How Did He Do That?

How Did He Do That?: <-- Audio file of sermon based upon Matthew 4:1-11


Good morning. We missed you if you weren’t able to be with us on Ash Wednesday. It was a lovely service full of the Spirit’s moving. We joined in soup and salad supper with one another, watched as the kids bore in the elements to the table for communion, and sought to understand where and how God wants us to experience the holy during this time of Lent. But it’s not too late. Just because you might not have been here, doesn’t mean that the fruits of retreating into the wilderness have passed. We’ve barely gotten started in seeking the holy so keep coming back… we’re on a journey together.


Okay, that sounded more like a sales pitch than I meant but the essence is the same. We’re on a journey and a worthy one at that. And the main origin of that journey is part of our scripture passage today. We read in Matthew about Jesus retreating to the wilderness to fast. He did this just after his baptism and just before he set out on his ministry.


See, we have to remember that prior to this point, we know very little about Jesus other than a few stories of his childhood. We can guess that he was a good Jew who worshiped and kept the holy days. We also can guess he was in the family business as a carpenter. He was in his early 30’s so that makes all this more interesting. You see, the average life expectancy for folks in his time was only 35 because the infant mortality rate was so high. But if you made it into adulthood, you would likely die by age 50. So, in the scheme of life and in his community, he would be seen as well into or past mid life. Now a days we say we might call him a young man but then, he would have been a master carpenter with nearly 20 years under his belt.


But I didn’t start down this road to fill the room with all that we don’t know or understand about this man from Nazareth. I actually want to point to what we do know and can understand from his life. I want to point to what we can know in our own lives from this because Jesus sets a wonderful example for us to follow. The fact of the matter is that by the time we get to the end of this passage, he’s going toe to toe with Satan and wins. So, I think it bears some interest on our part to find out how he did this since most of us have a hard time resisting the little things let alone the offer of the world.


So, how did Jesus do it? What does this passage tell us? First of all, we can know that good decision making and preparation are important.


We don’t know exactly why he suddenly at age 30 decided that it was time contemplate a career change but we know he did not enter into it lightly. He was diligent in his decision-making. How do we know this? Because he listened to the Holy Spirit and went on a retreat into the wilderness to fast and pray.


Now you may ask what that has to do with it since it only takes up one verse in this passage. Well, the answer is a lot. This is more than what anthropologist Joseph Campbell would call the typical retreat of the hero archetype before a journey.


Jesus chose retreat to isolate himself so he could consider what was happening. He did not want distractions of his work or community life to get in the way. This gave him the space to understand what was going on more fully.


Also, he fasted. Now, fasting is a somewhat lost spiritual discipline in the modern era but it is an amazing tool for digging deep into ourselves. The process of fasting is more than just an act of self-discipline. It is an act of therapy.


Theologian Richard Foster wrote a book some years back called The Celebration of Discipline where he shares the practices of several mostly lost spiritual disciplines. In it, he talks about fasting in a way that has always stayed with me and informed my own attempts at fasting. He said that when we fast, there is a tendency to dismiss our feelings but that the feelings are precisely the point. If we are agitated or short tempered or sad when we’ve not eaten, it’s not because we have not eaten. We have those feelings because the spirit of anger or sadness lives within us and without food to cover it up, those feelings come to the surface. So, fasting provides an amazing opportunity to look our un dealt with feelings and issues in the eye and do something about them.


I imagine Jesus stared down a lot of fears and doubts during this 40-day period of fasting. It was probably a period of great growth with the combination of fasting and isolation. There would have been nowhere to hide from his inner angst.


But what does Jesus’ example of decision making and preparation mean to us? We all have times in our lives that we are about to do something big or make decisions that are life changing. Many of us have even contemplated and changed careers too. But it’s unlikely we went to the wilderness to make those decisions.


Well, the model of Jesus is a sound one here but I think we can learn more than just how to imitate his actions. The point is that he clearly took it seriously. He did what he could to consider what setting out on ministry would mean and to prepare himself. Likewise, when we are in that place, we must take steps to hear the Holy Spirit and to make good decisions and prepare ourselves.


This looks different for different people. Some of us are helped by engaging in various spiritual disciplines like fasting. In fact, if you’re ever interested in learning more or practicing it or other disciplines, I can suggest some books for you. Others of us make decisions and prepare through equally spiritual means of prayer, consulting loved ones, and careful analysis of the situation. Regardless of the decision, how serious we take it will be clear by how intent we are to seek God’s guidance and gifts in making that decision.


And speaking of gifts, that has bearing on the second point I want us to see in this passage. The bulk of this scripture tells of Jesus resisting temptation. How does he do this? By quoting scripture and standing firmly upon it. Each and every time Satan temps Jesus, he comes back by quoting scripture.


So, what does this tell us? Well, it’s unlikely that Jesus had lugged up the sacred scrolls from the temple so he could study them in the wilderness. First of all, the Rabbi probably would have attacked him at the door since scrolls were not only expensive, they were sacred. But more to the point, Jesus would have already known these scriptures because his culture was much more imbedded in the use of scripture for stories and cultural references.


So again, what does this tell us? Well, much like the example of Jesus on retreat, I don’t think the answer is necessarily to mimic Jesus outright. We can learn from his example. The point is that to resist temptation, Jesus used the skills and gifts God had given him. He tapped into what he already had.


You see, in a general way we often talk about becoming more Christ like. But we mean that in terms of our the likeness of our heart, mind, and spirit. But when it comes to gifts, we all are in different places. To resist temptation and do the right thing, we don’t all have to become bible scholars and quote scripture with ease. The key is to find, cultivate, and use the gifts and skills God gave each of us. To me, this is one of the most crucial pieces of spiritual truths we can ever internalize.


Jesus stood on a foundation of faith he knew and supported him. It didn’t feel empty to him to quote scripture. It felt empowering and fortifying. So, what is it that each of us have that helps us do the right thing? What foundation is our faith built upon that empowers and fortifies us? What blessings has God given us to make us better people?


We all have something to tap into. Some have the gift of scriptural study and knowledge. Others have a strong moral compass reinforced by rigorous attention to growth and love. For some of us, our families and friends are the fortress that makes us stronger. Reading, persuasive speech, compassion, learning, fasting, quite time, journals, prayer, retreats, holy days, volunteering… whatever it is that God has given each of us, it will help us to become better people… fuller members of the body of Christ.


And that’s the point. This holy season of Lent can be like a time of retreat to consider what God has fortified and empowered us with. It can be a time when we emerge with a stronger understanding of the tools God has given us so that we are able to do the right thing when we are faced with temptation.


So, this is where we are… Lent, on the journey. We know how Jesus emerged from the wilderness stronger. What can we apply from his example so that we can do the same?


Last week pastor and theologian Peter Gomes died. It is a loss of a theological giant. But his words live on and I think he completely understood what we’re talking about here today. He said, “The question should not be ‘What would Jesus do?’ but rather, more dangerously, ‘What would Jesus have me do?’ He came to ask human beings to live up to their full humanity; he wants us to live in the full implication of our human gifts, and that is far more demanding.”


Sisters and brothers, Peter Gomes, just like Jesus, knew that it is by living into our God given gifts and skills that we find the tools we need in situations. That doesn’t mean that we have to do things alone. In fact, sometimes our biggest gift is our community. But it does mean that we have to be rigorous in finding and cultivating those gifts. May we use this season of Lent to do that work so that we blossom into the creation God calls us to be. Amen.

Seeking the Holy

Seeking the Holy: Ash Wednesday sermon based upon Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Good evening. It is good to be with you on this beginning day of the holy season of Lent.

Some in this room look forward to Lent as a time they’ve encountered since childhood. Many have negative memories of being forced to fast without understanding why or what is to be gained. Others look at this time as something odd that just doesn’t quite make sense. No matter our history, Ash Wednesday and Lent still come to us like clockwork 40 days before Easter.

So, here we are. We gather on a day we don’t usually and with the imposition of ashes, we engage in a practice that seems foreign in our culture. But why are we here and what is all this about? Well, I’ll sum up all of Lent for you in one phrase: Seeking the Holy.

The idea of Lent is about seeking what God has for us so that when Holy week arrives, we’ll have the courage to bear the crucified Christ. We’ll be able to look into the eyes of a Christ murdered for living fully into love. And by the end of Holy week, we hope our Lenten practices will have prepared us to receive in a new and bolder vision of the risen Christ. We’ll recognize when we see Christ around us in the world. We’ll hear God’s call more clearly and we’ll respond with faith and passion to that call.

Now, that’s a lot of hope to be bound up in 40 days. Most of us can’t give up our biggest vice for a few days. How are we supposed to get from here to there and feel like we’ve experienced that kind of growth? Well, it starts right here. (Hold up ashes)

We start this journey on ash Wednesday with the symbol of ashes for a reason. Ashes are about sorrow and repentance. They also symbolize our own mortality as we are formed from the dust of the earth and to dust we shall return. So, when we receive the ashes, the hope is that it is an outward marker of an inward understanding, and understanding of humility.

When we are humble, we can truly repent because we can truly see the damages we’ve caused by our words, deeds, and deeds left undone. So, a good first step in seeking the holy is cultivating humility. That’s really what the whole of the Matthew passage is about. It’s a guidebook for keeping ourselves humble so we can see God.

And usually that’s what the practices of self-examination and penitence, prayer and fasting, works of love, and reading and meditating on the Word of God are about. The things we give up and the practices we take on for Lent point us toward God.

So this is where we find ourselves this evening. What is it each of us needs to see God more clearly and experience God more fully? What is it that will prepare us to bear witness to what Easter has to offer? Many of us have already chosen Lenten practices that will be of meaning. But I want us to think not only of the practices but of the experience.

So, I’d like to take us on a guided meditation to reflect on how we might seek and find the holy during this time. I realize this might be a bit out of our comfort zones. I know it’s out of mine. But I believe God’s still small voice is bolder than mine will ever be. What God will tell you is what you need. So, as we prepare ourselves, just try to remember that you are in God’s loving arms and the loving arms of God’s community. Whatever is revealed to you is something God and those who love you will help you through.

To begin, I’d like you to know that there are no wrong answers here. There are times in our lives when silence is too much to bear and recognizing that the inner conflict is holy too. So, if you find yourself uncomfortable, ask yourself and God why. If the answer is too big for this moment, then feel free to sing a song in your head or do what you need. This won’t last long and we’re here together.

So, let’s begin. Let’s lower the lights just a bit. Try to relax the tension you feel in your body.

Breathe naturally and you can either close your eyes or just relax your gaze. Remember, there are no wrong experiences here.

Now just let the silence speak to you for a few moments.

I imagine God is already speaking to you but let’s try and focus in. Think on the question, “where is God?” or “where is the holy?”

What things have been getting in the way of experiencing God and the holy? Fear, discontentment, boredom, frustration, embarrassment, hate, fatigue, depression, sadness, greed, self-centeredness… gossip, haunting memories, health problems, our playthings like television and the internet, overscheduled time, underutilized time.

What does God want for you? joy, liberation from fear, guilt, & shame, belonging, courage, vitality, peace, kindness, humility, gratitude, an inner sense of grace, community & connection… to volunteer, to take quiet time in the day, to enter into a different kind of prayer, to seek God in study, to restore God’s temple (your body), to engage in acts of love of both yourself and others.

What small steps can you take to claim what God wants for you during this time? Intentional scheduling, covenanting with a friend for support, making a plan, cutting out something distracting, taking the time to breathe.

What would it take to start out each day with grace and love for yourself and others that God has for us? What would it take to see the holy in others and our everyday lives?



What God’s still small voice tells us right now is true. It is something that will bear fruit in Lent and beyond. This time is about a journey to seek the holy and I believe God is calling. Take what God has shown you and hold onto it. Nurture it in the days and weeks to come. Feed it in the ways God has shown you tonight and will reveal in the time to come.

If we are seeking the holy, I imagine that what will emerge is not just a single Lenten practice but a focus on something that will truly make us better people and stronger community. May God bless this journey and our walk together. Amen.