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| a cross in the wilderness... |
we pondered the word 'if' as we reflected on temptation;
and together, we shared in the bread and wine of Communion.
READINGS Gen 2:15-25, 3:1-7; Matt 4:1-11
SERMON
Let’s pray: May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer, amen.
Take thirty-two pre-schoolers:
thirty-two pre-schoolers who are very fond of marshmallows...
in fact, marshmallows might just be one of their
most
favourite
things
ever
in the whole world.
Taking each little one aside, you give them a challenge.
And the challenge is this:
to go into a small room down the hall.
The only things in that room are a chair to sit on,
a table,
and, on the table...
a plate...
a plate which has on it an enormous white – or pink –
beautifully fluffy marshmallow.
Now, they have a choice:
they can eat that lovely marshmallow immediately or
if they can sit in that room for a whole minute,
looking at that deliciously lovely,
ginormous,
gorgeous-looking,
sweet-smelling,
wonderfully fluffy marshmallow
without eating it,
the deal is this:
that, at the end of the minute, they will be given not one, but two,
of these wonderful marshmallows to take away as a reward for waiting.
Each child agrees to the challenge –
because...
well, a minute’s not that long, and ...
either way, they’ll have a marshmallow, and...
even better, the possibility of having two yummy marshmallows.
Actually, this was an experiment that did really happen back in the 1970’s
and it was called the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment.
It was a test to try and find out how early the concept of delayed
gratification was understood by human beings.
Now the original test was a wee bit more complex than what I just described...
But the basis of the test was later used in the 2000’s in its more simple form –
and each child was filmed as they waited for the minute.
The one minute films were collated into one film, and the whole thing was then
put up on the internet – YouTube.
The film went viral:
because the children’s responses to the challenge were just fabulous.
There were some very heartfelt, longing looks at the big fluffy marshmallow on the plate;
some of the children picked up the marshmallow and took in deep breaths,
inhaling the sugary smell.
Others tested the fluffiness of the marshmallow,
gently, and occasionally not quite so gently, by squeezing it.
Several little faces leant into hands, as elbows rested on the table,
and eyes stared intently at that marshmallow.
There were some giggles;
there were some mighty big sighs;
some agonised expressions;
a few cases of eyes looking up to the heavens;
and some clearly deep ethical thought processes going on:
was licking the marshmallow okay –
after all, it wasn’t really eating it, was it?
Several small people were seen to quietly look around at the door,
before little fingers pounced, with the marshmallow being nearly licked to death.
Of course, after a time, a good number of the children just went ‘aaargh!’
and stuffed the whole thing in their mouths and sighed with the loveliness of it.
A very small number of the children did actually manage NOT to eat the marshmallow...
and were rather chuffed to be given two marshmallows, which didn’t last long at all.
If you go online, you can watch the whole thing:
just Google using the words
‘marshmallow’
‘temptation’
‘children’
you’ll find a link to a video called:
‘Oh, the temptation’ –
it’s fabulous, watch it and enjoy.
On this first Sunday of Lent, it’s really not that much of a surprise to find ourselves
faced with two Bible readings that are stories about temptation.
The first, involving forbidden fruit, not a marshmallow, is near the beginning of creation:
Adam and Eve hanging out in the Garden of Eden,
living a peaceful life,
a life in harmony with all of creation,
a life in harmony with the Creator...
and into that harmonious life comes a creeping insinuation that perhaps this isn’t enough –
is there more?
In our own 21st century, there’s a term that could be applied to what Adam and Eve
are experiencing as they stand by that tree and listen to the serpent spin his lies –
the serpent is cunning,
and the serpent knows that if he can make them feel even the slightest bit
inadequate,
incomplete,
insufficient,
then both Adam and Eve will be struck with that most awful of afflictions –
no, not the Corona virus...
but:
and here’s that 21st century term -
FOMO –
which stands for Fear Of Missing Out.
The serpent makes them think about one little word:
‘if’
‘what if the serpent’s right?
what if God isn’t telling us the truth?
what if I don’t have everything I possibly can?
and then...
what if I just ignore God, better still, what if I put myself in God’s place?’
And with that little tiny word,
trust is lost,
doubt takes over,
and Eve and Adam find themselves unable to resist taking a bit of that
great big piece of forbidden fruit,
and find themselves losing their peace,
the harmony with creation,
the harmony they had with the Creator.
The relationship ...is broken...
And we find, as we read the stories in the bible that what we’re looking at
is a long-ranging story of that relationship between God and human beings being
played out down through the centuries:
God rescuing his people time and time again...
God always there,
always loving them,
always calling them back.
And God’s people –
always running:
to God,
or running from God.
But, it’s often in the wilderness places that the people find that God is with them.
That’s the interesting thing about the wilderness, there’s not that many distractions:
the wilderness is relatively uncluttered, there’s space...
and in the space,
without distractions,
the people of God encounter again the One
who loves them,
who created them.
And so, the tradition arose among the people that it was a good thing
to go out into the desert places,
to seek God,
to discover what God was saying,
to find clarity,
to... declutter
and get rid of those things in one’s life that were distracting.
And it’s why, in our second reading, that we meet Jesus in the desert, the wilderness:
in the uncluttered, empty spaces,
in a place of vast open horizons,
he is seeking clarity,
vision,
to hear God
as he prepares to begin his ministry.
And in this story, which comes at the end of his time in the desert wilderness,
we are met once again with temptation...
and that one small word – ‘if’...
Once again the creeping, sneaking little insinuation of:
inadequacy,
incompleteness,
insufficiency...
Here, however, it strikes, right at the core of who Jesus is –
‘if you are the Son of God...’
do this,
do that –
put on a show – turn stones to bread;
test and see – let angels stop your fall;
bow your knee – all this could be yours.
All aimed to plant seeds of doubt, mistrust.
And it’s a real test:
Jesus, while Son of God, is still also fully human –
these temptations wouldn’t be temptations if there wasn’t the risk of him falling to them –
we’re not talking about someone in some sort of heavenly super-hero cape here.
Human.
Just like us.
And yet, his mission is to be
the great bridge-builder,
the One restoring that broken relationship between people and God,
the great reconciler –
who, having spent 40 days and 40 nights out in the desert,
has been preparing,
has found clarity,
and can see right through the tissue of lies that come with that one little word ‘if’.
He knows, through his time in the wilderness just exactly who he is:
he is indeed the Son of God,
he doesn’t need to put on a show
to be a crowd-pleaser,
he doesn’t need to test God
to make sure that God is with him,
he doesn’t need to bow the knee
to be given that which is already his, and not the tempter’s to offer....
He simply needs to get on about his Father’s business,
and after several pithy replies to the tempter,
he does so.
Here we are, in the desert, the wilderness of Lent,
perhaps the wilderness of life in general.
What are we tempted by?
What ‘if’s’ are we faced with that try to make us feel:
inadequate,
incomplete,
insufficient...
so much so that we turn our focus from God, and instead focus on
what we fear,
what we lack,
what we have no control over?
What are the ‘if’s’ that lurk under the surface that are there,
waiting to plant seeds of doubt and mistrust
to keep us estranged from God –
the One who loves us,
who calls to us,
who claims us as his own unconditionally?
When you hear that niggling, little voice trying to insinuate itself into your life,
when you hear that one little word ‘if’ trying to undermine
who you are and whose you are,
remember:
the God who loves you is more than adequate –
more than able to supply your needs...
the God who loves you
is the One in whom you find yourself complete –
made whole, restored...
the God who loves you is sufficient –
is enough,
is more than enough,
for in Him there is life in abundance...
and nourishment for body and for soul –
found in bread and in wine, shared together.
As you walk this wilderness journey that is Lent,
use the space to declutter the obstacles that stand in your way to God;
use the time to carve out wide open spaces of clarity –
where you hear that still small voice
that doesn’t say ‘if’
but instead, says ‘beloved’.
And, when you emerge from the desert,
in the glow and promise of resurrection glory,
be the voice that lifts others up –
the lonely, the anxious, the vulnerable...
feed the hungry,
welcome the stranger,
shelter the homeless,
stand with the oppressed.
Be the voice that reconciles –
builds bridges,
brings harmony,
and names these others not ‘least’ but ‘beloved’
in word and in deed...
For we, like Jesus, are called:
as we have been loved,
so too, let us be love in the world,
for that, my friends,
is, quite simply, the gospel.
Let’s pray:
God of revelation,
unveil your Kingdom in our midst.
Show us who we truly are in you:
expose the illusions that distort our vision,
deliver us from temptations
that contort our living,
open our eyes in this time of trial –
that resistance may be the secret of our joy
and our joy a sign of your shalom. Amen. *
*prayer from Christian Aid
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