At the end of this brief segment of the epistle, St. Paul tells us why this is important: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all…..” We are being reminded here that all human beings are children of G_d. All bear the divine image that demands our respect.
Any distinctions we might want to make - like race and ethnicity, religious or political creed, sexuality, places of origin – are ultimately exercises of a tyrannical ego that feels a need to separate people into categories and thereafter assert the superiority of our own tribe vis-à-vis others. Sadly, this often occurs in the name of Christ. But whatever else it might be, this common behavior is not the Way of Jesus.
So how near is the word to us? Is it on our lips, in our
hearts and does it show forth in our lives? Where do we feel compelled to draw
distinctions among the children of G_d, distinctions which always serve our
need to feel superior? How conscious are we of these tendencies? Lent is a good
time to reflect on this.
Nations Built by Immigrants
The Hebrew Scripture lesson for today features an Abraham,
who is the father of the Hebrew people, reciting the tribal history:
"A wandering Aramean
was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in
number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the
Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we
cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our
voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm…”
Abraham prompts us to consider our own ancestral lineage. We live in a nation built by immigrants. With the exception of the Native Americans, we are all descendants of immigrants. Some came for opportunities. Many came to escape oppression.
In times past our nation remembered that history with a
spirit of gratitude. It is reflected by the plaque at the foot of the Statue of
Liberty in New York City’s harbor, dedicated in 1903, containing the lyrical
words of poet Emma Lazarus: "
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
“You shall set [this
offering] down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God.
Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall
celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to
your house.”
Note how G_d instructs the Hebrew people to treat those
“aliens who reside among” them. G-d’s people are to share the bounty of the
land with all who dwell therein, recognizing that whatever offering they would
bring is ultimately a gift from the G_d who is the source of all blessings.
So how near is the word to us? Is it on our lips, in our
hearts and does it show forth in our lives? Where do we feel compelled to draw
distinctions among the children of G_d, distinctions which always serve our
need to feel superior? How conscious are we of these tendencies? Lent is a good
time to reflect on this.
Luke’s Gospel provides us with the account of Jesus’
temptations in the desert. Jesus has just had a life-changing encounter at the
Jordan River. He now knows who he is and what he has been called to do. Not
surprisingly, this is all more than he can handle at that moment and so he
escapes the crowds surrounding John the Baptiser and goes into the desert to
reflect on this new life.
It is in the desert that Jesus encounters the Satan, a
Hebrew word for the tempter, the tester, the accuser and – my favorite as a
recovering public defender – the prosecutor. And the temptations here should
sound very familiar to us.
The Satan challenges a hungry Jesus to turn stones into
bread, a focus on wealth and privilege that would seem a no-brainer in a
consumerist culture such as our own. But Jesus says no, “One does not live by
bread alone.” There is more to life than simply material abundance. Contrary to
common wisdom, the one who dies with the most toys does not win.
The Satan then offers Jesus a bargain. Jesus is shown the kingdoms of the world and told he could be in charge of all of them if he is willing to worship the Satan. In a culture where power without restraints is worshipped and its employment without concern for who is harmed by it is the stuff of everyday news, accepting this bargain would seem obvious.
But the kingdom of G_d that Jesus will lay out in his life
and ministry, teaching his followers to pray that it come on earth as in
heaven, is not about exercising power over others. It’s not about the worship
of temporal power. It’s not about seeing those holders of power in messianic
terms. Jesus’ response to the Satan is clear: Serve only the G-d who is the
source and creator of all living beings. As such that places restraints on any
use of power, particularly that which harms vulnerable peoples and the good
Creation.
So how near is the word to us? Is it on our lips, in our hearts and does it show forth in our lives? Where do we feel compelled to draw distinctions among the children of G_d, distinctions which always serve our need to feel superior? How conscious are we of these tendencies? Lent is a good time to reflect on this.
Much to Consider in the Next Six Weeks...
These lessons today offer us much to consider
over the next six weeks. I believe what G_d wants from us is not an extended
session of pummeling ourselves over our human imperfections, an often
unrecognized exercise in narcissism, laboring under the misapprehension that we must do this
for G_d to forgive us.
But none of us have to do this. There has never been a single
part of any of us that our Creator did not love. What we are called to do this
Lent is to reflect upon our lives individually and collectively and then to act
in the light of that contemplation.
Holy One, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect, I Lent, Year C)
[A sermon preached Sunday, March 09, 2025 for the Lenten Retreat, Third Order Society of St. Francis, at Holy Names Monastery, St. Leo, Florida]
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Harry
Scott Coverston
Orlando,
Florida
If the unexamined life is not worth living, surely an unexamined belief system, be it religious or political, is not worth holding. Most things worth considering do not come in sound bites.
For what does G-d require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d? - Micah 6:8, Hebrew Scriptures
Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. - Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Wisdom of the Jewish Sages (1993)
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