First Sunday in Lent February 25, 2007
Scripture	Luke 4:1-13 4 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.
Devotional	Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness included forty days and forty nights when he was offered the kingdoms of the world. Jesus was promised power, prestige, wealth, and security. The temptations were real and powerful but he chose to serve God. Today the wilderness continues to blind us to the evils of power, prestige, control and security. It was after the rejection of the wilderness temptations that Jesus went to the synagogue of his youth to proclaim: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19). Last week, we experienced how Jesus chose to follow a path of practicing spirituality. This week’s gospel reading gives us another view of Jesus choosing a practicing spirituality over the dwelling and seeking spiritualities. Jesus was tempted with: Economic power Military/political power Religious power. Jesus is tempted to demand a miracle from God: changing stones into bread, obtain political and military powers, and grab religious powers. Jesus refuses these miracles. Luke paints a picture of Jesus as a model for his followers. The temptation to pray for a miracle is always present for us. Why are we tempted to let God do all the heavy lifting? Thursday evening I received a call from Bread For The World. They were seeking supporters who would commit to giving $10 or $15 a month for a period of two, three or six months. Agreeing to participate, I ask if I could give the six months at one time. The spokesperson again told me they were establishing a group of supporters who were concerned with world hunger everyday-day after day. The temptation to make a one-time contribution and pray for world hunger was not allowed. I desired to make my contribution instantly and final, while leaving the heavy lifting to God. God is looking for some heavy lifting rather than religious persons praying for a miracle. Luke paints us a picture of discipleship that requires heavy lifting. Jesus shows us some heavy lifting rather than waiting for a miracle Prayer: Lord, how easy it is for us to seek a miracle while leaving the heavy lifting to you. Help us to follow the example of Jesus doing the heavy lifting rather than waiting for a miracle.