and weaknesses.
We see that in the first temptation which the devil tried on Jesus. In it the devil came at Jesus both where he was weak and where he was strong! The weakness should be quite obvious. Having not eaten for 40 days, Jesus was hungry! So the devil invited Jesus to turn stones into bread – which was where he was strong! Jesus did have power to do things like that, as we know from his later ministry. So this was a clever, twin-pronged approach – aimed at both Jesus’ weakness and his strength: ‘You’re hungry, so make yourself something to eat’, the devil said. But there was also a subtle subtext to this temptation, which emerges from the way the devil started: ‘If you are the son of God …’
At his baptism Jesus’ identity as the son of God had been wonderfully affirmed. Now the devil was inviting Jesus to prove his identity, by using his strength to bolster his point of weakness. As one commentator has helpfully pointed out, all the devil can do is to tempt, or invite us to do the wrong thing. We then have a choice to make: will we do as he suggests; or not? Jesus chose not to, because he saw the trap for what it was. He was secure enough in himself not to need to prove his identity. And he knew that his priority at that point was to fast and pray, not to eat. So he chose to resist this temptation – by quoting the Bible.
Those of you who have, or will, come forward to serve the Lord, learn this lesson. Beware of the devil coming at you where you are weak – and you know where that is. And beware of the devil coming at you where you are strong. And you know where that is too! Be sure you know what God wants from you at this time; and let that be founded on the truth of God’s word. But be sure that you know your Bible well! In the third temptation we read how the devil himself quoted the Bible at Jesus! Once again he there invited Jesus to prove his identity – before he misquoted Psalm 91. Jesus knew that Psalm – and its meaning – well enough to know how the devil was wrong. And he was then able to quote another verse that put the devil straight.
We can’t ignore the second temptation that the devil put before Jesus. This was the devil’s seductive invitation for Jesus to get to where he would anyway, but without the pain. It was the offer of an easy short-cut on the basis that the ends justify the means. What the devil offered Jesus, (though he wouldn’t offer any of us this!) was that kingship over the whole earth that he would gain in the end. But of course there was a price to pay for that – worship of the devil. Once again Jesus saw the trap, and avoided it. And once again he did so by quoting the Bible. Jesus chose to worship God alone, and to go his way alone – to the cross.
Those of you who have, or will, come forward to serve the Lord, learn this lesson. Beware of the devil offering you an easy-looking short-cut to what you’ve promised to do. The ends don’t justify the means. It may be costly, in many ways, for you to do what you’ve promised – but remember whose example it is that you are following. Jesus refused the devil’s short-cut, and chose instead the pain of the cross – because of the reward to be gained by going God’s way all the way. And if that’s not enough to convince you, then look for the devil’s barb – because there will be one!
I should say, of course, that in the rest of our series from Luke we’ll see the implications of these key Godly choices that Jesus made in the desert. But I’ve wanted to focus today on what this passage means for us after yesterday. In closing I want to flag up one more of the devil’s tactics, which didn’t feature in this story. The devil may well come at us where we’re weak, and where we’re strong. He may well offer us short-cuts. But one tactic that he’s most likely to try on us is that of inertia, or passivity. We may be tempted to think that it doesn’t really matter if we do what we’ve said or not. Or that we don’t really need to check the list for what we might do. But it does! It matters that we each hear God’s call, and obey it. It matters that we resist the devil, and go God’s way. So let’s pray …
The readings today were from Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-13
A wise and learned Rabbi once said: “My child, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation”.
Those words are a particularly appropriate starting place for today, in the light of what happened in our church life yesterday. If you sniff – genteelly! – you may well catch more than a hint of the whiff of burning rubber in the air!
That’s based on the catch-phrase at our long-anticipated – and very well attended – Parish Listening Day. We talked much – in the planning and then on the day itself – of how the rubber needs to hit the road in our quest to become a more mission-shaped church. And that’s exactly what it did, with a vengeance! Starting today, and carrying on, no doubt, in the weeks and months to come, we’ll be hearing about the practical steps that we agreed to take yesterday.
They’re steps to help us become a more mission-shaped church in any number of ways. For example, they’ll help us to be more mission-shaped in how we pray, and worship. They will help us to be more mission-shaped in how we relate to one another in the church. They’ll help us to be more mission-shaped in how we relate to people outside the church. They’ll help us to be more mission-shaped in the courses and events that we offer to people, in the church and outside it. They’ll help us to be more mission-shaped in how we develop and use our buildings. In short, the rubber will be hitting the road here in a whole host of new and exciting ways in the weeks and months ahead.
It’s going to do so because yesterday various people did come forward to serve the Lord! There’s a good chance that if you’re not one of those people yourself, then you’re sitting very close to one of them. So the Rabbi’s words are specially for you. But they’re not just for you. There’s an even better chance that either you yourself or someone near you is already doing something mission-shaped! Part of what we acknowledged, and celebrated, yesterday is the much good that is already happening here. So many people have come forward to serve the Lord, in so many different and valuable ways. The rabbi’s words are for you too!
And the rabbi’s words may well also be for you even if you didn’t make it to the Listening Day or aren’t doing something mission-shaped already! We went into yesterday with a long list of ideas that we’d come up with as a church. Those who came yesterday agreed almost without exception that the items on the list are all good and valuable things to do. All we lacked yesterday were people with the time and energy to make those other mission-shaped things happen. In other words there’s still loads of room for other people to come forward to serve the Lord. You’re warmly invited to do that, of course – either to help with what is going to happen, or to make other things happen. But, if you do that then remember the rabbi’s words: ‘if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation’.
Now we can’t compare our Listening Day, or any mission-shaped activity, to what Jesus experienced, of course. But there’s no doubt that yesterday was a real spiritual high for us. There’s even less doubt that Jesus’ baptism, which we heard about in the first part of our reading, was an even bigger spiritual high for him. It marked the official start of his public ministry – and it did so with a rather large bang! The way Luke tells it, the main focus of the action is not on the baptism, but on what followed it. Heaven opened, the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus, and his Father spoke!
The words his Father spoke were significant for Jesus too. They confirmed out loud, in front of witnesses, what Jesus already knew about who he truly was. This wasn’t news to Jesus, that he was God’s Son. But this exchange did help him to know that he really had chosen the right time, and the right way, to launch his public ministry. And that, as any such affirmation does, gave Jesus the spiritual high that helped him to go forward with his God-given mission. What is so instructive for us after yesterday is what followed on for Jesus after this great spiritual high at his baptism.
Perhaps we might expect to read about Jesus having an even greater spiritual high next – maybe performing some spectacular miracle. Instead, what Luke records– as Mark and Matthew also do – is that the Spirit led Jesus out into the desert. And there Jesus faced what we read about in the second part of our reading – a 40-day period of temptation by the devil! I realise that in itself that’s not an issue-free statement. But this is a reality that we have to deal with if we are to take Jesus and the Bible seriously. Think about it: Jesus was on his own in the desert. How could any of the gospel-writers possibly have found out what happened there – unless Jesus himself told them about it?
There is no doubt that Jesus believed in the existence of the devil. And it doesn’t take much reading of either the Old Testament or the New Testament to discover that he was far from the only one in the Bible who did. I’ve said here before, and I’ll say it again now, that I too believe in the existence of the devil. In fact, I believe it even more strongly than the last time I said it. I say that largely because I’ve had rather more experience of this reality in the last year. But I don’t want us to fall into the opposite trap, of paying the devil too much attention! What we need to recognise is that God has an enemy – who, by definition then, is our enemy too. And we need to recognise that this enemy wants to disrupt God’s plans.
That was exactly what the devil was trying to do to Jesus – to disrupt God’s plans. We’ll see in a moment how the devil tried to do that, though not in too much detail. But it is worth pointing out the obvious at this stage. We believe that we did hear something of God’s plans for this parish and these churches yesterday. So we – and particularly those who came forward to do so yesterday – do need to be aware that the devil is going to try to disrupt those plans! The good news is that we can’t find a better example anywhere – either of the devil’s tactics, or how to combat them.
As I said, we don’t have time now to go into the details of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. That’s not a big problem, though, because we do hear a version of this encounter every year – usually around the start of Lent. It is a familiar story, then. But it’s one that repays studying again and again – because of the important lessons it can teach us. Those lessons are both about the devil’s tactics, and about how we can stand against them. As I say, the devil’s basic intention is to undermine, to disrupt, to stop God’s plans. But just how he goes about doing that will vary, depending on who he’s facing, and their strengths and weaknesses.
We see that in the first temptation which the devil tried on Jesus. In it the devil came at Jesus both where he was weak and where he was strong! The weakness should be quite obvious. Having not eaten for 40 days, Jesus was hungry! So the devil invited Jesus to turn stones into bread – which was where he was strong! Jesus did have power to do things like that, as we know from his later ministry. So this was a clever, twin-pronged approach – aimed at both Jesus’ weakness and his strength: ‘You’re hungry, so make yourself something to eat’, the devil said. But there was also a subtle subtext to this temptation, which emerges from the way the devil started: ‘If you are the son of God …’
At his baptism Jesus’ identity as the son of God had been wonderfully affirmed. Now the devil was inviting Jesus to prove his identity, by using his strength to bolster his point of weakness. As one commentator has helpfully pointed out, all the devil can do is to tempt, or invite us to do the wrong thing. We then have a choice to make: will we do as he suggests; or not? Jesus chose not to, because he saw the trap for what it was. He was secure enough in himself not to need to prove his identity. And he knew that his priority at that point was to fast and pray, not to eat. So he chose to resist this temptation – by quoting the Bible.
Those of you who have, or will, come forward to serve the Lord, learn this lesson. Beware of the devil coming at you where you are weak – and you know where that is. And beware of the devil coming at you where you are strong. And you know where that is too! Be sure you know what God wants from you at this time; and let that be founded on the truth of God’s word. But be sure that you know your Bible well! In the third temptation we read how the devil himself quoted the Bible at Jesus! Once again he there invited Jesus to prove his identity – before he misquoted Psalm 91. Jesus knew that Psalm – and its meaning – well enough to know how the devil was wrong. And he was then able to quote another verse that put the devil straight.
We can’t ignore the second temptation that the devil put before Jesus. This was the devil’s seductive invitation for Jesus to get to where he would anyway, but without the pain. It was the offer of an easy short-cut on the basis that the ends justify the means. What the devil offered Jesus, (though he wouldn’t offer any of us this!) was that kingship over the whole earth that he would gain in the end. But of course there was a price to pay for that – worship of the devil. Once again Jesus saw the trap, and avoided it. And once again he did so by quoting the Bible. Jesus chose to worship God alone, and to go his way alone – to the cross.
Those of you who have, or will, come forward to serve the Lord, learn this lesson. Beware of the devil offering you an easy-looking short-cut to what you’ve promised to do. The ends don’t justify the means. It may be costly, in many ways, for you to do what you’ve promised – but remember whose example it is that you are following. Jesus refused the devil’s short-cut, and chose instead the pain of the cross – because of the reward to be gained by going God’s way all the way. And if that’s not enough to convince you, then look for the devil’s barb – because there will be one!
I should say, of course, that in the rest of our series from Luke we’ll see the implications of these key Godly choices that Jesus made in the desert. But I’ve wanted to focus today on what this passage means for us after yesterday. In closing I want to flag up one more of the devil’s tactics, which didn’t feature in this story. The devil may well come at us where we’re weak, and where we’re strong. He may well offer us short-cuts. But one tactic that he’s most likely to try on us is that of inertia, or passivity. We may be tempted to think that it doesn’t really matter if we do what we’ve said or not. Or that we don’t really need to check the list for what we might do. But it does! It matters that we each hear God’s call, and obey it. It matters that we resist the devil, and go God’s way. So let’s pray …
posted by Parish Administrator at 1:18 am
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