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THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

March 1, 2009

Carole Moore, preaching.

Chocolate – Sweets – Candy - Cookies – Swearing – Drinking.

These are all things that people may give up for Lent. On this, the First Sunday in Lent, we can look at this idea of “giving up” something for Lent. When you decide to do this, you are making a promise between yourself and God that you will do this for the forty day period of Lent. You are making a covenant between yourself and God.

In our first Lesson, God made a covenant with Noah after the flood. God promised Noah that He would never again destroy the earth by a flood. He sealed that promise or covenant by placing a rainbow in the sky.

How many times have you been riding in a car during a rainstorm and then the rain stops; you look out the window and what do you see? A beautiful rainbow – the sign of God’s covenant to Noah and his people. A sign that He would never destroy again the earth by a flood.

Whenever we see a rainbow, we should remember God’s promise to us to protect us. The rainbow was God’s sign to His people that He would always protect them.

During our Baptism, we receive another sign of God’s unfailing commitment and love for us --- we receive the sign of His cross marked on our foreheads. This is God’s promise of new life for us as His children.

As we begin the season of Lent, we receive this sign of God’s promise in the form of ashes on our foreheads. On Wednesday evening, Pastor Gary made the sign of the cross on our foreheads, made the sign of the cross with ashes.

Especially during Lent, the Cross and the rainbow are visual images reminding us of God’s promise. When life’s troubles overwhelm us and cause us stress, God’s promises comfort us with the promise of His abiding presence and His healing touch. We know that He is near us at all times, especially in times of despair and trouble. We only have to turn to Him for comfort. All we have to do is ask for help, pray to Him, thank Him for always being with us and guiding us and then ask Him for continued help in good times as well as in bad.

In Mark’s Gospel, we hear about the Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove after His baptism. The spirit that comes upon Jesus at his Baptism sustains him when he goes into the wilderness for forty days and is tempted by Satan, so that he might proclaim the good news of God’s reign.

Forty days…why forty days? That number of days occurs many times throughout the Bible and in our church life. In Genesis, God told Noah that He would bring a flood onto the earth, where it would rain for forty days and forty nights, while Noah was in the ark.

When Moses went up on the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God, Exodus tells us that Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

In Deuteronomy, which tells the story of the Israelites entering Canaan, the number 40 is mentioned many times. The Israelites were entering Canaan after forty years in the wilderness. “In those forty years, the Lord your God has been with you and you have lacked nothing.” “At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant.” “Forty lashes may be given, but not more.” “I have led you forty years in the wilderness”

Chapter 19 of 1 Kings tells the story of Elijah fleeing from Jezebel and going to the Mount of Horeb for forty days and 40 nights.

Lent is also forty days in length.

In Mark’s Gospel, there is very little description of what happened during the forty days that Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan.

Contrast that with the telling of this same happening in the Gospel of Matthew. In Chapter 4, the temptations by Satan (or the devil as he is called in this Gospel) are spelled out. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. He was hungry. Satan commanded him to turn stones into loaves of bread.

Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the son of God, throw yourself down and the angels will bear you up, not letting you get hurt.”

A third time the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he said to Jesus “All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said “away with you, Satan! It is written ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”

There is only one God, a loving and compassionate God. He watches over us. He protects us. Through Him we will receive all the kingdoms of the earth and of heaven.

Even in the Gospel of Luke, the temptation of Jesus is more fully explained than that in mark. The difference is that in Luke, the third temptation, to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple is the second temptation in Matthew.

Mark’s temptation is not broken into three parts as it is in Matthew and Luke.

The last part of our Gospel reading tells us that Jesus went to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God by saying “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near! Repent and believe in the good news.”

Jesus overcame the evil in human life. He urges all of us, his faithful followers, to seek the power of Christ to overcome the evil in our lives, especially the power of temptation.

We are not tempted in the same way that Jesus was, but we are tempted nonetheless.

Have you ever received more change than you should have from a cashier? Did you give it back? Did you ever sneak a look at the test paper of the person sitting next to you?

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. The Lenten discipline is a spiritual struggle for all of us. In the Confession of sins, we acknowledge that we struggle and seek God’s strength.

Jesus struggles with us and so we are sustained. Help is as close as a prayer and a confession that we cannot do it on our own. God gives us spiritual life, and so all we offer in worship is giving back what was first given to us by God.

During the forty days of Lent, we should all turn to Christ to guard us against any temptations, to help us turn to Christ, to repent, and to believe in the Good News which is to come at Eastertime.




		THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT March 1, 2009 Carole Moore, preaching. Chocolate – Sweets – Candy - Cookies – Swearing – Drinking. These are all things that people may give up for Lent. On this, the First Sunday in Lent, we can look at this idea of “giving up” something for Lent. When you decide to do this, you are making a promise between yourself and God that you will do this for the forty day period of Lent. You are making a covenant between yourself and God. In our first Lesson, God made a covenant with Noah after the flood. God promised Noah that He would never again destroy the earth by a flood. He sealed that promise or covenant by placing a rainbow in the sky. How many times have you been riding in a car during a rainstorm and then the rain stops; you look out the window and what do you see? A beautiful rainbow – the sign of God’s covenant to Noah and his people. A sign that He would never destroy again the earth by a flood. Whenever we see a rainbow, we should remember God’s promise to us to protect us. The rainbow was God’s sign to His people that He would always protect them. During our Baptism, we receive another sign of God’s unfailing commitment and love for us --- we receive the sign of His cross marked on our foreheads. This is God’s promise of new life for us as His children. As we begin the season of Lent, we receive this sign of God’s promise in the form of ashes on our foreheads. On Wednesday evening, Pastor Gary made the sign of the cross on our foreheads, made the sign of the cross with ashes. Especially during Lent, the Cross and the rainbow are visual images reminding us of God’s promise. When life’s troubles overwhelm us and cause us stress, God’s promises comfort us with the promise of His abiding presence and His healing touch. We know that He is near us at all times, especially in times of despair and trouble. We only have to turn to Him for comfort. All we have to do is ask for help, pray to Him, thank Him for always being with us and guiding us and then ask Him for continued help in good times as well as in bad. In Mark’s Gospel, we hear about the Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove after His baptism. The spirit that comes upon Jesus at his Baptism sustains him when he goes into the wilderness for forty days and is tempted by Satan, so that he might proclaim the good news of God’s reign. Forty days…why forty days? That number of days occurs many times throughout the Bible and in our church life. In Genesis, God told Noah that He would bring a flood onto the earth, where it would rain for forty days and forty nights, while Noah was in the ark. When Moses went up on the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God, Exodus tells us that Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. In Deuteronomy, which tells the story of the Israelites entering Canaan, the number 40 is mentioned many times. The Israelites were entering Canaan after forty years in the wilderness. “In those forty years, the Lord your God has been with you and you have lacked nothing.” “At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant.” “Forty lashes may be given, but not more.” “I have led you forty years in the wilderness” Chapter 19 of 1 Kings tells the story of Elijah fleeing from Jezebel and going to the Mount of Horeb for forty days and 40 nights. Lent is also forty days in length. In Mark’s Gospel, there is very little description of what happened during the forty days that Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Contrast that with the telling of this same happening in the Gospel of Matthew. In Chapter 4, the temptations by Satan (or the devil as he is called in this Gospel) are spelled out. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. He was hungry. Satan commanded him to turn stones into loaves of bread. Then the devil took Jesus to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the son of God, throw yourself down and the angels will bear you up, not letting you get hurt.” A third time the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he said to Jesus “All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said “away with you, Satan! It is written ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’” There is only one God, a loving and compassionate God. He watches over us. He protects us. Through Him we will receive all the kingdoms of the earth and of heaven. Even in the Gospel of Luke, the temptation of Jesus is more fully explained than that in mark. The difference is that in Luke, the third temptation, to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple is the second temptation in Matthew. Mark’s temptation is not broken into three parts as it is in Matthew and Luke. The last part of our Gospel reading tells us that Jesus went to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God by saying “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near! Repent and believe in the good news.” Jesus overcame the evil in human life. He urges all of us, his faithful followers, to seek the power of Christ to overcome the evil in our lives, especially the power of temptation. We are not tempted in the same way that Jesus was, but we are tempted nonetheless. Have you ever received more change than you should have from a cashier? Did you give it back? Did you ever sneak a look at the test paper of the person sitting next to you? Today is the first Sunday of Lent. The Lenten discipline is a spiritual struggle for all of us. In the Confession of sins, we acknowledge that we struggle and seek God’s strength. Jesus struggles with us and so we are sustained. Help is as close as a prayer and a confession that we cannot do it on our own. God gives us spiritual life, and so all we offer in worship is giving back what was first given to us by God. During the forty days of Lent, we should all turn to Christ to guard us against any temptations, to help us turn to Christ, to repent, and to believe in the Good News which is to come at Eastertime.