April 8, 2009 + “Don’t Fast, Serve Instead!” (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-4, 11) + Hayward Fong

Our Scripture readings this morning is prescribed by the Lectionary for the first Sunday in Lent. The lesson is intended to focus on the beginning of the Lenten Journey. My civilian life as a civil engineer has been spent dealing with “pot holes” along our nation’s highways. I know first hand how they damage the automobiles that run over them. I would like to spend a few moments this morning dealing with “pot holes” not only along the Lenten Journey but the entire rough and rugged road of life and how they can damage our spiritual highway.

Each of us in our daily lives, succumbs to some type of temptation, be it by overeating, drinking too much, smoking too much or any number of other forms of over-indulgence. Some of us are even tempted by the seven deadly sins: sloth, lust, greed, gluttony, pride, envy, anger.

Think about it! How many of us are so used to using the remote control on our everyday electronic gadgets instead of getting off the sofa to change the channel? How many of us lust? Just watch men driving in a car when a beautiful woman crosses the street and watch their heads; better still, watch the head of their partner! Gluttony, obesity levels in this country are now epidemic and I heard on the radio recently, it starts with the first six months of an infant baby’s life. Perhaps, we should go easy on those corpulent individuals, such as me, because it isn’t entirely their fault. As for pride, just look at some of our homes and possessions. Envy, I defy anyone to claim that they have not been envious in their lives. U.S.C. Trojans winning the Collegiate Football Championship Trophy make many U.C.L.A Bruin fans envious and those of us who carry those extra pounds can be envious of the super slim size 6 women or six pack men, and each of us has surely been angry at some point in our lives.
I can say with certainty that in many ways, all of us have committed the seven deadly sins without even blinking an eyelid. We have all succumbed; we have all given into some form of temptation and some for a price! Everything has a price if we think about it. Eating too much leads to being overweight and the other medical problems. Uncontrolled drinking leads to alcoholism a major source of family and societal problems. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer. The list goes on and on.

The trouble is there are other ways in which we give in to temptation and we don’t even think about it. We give in to challenges before they are even attempted, finding the negative points to concentrate on before we find the positives! Some of us are gutsier than others in certain areas and today’s Bible readings give two examples of dealing with temptation.

In the Old Testament, we see what happens when we give in to temptation, we see the punishment that God dishes out and it is not really something to enjoy. Adam and Eve are cast out from Paradise, the fall of mankind begins and we paid the price until the arrival of Jesus, who despite everything manages to resist temptations of the devil. Let’s face it, if you were Jesus, if you were provided with the offers that Satan provided, an easy cushy life, no worries, no troubles, no public beating, no humiliation and rejection and best of all, no crucifixion, what do you think you would have opted for?

Human nature being what it is, most of us opt for the easy way, the quick solution. We tend to avoid challenges at all costs, because we know in our heart of hearts, to do so require effort. For some it’s quite an effort to accept a challenge but it’s often the case, that it is more of an effort to avoid a challenge. Just think back to Adam and Eve, they seemed to capitulate very easily, whereas Jesus on the other hand, has a much harder task and from all accounts, he seems to handle it very well. I bet many atheists and those of other faiths would look upon Jesus as being quite a fanatic, a religious zealot but still he triumphs.

Traditionally in Lent many Christians throughout the world give something up, to test themselves, to see if they can go the journey that Jesus undertook. I think many of the things people give up are superficial and really make a mockery of the sacrifice Jesus made. This is not to denigrate those who make sacrifices that genuinely test and nurture their spirituality.

I would prefer that we in the Reformed tradition hold true to our values and principles and that we are not made to feel guilty by not giving up something. In the alternative, I would prefer that we take up something. We could begin a hobby, we could volunteer or we could do something worthwhile. We could even become more involved in the life of Immanuel and add to the workforce against the agents of evil. That’s one way to look at Lenten sacrifice.

You know, God calls us as we are. He created Adam and Eve and they screwed up and His Son Jesus Christ proved the way for us to follow.

Here is a biography of a man that God once called. He was a well known murderer, violent, aggressive and abusive toward women. He was not a likeable person at all; he thought nothing of torturing people, young and old, men and women alike. We might say he was the Charles Manson of his day. He was the epitome of evil. This man had done so many terrible things, so many evil actions that he was detested by whole communities and no one, but no one, trusted the man. His name was Saul and on the road to Damascus was converted to the Way, by his experience of God talking directly to him. God spoke to him and he responded and thanks to that most unworthy, defiled man, perhaps an agent of the devil – he became the greatest ever Apostle of the Christian Church and spread the Gospel throughout the Western World. His name as we now know him by is Paul.

If you aren’t already, perhaps you will be moved by the Spirit to take up a challenge set before you and continue the work of Paul, the works of God and become a true disciple. God wants you as you are, not by testing yourself or testing Him; He wants you ‘lock, stock and barrel’ to follow as his disciple, not by giving up but by taking up.

The National Lottery, several years ago, had as part of its logo the words, “It could be you.” It was a form of temptation clothed in clever advertising. In the advertising there was a huge finger that pointed to you. Perhaps today on our journey through Lent, it is a sign from God, that “It is you!”

Don’t give up, take up! Don’t fast, serve instead!