The First Sunday in Lent - March 9, 2025

Summary

Mother Suzanne invites her congregation to reframe Lent not as a time of deprivation but as a sacred wilderness journey where God provides and protects. She emphasizes that the same Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness after His baptism leads us too, and encourages a Lenten practice of decluttering our lives to create space for God to speak and work within us.

THE GOSPEL                                                                                                                          Luke 4:1-13

After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written,

'Worship the Lord your God,
 and serve only him.'"

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

'He will command his angels concerning you,
 to protect you,'

and

'On their hands they will bear you up,
 so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Artwork: The Temptation of Christ by the Devil, painted by Félix Joseph Barrias (1822 - 1907)

Transcript

Mother Suzanne:

He who dwells in the shelter of the most high abides under the shadow of the Almighty. In the name of the triune godfather son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated. Well, on Wednesday we began our Lenin journey. And like Jesus, we too are led into the wilderness for 40 days. But before we are led into a place that can be scary and hard, two things happen. First, the liturgy extends an invitation for a holy lent. So we are invited into a time that is sacred and holy. And secondly, we are marked as Christ's own forever, just with ashes to remind us of our own mortality, our humanity, a reminder to us from where we came and where we will go.

Lint has often gotten a bad rap. Just this week I was reminded by several people that this time of the year really isn't too much fun. Giving up soda, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, social media, whatever it is that you've chosen to give up, it's something most folks don't really look forward to do. It's hard to deny oneself, isn't it? However, with just a slight perspective change perhaps Lent or as I like to think of it, the journey into the wilderness can be seen as a place of new beginnings where God proves his ability to protect and provide for you a place into which God lured Israel back when he wanted to rekindle relationship.

When it was no longer scary, the wilderness became a place to reclaim one's fertile life with God. So in this morning's gospel, what is powerful for me to see is Jesus is whisked away into the wilderness and he has done so by the very spirit that just proclaimed him worthy and pleasing to God. At his own baptism, we find Jesus prompted into the untamed wilderness by the very spirit which keeps forever in communion with his father. From the first step into the uncertainty of the wilderness to his final step into heaven, Jesus was reckoned favorably by the very God we most desperately desire to love us.

So on Wednesday, we were fortunate to have Bishop Hector Montero with us during our Ashes to Go and mobile food pantry Before coming to Grace. I will admit I wasn't a big fan of Ashes to go, not at all. But now each time Ashes to Go is offered. I am deeply aware of how important this is to do for people for our community. How do I know that? Because overwhelmingly everybody wanted ashes and everybody expressed appreciation that we gave them. I watched as Bishop Hector interacted with our Spanish speaking population. I'm not sure if you guys know this about your bishop, but he comes alive when he's with native speakers who speak his language. A touching moment happened when a woman shared how grateful she was to be getting food and ashes. She shared with Hector that she's unable to go to church to receive ashes because she had to work.

Wednesday was the first time she had received ashes in years and that from a bishop. As she shared this, her eyes welled up with tears. Another woman shared with me how in her 81st year, she has recently gotten custody of her 8-year-old granddaughter. She comes every week to grace in order to get fresh vegetables and fruit because she's on social security, money is tight, but she wants her granddaughter to be fed. Well. When she rolled down her window, she was surprised that ashes were being offered to her in her car. She wanted them and said thank you. And she also looked at me and said, grace does so much for this community. How do we ever say thank you?

Well, together the bishop and I offered ashes prayer and presence to our community. And for me it was significant to have another priest on the grounds of grace who considers himself a partner in ministry as the only priest here serving grace. It is wonderful to have his company for a day. I will say I was bolstered by his presence because in a moment of honesty, I will say there is no service that exhausts me more than Ashwyn's day. The sheer weight of reminding those that I love and care for my church family and flock that you are going to die is hard and heavy. The words from dust you were made and to dust you shall return are said once a year. I understand why there's something significant about looking someone in the eye and telling them that they are going to perish.

So before we are even driven into the wilderness, we're reminded that as hard and as difficult it might be, the wilderness can be holy and sacred temptations do come our way. But like Jesus, we can choose a better way, a more holy way, mindful that we are mortal creatures who cannot do it on our own. And as our prayer book reminds us, only can we do it with God's help. With God's help. If you've not given time or a thought about, I hope this week you will give special thought and attention of how you are going to enter into this holy season. I will share with you now how I plan to. For me, our nave and how it looks right now is a good metaphor on how I would like to approach. This year in particular, the altar space is paired down. It's pretty bare. It's the barest it will be all year. It's simple, minimalistic, decluttered, unadorned. The brass has been replaced with wood and the ornate vestments have been replaced with burlap.

That modesty is what I would like to do for my mind and soul, to declutter and purge, discard those things that aren't serving me well so that I can allow better things to come in renewals so that space can be opened up for God to speak and for the spirit to work. And what I would encourage you all as you enter these 40 days, approach it in the way that Christ did with holiness. Yes, again, temptations come. The heart is still there. But as resurrection people, we know that our Easter is on its way. In fact, every Sunday during lunch, it is our mini Easter, we get to take a reprieve from the fasting we can enjoy in a way that we haven't the rest of the week. And I promise when you do, because you've gone without or have given up, that which you come back to will taste, look, or feel sweeter and absolutely be more lovely.

And on a practical note, you can do anything for 40 days, but at a deeper and more profound level, as we enter our Linton journey, we can take comfort in knowing that this journey has been tread before. Just as God called Jesus into the wilderness. We too are called there and answering the call can be scary. But if you are open and desiring and wanting to go, wanting to tread this difficult place and all of its rawness and discomfort, it can be a place that leads to surprising beauty by Christ alone. Everything scary and untamed in the wilderness is overwhelmed and proven empty by the truth of his love and faithfulness, God is more than able to take, which seems to only cause death and bring about new we are resurrection people. So dear Grace, as he beckons us to face the untamed wilderness in our lives, the lint, I will be praying for courage and strength for each of you. And I want to remind you one more time that the same spirit that called Jesus there is also calling us. Amen. We.