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“What God Wants”
Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17, 22; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew
4:1-11
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
First Sunday of Lent - Imposition
of Ashes
February 10, 2008
Please pray with me,
Loving and Gracious God, we ask that in these moments that your Holy Spirit
descend upon us so that we are allowed to confess our shortcomings and that
you lead us to grow stronger and to choose those things which will make for
a lasting difference in our lives and in your Name. AMEN.
Bill Moyers said, back in 1996:
“My mother used to leave her
freshly baked sugar cookies right in the middle of the table, warm and inviting
but forbidden until supper was over. If she meant the temptation to be a test
of discipline, to build character, my brother and I often flunked. I think of
this when I hear the story of the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Why
didn’t God place the forbidden fruit on the very top branch, beyond the reach of
innocence? Genesis confronts us with tempting questions.” ...
from his book Genesis: A Living Conversation, 1996, p. 39
Some of you may remember Moyer’s
PBS series back then where a plethora of biblical scholars, writers and artists,
lawyers, psychotherapists, even musical composers gathered to decode, discuss,
and discover new meaning to many Genesis stories. This group alone, brings
tempting commentary! They asked of each other, perhaps what we are asking
ourselves today in our texts, ‘what do these stories tell us?’ In both stories
of temptation what are we told specifically of God’s creation, God’s image in
man and woman, knowledge, nakedness, and mostly, choices we make? When I was
watching and taking copious notes of this entire series, I couldn’t get enough
of it all; but I remember asking myself often, ‘what does God want of us?’
In the Garden of Eden we notice
God never talks to Eve, yet Adam seems gullible enough to follow what she has
proposed against God’s will; eating of the tree of knowledge after hearing from
the earthly serpent, “You will not die,” but “ will be like God, knowing good
and evil.” Just for the record, the word sin is never used in this human story
of disobedience. But there seems to be a theme of choices and what the
consequences might be; interestingly, Eve was led into temptation and turned
against what God said of not touching or eating the fruit of the tree in the
middle of the garden.
Contrast this with the three
temptations of Jesus in the wilderness; after his baptism, and before his
ministry. Noteworthy is the fact that God was present in the Spirit in the
desert, like at his baptism, and that Jesus was asked to turn away from the will
of God through his encounter with Satan (Hssssss!!). The devil tempted Jesus
that if he was the Son of God, Jesus might turn stones into loaves of bread
(v.3), Jesus might throw himself down from
the pinnacle of the temple (v. 6), and
Jesus might fall down and worship him, the devil (v. 9). I find it ironic for us to know through scripture that
Christ Jesus did not turn away from the will of God, nor was Jesus led into
temptation. Jesus is one of us, but not entirely!
For me, Jesus’ rejection of evil
and his response to it was what God wanted. Jesus turns away from temptation and
closer to God and says, “Away with you, Satan.” Jesus Christ gives Satan the
answer many of us find hard to say, “No.” Jesus tells the devil what God’s
faithful know from the Torah (the Shema),
‘The Lord is our God, the Lord alone (Deut. 6:4).’or
as Matthew in our gospel writes (v.10),
“The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone
you shall swear ( Deut. 6:13).” Not
ironically, but naturally, Jesus’ responds with what God wants! God wanted and
had plans for Jesus after his baptism; God wanted to have Jesus rule over all
the world, all kingdoms, but through the power of God and the cross of
Jesus Christ, and not any other way.
Today, in our enduring temptations
and trials, as Jesus walked the wilderness and was tempted and taken to trial
and eventually to the cross, we come to Lent this year wondering what God wants
of us in a time of our finding God in the crossroads of our lives. For me, this
first Lenten Sunday teaches us of our need for a closer walk with God; it’s for
us to ask and God to rescue and recover us from our sin in full forgiveness.
Only God can redeem us; in finding a closer relationship with God, it is God’s
intention for us as God’s believers to be lead in Christ.
We stated Jesus was tempted after
his baptism; aren’t we tempted into sin after we’ve been baptized? Continually
we are tested with such temptations as our own self-centeredness, prejudices,
injustices we promote, and specific commandment disobedience in cheating, lying,
lack of trust in God and others. We’re reminded of these this Lenten season; we
as persons and as a congregation are reminded of our baptismal commitment in
becoming disciples and following Christ. We’re reminded that perhaps baptism
‘protects’ or ‘guards’ us against sin, but we know in our activities and
practices it does not. As Christians we are tempted in the ways of our world
aren’t we? I think mostly of Lent as a reminder once again that yes, God is God
and we are not.
In my first few Hebrew classes at
seminary, I found it fascinating to learn that there is no word for sin
but that sin is an act of ‘turning away from God.’ God tempts no one; we are
tempted by our own desire (James 1:12-16).
Really, I like to define sin as anything, anything that keeps us, turns us away
from God or a relationship with God. What God wants is for us to reject and
refuse, to give up our sinfulness; what God wants is for us is to worship God,
not ourselves.
We might ask ourselves this Lenten
season, “How many times have I allowed the weight of my sin to hamper or impede
or hinder my optimum relationship with my God (the best relationship I could
have)?” It seems we need an annual reminder, like now in our church calendar
year, after following the Light of the magi, after Jesus’ baptism, and in the
Light of Christ atop a mountain in transfiguration face-to-face with us like
last Sunday. Now is indeed the time for us in our personal reflection with God
to find time with our God.
The good news of the Gospel for us
is that Jesus said, “No!” three times; as God’s Son Jesus had power over his
temptations. We do have that God-given power of choice in our being tempted, and
in consequences of God’s wisdom helping us choose wisely. We can re-focus
ourselves in Lent, drawing our attention to what God has done for us, taking
baby steps of giving up and adding to a new life in Christ.
In giving up we depend upon God
and not ourselves; it’s not giving up the cookies on the table in front of us
for our weight or health as a goal, but God’s goodness to us in every way and in
every day. In adding something we might choose anything in life; praying to God
for our needs, saying the Lord’s Prayer morning and night and thinking about it;
asking ourselves daily where God is leading us; volunteering in something we’ve
never done before at school, the soup kitchen, or at a shelter or prison.
In honoring God in giving up
something or adding something in our lives we find what God wants of us. Lent
can be humbling, loving, and forty days of intentional preparation and
courageous discipline in relationship with God and ourselves. In trusting God,
as in God’s beginning that was good, let us begin.
Thanks be to
God. AMEN
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