"From the Pulpit" - reflections on the weekly texts, from Pastor Greg at Living Lord Lutheran Church
“The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:8(b)-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’ ”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,’
11 and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1-13
Hey, Stella!!!!
Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the LORD Jesus Christ.
Remember that famous line from the movie, "On the Waterfront", starring Marlon Brando? Cinema was coming out of its gangster/tough guy days post WWII, and moving characters into deeper, more emotional roles. The hard-boiled bad guys now were beginning to show emotions as they struggled with life. Almost as if they were moving from two, to three dimensional characters. Brando's character here was dealing with loss, alienation, alone-ness, and this famous shout was emblematic of this new thing in Hollywood - emotions. He wanted relationship again.
Well, my post today has nothing to do with "On the Waterfront". It has to do with my cat...Stella. When I adopted her from the Humane Society back in October, her name was Pixie, but that just didn't do it for me. So...Stella it was! Maybe I was thinking about the beer, Stella.
Anyhow, we are in our first week of Lent - that time of introspection and reflection about our lives, a time of repentance maybe. A time of confronting our own mortality, and how we've lived our lives up until now. Remember it was just a few days ago we began our Lenten journey with ashes imposed on our foreheads, reminding ourselves and the world of our own humanity...our own death, if you will. I love that word "imposed" as if it's an inconvenience, or an interruption in our otherwise busy lives.
In our gospel lesson for Sunday, Jesus has just been baptized in the Jordan River, and is "led by the Spirit", the text says, for 40 days, in the wilderness (the same 40 days of Lent.) He's not eaten a thing. He's hungry. He's alone except for these appearances by the devil. And coming out of the wilderness experience, the devil confronts Jesus - "If you're the son of God, turn these stones into bread", Satan says. Jesus' response? He turns to the word of God the Father when he answers, "one does not live by bread alone."
Again, the devil tempts Jesus, taking him up to a high place. He shows Jesus the horizon as far as the eye could see, and says basically, "See all of this. All of this will be yours if you just bow down and worship me, Jesus. You can have anything you want." Again, Jesus responds with words from God the Father, saying, "worship the Lord your God, and only him."
A third time, the devil confronts Jesus, taking him to the temple in Jerusalem, saying, "throw yourself down from here, Jesus. If you're the son of God, the angels of heaven will protect you and you will not be harmed." Again, Jesus responds with this response, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." And, then, Luke's gospel says that the devil departed until a more opportune time. Hmmm...I wonder what that might have meant.
So, how does my cat play into all of this? It may be a bit unusual for cats, but my cat wants nothing more than to be near me. To be close to me. No sooner do I sit down at home, than she's in my lap, curling around as cats do, to find that perfect position. And when she's not in my lap, she's got her eye on me, making sure she knows where I am, what I'm doing, and so forth. Now, I know not all cats are like this, but just roll with me on this for now.
Our lessons for this 1st Sunday in Lent - all of them, talk about the nearness of God to God's people. And how God wants nothing more than to be near us. To be beside us in good times, and in times when God's people are in the wilderness. Moses, struggling to keep Israel together as they wander through their own wilderness for 40 years, reassures them that the Word of God is near to them. God was there with an outstretched arm, with a display of mighty power, with signs and wonders, delivering them out of their bondage to slavery into the land of milk and honey.
In our middle reading for this Sunday, from Romans, Paul says this, "The word is near you, on your hearts, and on your lips." And later, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." God is near to God's people. As close as the words on your lips.
And in Luke's gospel for this Sunday, with Jesus alone in the wilderness, being tempted by the devil, Jesus responds to these temptations by recalling the Holy Scriptures. God's word is near to him. Giving him comfort in times of trial. Keeping temptation at bay.
Now, here's the thing. We go through our 40 days of Lent, examining our lives. Seeking God. Repenting of our past failures, praying for strength to get us through this Lenten journey. But in reality, we live our entire lives in a Lenten journey. It's not just 40 days for us and then we're good to go. We live our lives in a wilderness, so to speak. We are alienated from God by our sin (think Marlon Brando as he cries out for Stella!) We are tempted daily by not only external things - the world, drawing us away from God, but also, by the voices in our heads. Those voices that tell us that there's something "out there" that's more fulfilling than what our current life gives us. We're drawn to these things like a moth to a flame, only to find out that they don't satisfy us. They just leave us wanting for more.
And through all of this, just like Israel in its own wilderness, just like Jesus in the wilderness being tempted, God wants nothing more than to be near His people. Giving them comfort. Protecting them from the Great Tempter himself. Walking with us in good times and not so good times. You see, God does not leave us. God did not leave Israel. We leave God. Israel left God seeking its own way (think golden calves, etc.)
So as we enter this Lenten wilderness, if you will, remember this. God is with us. God wants nothing more than to be in relationship with His people. And despite all the temptations that distract us and pull us away from God, God is there. Watching over us. As Paul says in Romans, "the word is near you, on your lips and in your heart."
So maybe this Lent (and beyond), we can slow down long enough to feel the presence of the Risen One in our own Lenten journey. And maybe we can be quiet enough to hear God's word, speaking to us. Bringing us out of the mess we create. Bringing us home. And just like my cat, God wants nothing more than a relationship with you. With me. With all of humanity. As Paul says in our lesson for this Sunday, this relationship goes beyond being Jew or Greek, but is for all humankind. And this relationship is greater than anything we could ever imagine. This Word from heaven come down to us.
Just think of it. God's love for us is so great...God's desire to be in relationship with us is so strong, that we taste the body and blood of Jesus our savior every time we gather. Intimate. Close. Personal. Unrelenting.
May your Lenten journey this year allow you to feel the presence of the Holy One, up close. On your lips and in your hearts. Because that's all God wants - an intimate relationship with you. Think Stella, my cat. Thanks be to God. Amen.
"Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord"
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