SERMON: Tempted to Settle

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SERMON: Tempted to Settle

LESSON: Luke 4:1-13

Every week we pray, “And lead us not into temptation.” An interesting turn of phrase-“Lead us not into temptation.” We’re praying to God, right? We are praying to the one Jesus called Abba-meaning loving father, compassionate parent. The one who Jesus promised would never give his daughter or son a stone when she asked bread, a snake when he asked for fish, a scorpion when the child asks for an egg.

You can interpret “And lead us not into temptation” as a plea to God who has done it before. (Led into temptation) Back in Genesis, Adam and Eve, our archetypal faith ancestors, are in paradise. They are innocents-“without sin.” They are naked before God AND they are naked before the tempter. All creation is good, remember? The sun and moon, the water and land, the plants, all the animals-including serpents and snakes—and the pinnacle of God’s goodness is the creation of woman and man-made in God’s own image, left “aunaturale” in the Garden and quoting Genesis two: “..They were not ashamed.”

But God leaves them in this Garden with a talking snake! Peter Gomes, minister of the Memorial Church at Harvard College in Boston suggests that the name of that snake is the Tempter. And that Temptation is the original human challenge. In his book THE GOOD BOOK Gomes quotes Oscar Wilde “I can resist everything except temptation.” Gomes believes that this is the trouble in paradise, the trouble with Adam and Eve and with us- our problem is not sex or obedience and it isn’t even evil as such. It is temptation and the inability of men and women to resist it.

Gomes continues- “Temptation as an abstraction does not work very well, and that is why the writers of Genesis are at very great pains to give temptation a personality, a persona, a character. It is a sort of incarnation, and the first in the bible.”

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’“ 4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 2)

Peter Gomes expands his point- Up till now Adam and Eve are morally neutral. They have no personalities, no characters, and no distinguishing characteristics other than they should be companions to each other and serve as caretakers of the Garden. …

So where would they have gotten any experience in self-control? Comedian Victor Borge tells a story of Adam and Eve while still naked and innocent in the Garden where Eve in a fit of unanticipated jealousy asks Adam, “Do you really love me?” And Adam replies, “Who else?”

These primal humans are naïve-untested and nothing shields them from this mother of all temptations. And there is no sign of the omnipresent God.

How could Adam and Eve have “known better?” One great point of this mythic story is that temptation is as old as creation itself, and is not an exception to God’s world, but inherent within it. This is not a story about the failure of character. Historically, Christian doctrine has been so eager to foist responsibility for the original sin upon Adam and Eve without blaming God for the problem of evil..Gomes concludes: :The proximity of temptation to creation, and the overwhelming success of the first temptation within earshot of God is meant to remind those who hear and read this story that temptation is a primal force to be reckoned with, never to be underestimated, and is forever a part of the human condition.”

At this point I am tempted to let Peter Gomes preach the rest of this sermon for me. But I keep coming back to our prayer “Lead us not into Temptation.” Gomes has suggested that the snake as the Tempter is an incarnation of something- We usually reserve the word for incarnation at least in orthodox Christian circles for Jesus described in the prologue of the Gospel of John “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” If Jesus is the incarnation of God’s love then is this Tempter also an incarnation if not of God, then at least from this same God.

Lead us not into temptation. Temptation is woven into the very fabric of human life. We understand it well- we sympathize with others like Mae West who said, “I was pure as the driven snow until I drifted.”

But my point is that temptation dare I say a gift from God? It is part and parcel of the whole being human gig. It isn’t just a tool of some Dante devil—something we can blame our drifting on-“the devil made me do it.” Maybe Temptation is God’s way of sharpening our lives -a tool and like any tool can be harmful if mishandled-a tool to eke out our purpose- what God has put us here to be and do?

Church people call this the time of Lent- a time of reflection and sharpening of purpose. Do not bother looking for Lent in your Bible dictionary, says professor Barbara Brown Taylor. There was no such thing in biblical times. There is some evidence that early Christians fasted 40 hours between Good Friday and Easter, but the custom of spending 40 days in prayer and self-denial did not arise until later..after the excitement of Jesus’ immediate presence had died down and new generations were living a second and third hand faith.

So when the world did not end as Jesus himself had said it would, his followers stopped expecting so much from God or from themselves. “They hung a wooden cross on the wall and little by little, Christians became devoted to their comforts instead of their cause: the soft couch, the flannel sheets, the leg of lamb roasted with rosemary.” (Taylor) These things made them feel safe and cared for -- if not by God, then by themselves. They decided there was no contradiction between being comfortable and being Christian, and before long it was very hard to pick them out from the population at large. They no longer distinguished themselves by their bold love for one another. They did not get arrested for championing the poor. They blended in. They avoided extremes. They decided to be nice instead of holy, and Taylor claims “God moaned out loud.”

So someone, somewhere suggested it was time to call Christians back to their senses, and the Bible offered some clues about how to do that. Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness learning to trust the Lord. Elijah spent 40 days there before hearing the still, small voice of God on the same mountain where Moses spent 40 days listening to God give the law. There was also Luke’s story, today’s lesson, about Jesus’ own 40 days in the wilderness during which he was sorely tested by the devil. It was hard. It was awful. It was necessary, if only for the story. Those of us who believe it have proof that it is humanly possible to remain loyal to God.

So the early church announced a season of Lent, from the old English word lenten, meaning "spring" -- not only a reference to the season before Easter, but also an invitation to a springtime for the soul. Forty days to cleanse the system and open the eyes to what remains when all comfort is gone. Forty days to remember what it is like to live by the grace of God alone and not by what we can supply for ourselves.

You know when we hear that phrase of Mae West “I was a pure as the driven snow, but I drifted.” We smile because believe we understand. But we also smile because we believe that we know better. We believe we know right from wrong, that we recognize what is evil and that we will be able to avoid temptations dangers when we see them.

But that’s the problem with temptations-we don’t recognize their power or danger until we are well seduced by them. The most subtle are those that don’t lure us into hedonistic self-indulgence, wallowing in the dens of sin (however luxuriant that may sound) but the most subtle temptations are the ones that come with out best intentions and our best efforts. We are on the path of doing good and to get to our noble ends we take short cuts because such ends can justify ambiguous means.

(Free form) Simple illustration-teaching drama at St Pats School. Flunking an 8th grade kid who was not doing any of the work. His mother called wanting to meet-“do you realize my son may not get into Bellarmine because of your class? If he doesn’t get into Bellarmnine he may not get into Gonzaga or Notre Dame” I did not want to stand in the way of this young man’s future but something was not right about this woman’s logic no matter how straight the intention.

Peter Gomes again talks about a young man who cheats on an examination in order to better his chances for admission to graduate school. He knows he has done a wrong thing. He feels appropriate shame, although not enough to risk his ill-gotten advantage by repudiating his actions and facing the music. When asked why he did it, the man answered simply: “I wanted what I could get and I knew of no other way of getting it.” It is as pure an answer under the circumstances as that which bank robber Willie Sutton gave when asked why he robbed banks: “Because that’s were the money is.”

Gomes suggests that the young man cheated because he felt powerless to do otherwise. He knew what the choices were but he felt he had no choice. He was under the power of a force beyond the scope of his moral compass. He was tempted. And like those before and after him, he yielded. He was not fundamentally wicked, evil, perverse or a moral cripple; he was human.and that is good or bad enough. Of course he is not alone-he has lots of company in the BibleGomes suggests could be an essay in the genealogy of temptation.

Lead us not into temptation. Luke’s account read today takes place right after the baptism of Jesus. Right after he’s accepted his vocation as God’s anointed and voice of God being well pleased and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove-this Jesus marches out into the desert for forty days ofspiritual wrestling.. Jesus’ temptations are not a form of hazing before he is allowed to enter the fraternity of the holy and good life. Gomes suggests that his temptations are the very real consequence of a life set apart for goodness and God’s will.The Tempter in the story appeals to Jesus’ better instincts “the devices and desires of our own hearts” which alone will not protect us from temptation.

The exploration of his temptations deserve a whole other sermon or bible study on their own but in summary-

Jesus starves himself and is tempted to make some magic by turning stones into bread. What a gift? As hungry Haitians dig out their rubbled capital city how helpful would such a magic trick be-turn stones into bread. Jesus is not denying that gift-in his future there are great feedings of others by multiplying bread loaves and fish. But here he refuses to demonstrate spiritual superiority- resisting the temptation to spiritual pride saying-see this-my God is bigger than your God. Jesus will not squander the spiritual gifts he has acquired in the wilderness just to impress the Tempter. He’s not about as Gomes puts it-“kicking the tires of the soul.”

Jesus second temptation is one we all face-the temptation of earthly power. If I only had the power I would use it for good. Through-out history religious people have sought secular power to do just this. Those who have combined religion and secular power have a spotty record- from the Holy Roman Empire to the Moral Majority of the 1980s. Religion and power do not mix well. Remember Gandalf’s vehement rejection of the Ring of Power when Frodo tried to place it in his care?

Frodo: "Take it Gandalf! Take it!"

Gandalf: "No, Frodo."

Frodo: "You must take it!"

Gandalf: "You cannot offer me this Ring!"

Frodo: "I'm giving it to you!"

Gandalf: "Don't tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand Frodo, I would use this Ring from a desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine." JRR Tolkien understood the subtle insidiousness of the temptation of power.

Jesus third temptation is one of testing God. “Throw yourself down and all of heaven’s angels will rescue you.” A short cut to faith is an act of doubt not faith. Give me a miraculous healing and I’ll believe. Like Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar, “Show me Jesus you’re no fool, walk across my swimming pool.” I have to admit I am tempted here-if I could swing a clear-cut heavenly miracle my faith would be set for life.

Maybe you can identify with Jesus temptations and maybe you can’t. Maybe you can identify with Tiger Wood’s temptations and maybe you can’t. Anyone who has battled with compulsions or addictions be they alcohol, sex, drugs or shopping has more empathy even as they wield tough love, than those who don’t. I would suggest that each of our temptations is as unique as each of our souls or personalities. An overconfident person may be tempted to arrogance while a shy person tempted is to withdraw in timidity.

Barbara Brown Taylor suggests we try giving up a temptation for Lent. She suggests treating Lentas an Outward Bound for the soul. No one has to sign up for it, but if you do then you give up the illusion that you are in control of your life. You place yourself in the hands of strangers who ask you to do foolhardy things, like walk backwards over a precipice with nothing but a rope around your waist or climb a sheer rock face with your fingers and toes. But none of these is the real test, because while you are doing them you have plenty of people around and lunch in a cooler.

The real test comes when you go solo. The strangers put you out all by yourself in the middle of nowhere and wish you luck for the next 24 hours. That is when you find out who you are. That is when you find out what you really miss and what you are really afraid of. Some people dream about their favorite food. Some long for a safe room with a door to lock and others just wish they had a pillow, but they all find out what their pacifiers are -- the habits, substances or surroundings they use to comfort themselves, to block out pain and fear.

Without those things they are suddenly exposed, like someone addicted to painkillers whose prescription has just run out. It is hard. It is awful. It is necessary, to encounter the world without anesthesia, to find out what life is like with no comfort but God. Taylor is convinced that 99 percent of us are addicted to something, whether it is eating, shopping, blaming or taking care of other people. The simplest definition of an addiction is anything we use to fill the empty place inside of us that belongs to God alone.

Taylor insists that hollowness we sometimes feel is not a sign of something gone wrong. It is the holy of holies inside of us, the uncluttered throne room of the Lord our God. Nothing on earth can fill it, but that does not stop us from trying. Whenever we start feeling too empty inside, we stick our pacifiers into our mouths and suck for all we are worth. They do not nourish us, but at least they plug the hole.

To enter the wilderness like Jesus is to leave temptations or addictions behind, and nothing is too small to give up. Even a chocolate bar will do. For 40 days, simply pay attention to how often your mind travels in that direction. Ask yourself why it happens when it happens. What is going on when you start craving a Mars bar? Are you hungry? Well, what is wrong with being hungry? Are you lonely? What is so bad about being alone? Try sitting with the feeling instead of fixing it and see what you find out.

Chances are you will hear a voice in your head that keeps warning you what will happen if you give up your pacifier. "You’ll starve. You’ll go nuts. You won’t be you anymore." If that does not work, the voice will move to level two: "That’s not a pacifier. That’s a power tool. Can’t you tell the difference?" If you do not fall for that one, there is always level three: "If God really loves you, you can do whatever you want. Why waste your time on this dumb exercise?"