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Sunday March 1, 2020 Year A, Lent 1

Text: Genesis 2:15-17,3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11 “On Temptation” ã Rev. Elise Feltrin

St. Andrews United Church, Bayfield Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." … …Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' " But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

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Today I’ve been sharing some images from my travels a few weeks ago in the lower Baja Peninsula of Mexico. That’s the very long narrow strip of land that runs south from California for about 1200 km – with the Pacific on one side, the Sea of Cortes on the other – and a series of mountain ranges running down the centre like a knobby backbone. Despite being nestled between so much water on either side, most of this land is rugged desert….the coarse, dusty sand that begins in cactus studded wilderness, slopes straight down to the sparkling blue sea where it stretches out as sandy beach being pummelled by crashing waves. It’s starkly different from familiar Canadian landscapes, but surprisingly not as desolate as it may seem. Looking closely, the desert is brimming with life – butterflies, birds and insects flit about – bright orange and yellow flowering vines climb and twist around the giant and stately Saguaro cactus. Shallow seaside lagoons are teeming with waterbirds – herons, pelicans, egrets- while just offshore, mother humpback whales frolick with their calves – teaching them to fish in the rolling waves. Despite the sharp contrast, this combination of barren wilderness and lush paradise, somehow manage to co-exist side by side…. Reminding me of the two very different settings of our readings this morning – which begin with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and conclude with Jesus alone in the desert. The common denominator of course, linking these two scenes, being the presence of a crafty and evil Temptor. So our Lenten journey begins, with two stories about temptation – one in which the characters succumb and are filled with shame, and another in which the Devil is thwarted and he is waited upon by angels. Temptation, is a very common, very human issue. We have all been tempted at one time or another…by things as seemingly simple as buying something we really don’t need…or avoiding doing something difficult in favour of taking the easy way out. We may be tempted by our egos – to do things out of vanity or pride, or tempted by the promise of power or prestige. Perhaps we’ve been tempted to do something illegal, or immoral – wondering who would ever know? Or tempted to respond with anger or violence rather than keeping our cool. We’re easily tempted to ignore things that make us uncomfortable or uneasy. To turn away from things we’d rather not see.

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*** Part of United Church policy for all ministry personnel, is that we must undertake ‘Boundaries training’. Which means learning about things like the ethics of accepting gifts or favours…. What’s appropriate and inappropriate in our behaviour and relationships. (Which in this day and age includes how to properly engage in facebook and other social media!) We learn how to be aware of our positions of privilege and how not to abuse our power or authority – particularly when dealing with vulnerable people. You would think it’s mostly common sense, but every five years we have to do a refresher course – so I dutifully completed mine this past week. One of the more memorable things I learned this time around, was explained with the acronym H.A.L.T. With each letter representing an example of when the temptation might be ripe for boundaries to be crossed on either side of the relationship. H: is for when someone’s Hungry – not necessarily for food – we might be hungry for a sense of belonging, or for approval or sex…and we end up satisfying these appetites in ways that are inappropriate or harmful. A: when we’re Afraid – and we might uncharacteristically do something based out of fear or instinctively react to protect ourselves without considering the consequences. L: when we’re Lonely – and again we seek to fill such emptiness in ways that may temporarily fill the void, but are not necessarily healthy or life giving. And T; when we’re tired – and perhaps not thinking clearly or taking the time to make wise and rational decisions. HALT - which means we need to stop, and proceed cautiously when we’re feeling Hungry – Afraid – Lonely – or Tired. I imagine Jesus experienced all these things on his 40 day desert retreat. We are told he was famished. He was certainly all alone – at the mercy of the elements and other dangers of the desert…. Nowhere to rest or seek comfort. Hungry – Afraid – Lonely – Tired. These are normal, everyday human feelings – that we’ve all experienced. But they are also feelings that make us extremely vulnerable to temptation. Which is why we need to ‘HALT’ and consider them carefully. *** This week, many of us were stunned and disheartened to learn of the allegations of sexual abuse against Jean Vanier.

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Worldwide, people are feeling disappointment, disillusionment and frankly, disgust as they try to process the stark contrast between this iconic Canadian hero’s public persona and the dark secrets of his private life. And it makes me wonder, which of those feelings caused Jean Vanier to spiral into such behaviour? Was he tormented by some unfillable Hunger that could never be satisfied? Of what was he fearfully Afraid? How did he ache from despairing Loneliness? Or suffer from complete exhaustion? Or did he experience some combination of these things? Did his own vulnerable fragility somehow cause him to succumb to the temptation of taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of others? Or, perhaps there was no vulnerability at all. But the exact opposite – a feeling of invincibility such as the devil used to lure Jesus: with the temptation that nothing would ever happen to him as he was protected by God? We can make assumptions, we can hazard a guess, but the truth is that the workings of an individual human mind are a complicated mystery. People may struggle to understand, but with Vanier’s death last year, we will never know the answer. As L’Arche communities around the globe have been reeling this week, their director of communications wrote this in a letter regarding Vanier: “While the considerable good he did throughout his life is not in question, we will nevertheless have to mourn a certain image of Jean Vanier and the origins of L’Arche.” *** It’s disconcerting to ponder how easily and insidiously temptation can take hold.

Even with those we may consider saints. How good and evil, can seemingly co-exist, side by side. Like two branches on the same tree in the Garden of Eden. How the barrenness of the wild and the lushness of Paradise can share things in common. Particularly, temptation. *** Human beings have been created with free will – with the capability to choose and make decisions. But through God’s goodness, we have also been created with holy boundaries in place – to protect the vulnerable and allow all humanity to flourish, despite the world being filled with crafty creatures, and delightful fruits and other alluring things that can tempt and distract us. Our challenge as mere mortals, is to choose what is good and right. To stay within the boundaries set for us and live in obedience to God’s righteousness.

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Humans are by no means perfect. From the beginning, we have each had our own weaknesses and failings. As Jesus was, we are easily tempted to self-preservation at the expense of others. We are all somehow hungry, afraid, lonely and tired. And we are all in radical need of God’s unconditional grace. Perhaps it is in acknowledging these things, that we are more able to avoid temptation and find that grace. In being honest and vulnerable to one another, in naming our frailty, confessing our secret urges and desires….and then accepting one another’s naked truth without guilt, or shame or judgment. Learning to love one another as we are …without putting our leaders on pedestals or idolizing celebrities or having unattainably high expectations of perfection from anyone. How can we love and support one another as the perfectly, imperfect humans God created us to be? Making space for people to share their stories and their struggles, offering encouragement when people feel tempted, and reminding one another that we all lay claim to our identity as beloved children of God. *** The success of 12 step programs such as A.A. is based on this premise. As recovering alcoholics gather in community to share their stories of addiciton with one another, each person begins speaking by saying “My name is _____ and I’m an alcoholic.” With courage, and vulnerability, they name their weakness right up front and seek strength from those who share the journey. As our 40 days of Lent unfold, may we too each find the courage to name our weaknesses before God, and before one another…and may we find the compassion to love and accept one another, despite our flaws. Through the grace of God, it is possible! All thanks be to God. Amen.