February 17, 2013
Enlighten- Lent 1
- Luke 4:1-13
When worship is over and I stand in the back or in the Gathering Place greeting all of you
there is usually something to say that seems to come naturally. On Christmas Eve I say, Merry Christmas. On Easter I repeat Happy Easter over and over. On Sundays in the fall I can always say, Go Colts. If all else fails there is always a simple Good Morning!
But last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Some of us stood in the parking lot offering Ashes to go for three hours and then we imposed ashes on the worshippers here for the service at seven. What do you say to someone on the first day of Lent?
After reciting- You are dust and to dust you shall return over 100 times
Happy Lent just doesn’t feel right.
Have a good Lent?
We wish you a merry Lent?
Lent comes around every year but it feels less like a celebration and more like a flu shot.
We talk about how important it is, how its good for us,
kind of like cauliflower or high fiber cereal.
We aren’t always exactly sure what we are really supposed to be doing for these forty days.
Some of us try to give something up we don’t think is healthy, chocolate, meat or alcohol.
Or maybe we decide to limit our screen time by cutting out Facebook or twitter
or God forbid…texting.
But that feels more like a diet or a punishment or a test of our willpower than a spiritual exercise.
The inspiration for Lent comes from Jesus.
After his baptism, after God set him on his ministry,
Jesus went off to the wilderness to pray.
For forty days and forty nights he fasted and prayed. A spiritual retreat.
It wasn’t unusual for those called by God to go off alone and listen for God’s voice and seek God’s direction for their lives.
Moses did it, Elijah did it.
Lots of spiritual leaders spend time alone with God before embarking on their mission.
But Jesus didn’t go to the desert to be with God. Jesus heard God’s voice at his baptism.
No, Jesus goes into the desert to hear from the devil.
Jesus goes off into the wilderness to fight the demons within, to wrestle his own temptations.
And we need to pay attention to how those demons work. These aren’t bad things being suggested to Jesus. The devil doesn’t ask Jesus to go shoot an innocent man, or to down a fifth of vodka, or to steal from his company. No. These temptations are all gussied up in the noblest of intentions—these are temptations truly worthy of the Son of God. These invitations appeal to his strengths, his goodness, and his compassion.
The devil doesn't show up as a snake offering forbidden fruit; there is no red spandex and pitchfork. In fact, the voice of evil sounds an awful lot like the voice of good.
"Take care of yourself. Have some bread. You need to stay healthy."
"Save the world. People need your leadership. You have so much to offer."
"Prove your faith. Show us what you believe. Walk the talk."
None of those things sound particularly self-destructive on the surface; in fact, it sounds like a good outline for a sermon. And this is what temptation often looks like.
Too much of a good thing.
More than we need.
Beyond what is really necessary.
Lent is for us a time to recognize our limits.
In a culture that says to us-
you can have it all
you can do it all
you can be all
Lent says- no thank you.
When I first thought of the word “enlighten” for today I thought of shedding light on something,
making it more visible, easier to see. But after studying this passage I have come to understand it more as lightening up, letting go of, resisting the urge to have more.
Lent has been described as an Outward Bound for the soul. It is being left alone in the wilderness
with nothing but God to depend on. 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.
Lent is a time for us to discover the habits, substances, the surroundings we use to comfort ourselves, to block out pain and fear. To find out what life is like in the wilderness with no comfort other than God.
Lent is a time for us to acknowledge that most of us have an empty place inside.
We try desperately to fill it by eating, or shopping, or drinking.
We try to be perfect or to make our kids perfect.
We try love or sex or work or even religion to satisfy the longing.
We try to fill the empty place inside of us
only to discover that place actually belongs to God alone.
That hollowness we feel is not a sign of something gone wrong.
It is the holy of holies inside of us, its the uncluttered throne room of the Lord our God.
Nothing on earth can fill it, but that does not stop us from trying.
Lent is a time to stop trying.
A time to lighten up.
A time to pay attention to the desire, the temptation, the emptiness.
To acknowledge it is there.
To ask ourselves why we notice it when we do.
What is going on when we start craving a piece of chocolate cake?
Are you hungry? Well, what is wrong with being hungry for a while?
Are you lonely? What is so bad about being alone?
Are you afraid? Angry? Sad?
Try sitting with the feeling instead of trying to fix it and see what you find out.
Chances are that before you figure it out you will hear a voice.
Be careful, it is not the voice of God.
It’s that demon inside. It is the voice tempting you.
You better eat that or you will starve.
You better take that drink or the pain will be unbearable.
You better work harder or you won’t be good enough.
You better take control or you won’t be respected.
You’d better get more.
You’d better do more
You’d better be more because what you are isn’t enough.
Lent is the time to hear that voice acknowledge it and then tell it- Get lost.
Then listen for God’s voice saying- you are mine and I love you.
Remind yourself that you belong to God and that is all that really matters.
Lent isn't strength-training for the soul. It's not about heavy lifting with our spiritual muscles.
It's about the awareness that every good door that opens is not necessarily the will of God.
Every nice invitation is not God’s calling.
It is about listening carefully.
Silencing our hungers, our expectations, our fears so we can
obey God.
rely on God.
depend on God.
Lent is a time to lighten up.
Give up on all those other Gods and worship your Lord.
Expect great things from God and lighten up on yourself.
Trust God to do what needs to be done.
and fill what needs to be filled, and then be grateful.
Have an enlightening Lent. Amen.
Resources:
Settling for Less by Barbara Brown Taylor, Christian Century, February 18, 1998, page 169.
Dress Rehearsal in the Desert by Brian Erickson, 1st Sunday in Lent - Year C, February 17, 2013