The Lent and Easter/Pentecost Seasons
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook, SERIES II
for use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
This is the season which celebrates the heart of the Christian faith: the life, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. During the previous cycle of Advent and Christmas/Epiphany we celebrated the Incarnation in which "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14) Now we are focusing on the Atonement by which God in Christ has made us at-one with him by grace through faith. God sent forth the Son in the fullness of time to suffer and die for our sins and to be raised for our salvation. The risen Christ ascended into heaven, from which we expect his return in power and glory. By the gift of God's Holy Spirit the power of Christ's death and resurrection are made available for our lives.
Since the beginning of Christian worship the events of Christ's passion, death and resurrection have shaped life and worship for Christians for each week, the Christian Year, and for worship in community and as individuals. We can properly observe Lent, Easter and Pentecost only as we do so understanding their relationship to each other and to the mystery of salvation in Christ. These occasions are formed in the pattern of his death and resurrection and Spirit which gives eternal life.
The Season of Lent
Purple is the color of Lent, and during this season the joyous Gloria and alleluia are omitted from worship. The word "lent" is related to the words "long" and "lengthen." The word came into use in reference to the lengthening of the hours of sunlight in the springtime. The season has been called "the Easter penitential period" to keep the focus on Easter rather than Lent itself. The Sundays during the Lenten season are not considered a part of Lent, therefore we speak of Sunday in Lent not of Lent. The beginning of Lent depends on the date of Easter. Lent begins forty-six days before Easter, and the season of Lent proper is a season of forty days.
The intention of Lent was to imitate Jesus who, after his baptism in the Jordan, fasted for forty days. The church saw in the observance of Lent an echo of the forty days Moses fasted on Sinai (Exodus 34, 28), and the forty days Elijah fasted on his journey to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8), as well as Israel's wandering in the wilderness. Christians in the second century were already observing a two-day grief-inspired fast in preparation for the feast of Easter. The first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea speaks of the forty-day period of preparation for Easter as something that was familiar to all.
The fast of Lent meant that people took only a single daily meal which was eaten in the evening. Abstaining from meat and wine was added later on, as was abstinence from dairy products and eggs which continued until the Middle Ages and later. Fasting for medical reasons was not uncommon among the Greeks and Romans. Christians of the early church saw fasting as a source of fervor in prayer, comparing the prayer of one fasting to the soaring of a young eagle, in contrast to the prayer of an immoderate eater.
The purpose of observing Lent was to prepare for receiving the Spirit, which was a powerful instrument in the fight against evil spirits. Fasting during Lent was also preparation for baptism and the eucharist, and was also a way of being able to help the poor with money, which otherwise would have been spent for food. The church was very much aware of the danger that fasting might become an external formality, and it remembered the warnings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
Vatican II wrote directions for observing Lent which put even greater emphasis on the recalling of baptism or preparation for it, and penance. The purpose remained to prepare the faithful for Easter. Penance is stressed as a detestation of sin because it is an offense against God. Penance should be not only intentional and individual but also external and social. The practice of this should be adapted to local regions and individual circumstances.
Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent was so named, because penitents put on penitential garments and had ashes sprinkled on them. Wearing of sackcloth and the use of ashes was familiar to the Old Testament and in pagan societies. Jesus speaks of this in upbraiding Chorazin and Bethsaida for not doing penance: "If the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." (Matthew 11:21) Sometime in the twelfth century, the rule developed that the ashes used to either sprinkle on the heads of men or mark with a sign of the cross on the foreheads of women should come from the burning of palm branches left from the previous year. Ash Wednesday in the Roman Catholic and other traditions is still observed as a day of universal fasting on which ashes are to be distributed.
Vatican II relaxed some of the strictness of Lent and allows meat to be eaten on Fridays and
breakfast before Communion.
Many churches, Protestant and Catholic, observe Lent with special weekday services, such as weekday noon services for business people who come to church for lunch and a Lenten service, or special evening services for focusing on the themes of Lent. Lent can take on greater meaning as people come to better understand its purpose in a positive way. Lent can be a means of self-discipline and self-denial in preparation for the celebration of Eastertide and Pentecost. Lent is a time when many church members give more of their time and energy to church programs, thus making this a period of growth in service to God and others. Some churches suggest one or more books for reading during Lent which assist in spiritual formation.
Planning services during Lent and throughout the year should involve lay persons as well as the pastor. This can be part of the congregation's Lenten journey and "work of the people" as the word "liturgy" means literally.
Holy Week
While some Protestant churches single out only Palm/Passion Sunday and Thursday before Easter for special observance, others are holding special midday or evening services each day of Holy Week. The services often follow the movements of Jesus as tradition outlines them:
Monday
Cleansing of the Temple
Tuesday
Verbal conflict with Jesus' enemies
Wednesday
Day of silence and retreat in Bethany
Thursday
Final conversations with the disciples
Friday
The crucifixion
Saturday
Jesus' body in the tomb
Maundy Thursday is often observed with a celebration of the Lord's Supper and candles are lighted by those in the congregation. "Maundy" is derived from the new "mandate" or "commandment" Jesus gave to the disciples to "love one another," and from his command to celebrate the Lord's Supper in remembrance of him until he returns.
Other special observances are held on Good Friday. Three hour services, usually noon - 3:00 p.m., began in the Roman Catholic tradition in the seventeenth century and are now common in Protestant churches. Often churches join together for community Good Friday services in which a different speaker presents a brief meditation on each of Jesus' seven last words from the cross.
In strict liturgical observance the altar is stripped, candles are left unlit and the cross is veiled in black for Good Friday to remind all of Jesus' death.
Lent ends officially at noon on Saturday before Easter. From sunset on Holy or Maundy Thursday until sunset on Easter Day has come to be known as the Triduum. In the early church after a long rigorous fast of Lent the church celebrated the whole Paschal mystery (the saving work of Christ and the church's participation in it) on Easter Eve and on into Easter Day in one unified liturgy.
Black American churches have found special meaning in the powerful themes of exodus, deliverance from death, and liberation from slavery, themes which have enriched worship particularly during the Passover-Easter period. Other ethnic groups and cultures have traditions to enrich the church's worship as they are shared with one another.
Easter
The celebration of Easter in worship is both the source and summit of the whole Christian Year. We declare that Christ who was crucified, dead and buried is risen and exalted to the Godhead. We celebrate his presence in our midst by the Holy Spirit. While it has been said that every Sunday is a "little Easter" it could more accurately be said that Easter is a "big Sunday" in that Sunday, the Lord's Day, is the celebration of Christ's resurrection on the first day of the week.
The color for Easter is white. The alternate color is gold which expresses the prominence of this peak of the Christian Year. The mood is joy. The cross-resurrection are at the center of the celebration of Easter.
Although Easter is the climax of the church's worship on one day, the celebration continues throughout Eastertide. There is a dramatic contrast between Lent and Easter/Pentecost in that Lent is penitential with a mood that is sober, reflective and watchful. There was an ancient practice of omitting "Alleluias" and "Glorias" during Lent. But Easter/Pentecost is exuberant. This joy in the Living Christ should be expressed not only in the sermon but in the entire worship service through music and visual images.
Worship and preaching should keep in tension the connection between Christ's death, resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Easter has been called the "Eighth Day" which ushers in the End time and promises the light of eternal life. Christ risen from the dead is the New Adam whose resurrection is the beginning of a New Humanity and New Creation.
Pentecost
Pentecost is a reliving of the meaning of Eastertide, the period from Easter until Pentecost. In celebrating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the church was no longer desolate for the Living Christ had returned by the Spirit to the disciples. It celebrates the "birthday" of the church. Pentecost is one of the major church festivals and ranked second only to Easter until more emphasis began to be placed on Christmas. Pentecost gathers three festivals of the church: Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity.
The color for Pentecost is white. The Passover-Pentecost period has been called one great extended Lord's Day feast in that it lifts up all the redeeming work of God in Christ. White is a symbol of joy, and Pentecost is a rejoicing in the Presence of God by the Spirit.
Ascension Day, the fortieth day after Easter, is not a completely separate historical commemoration from that of Pentecost. Until the end of the fourth century the ascension of Christ and the descent of the Spirit were celebrated on the same Lord's Day. The exaltation of the risen Christ is vitally linked to his giving of the Holy Spirit. The color is white for Ascension Day also.
Trinity Sunday is celebrated the Sunday following Pentecost. The color is white for this day also. It celebrates the mystery of the nature of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons. The use of the Nicene Creed is particularly appropriate on Trinity Sunday and is preferred over the Apostles' Creed or a modern creed, since it states the church's belief regarding the persons of the Trinity, with special emphasis on the nature of Jesus Christ. Preaching on the Trinity on this Sunday each year can be an exciting and challenging venture as the preacher seeks to set forth the Scriptural understanding of God's revelation of God's being. Notice that the first and last Sundays in the season after Pentecost are days with special emphases: Trinity, and Christ the King, respectively. White is used on both of these Sundays, although green is the color for Sundays after Pentecost generally. The time between these two special Sundays is called "ordinary time."
Lent 1
Common
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
Lutheran
Deuteronomy 26:5-10
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
Roman Catholic
Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4:1-13
Comments on the Lessons
There is virtual consensus on the Deuteronomy reading. The first verses preserve the liturgical setting. The (C) reading includes verse 11 since it completes the liturgical setting, and the whole passage gives instructions for making one's offerings to God in response to his saving actions. There is virtual consensus on the Romans reading, which begins with the "The word is near you ..." (v. 8b) There is consensus on the Lucan reading.
Commentary
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (C)
Deuteronomy 26:5-10 (L)
Deuteronomy 26:4-10 (RC)
This passage is the liturgy for presenting the first fruits at the central sanctuary. As a part of chapter 26 this passage is one of the concluding liturgies and exhortation of the chapter. The chapter anticipates the climax and end of Moses' chief address found in chapter 28. There are two liturgical confessions in verses 1-15 which conclude the presentation of the laws begun in chapter 12. These two confessions are an appropriate ending to the section, since they summarize the essentials of the point of view which has been given in the section. The first liturgy, verses 5-10, confesses God's acts of salvation and grace in delivering Israel from bondage in Egypt, and in bringing her to the promised land where she now lives. In gratitude for what God has done, and in recognition of his continuing lordship over the land, the first fruits are offered in the central sanctuary. The second confession, while not a part of our reading, is found in verses 13-15, and was to be recited at the central sanctuary during the third year, or year of tithing.
Our passage is one of the best known of the Old Testament pericopes, and contains both the ordinance about bringing in the first fruits, and the liturgical ceremony to follow in offering them. Notice that it is written in the hortatory style typical of Deuteronomy, which sees the entry into the promised land as being yet in the future.
It is obvious that this passage is uneven and is a working over of earlier material. According to the text we have, the person presenting an offering must twice make a solemn declaration, and the contents of this speech are given verbatim in verse 3: "I declare this day to the Lord your God that I have come into the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us," and in verses 5ff: "A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous ... And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O Lord, hast given me." Notice that both declarations are addressed to God. In verse 4 the worshiper is to hand the basket to the priest right at the beginning of the ceremony, but according to verse 10b the basket is given at the end! This indicates that we have an earlier cultic tradition which has been revised by the writer of Deuteronomy, resulting in some inconsistencies. Verses 4-11 are clearly earlier material, and if we regard verses 3-4 as a later addition, the passage reads more smoothly.
The central thrust of the passage is the declaration to be made by the worshiper in offering first fruits at the central sanctuary. As we noted earlier, there are two forms of this statement; the first seems to be just the epitome of the second, and neither can be termed prayers. Significantly, the name of the person to whom the declarations are addressed is missing, and God is spoken of in the third person. Note that requests and praises are absent.
The occasion marks the time when first fruits are presented, which was during the harvest festival, or Feast of Weeks, apparently the second of the three annual pilgrimages. The first fruits were a token offering to the Lord in response to his gift and bounty during the year. The relationship of the first fruits to the tithe is not clear. The priest was the chief priest of the central sanctuary. The offering is made in the place which the Lord will choose. (v. 2)
In the listing of the events of salvation it is significant that what happened at Sinai is missing. The listing moves from bondage in Egypt, rescue from Egypt, directly to entry into the promised land. The account emphasizes the two great acts of God which have already happened: deliverance from Egypt, and the gift of the land. This recitation of faith is more than an expression of certain internal feelings and individual convictions. In the biblical sense a confession of faith is primarily a recital of God's saving acts in history.
The response which the worshiper is to make is as follows:
1. "A wandering Aramean was my father ..." (refers to the semi-nomadic life of Jacob. The word "wandering" in Hebrew has the connotation of being lost or about to perish.),
2. "... he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty and populous."
3. "And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage."
4. "Then we cried to the Lord the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression;"
5. "and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders;"
6. "and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey."
In verse 10 the speech becomes quite personal, as the worshiper puts herself or himself into the situation which has just been recounted as a preface to that very moment at the altar. Thus the speaker takes a place in the story of salvation, and acknowledges that she or he is a personal recipient of salvation in the gift of the land. This is an act of thanksiving for the fruits of the earth in gratitude for God's historical deeds of deliverance, and God's gift of land.
Romans 10:8b-13 (C) (L)
Romans 10:8-13 (RC)
A New Testament confession of faith, corresponding to the Old Testament Confession found in Deuteronomy 26, is recorded in verse 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." This appears to be a part of the teaching of those preparing for baptism and making a profession of faith. This reading from Romans is appropriate as a Lenten reading, as it relates to the other lessons and to repentance. The results of the confession in verse 9 are described in verses 10-13.
The Christ who is pictured in verses 5-13 is the culmination of the account of God's saving acts in history, set forth in the Deuteronomy passage. The latter tells of God's mighty act in delivering the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and bringing them into the promised land. In response the worshiper offered gifts upon the altar. The goal of God's saving acts is fulfilled in Christ, who bestows his riches upon all who call upon him, Gentile and Jews alike.
The Romans passage focuses on faith in Christ, whom God raised from the dead. This faith justifies those who believe in their hearts and confess with their lips. Lent is a period in the Christian year when a special emphasis is placed on self-examination and repentance. Paul has dealt earlier in chapter 10 with the religious zeal of God and sought to establish their own righteousness rather than submit to the righteousness from God. "For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified." (v. 4) One of the traps into which Christians may fall during Lent is that of trying to make themselves worthy of God by denying themselves some food or pleasure, or even by focusing on themselves. We can easily become so absorbed in navel-gazing that we fail to trust the God who will deliver us from our self-centeredness. Paul says "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart," the word of faith which he preaches.
This passage ties in with the account in Luke of Jesus' temptations. The third temptation was to test God and his purpose and resolve, which was not appropriate for the Son of God to do. Nor is it the right way for Christians to relate to God. Too often there is a bargaining attitude on the part of Christians, that if God will do so and so, then they will respond with such and such. A famous television evangelist announced that God would take his life if his followers did not send in so many millions of dollars for his program within a few months. This was plainly an attempt to test God, one of the temptations which Jesus resisted. The God described in Romans does not deal with us on this basis.
The confession that "Jesus is Lord" is the earliest creed of the church. The early Christian often applied to Jesus the Old Testament title "Lord," which had originally referred to God. In verse 11 there is a reference to Isaiah 28:16, and verse 13 is based on Joel 2:32. The church is united in its confession that Jesus is Lord, which forms the basis for later creeds which expanded on this affirmation. The Barmen Confession, which asserted the lordship of Christ over that of Hitler during the Nazi period in Germany, is one of the best known creeds on the lordship of Christ in all of life.
Luke 4:1-13
The order of Jesus' temptations in Luke differs from that in Matthew, but the testing is the same, with Luke placing Matthew's second as the third temptation. Luke makes the third temptation climactic, since it occurs in Jerusalem, the Holy City, the place toward which Jesus' ministry moves.
In verses 1-2 a literal translation emphasizes the fact Jesus was being led by the Spirit. Jesus was empowered by the Spirit at his baptism. "And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was being led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days as he was being tempted by the devil," would be a more literal translation, with a dynamic approach to Jesus' being led by the Spirit. Luke, in contrast to Matthew and Mark, who failed to stress the continuing leading of the Spirit in the wilderness, shows the critical role of the Spirit in Jesus' temptations and victory over them.
The main thrust of the passage is that Jesus won the victory over the temptations by the correct use of Scripture guided by the Spirit! We should note carefully whom it is that is being tempted:
the Spirit-empowered Servant of God. Both Satan and Jesus agree that Jesus is the Son of God, but disagree as to what this means for Jesus' life.
The temptations involve a common theme, namely, to fulfill ordinary messianic expectations, and, in so doing, to reject the vocation of Servant/Messiah to which he was called at his baptism by the voice from heaven. When the temptations were ended in the wilderness Luke says that Satan departed from Jesus "until an opportune time." An opportune time came in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was tempted to forsake his vocation but submitted, saying, "Not my will, but thine be done." Mark says the temptation was also repeated at Caesarea Philippi. Jesus was tempted for forty days, recalling the experiences of Israel in the wilderness, Moses on Mount Sinai, and Elijah at Mount Horeb.
Mark calls the Tempter "Satan," using a Semitic term, while Luke calls him "the devil." The devil played a minor part in the Old Testament. In the book of Job he is one of the angels whose special role was to call God's attention to the weaknesses of human beings. But in the intertestamental literature the devil had taken on the character of an evil deity opposed to God, probably influenced by Persian dualism. This was the view of the devil held by the early church. Paul called the devil the "god of this world." It appears that Jesus thought of Satan and his kingdom as the great obstacle to the way of God's rule.
Jesus replies to the devil's use of Scripture by quoting passages from Deuteronomy: verse 4 is from Deuteronomy 8:3; verse 8 from Deuteronomy 6:13; and verse 12 from Deuteronomy 6:16. Guided by the Spirit, Jesus knew the appropriate use of Scripture, and rejected the devil's interpretation in verses 10-11 of Psalm 91:11-12. Jesus knew which promise of God to claim and when, while the devil said that the promises of Scripture could be applied to anyone at any time and any place, no matter what the circumstances. The Holy Spirit gives Jesus the discernment to use Scripture correctly.
The first temptation follows Jesus' fasting for three days, and was the temptation to turn a stone into bread, thus feeding himself and the hungry of the world. A stone in the wilderness would resemble a loaf of bread. This first temptation is to interpret the assurance of divine inheritance in a selfish and materialistic way. This refusal to submit stands in contrast to the later miracle of loaves and fish, when Jesus feeds a multitude as a prophetic sign of his gift to people of the true spiritual bread. To turn the stone into bread would have fulfilled his own immediate need for food, and would have met the popular expectation of Messiah. But Jesus rejected the temptation since the most urgent needs of human beings are not physical, as he indicated in John 4:34: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work." God led Jesus, like Israel of old, to suffer hunger in the wilderness, and he refuses to pervert a messiac sign to test God.
The second temptation is to worship the devil, and so gain authority over the kingdoms of this world and their glory. But Jesus replies with Scripture: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." (v. 8) In both the early church and late Judaism the devil was thought of as the real power behind all the kingdoms of the world (which would for all practical purposes, be the countries making up the Roman empire). This temptation like the first one, involves trying to induce Jesus to secure a legitimate end through illegitimate means. Thus, if Jesus will only submit to the devil, he can gain the rule over the world which he seeks, but without conflict with the powers of evil, rejection, or the cross and death. This temptation assumes divine sonship of Jesus, but interprets it in terms of worldly power or political power. To agree to the devil's offer would have meant subversion of the Messiah's proper role, and an attack upon his allegiance to God. It would follow the pattern of Adam's falling into bondage to the devil. To have submitted would have been tantamount to devil worship.
The phrase "in a moment of time" of verse 5 is a phrase unique to Luke and implies that the experience, like the opened heavens of 3:21, was understood as quite different from a "nature" event.
The third temptation involves the devil's challenge of Jesus' conviction of divine sonship, in which Jesus is challenged to put God to the test in a miracle of wonderworking. Jesus is tempted to gain messianic recognition by a bizarre act rather than by suffering and death on a cross (which would prove his baptismal anointing as the Son of God). Thus, the final temptation combines elements of the first two. Notice that this temptation may be related to the promise of worldwide dominion given to the Davidic king in Psalm 2:8.
We must read verses 1-13 against the background of Adam and Eve's temptation and that of Israel. Note that Psalm 106 describes the temptation of Israel in the same order as that of Jesus in Luke's Gospel: food, false worship, and putting the Lord to the test. Adam and Eve's temptation involved the tree that was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and a means to achieve wisdom. But notice that Jesus, the New Adam, resists temptation - in contrast to Adam and Eve, and also to Israel. By God's Spirit Jesus becomes the first of a new humanity, one who leads his followers to a similar victory over evil.
The story of the temptations is enclosed in a kind of "envelope" enclosed by verse 4:1a, and verse 14. In 1a Jesus, "full of the Holy Spirit, returned," and there is similar language in verse 14, where "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit." Thus Jesus entered the temptations led by the Spirit and emerged from them without being depleted of spiritual power. He emerges to begin his Galilean ministry where the Spirit's might will be manifested through the one beloved of God.
Theological Reflections
Confession of faith and correct worship are common themes in all three lessons for today. Deuteronomy gives instructions for the worshiper offering a gift in the central sanctuary. Romans describes the confession of faith in Jesus as Lord who was raised from the dead by God. Paul affirms that both Jew and Greek can come to God by faith in Jesus, who is Lord of all, and who bestows his riches on all who call upon him. Luke gives his account of Jesus' three temptations by the devil, one of which was to engage in devil worship. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he is tempted, and Jesus returns in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. The Spirit enables Jesus to interpret Scripture correctly in countering the devil's temptation. Authentic worship enables the worshiper led by the Spirit to so hear God's word in Scripture that she or he will be able to resist temptation in whatever form it may come.
Homiletical Moves
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (C)
Deuteronomy 26:5-10 (L)
Deuteronomy 26:4-10 (RC)
Worship in Response to God's Saving Acts
1. The Israelite is directed to come to the central place of worship, and there to offer from the first fruits of the harvest a gift to God
2. The worshiper is to make confessions of faith remembering God's deliverance of the nation from bondage in Egypt and leading the nation into the promised land
3. The worshiper is to worship God and rejoice in the good which the Lord has given to the common person, the Levite, and the sojourner
4. Christian worship is offered in response to God's saving acts in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection
5. Let us rejoice in all the good that God has given us, and offer worship in response to God's grace revealed in Jesus Christ
Romans 1O:8b-13 (C) (L)
Romans 10:8-13 (RC)
Confessing and Believing That Jesus Is the Risen Lord
1. The word of faith we preach is near you, on your lips and in your heart
2. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved
3. 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
4. Let us confess and believe that Jesus is the Risen Lord!
This Preacher's Preference
Luke 4:1-13
Jesus' Victory Over Temptation
1. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he is tempted by the devil
2. Jesus is tempted to turn a stone into bread
3. Jesus is tempted to worship the devil in order to rule the world
4. Jesus is tempted to test God's anointing him as the Son of God
5. Jesus counters the misinterpretation of Scripture by the devil with correct interpretation guided by the Spirit
6. When tempted, let us seek God's power and direction in Scripture as we are guided by the Spirit
Hymn for Lent 1: A Mighty Fortress, or
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High
Prayer
O God, who has called us out of bondage to sin to live in the land of promise of your love, forgive us when we have yielded to temptation. Forgive us for worshiping money, power, and self. Send your Spirit to defend and guide us as we examine our lives during this Lenten season. May we find the appropriate word from you to enable us to withstand the tempter. We rejoice in your goodness revealed in Jesus Christ. May we always confess him as the Lord who was raised from the dead for our salvation. Let us rejoice in all your goodness as we offer our lives in continuous worship on the altar of service. Amen
Since the beginning of Christian worship the events of Christ's passion, death and resurrection have shaped life and worship for Christians for each week, the Christian Year, and for worship in community and as individuals. We can properly observe Lent, Easter and Pentecost only as we do so understanding their relationship to each other and to the mystery of salvation in Christ. These occasions are formed in the pattern of his death and resurrection and Spirit which gives eternal life.
The Season of Lent
Purple is the color of Lent, and during this season the joyous Gloria and alleluia are omitted from worship. The word "lent" is related to the words "long" and "lengthen." The word came into use in reference to the lengthening of the hours of sunlight in the springtime. The season has been called "the Easter penitential period" to keep the focus on Easter rather than Lent itself. The Sundays during the Lenten season are not considered a part of Lent, therefore we speak of Sunday in Lent not of Lent. The beginning of Lent depends on the date of Easter. Lent begins forty-six days before Easter, and the season of Lent proper is a season of forty days.
The intention of Lent was to imitate Jesus who, after his baptism in the Jordan, fasted for forty days. The church saw in the observance of Lent an echo of the forty days Moses fasted on Sinai (Exodus 34, 28), and the forty days Elijah fasted on his journey to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8), as well as Israel's wandering in the wilderness. Christians in the second century were already observing a two-day grief-inspired fast in preparation for the feast of Easter. The first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea speaks of the forty-day period of preparation for Easter as something that was familiar to all.
The fast of Lent meant that people took only a single daily meal which was eaten in the evening. Abstaining from meat and wine was added later on, as was abstinence from dairy products and eggs which continued until the Middle Ages and later. Fasting for medical reasons was not uncommon among the Greeks and Romans. Christians of the early church saw fasting as a source of fervor in prayer, comparing the prayer of one fasting to the soaring of a young eagle, in contrast to the prayer of an immoderate eater.
The purpose of observing Lent was to prepare for receiving the Spirit, which was a powerful instrument in the fight against evil spirits. Fasting during Lent was also preparation for baptism and the eucharist, and was also a way of being able to help the poor with money, which otherwise would have been spent for food. The church was very much aware of the danger that fasting might become an external formality, and it remembered the warnings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
Vatican II wrote directions for observing Lent which put even greater emphasis on the recalling of baptism or preparation for it, and penance. The purpose remained to prepare the faithful for Easter. Penance is stressed as a detestation of sin because it is an offense against God. Penance should be not only intentional and individual but also external and social. The practice of this should be adapted to local regions and individual circumstances.
Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent was so named, because penitents put on penitential garments and had ashes sprinkled on them. Wearing of sackcloth and the use of ashes was familiar to the Old Testament and in pagan societies. Jesus speaks of this in upbraiding Chorazin and Bethsaida for not doing penance: "If the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." (Matthew 11:21) Sometime in the twelfth century, the rule developed that the ashes used to either sprinkle on the heads of men or mark with a sign of the cross on the foreheads of women should come from the burning of palm branches left from the previous year. Ash Wednesday in the Roman Catholic and other traditions is still observed as a day of universal fasting on which ashes are to be distributed.
Vatican II relaxed some of the strictness of Lent and allows meat to be eaten on Fridays and
breakfast before Communion.
Many churches, Protestant and Catholic, observe Lent with special weekday services, such as weekday noon services for business people who come to church for lunch and a Lenten service, or special evening services for focusing on the themes of Lent. Lent can take on greater meaning as people come to better understand its purpose in a positive way. Lent can be a means of self-discipline and self-denial in preparation for the celebration of Eastertide and Pentecost. Lent is a time when many church members give more of their time and energy to church programs, thus making this a period of growth in service to God and others. Some churches suggest one or more books for reading during Lent which assist in spiritual formation.
Planning services during Lent and throughout the year should involve lay persons as well as the pastor. This can be part of the congregation's Lenten journey and "work of the people" as the word "liturgy" means literally.
Holy Week
While some Protestant churches single out only Palm/Passion Sunday and Thursday before Easter for special observance, others are holding special midday or evening services each day of Holy Week. The services often follow the movements of Jesus as tradition outlines them:
Monday
Cleansing of the Temple
Tuesday
Verbal conflict with Jesus' enemies
Wednesday
Day of silence and retreat in Bethany
Thursday
Final conversations with the disciples
Friday
The crucifixion
Saturday
Jesus' body in the tomb
Maundy Thursday is often observed with a celebration of the Lord's Supper and candles are lighted by those in the congregation. "Maundy" is derived from the new "mandate" or "commandment" Jesus gave to the disciples to "love one another," and from his command to celebrate the Lord's Supper in remembrance of him until he returns.
Other special observances are held on Good Friday. Three hour services, usually noon - 3:00 p.m., began in the Roman Catholic tradition in the seventeenth century and are now common in Protestant churches. Often churches join together for community Good Friday services in which a different speaker presents a brief meditation on each of Jesus' seven last words from the cross.
In strict liturgical observance the altar is stripped, candles are left unlit and the cross is veiled in black for Good Friday to remind all of Jesus' death.
Lent ends officially at noon on Saturday before Easter. From sunset on Holy or Maundy Thursday until sunset on Easter Day has come to be known as the Triduum. In the early church after a long rigorous fast of Lent the church celebrated the whole Paschal mystery (the saving work of Christ and the church's participation in it) on Easter Eve and on into Easter Day in one unified liturgy.
Black American churches have found special meaning in the powerful themes of exodus, deliverance from death, and liberation from slavery, themes which have enriched worship particularly during the Passover-Easter period. Other ethnic groups and cultures have traditions to enrich the church's worship as they are shared with one another.
Easter
The celebration of Easter in worship is both the source and summit of the whole Christian Year. We declare that Christ who was crucified, dead and buried is risen and exalted to the Godhead. We celebrate his presence in our midst by the Holy Spirit. While it has been said that every Sunday is a "little Easter" it could more accurately be said that Easter is a "big Sunday" in that Sunday, the Lord's Day, is the celebration of Christ's resurrection on the first day of the week.
The color for Easter is white. The alternate color is gold which expresses the prominence of this peak of the Christian Year. The mood is joy. The cross-resurrection are at the center of the celebration of Easter.
Although Easter is the climax of the church's worship on one day, the celebration continues throughout Eastertide. There is a dramatic contrast between Lent and Easter/Pentecost in that Lent is penitential with a mood that is sober, reflective and watchful. There was an ancient practice of omitting "Alleluias" and "Glorias" during Lent. But Easter/Pentecost is exuberant. This joy in the Living Christ should be expressed not only in the sermon but in the entire worship service through music and visual images.
Worship and preaching should keep in tension the connection between Christ's death, resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Easter has been called the "Eighth Day" which ushers in the End time and promises the light of eternal life. Christ risen from the dead is the New Adam whose resurrection is the beginning of a New Humanity and New Creation.
Pentecost
Pentecost is a reliving of the meaning of Eastertide, the period from Easter until Pentecost. In celebrating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the church was no longer desolate for the Living Christ had returned by the Spirit to the disciples. It celebrates the "birthday" of the church. Pentecost is one of the major church festivals and ranked second only to Easter until more emphasis began to be placed on Christmas. Pentecost gathers three festivals of the church: Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity.
The color for Pentecost is white. The Passover-Pentecost period has been called one great extended Lord's Day feast in that it lifts up all the redeeming work of God in Christ. White is a symbol of joy, and Pentecost is a rejoicing in the Presence of God by the Spirit.
Ascension Day, the fortieth day after Easter, is not a completely separate historical commemoration from that of Pentecost. Until the end of the fourth century the ascension of Christ and the descent of the Spirit were celebrated on the same Lord's Day. The exaltation of the risen Christ is vitally linked to his giving of the Holy Spirit. The color is white for Ascension Day also.
Trinity Sunday is celebrated the Sunday following Pentecost. The color is white for this day also. It celebrates the mystery of the nature of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons. The use of the Nicene Creed is particularly appropriate on Trinity Sunday and is preferred over the Apostles' Creed or a modern creed, since it states the church's belief regarding the persons of the Trinity, with special emphasis on the nature of Jesus Christ. Preaching on the Trinity on this Sunday each year can be an exciting and challenging venture as the preacher seeks to set forth the Scriptural understanding of God's revelation of God's being. Notice that the first and last Sundays in the season after Pentecost are days with special emphases: Trinity, and Christ the King, respectively. White is used on both of these Sundays, although green is the color for Sundays after Pentecost generally. The time between these two special Sundays is called "ordinary time."
Lent 1
Common
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
Lutheran
Deuteronomy 26:5-10
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
Roman Catholic
Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4:1-13
Comments on the Lessons
There is virtual consensus on the Deuteronomy reading. The first verses preserve the liturgical setting. The (C) reading includes verse 11 since it completes the liturgical setting, and the whole passage gives instructions for making one's offerings to God in response to his saving actions. There is virtual consensus on the Romans reading, which begins with the "The word is near you ..." (v. 8b) There is consensus on the Lucan reading.
Commentary
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (C)
Deuteronomy 26:5-10 (L)
Deuteronomy 26:4-10 (RC)
This passage is the liturgy for presenting the first fruits at the central sanctuary. As a part of chapter 26 this passage is one of the concluding liturgies and exhortation of the chapter. The chapter anticipates the climax and end of Moses' chief address found in chapter 28. There are two liturgical confessions in verses 1-15 which conclude the presentation of the laws begun in chapter 12. These two confessions are an appropriate ending to the section, since they summarize the essentials of the point of view which has been given in the section. The first liturgy, verses 5-10, confesses God's acts of salvation and grace in delivering Israel from bondage in Egypt, and in bringing her to the promised land where she now lives. In gratitude for what God has done, and in recognition of his continuing lordship over the land, the first fruits are offered in the central sanctuary. The second confession, while not a part of our reading, is found in verses 13-15, and was to be recited at the central sanctuary during the third year, or year of tithing.
Our passage is one of the best known of the Old Testament pericopes, and contains both the ordinance about bringing in the first fruits, and the liturgical ceremony to follow in offering them. Notice that it is written in the hortatory style typical of Deuteronomy, which sees the entry into the promised land as being yet in the future.
It is obvious that this passage is uneven and is a working over of earlier material. According to the text we have, the person presenting an offering must twice make a solemn declaration, and the contents of this speech are given verbatim in verse 3: "I declare this day to the Lord your God that I have come into the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us," and in verses 5ff: "A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous ... And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O Lord, hast given me." Notice that both declarations are addressed to God. In verse 4 the worshiper is to hand the basket to the priest right at the beginning of the ceremony, but according to verse 10b the basket is given at the end! This indicates that we have an earlier cultic tradition which has been revised by the writer of Deuteronomy, resulting in some inconsistencies. Verses 4-11 are clearly earlier material, and if we regard verses 3-4 as a later addition, the passage reads more smoothly.
The central thrust of the passage is the declaration to be made by the worshiper in offering first fruits at the central sanctuary. As we noted earlier, there are two forms of this statement; the first seems to be just the epitome of the second, and neither can be termed prayers. Significantly, the name of the person to whom the declarations are addressed is missing, and God is spoken of in the third person. Note that requests and praises are absent.
The occasion marks the time when first fruits are presented, which was during the harvest festival, or Feast of Weeks, apparently the second of the three annual pilgrimages. The first fruits were a token offering to the Lord in response to his gift and bounty during the year. The relationship of the first fruits to the tithe is not clear. The priest was the chief priest of the central sanctuary. The offering is made in the place which the Lord will choose. (v. 2)
In the listing of the events of salvation it is significant that what happened at Sinai is missing. The listing moves from bondage in Egypt, rescue from Egypt, directly to entry into the promised land. The account emphasizes the two great acts of God which have already happened: deliverance from Egypt, and the gift of the land. This recitation of faith is more than an expression of certain internal feelings and individual convictions. In the biblical sense a confession of faith is primarily a recital of God's saving acts in history.
The response which the worshiper is to make is as follows:
1. "A wandering Aramean was my father ..." (refers to the semi-nomadic life of Jacob. The word "wandering" in Hebrew has the connotation of being lost or about to perish.),
2. "... he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty and populous."
3. "And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage."
4. "Then we cried to the Lord the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression;"
5. "and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders;"
6. "and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey."
In verse 10 the speech becomes quite personal, as the worshiper puts herself or himself into the situation which has just been recounted as a preface to that very moment at the altar. Thus the speaker takes a place in the story of salvation, and acknowledges that she or he is a personal recipient of salvation in the gift of the land. This is an act of thanksiving for the fruits of the earth in gratitude for God's historical deeds of deliverance, and God's gift of land.
Romans 10:8b-13 (C) (L)
Romans 10:8-13 (RC)
A New Testament confession of faith, corresponding to the Old Testament Confession found in Deuteronomy 26, is recorded in verse 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." This appears to be a part of the teaching of those preparing for baptism and making a profession of faith. This reading from Romans is appropriate as a Lenten reading, as it relates to the other lessons and to repentance. The results of the confession in verse 9 are described in verses 10-13.
The Christ who is pictured in verses 5-13 is the culmination of the account of God's saving acts in history, set forth in the Deuteronomy passage. The latter tells of God's mighty act in delivering the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and bringing them into the promised land. In response the worshiper offered gifts upon the altar. The goal of God's saving acts is fulfilled in Christ, who bestows his riches upon all who call upon him, Gentile and Jews alike.
The Romans passage focuses on faith in Christ, whom God raised from the dead. This faith justifies those who believe in their hearts and confess with their lips. Lent is a period in the Christian year when a special emphasis is placed on self-examination and repentance. Paul has dealt earlier in chapter 10 with the religious zeal of God and sought to establish their own righteousness rather than submit to the righteousness from God. "For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified." (v. 4) One of the traps into which Christians may fall during Lent is that of trying to make themselves worthy of God by denying themselves some food or pleasure, or even by focusing on themselves. We can easily become so absorbed in navel-gazing that we fail to trust the God who will deliver us from our self-centeredness. Paul says "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart," the word of faith which he preaches.
This passage ties in with the account in Luke of Jesus' temptations. The third temptation was to test God and his purpose and resolve, which was not appropriate for the Son of God to do. Nor is it the right way for Christians to relate to God. Too often there is a bargaining attitude on the part of Christians, that if God will do so and so, then they will respond with such and such. A famous television evangelist announced that God would take his life if his followers did not send in so many millions of dollars for his program within a few months. This was plainly an attempt to test God, one of the temptations which Jesus resisted. The God described in Romans does not deal with us on this basis.
The confession that "Jesus is Lord" is the earliest creed of the church. The early Christian often applied to Jesus the Old Testament title "Lord," which had originally referred to God. In verse 11 there is a reference to Isaiah 28:16, and verse 13 is based on Joel 2:32. The church is united in its confession that Jesus is Lord, which forms the basis for later creeds which expanded on this affirmation. The Barmen Confession, which asserted the lordship of Christ over that of Hitler during the Nazi period in Germany, is one of the best known creeds on the lordship of Christ in all of life.
Luke 4:1-13
The order of Jesus' temptations in Luke differs from that in Matthew, but the testing is the same, with Luke placing Matthew's second as the third temptation. Luke makes the third temptation climactic, since it occurs in Jerusalem, the Holy City, the place toward which Jesus' ministry moves.
In verses 1-2 a literal translation emphasizes the fact Jesus was being led by the Spirit. Jesus was empowered by the Spirit at his baptism. "And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was being led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days as he was being tempted by the devil," would be a more literal translation, with a dynamic approach to Jesus' being led by the Spirit. Luke, in contrast to Matthew and Mark, who failed to stress the continuing leading of the Spirit in the wilderness, shows the critical role of the Spirit in Jesus' temptations and victory over them.
The main thrust of the passage is that Jesus won the victory over the temptations by the correct use of Scripture guided by the Spirit! We should note carefully whom it is that is being tempted:
the Spirit-empowered Servant of God. Both Satan and Jesus agree that Jesus is the Son of God, but disagree as to what this means for Jesus' life.
The temptations involve a common theme, namely, to fulfill ordinary messianic expectations, and, in so doing, to reject the vocation of Servant/Messiah to which he was called at his baptism by the voice from heaven. When the temptations were ended in the wilderness Luke says that Satan departed from Jesus "until an opportune time." An opportune time came in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was tempted to forsake his vocation but submitted, saying, "Not my will, but thine be done." Mark says the temptation was also repeated at Caesarea Philippi. Jesus was tempted for forty days, recalling the experiences of Israel in the wilderness, Moses on Mount Sinai, and Elijah at Mount Horeb.
Mark calls the Tempter "Satan," using a Semitic term, while Luke calls him "the devil." The devil played a minor part in the Old Testament. In the book of Job he is one of the angels whose special role was to call God's attention to the weaknesses of human beings. But in the intertestamental literature the devil had taken on the character of an evil deity opposed to God, probably influenced by Persian dualism. This was the view of the devil held by the early church. Paul called the devil the "god of this world." It appears that Jesus thought of Satan and his kingdom as the great obstacle to the way of God's rule.
Jesus replies to the devil's use of Scripture by quoting passages from Deuteronomy: verse 4 is from Deuteronomy 8:3; verse 8 from Deuteronomy 6:13; and verse 12 from Deuteronomy 6:16. Guided by the Spirit, Jesus knew the appropriate use of Scripture, and rejected the devil's interpretation in verses 10-11 of Psalm 91:11-12. Jesus knew which promise of God to claim and when, while the devil said that the promises of Scripture could be applied to anyone at any time and any place, no matter what the circumstances. The Holy Spirit gives Jesus the discernment to use Scripture correctly.
The first temptation follows Jesus' fasting for three days, and was the temptation to turn a stone into bread, thus feeding himself and the hungry of the world. A stone in the wilderness would resemble a loaf of bread. This first temptation is to interpret the assurance of divine inheritance in a selfish and materialistic way. This refusal to submit stands in contrast to the later miracle of loaves and fish, when Jesus feeds a multitude as a prophetic sign of his gift to people of the true spiritual bread. To turn the stone into bread would have fulfilled his own immediate need for food, and would have met the popular expectation of Messiah. But Jesus rejected the temptation since the most urgent needs of human beings are not physical, as he indicated in John 4:34: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work." God led Jesus, like Israel of old, to suffer hunger in the wilderness, and he refuses to pervert a messiac sign to test God.
The second temptation is to worship the devil, and so gain authority over the kingdoms of this world and their glory. But Jesus replies with Scripture: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." (v. 8) In both the early church and late Judaism the devil was thought of as the real power behind all the kingdoms of the world (which would for all practical purposes, be the countries making up the Roman empire). This temptation like the first one, involves trying to induce Jesus to secure a legitimate end through illegitimate means. Thus, if Jesus will only submit to the devil, he can gain the rule over the world which he seeks, but without conflict with the powers of evil, rejection, or the cross and death. This temptation assumes divine sonship of Jesus, but interprets it in terms of worldly power or political power. To agree to the devil's offer would have meant subversion of the Messiah's proper role, and an attack upon his allegiance to God. It would follow the pattern of Adam's falling into bondage to the devil. To have submitted would have been tantamount to devil worship.
The phrase "in a moment of time" of verse 5 is a phrase unique to Luke and implies that the experience, like the opened heavens of 3:21, was understood as quite different from a "nature" event.
The third temptation involves the devil's challenge of Jesus' conviction of divine sonship, in which Jesus is challenged to put God to the test in a miracle of wonderworking. Jesus is tempted to gain messianic recognition by a bizarre act rather than by suffering and death on a cross (which would prove his baptismal anointing as the Son of God). Thus, the final temptation combines elements of the first two. Notice that this temptation may be related to the promise of worldwide dominion given to the Davidic king in Psalm 2:8.
We must read verses 1-13 against the background of Adam and Eve's temptation and that of Israel. Note that Psalm 106 describes the temptation of Israel in the same order as that of Jesus in Luke's Gospel: food, false worship, and putting the Lord to the test. Adam and Eve's temptation involved the tree that was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and a means to achieve wisdom. But notice that Jesus, the New Adam, resists temptation - in contrast to Adam and Eve, and also to Israel. By God's Spirit Jesus becomes the first of a new humanity, one who leads his followers to a similar victory over evil.
The story of the temptations is enclosed in a kind of "envelope" enclosed by verse 4:1a, and verse 14. In 1a Jesus, "full of the Holy Spirit, returned," and there is similar language in verse 14, where "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit." Thus Jesus entered the temptations led by the Spirit and emerged from them without being depleted of spiritual power. He emerges to begin his Galilean ministry where the Spirit's might will be manifested through the one beloved of God.
Theological Reflections
Confession of faith and correct worship are common themes in all three lessons for today. Deuteronomy gives instructions for the worshiper offering a gift in the central sanctuary. Romans describes the confession of faith in Jesus as Lord who was raised from the dead by God. Paul affirms that both Jew and Greek can come to God by faith in Jesus, who is Lord of all, and who bestows his riches on all who call upon him. Luke gives his account of Jesus' three temptations by the devil, one of which was to engage in devil worship. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he is tempted, and Jesus returns in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. The Spirit enables Jesus to interpret Scripture correctly in countering the devil's temptation. Authentic worship enables the worshiper led by the Spirit to so hear God's word in Scripture that she or he will be able to resist temptation in whatever form it may come.
Homiletical Moves
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (C)
Deuteronomy 26:5-10 (L)
Deuteronomy 26:4-10 (RC)
Worship in Response to God's Saving Acts
1. The Israelite is directed to come to the central place of worship, and there to offer from the first fruits of the harvest a gift to God
2. The worshiper is to make confessions of faith remembering God's deliverance of the nation from bondage in Egypt and leading the nation into the promised land
3. The worshiper is to worship God and rejoice in the good which the Lord has given to the common person, the Levite, and the sojourner
4. Christian worship is offered in response to God's saving acts in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection
5. Let us rejoice in all the good that God has given us, and offer worship in response to God's grace revealed in Jesus Christ
Romans 1O:8b-13 (C) (L)
Romans 10:8-13 (RC)
Confessing and Believing That Jesus Is the Risen Lord
1. The word of faith we preach is near you, on your lips and in your heart
2. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved
3. 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
4. Let us confess and believe that Jesus is the Risen Lord!
This Preacher's Preference
Luke 4:1-13
Jesus' Victory Over Temptation
1. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he is tempted by the devil
2. Jesus is tempted to turn a stone into bread
3. Jesus is tempted to worship the devil in order to rule the world
4. Jesus is tempted to test God's anointing him as the Son of God
5. Jesus counters the misinterpretation of Scripture by the devil with correct interpretation guided by the Spirit
6. When tempted, let us seek God's power and direction in Scripture as we are guided by the Spirit
Hymn for Lent 1: A Mighty Fortress, or
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High
Prayer
O God, who has called us out of bondage to sin to live in the land of promise of your love, forgive us when we have yielded to temptation. Forgive us for worshiping money, power, and self. Send your Spirit to defend and guide us as we examine our lives during this Lenten season. May we find the appropriate word from you to enable us to withstand the tempter. We rejoice in your goodness revealed in Jesus Christ. May we always confess him as the Lord who was raised from the dead for our salvation. Let us rejoice in all your goodness as we offer our lives in continuous worship on the altar of service. Amen
