For centuries, , theologians have tried to describe how Jesus can simultaneously bed fully God and fully human.  As we begin our Lenten journey, this story about the temptation of Jesus reminds me of what someone once said: “I am a Christian because I believe that as a human being, Jesus knows firsthand what I’m experiencing.  So when I pray to him, I know he knows what I’m talking about.”  Temptation is a daily part of our human lives.  We can look at ourselves honestly during this holy season and trust that the forgiveness and comfort offered to us by Jesus takes seriously all of human experience.  Even though we may not know exactly how to talk about it, we trust that Immanuel, God-with-us, is indeed the one who suffered, died and was raised for us – and who knows our human experience intimately.

Jesus, as you guide us, we commend our Lenten journey to you.  Amen

We don’t have to understand Paul’s reasoning to appreciate his central truth and the difference it makes for our lives.  Even though we daily observe humankind’s failure to live out relationships of love and justice, our failure is not God’s final verdict.  Condemnation is not what God metes out.  Our propensity to turn away from God and be deceived about who we are in our DNA.  But God’s grace, inexplicable and magnanimous, is more than enough to bring us into right relationship with God.  Restored repeatedly by God’s great love, just as the psalmist prayed we would be (Psalm 51:10-12), we are bold to engage this tear-filled world with hope for justice and peace.

Faithful Lord, thank you for loving us more than we could imagine.  May profound gratitude for your generous gifts shape our relationships with your people and all creation.  Amen.

Both Paul and Isaiah remind us that we are not cast away from God’s presence.  We receive the gift of God’s own Holy Spirit at our baptism into the body of Christ.  But in our daily lives we often lose sight of that life-giving gift and our calling to be ambassadors of God.  Or we grow weary and weak.  It is not easy to love our neighbors in a world where love is not often welcome or to speak truthfully in a world that loves deceit.  The Psalmist knows that God alone can restore our awareness, our joy in a relationship with creation and its creator.  Only God can sustain us through all those things that would rob us of joy and darken our vision.

Let us simply lift our hearts with the psalmist and pray, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain in me a willing spirit.”  Amen.

How shocking to imagine that God makes appeals through us ordinary men and women.  Are we really speaking and acting as God’s ambassadors wherever we are in the world?  This is exactly what St. Paul claims about himself and about us as well.  Paul insists that, no matter what happens to us, we show the world something of God’s love by reaching out as God has done – in holiness of spirit and genuine love.  Can you picture this?  What if Christians proclaimed their God by engaging the world as God did in Christ and does in the Holy Spirit?

Loving God, loving us humans has been hard.  It cost you your beloved son.  But you have never given up on us, never abandoned us.  Open our eyes and hearts to be ambassadors for you by loving our fellow creatures with the holy generosity and perseverance you provide.  Amen.

On Ash Wednesday, worship leads us to contemplate the brevity of every life on earth.  Even as we remember our mortality, we hear Isaiah’s words, calling us into the fullness, beauty, healing and light of earthly life.  As we turn toward God’s creatures with love, seeking to provide what is needed for their lives, we discover that we have turned also toward God, who welcomes us with open arms.  We humble creatures cannot control what lies beyond this world; that power belongs to God.  The joy of our lives is serving one another, delighting in God’s presence and trusting in God’s future.

Almighty God, may we fast this Lent from the pride and fear that keep us from one another.  Help us recognize that true worship of you means true love for one another.  Open our ears to hear you say, “Here I am” when we turn toward one another in generous love.  Amen

2 On that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. 3 Whoever is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 once the LORD has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5 Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6 It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

Our weather is so different from the people of the biblical Holy Land.  We want the sun and the blue skies.  We know we need the clouds and some rain, but we usually prefer sunny days.  If we lived in a desert, we would be thankful for the clouds.  With our huge supply of artificial light, we are less mindful of how dark it can be at night, and frightening, if the stars are not shining.  Doesn’t the difference between their world and our world help to explain why these images were so meaningful?  God was inspiring the prophet Isaiah to proclaim the day of the Lord that will usher in a new era in which God will provide shelter for his people.

What images would we use to describe the shelter we wish God to provide?  One image could be of a watchmaker.  Here is an idea:  “I am the Lord your God, and I will create the clock of time that watches over your life.  It will run at the right speed, neither too quickly for those who are older, nor too slow for those who are younger.  It will mark the time in your life so that you can enjoy the life that I am giving to you and find purpose in it.”

Here is another idea, that of a computer filter:  “I, am the Lord your God, and I will filter out all the unnecessary messages you are receiving in your life.  I will keep them far from you so that you can focus on your loved ones and the important messages you wish to receive from them, and to send to them.”

We have homes and other strong buildings that protect us from the weather.  We have electric lights that enable us to see in the dark.  We can lose control of our calendars, our clocks, and our times.  We can focus on the trivial and lose sight of what is truly important.  As we experience this Advent season leading up to Christmas, may we all permit God to guide our lives in such a way that we use our time wisely and focus on our loved ones in the days ahead.

Dear Lord God, thank you for sending your Son to us as our Savior.  May each one us accept his guidance and your guidance for our lives.  Thank you for these times in our lives, and the people with whom we get to share them.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Stir up the wills of all who look to you, Lord God, and strengthen our faith in your coming, that, transformed by grace, we may walk in your way; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

2 On that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. 3 Whoever is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, 4 once the LORD has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. 5 Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed over all the glory there will be a canopy. 6 It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

Our weather is so different from the people of the biblical Holy Land.  We want the sun and the blue skies.  We know we need the clouds and some rain, but we usually prefer sunny days.  If we lived in a desert, we would be thankful for the clouds.  With our huge supply of artificial light, we are less mindful of how dark it can be at night, and frightening, if the stars are not shining.  Doesn’t the difference between their world and our world help to explain why these images were so meaningful?  God was inspiring the prophet Isaiah to proclaim the day of the Lord that will usher in a new era in which God will provide shelter for his people.

What images would we use to describe the shelter we wish God to provide?  One image could be of a watchmaker.  Here is an idea:  “I am the Lord your God, and I will create the clock of time that watches over your life.  It will run at the right speed, neither too quickly for those who are older, nor too slow for those who are younger.  It will mark the time in your life so that you can enjoy the life that I am giving to you and find purpose in it.”

Here is another idea, that of a computer filter:  “I, am the Lord your God, and I will filter out all the unnecessary messages you are receiving in your life.  I will keep them far from you so that you can focus on your loved ones and the important messages you wish to receive from them, and to send to them.”

We have homes and other strong buildings that protect us from the weather.  We have electric lights that enable us to see in the dark.  We can lose control of our calendars, our clocks, and our times.  We can focus on the trivial and lose sight of what is truly important.  As we experience this Advent season leading up to Christmas, may we all permit God to guide our lives in such a way that we use our time wisely and focus on our loved ones in the days ahead.

PRAYER: Dear Lord God, thank you for sending your Son to us as our Savior.  May each one us accept his guidance and your guidance for our lives.  Thank you for these times in our lives, and the people with whom we get to share them.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.