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1 Lent St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Canton OH Luke 4:1-13

February 21, 2010 The Rev. Barbara L Bond

The Terrible Temptation Holy Mother Church gives us this story of temptation every year on the first Sunday of Lent.  Those of us who have made some resolves for the coming 40 days of Lent may wonder if she knows something we don’t.  Will we be tempted in this time?   Temptation!  One of my favorite quotes about temptation comes from the play, “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” by Berthold Brecht.  In the play, our heroine Gruschka sees an abandoned child in the midst of a palace revolution.  This isn’t just any child:  it is the son of the queen, who has run away in panic.  Gruschka looks at the poor abandoned child, and the narrator of the story says in a loud voice, “Terrible is the temptation to do good!” Gruschka, a poor peasant, rescues the child, and her life is never the same again.  This action puts her in conflict with just about everything – her finances, her personal life, and ultimately with the government, when the queen attempts to reclaim the child years later.  Gruschka could have just left the child in the middle of the palace, right?  But once she decided to step over the line, and rescue the little guy, there was no turning back.  Her life became ruled by love. Have you had the terrible temptation to do good?  Watch out!  It could change your life! Jesus faced some major questions for his life while he was in the wilderness.  He had just been baptized, just heard directly from God that he was God’s chosen, and he had to think about that.  He went out into a desolate place, where he hoped there would be no disturbances, to pray and to meditate on his ministry.  But there was a big disturbance:  another voice was speaking to him, trying to drown out that beautiful voice he had heard at his baptism.  This new voice was insinuating, subtle, and made all kinds of sense.  Jesus was hungry.  The voice suggested he play God and turn stones into bread.  Jesus wasn’t falling for that one – no, he was feasting upon the Word of God, and did not wish to be distracted.  Begone, Satan! Well, said the voice, how about political power?  You can accomplish a lot more in the world if you wield some political clout!  Maybe, thinks Jesus.  Maybe that’s the way the world has run until now.  But my assignment isn’t about politics.  It is about love.  I can’t worship power.  I can only worship the Lord my God.  Begone, Satan! Well then, why don’t you show the world how much your God loves you?  Here, fall off the top of the Temple and let God catch you!  Well, thinks Jesus, the road ahead is going to be like falling off a building, and I already know that God will catch me, but not before I crash.  That’s the assignment, and I’m going to do it.  Begone, Satan! With every temptation, Jesus had to rethink his identity, the Chosen One of God.  I’m betting there were other temptations too, like denying he heard God speaking to him, perhaps wondering if a career in carpentry wasn’t good enough.  But he stayed out there in the wilderness until his path was clear.  And then he came out, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and challenged all the corrupt power systems of his time. As you consider your own identity in God, are you tempted to do good?  Keep in mind what it could mean.  Are you tempted to adopt an abandoned child?  There are lots of ways to do this – foster parenting, tutoring, Big Brothers and Sisters, reading in schools, leading a Scout troop – if this terrible temptation grips you, remember:  you will never be comfortable again when you see a child in need. Are you tempted to pray more?  Be careful – this could become a habit.  You may discover that your days are more meaningful, that your nights are more peaceful, that prayer surrounds everything you do. This could change your life. Are you tempted to give money to a good cause?  Look out!  They’ll be mailing you more appeals!  Wouldn’t you rather spend that money on frivolous entertainment or maybe some new clothes?  Terrible is the temptation to do good.  That is what we are called to do, despite the discomfort it may bring us.  Lent calls us to pray, to give to the needy, and to strengthen our own identity in God with some discipline in our daily lives.  As we move through these forty days, let us remember that Jesus struggled, too, and found his strength in and confidence in the love of God.   I urge you to give in to the terrible temptation to do good.