Greetings in the Spirit of the risen Christ.

Let me begin by expressing my deepest gratitude for all of you.  I will cherish your prayers on my behalf during the last week.  I am on the mend from a bad bout of the flu and am getting stronger every day.  Knowing that I am nestled in the warmth of this church community has been great comfort for me this week.  Given how badly affected I was by the virus, I suspect that it will take some time to regain full strength.  But, in the meantime, I will keep plugging away.

In our text for Sunday, we will consider the story of the temptation of Jesus.  This story is told in both Luke’s and Matthew’s Gospels.  While there are small variances, the thrust of the story is the same.  Jesus has been in a set apart place (wilderness) to pray, fast, and focus on his mission as it unfolds before him.  After an extended period of time, when he might have been thought to be vulnerable, the tempter came to visit him.  His temptations were: turning stone to bread, thrusting himself off the pinnacle of the Temple, and choosing a short cut to fulfill his ministry.  These temptations were unique to Jesus.  While each is slightly different, there is a common theme.  They are open doors for Jesus to use the power he was given for purposes that were not consistent with his calling.  He was being tempted to use his power for self-serving purposes.  Jesus leans on God’s revelation in Scripture to push back on the temptations and hold his ground. 

In most cases, I’ve heard either one of these temptation stories as something like a 1 v 1 conflict.  Jesus v The Devil.  Holding on to this characterization takes far afield from what Jesus is trying to teach us.  This notion that we face temptation alone is just not accurate, even though it might often feel that way.  The Spirit that led Jesus into the set apart place, to prepare for his ministry, never left him.  Furthermore, Jesus was so deeply rooted in the Scriptural promise of God, that the whole of Israel had become a part of his awareness and place in the world.  His family and friends were part of that circle.  Shortly his disciples, new friends, and those who would be touched by the proper use of his power would also join that community.  The reality is that Jesus would never do ministry alone.

This can be a strong foundation for us we see more people who are willing to use their power, wealth, or position to be self-serving.  Many of these people are enhancing their own power, wealth, and position at the expense of the most vulnerable in our midst.  To stand against that trend is too big to be a solitary effort.  There is not a single one of us who can hold that ocean back.  However, the Gospel reminds us time and again, that the work of the Gospel, of self-giving love is never done as a solitary effort.  The mission of brining God’s reconciliation, transformation, and renewal is, and always has been, a Shared Mission.

Pastor J.T. Greenleaf