Sermon preached at St. Alban's on February 22, 2015
First Sunday in Lent, Year B
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann
Since Lent is a penitential season
in which we are specifically called to do a spiritual inventory and to
recalibrate our moral compass by repenting of and confessing our sins in
preparation for the Paschal Feast, I have a confession to make to you; I’m kind
of bored with the Gospel story regarding Jesus’ baptism and subsequent
wilderness temptation. I’m not indifferent
to the content of the message, but simply weary with trying to come up with
fresh ways of explaining the same story every year at this time; fatigued with
the fact that this is the third time in eleven weeks that we have had a portion
of this particular text presented to us; and frustrated with Mark’s paucity of
information. He is the Jack Webb of
Evangelists; just the facts, ma’am with little to no embellishment.
Now don’t get me wrong; Lent is perhaps my favorite liturgical season. I love the rich violet color of the vestments and the somber chords of the hymns. Ash Wednesday, the Great Litany, the Exhortation; all of the ancient liturgies and rites focus my attention inward, convicting me of my hard-heartedness and stiffness of neck, both of which resist and rebel against God’s commands, God’s will and God’s plan of salvation and restoration for His fallen creation.
But as heartrending as this process of introspection is, it doesn’t leave me in despair or defeat, but emphatically emphasizes my need, our need, and the world’s need for a savior. I am rightfully reminded that we can’t do it on our own; my attention is drawn to the Risen Lord, whose visage radiates the warmth of God’s love like the noonday sun; and my faith is strengthened as I continue to travel the arduous, yet liberating, way of the Cross.
You see, I believe that Lent detoxifies our bodies and souls through the disciplines of self-examination and repentance, prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and reading and meditating upon God’s holy word; flushing out the crevices of our prideful egos where sin comfortably cleaves; purging the residue of that which would slowly choke us off from the flow of God’s abundant blessings; and rendering us down, not into an amorphous blob of self-pity and self-loathing, but rather a pool of pure and humble faith, worthy of being cast into a “crown of glory that never fades away” (1 Peter 5:4), which is life eternal.
Now there may be some of you out there who may be thinking, “Wait a minute; that’s sounds all admirable and upright, but it appears as if Fr. Carl has lost his theological moorings and is drifting back into a sea of works righteousness. It sounds like he’s saying that if I pray, fast or deny myself of material goods, then I will obtain God’s saving grace.” And that may indeed be an accurate criticism… if I was presenting this regimen to a group of non-believers.
But I’m not; I am offering this prescription of Lenten discipline, and its subsequent benefit, to an assembly of redeemed Christians; an appendage of the Body of Christ called St. Alban’s who worship in the Episcopal tradition of the Christian Faith. We know that in the sacramental waters of baptism we have been regenerated; made clean from the stain of original sin, and are being saved by grace through faith through the atoning death of Christ Jesus. But we are also very much aware of the ongoing power of sin and its continuing influence over us as we live into that life of transforming grace. The Apostle Paul says it so well; “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Rom 7:15, 19)
The fact is that as long as we are in this world, even as Christians, (especially as Christians!), we are continually enticed by the lure of sin, which is magnified by our spiritual flabbiness. Let’s be honest with ourselves; when we neglect regular worship; when we discount daily prayer and the study of scripture; and when we elude fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, it should be no surprise that we have become unfit for Christian service as the result of our poor spiritual health. To put it another way; there is not one person here who would consider participating in an athletic endeavor at the professional level without first undergoing some form of conditioning and strength training program. So why should it, or would it, be any different when we are called to participate in God’s kingdom?
Now, in spite of my previous confession and lament, isn’t that what the last two sentences in this morning’s Gospel passage are describing for our benefit and imitation? When we are told that the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan in the midst of wild beasts and attended to by angels, this is not a setup for failure, but a call to training!
Jesus has made the team and has even been chosen as quarterback at his baptism in the Jordan by the Owner of the team, but what immediately follows is a forty day practice period in which Jesus is literally thrown to the wolves by the Holy Coach in order to assess his skills! In a scrimmage against Satan and his subordinates, with a certain amount of angelic support from the sidelines, Jesus is being tested to see if he has the endurance and perseverance to make it to the championship game at the end of the season. In other words, God uses Satan to test Jesus’ strength and conditioning to make sure that he is able to resolutely and unwaveringly keep his focus on the Cross which awaits him in Jerusalem.
Now Mark is no color commentator; he doesn’t give us the play by play of Jesus’ performance like his colleagues Matthew and Luke. Mark is concerned less with the details of the specific exercises and drills executed by the contestants than he is with the result of the contest. This is evident by the immediate transition from the wilderness to Galilee in the following passage. And I would suggest that it is the result of this contest which leaves the demons and unclean spirits shaking in their cleats when confronted by Jesus during his Galilean ministry, because I believe they are the “wild beasts” of the wilderness who not only know who Jesus is, but have witnessed firsthand the strength of his authority in response to Satan’s temptations.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, self-examination and repentance, prayer, fasting and self-denial, and a steady diet of word and sacrament through worship and fellowship are all elements of becoming spiritually fit in order to stand firm in our Faith and to effectually work out God’s will for the world, both in the present age and in preparation for the age to come. They are necessary exercises for our conditioning after we make the team! If we don’t develop these skills we will remain in spiritual weakness, which is exactly what Satan promotes, preys upon, and exploits.
If we, as humans, view life only from a state of weakness, as a test that will break us down and cause us to fail, then life will continue to be perceived as a state of desolate wilderness with seemingly no end. But as baptized Christians, if we enter into life with the knowledge that we are Spirit-filled and Spirit-driven, with Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, then rather than being broken down, we will be fully broken in, and spiritually empowered to overcome whatever Satan may throw our way from a position of Godly strength, and we will arrive victorious into each new day!
So as we enter into this season of Lent, in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, let us gladly and joyfully take on all Christian disciplines in order to develop and grow strong in the Holy Spirit, staying focused on the Cross, and the promise of Easter, in order to accomplish that which God has called us to do! In Nomine Patri
Now don’t get me wrong; Lent is perhaps my favorite liturgical season. I love the rich violet color of the vestments and the somber chords of the hymns. Ash Wednesday, the Great Litany, the Exhortation; all of the ancient liturgies and rites focus my attention inward, convicting me of my hard-heartedness and stiffness of neck, both of which resist and rebel against God’s commands, God’s will and God’s plan of salvation and restoration for His fallen creation.
But as heartrending as this process of introspection is, it doesn’t leave me in despair or defeat, but emphatically emphasizes my need, our need, and the world’s need for a savior. I am rightfully reminded that we can’t do it on our own; my attention is drawn to the Risen Lord, whose visage radiates the warmth of God’s love like the noonday sun; and my faith is strengthened as I continue to travel the arduous, yet liberating, way of the Cross.
You see, I believe that Lent detoxifies our bodies and souls through the disciplines of self-examination and repentance, prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and reading and meditating upon God’s holy word; flushing out the crevices of our prideful egos where sin comfortably cleaves; purging the residue of that which would slowly choke us off from the flow of God’s abundant blessings; and rendering us down, not into an amorphous blob of self-pity and self-loathing, but rather a pool of pure and humble faith, worthy of being cast into a “crown of glory that never fades away” (1 Peter 5:4), which is life eternal.
Now there may be some of you out there who may be thinking, “Wait a minute; that’s sounds all admirable and upright, but it appears as if Fr. Carl has lost his theological moorings and is drifting back into a sea of works righteousness. It sounds like he’s saying that if I pray, fast or deny myself of material goods, then I will obtain God’s saving grace.” And that may indeed be an accurate criticism… if I was presenting this regimen to a group of non-believers.
But I’m not; I am offering this prescription of Lenten discipline, and its subsequent benefit, to an assembly of redeemed Christians; an appendage of the Body of Christ called St. Alban’s who worship in the Episcopal tradition of the Christian Faith. We know that in the sacramental waters of baptism we have been regenerated; made clean from the stain of original sin, and are being saved by grace through faith through the atoning death of Christ Jesus. But we are also very much aware of the ongoing power of sin and its continuing influence over us as we live into that life of transforming grace. The Apostle Paul says it so well; “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Rom 7:15, 19)
The fact is that as long as we are in this world, even as Christians, (especially as Christians!), we are continually enticed by the lure of sin, which is magnified by our spiritual flabbiness. Let’s be honest with ourselves; when we neglect regular worship; when we discount daily prayer and the study of scripture; and when we elude fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, it should be no surprise that we have become unfit for Christian service as the result of our poor spiritual health. To put it another way; there is not one person here who would consider participating in an athletic endeavor at the professional level without first undergoing some form of conditioning and strength training program. So why should it, or would it, be any different when we are called to participate in God’s kingdom?
Now, in spite of my previous confession and lament, isn’t that what the last two sentences in this morning’s Gospel passage are describing for our benefit and imitation? When we are told that the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan in the midst of wild beasts and attended to by angels, this is not a setup for failure, but a call to training!
Jesus has made the team and has even been chosen as quarterback at his baptism in the Jordan by the Owner of the team, but what immediately follows is a forty day practice period in which Jesus is literally thrown to the wolves by the Holy Coach in order to assess his skills! In a scrimmage against Satan and his subordinates, with a certain amount of angelic support from the sidelines, Jesus is being tested to see if he has the endurance and perseverance to make it to the championship game at the end of the season. In other words, God uses Satan to test Jesus’ strength and conditioning to make sure that he is able to resolutely and unwaveringly keep his focus on the Cross which awaits him in Jerusalem.
Now Mark is no color commentator; he doesn’t give us the play by play of Jesus’ performance like his colleagues Matthew and Luke. Mark is concerned less with the details of the specific exercises and drills executed by the contestants than he is with the result of the contest. This is evident by the immediate transition from the wilderness to Galilee in the following passage. And I would suggest that it is the result of this contest which leaves the demons and unclean spirits shaking in their cleats when confronted by Jesus during his Galilean ministry, because I believe they are the “wild beasts” of the wilderness who not only know who Jesus is, but have witnessed firsthand the strength of his authority in response to Satan’s temptations.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, self-examination and repentance, prayer, fasting and self-denial, and a steady diet of word and sacrament through worship and fellowship are all elements of becoming spiritually fit in order to stand firm in our Faith and to effectually work out God’s will for the world, both in the present age and in preparation for the age to come. They are necessary exercises for our conditioning after we make the team! If we don’t develop these skills we will remain in spiritual weakness, which is exactly what Satan promotes, preys upon, and exploits.
If we, as humans, view life only from a state of weakness, as a test that will break us down and cause us to fail, then life will continue to be perceived as a state of desolate wilderness with seemingly no end. But as baptized Christians, if we enter into life with the knowledge that we are Spirit-filled and Spirit-driven, with Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, then rather than being broken down, we will be fully broken in, and spiritually empowered to overcome whatever Satan may throw our way from a position of Godly strength, and we will arrive victorious into each new day!
So as we enter into this season of Lent, in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, let us gladly and joyfully take on all Christian disciplines in order to develop and grow strong in the Holy Spirit, staying focused on the Cross, and the promise of Easter, in order to accomplish that which God has called us to do! In Nomine Patri