postID: 7047; title: The First Sunday In Lent
groupKey: secondary
groupKey: other
The First Sunday In Lent
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted of Satan; Make speed to help thy servants who are assaulted by manifold temptations; and, as thou knowest their several infirmities, let each one find thee mighty to save; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Array
(
[date] => 2016-02-14 11:00:00
[scope] =>
[year] =>
[month] =>
[post_id] => 1266
[series_id] =>
[day_titles_only] =>
[exclusive] => 1
[return] => formatted
[formatted] =>
[show_date] =>
[show_meta] =>
[show_content] => 1
[admin] =>
[debug] => 1
[filter_types] => Array
(
[0] => primary
[1] => secondary
)
[type_labels] => Array
(
[primary] => Primary
[secondary] => Secondary
[other] => Other
)
[the_date] => 2016-02-14 11:00:00
)
2 post(s) found for dateStr : 2016-02-14postID: 6736 (Cyril & Methodius)
--- getDisplayDates ---
litdate post_id: 6736; date_type: fixed; year: 2016
fixed_date_str: February 14
fixed_date_str (mod): February 14 2016
formattedFixedDateStr: 2016-02-14
=> check date_assignments.
=> NO date_assignments found for postID: 6736
displayDates for postID: 6736/year: 2016
Array
(
[0] => 2016-02-14
)
postPriority: 98postID: 7047 (The First Sunday In Lent)
--- getDisplayDates ---
litdate post_id: 7047; date_type: variable; year: 2016
Variable date => check date_calculations.
=> check date_assignments.
dateAssigned: 2024-02-18 (2024)
yearAssigned (2024) does NOT match year (2016)
displayDates for postID: 7047/year: 2016
Array
(
[0] => 2016-02-14
)
postPriority: 3primaryPost found for date: 2016-02-14 with ID: 7047 (The First Sunday In Lent)
The First Sunday In Lent
Array
(
[date] => 2016-02-14 11:00:00
[scope] =>
[year] =>
[month] =>
[post_id] => 1266
[series_id] =>
[day_titles_only] =>
[exclusive] => 1
[return] => simple
[formatted] =>
[show_date] =>
[show_meta] =>
[show_content] => 1
[admin] =>
[debug] => 1
[filter_types] => Array
(
[0] => primary
[1] => secondary
)
[type_labels] => Array
(
[primary] => Primary
[secondary] => Secondary
[other] => Other
)
[the_date] => 2016-02-14 11:00:00
)
2 post(s) found for dateStr : 2016-02-14postID: 6736 (Cyril & Methodius)
--- getDisplayDates ---
litdate post_id: 6736; date_type: fixed; year: 2016
fixed_date_str: February 14
fixed_date_str (mod): February 14 2016
formattedFixedDateStr: 2016-02-14
=> check date_assignments.
=> NO date_assignments found for postID: 6736
displayDates for postID: 6736/year: 2016
Array
(
[0] => 2016-02-14
)
postPriority: 98postID: 7047 (The First Sunday In Lent)
--- getDisplayDates ---
litdate post_id: 7047; date_type: variable; year: 2016
Variable date => check date_calculations.
=> check date_assignments.
dateAssigned: 2024-02-18 (2024)
yearAssigned (2024) does NOT match year (2016)
displayDates for postID: 7047/year: 2016
Array
(
[0] => 2016-02-14
)
postPriority: 3primaryPost found for date: 2016-02-14 with ID: 7047 (The First Sunday In Lent)
The reading_id [152617] is already in the array.
reading found matching title 'Luke 4:1-13' with ID: 73527
The reading_id [73527] is already in the array.
No update needed.
Scripture citation(s): Luke 4:1-13; Deuteronomy 26:1-11
A Sermon by
The Rev. Canon Carl Turner
on
Luke 4:1-13; Deuteronomy 26:1-11
✛
The Second Adam in the Wilderness
Array
(
[0] => 60757
[1] => 60707
)
book: [Array
(
[0] => 60757
)
] (reading_id: 73527)bbook_id: 60757
The bbook_id [60757] is already in the array.
book: [Array ( [0] => 60707 ) ] (reading_id: 152617)
bbook_id: 60707
The bbook_id [60707] is already in the array.
No update needed for sermon_bbooks.
I think that the context of the Gospel reading, today, is important: Jesus had just been baptized by John in the River Jordan and while he was praying we are told that a voice was heard from heaven, saying, “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” People saw the Holy Spirit descend in bodily form like a dove. This is a beautiful image of the Trinity and Jesus, as true Man is also in perfect relationship with his Father and is filled with the Holy Spirit. However, before Jesus goes into the wilderness, Luke gives a list of the ancestors of Jesus, which is hardly ever read in Church. This genealogy of Luke’s gospel is significant; Matthew’s genealogy is traced forward from Abraham to Jesus, but Luke traces the family tree backwards and not to Abraham but to…Adam. As Luke says, “… which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.” (Luke 3:38)
There is a beautiful hymn written by the Benedictine nuns of Stanbrook Abbey in England. I have always loved the second verse:
In his own image God created man,
and when from dust he fashioned Adam’s face,
the likeness of his only Son was formed:
his Word incarnate, filled with truth and grace.
I love the line that suggests that Adam’s face reminded God of his own Beloved Son yet to be born in time. The first Adam, made in the image of God, succumbed to temptation and was driven out of the garden of Eden and into a dangerous world; in the book of Genesis, we see the results of sin, of making wrong choices; jealousy, murder and death all come in quick succession.
Jesus went into a similar wilderness. He left the comfort of his home in Nazareth; left his family, his friends and his security behind. He chose to go to the wilderness and he was tempted. Now, it is easy to overlook the forty days and what that meant for Jesus; most of us can remember the three great temptations, but Luke tells us that Jesus was tempted during those forty days by the devil. The three specific temptations, possibly the most dangerous, came after 40 days of temptation.
In the desert, Jesus recalled his identity. He had heard the voice “This is my Beloved Son.” He was filled with the Spirit. He also went there immersed in the story of his own people – God’s chosen people. He probably knew the words we heard in our first lesson today off by heart…“My Father was a wandering Aramean…he went down into Egypt…” a kind of credal formula. The Holy Spirit drove Jesus to the wilderness but, unlike Adam, it was the sinless Beloved Son who was there and in the wilderness, Jesus began the restoration of that that which had been broken by that first son of God, Adam.
This is very important, for it reveals to us the love of God that he should empty himself into his creation to bring humankind back to himself and restore the dignity of humankind lost in the fall. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:14-15)
In Newman’s great hymn from the Dream of Gerontius, he puts it so beautifully:
O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
a second Adam to the fight
and to the rescue came.
O wisest love! that flesh and blood,
which did in Adam fail,
should strive afresh against the foe,
should strive, and should prevail;
In the wilderness, Jesus also encountered extremes and the three specific temptations are the extremes of human temptation. The devil uses extreme language and he even quotes scripture to prove a point. Jesus would have been well aware of extreme views and extreme language – he would have grown up with it in Nazareth – with the Roman occupation and with the rise of extremist religious parties such as the Pharisees. Unlike the first Adam, Jesus resisted temptation and extremism and was able to begin his ministry, which led to his passion, death and resurrection. And in resisting those three specific temptations – the abuse of possessions; the abuse of power; the abuse of status – Jesus has given us hope today.
My friends, we live in a world of seemingly extreme voices and temptations – we hear them still in our history books; in the stories of those who abused possessions or power or status in the past; who used violence or war or genocide to get their own way. In our own day we hear other extreme voices and the results of those who still abuse power or status or incite violence or hatred. And here’s the rub: Sometimes, I think more frighteningly, those extreme voices may start to well up within us. I think, when that happens, we need to go into the wilderness. We need to follow the prompting of the Spirit to discover our true identity as children of God – redeemed by Jesus Christ; clothed by him through our baptism into his death. So here is a little spiritual exercise for the first week of Lent: This week, when you are faced with a temptation, and it could be absolutely anything; it might be very small, it might be very, very seductive and very beguiling as we read in the Book of Genesis. It may be quite harsh. It may be extreme. Whatever it is, when that thought starts to well up inside you, STOP! Just for a second, and look for the wilderness within. Pray to Jesus. Some Churches call this ‘arrow prayers’ – sending up a quick prayer to God, “Help me!” My friends, just try to do this once – I can guarantee that this week every one of you, including me, are going to have several things rise up inside you. Do it once. At least stop and pray to Jesus.
Lent echoes our own journey of life from birth to death, and it is sometimes not an easy journey; it is fraught with temptations and choices.
When I was giving out the ashes on Wednesday afternoon, in between the services, a young woman walked up the aisle – she was on her own and she had heavy boots on and everyone in the church heard every footstep as she stomped her way up. She tried to walk quietly but she couldn’t. As she approached me, a smile came across her face and she let out a sigh “Ah!” she whispered, “It’s a long way, isn’t it?” “Yes,” I said, “It is a long way…Remember, O Man, that dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.” And, as we add in the Church of England at the ashing, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.”
