Lent 1C’25
9 March 2025
Psalm 91; Luke 4.1-13
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone <+>
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin; in the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
– From Hebrews 4.15
When facing the hard and difficult times of our lives that we wish they would all just go away. Things are especially hard when we are undergoing the trials and temptations of human life. During times like that what is the one thing besides being delivered out of the temptation we long for? To be encouraged by someone who truly has been where we are and can relate to all of our strong urges to have all of our needs satisfied, our need for security and survival, for power and control, and for affection and esteem. God knows these are all legitimate needs but the dark side tempts us to meet them in illegitimate ways; and Jesus being both human and divine had all these needs in common with all the rest of us. But often when we are in these difficulties of human life, we encounter those who fail to empathize.
One of the jobs my mother had as a younger woman was being switchboard operator with the phone company. She was very pregnant and was struggling with morning sickness. One day rather than throw up she left her station to run to the bathroom. While in the bathroom her supervisor walked by and saw that she had left her station. When my mom got back to the switchboard there stood an irate supervisor who asked her why she had left? My mom tried to explain that she was having a heavy bout of morning sickness due to her pregnancy. Rather than compassion she encountered critical reprimand: “Well, your pregnancy is no fault of the phone company!”
In the 4o days and nights Lent begins in the wilderness of temptation where Jesus encounters all three of the major categories of sin: He gets hit in the area of human appetites for security and survival, the human need for power and control and for affection and esteem, and to meet them through either his own ego or turning to demonic power. With each temptation who resists by quoting scriptures that speak God’s truth to the lies offered by the devil.
The Good News in the midst of all the bad news is that our Savior Christ, when it comes to temptation has been there! Unlike my mother’s supervisor at the phone company Jesus shows us real compassion which literally means to “suffer with.” Jesus being both divine and human was no stranger to trials and temptations. As we enter the season of lent, we always begin by revisiting Jesus in the wilderness of temptation where he was tempted in every way like us but without sin. Each of his three temptations are representative of all the temptations we face. After he hadn’t eaten in 40 days and nights and just at that moment of maximum hunger the sinister and wily voice: If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” This category of sin is representative of all the ways we are tempted by our many hungers:
True compassion through the life of Jesus is revealed to be the touchstone of God’s character and, as his followers should characterize us as well. Be gentle people are fighting secret battles we know nothing about. I saw a piece on the internet called “20 mins. Earlier.” It featured real life scenarios played by actors.
20 Minutes earlier
A mother and her young son were in a coffee shop and the young boy was making loud noises and disturbing the customers. A couple of customers were highly critical and one under her breath said, “The trouble is with the parents they just don’t parent their children.” Then there’s a flashback 20 minutes earlier they were in a social worker’s office and they were saying that the woman was his third foster parent and that it would take time for him to adjust.
Young woman drives up to a convenience store in an expensive sports car. Another customer compliments the car “nice car” as they both walked into the store. The young woman picks up a few food items and asks the cahier if they accepted food stamps. The other customer says, “Unbelievable mooching off the government and driving an expensive sports car!”
Then a flashback to 20 minutes earlier. The young woman who was going through a horrible divorce is at a friend’s home and is leaving her child with her while she went to the store. The woman let her drive her sports car and said, “You have been through a lot anything to help you get back on your feet.”
A man is driving down a major thoroughfare and spots the driver in front of him weaving and steering his car erratically. Frustrated, the younger man says out loud, “What is this guy doing? This guy’s an idiot!” and yells “get out of the way” as he gives him a blast on his horn. ”Learn to drive!” He then rolls his window down and pulls alongside the other man and asks, “Are you drunk? Learn how to drive!”
20 minutes earlier the erratic driver was at his deceased wife’s hospital bed being told by the doctor that they had tried everything but nothing saved her. The man says to himself “How am I going to tell the kids?”
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT SOMEONE ELSE IS DEALING WITH – BE KIND1
These things I have spoken to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Amen.
-John 16.33 +
1 Kristina Kuzmic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtDyWJakhuI