No Shortcuts- Speaking to the Soul, February 14, 2016

Temptation is testing. There are some famous points in the Bible that deal with temptation, the most obvious being Adam and Eve in the Garden. Now what’s interesting is that in Luke, right before this reading we have this week, Luke lists the genealogy of Jesus, and it ends with Adam. How did Adam deal with temptation? He failed, decided he knew better than God, and was expelled from paradise. Jesus, who is sometimes termed “the new Adam,” is not going to fail, and through this victory, humanity is going to be redeemed.

The obvious parallel to Jesus being tested for forty days is the Israelites being tested and punished for 40 years in the wilderness. So wilderness would be the next key symbol. And this is consistent with the comparison between Jesus and Moses that is a feature of Luke. Moses’ leadership was tested in the wilderness; Jesus’s fitness to be the true Messiah will be tested.  Here the wilderness is where you can not only meet God but meet Satan. John lived and preached in the wilderness. So the wilderness is a place of trial—and temptation.

All 3 synoptic gospels record this temptation—it is found in Matthew 4:1-1, Mark 1:12-13, and even Hebrews 4:15. In the gospel stories, the temptations all occur at the start of Jesus’ public ministry, which makes sense. You wouldn’t sell a prototype aircraft unless there had been testing to make sure it is safe and performs according to expectation. What makes Luke’s account different? Luke begins and ends the action of his gospel in the Temple, and that is also where Jesus’ temptations ends up, after Satan whisks him away to the top of the Temple. There are no angels ministering to Jesus here. Also Luke does not have Jesus taken up to a mountain to see all the kingdoms—in Luke, mountains are where one meets God, not Satan.

So why were each of these things so tempting? A temptation only works if it is something we would actually be able to do. Jesus COULD turn stones into bread. Jesus COULD have seized power as an earthly ruler—and in fact, that’s what many of his disciples, including possibly Judas, expected him to do—and they were gravely disappointed when he refused the role of political revolutionary against Rome. Jesus COULD have done tricks with the expectation that God would save him from harm.

Those three temptations the devil is going to present Jesus with are three alternative histories or paths, shortcuts which would appear to be capable of being used to achieve great good. Feeding the hungry by making loaves of bread pop up out of the stones scattered about? Having God’s son exercise political power and drive out all oppressors with their false gods? Having God prove himself? Wouldn’t all of these things be amazing?

But these are not what God has planned. God’s kingdom on earth will be established through different means—not according to what WE would want, but by establishing that “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Jesus turns aside each temptation with scripture, including the temptation drawn from today’s psalm, and even the devil quotes scripture in a great game of Biblical one-upmanship. Jesus’s source is Deuteronomy. In response to the temptation of bread, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3—“He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

            In response to the temptation of political power in exchange for worshipping the devil, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13—“The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear.” 

            In response to the temptation to test God, the devil quotes today’s Psalm, 91:11-12, the very words that ancient Jews inscribed on magic amulets used by people in danger, particularly pregnant women—“For he will command his angels concerning you
 to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up,
 so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus responds with Deuteronomy 6:16—“Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.”  This refers to the incident in Exodus 17 where the people murmured against God, and God had Moses make water flow by striking a rock with his staff.

The devil gives up temporarily here, but not for good. As we enter Lent, we have to remember that temptation is all around, and seduces by offering the easy way, the shortcut. It’s not the big things that usually tempt us—it’s the little ones. We are tempted most when we rationalize taking a shortcut as a way to make things easier for ourselves, even if others would be hurt. All it costs us is a little piece of our integrity. All it costs us is deciding that we know better what is good for us in the short-term versus sacrificing now for the sake of the long-term. Lent calls us to trust God to be God—and to know that God is with us through trials and temptations. Deliver us from shortcuts; save us from the time of testing.

(This was first published on Episcopal Cafe's Speaking to the Soul for February 14, 2016.)

Prayer 1118- for the First Sunday in Lent

Lord God, we gather together around your altars this day, to purify our hearts and minds, and give thanks for your mercy. Accept our heartfelt offerings as we place our lives before You, that we may serve You with humbleness and compassion. 

We thank You for abiding with us in the wilderness of our hearts, and attending to all our needs. Feed us with the bread of life and hope, that we be strengthened and unified to worship You. Let us seek not to rule but to serve You and each other, uplifted by the grace and mercy of Christ. Holy One, You are our Rock; we rest secure in your embrace, and fasten all our devotion upon You, our Savior. 

Bless and keep us throughout this day, O God, and envelop those we now pray for with your mercy.

Amen.

Prayer 1117- trust in God

In times of trouble and in times of joy, our prayer is always to You, O God, my Creator and Sustainer. In darkness or in light, your light and love is ever before us, Lord Christ; we will always press your steadfast love to our hearts. 

Let me always put my trust in God my Savior: You uphold me and are never shaken. 

Though tumult and storm swirl about, You have called us into community, O Holy One, and knit us together in love and hope. The wings of the Spirit shield and shelter us, and call us to embody your compassion in the world. 

Hear, O God, the prayers of those whose hope is not in our own worthiness but in You alone, and your Love.

Amen.

Prayer 1116

A detail from a lovely Emil Frei window at St. Stephen's church in Ferguson.

(inspired by Psalm 103)

O God, all that is within us blesses you and your holy Name, and we remember your blessings, one by one. Forgive us our sins against You, O Merciful one, and heal all our iniquities. Crown us with your mercy and forgiveness, and help us to likewise open our hearts to our brothers and sisters. Renew our strength to persevere, and lay your hand upon our heads in consecration that we may bear your Name with honor and righteousness. Grant peace and encouragement this day, O God, for all whom we remember at this hour.

Amen.

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Prayer 1115

The light of evening prayer in the chapel of Holy Communion.

Gracious Lord, You are our light and our hope: accept our prayers and praises as we seek to do your will. Help us acknowledge our failures to love, and sustain us in turning away from wrongdoing and faithlessness. Open our hearts to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, that by your grace we may serve You and each other. May we be marked by your love and mercy, Lord Christ, that we bear your witness into the world. Extend the shelter of your wings over those who are in need of comfort and healing, O Merciful One, for You are our Hope and our Light.

Amen.

Prayer 1114- For Ash Wednesday

St. Francis Contemplating a Skull, Francisco de Zurburan, 1635, St Louis Art Museum.

For Ash Wednesday
As dawn parts the curtain of night, let us fall upon our knees before our Creator and Redeemer. 

Lord God, we confess to You all our sins- those done by us, and those done in our name. 

We confess to You all our ruptured relationships, sundered by fear, loss of hope, and idolatry of self. 

May we renounce our casual acceptance of the pain of others in the name of our own comfort. 

May we seek forgiveness, that we rededicate ourselves to being healing hands in the world. Let us purify our souls, and be strengthened to walk in the pathways of holiness and righteousness. 

Refine us, renew us, O Merciful One: our hearts are outstretched like open hands, to be charged with your grace and light. 

We pray now for all who seek You, and for all who put their trust in You, Gracious Savior.

Amen.

Breathing Out, Giving In: Speaking to the Soul, February 9, 2015

Transfigured Light, St. Martin's Church, Ellisville.

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras— which includes a lot of strange customs for this girl who grew up in the buckle of the incredibly Protestant Bible Belt.  St. Louis, although usually being as frozen at this time of year as a barrel of brass monkeys, is also strangely home to a Mardi Gras celebration marinated in the pale, midwestern version of excesses one normally only finds in New Orleans—but with added possibility of frostbite along the parade route to give the tradition that extra little kick. Laissez le bon temps rouler, indeed. I have also finally grown accustomed to the disorienting eating-of-pancakes-drowning-in-syrup in the darkness that only 6 pm in the middle of winter can bring. The sausage only partially redeems this custom for me, because breakfast belongs in the morning in my mind, and I just can’t shake it. If the point of this custom was to get rid of the sweet rich foods lying around the house, I’d as lief eat cheesecake. Say, now-- there’s an idea I could really get behind.

But besides all the eating and the parading and the collecting of plastic beads that has become much of the public face of this day, usually sundered from any of its religious meaning, there’s another point. “Shrove” comes from “shrive”—an old English word that means “absolution” or “forgiveness.” It is on this day that we prepare to enter the season of Lent, and that we are encouraged to take stock of any sins we have committed, any repentance we need to make. It is also a time when many of us who attempt to observe a holy Lent are often prone to “give something up” for Lent: swearing, or drinking soda pop, or chocolate, or electronics. Some of us fast from all food or simply meat on Ash Wednesday and on Friday. The taking on of such a special discipline is meant to help us focus our priorities during the 40 days of Lent, from being reminded of our mortality on Ash Wednesday through the somberness of Holy Week, to emerge in the glorious resurrection light of Easter.

There’s a special challenge in making promises like this at this time of year.  It’s cold, and no matter what the groundhog said, we know that the hope of spring can seem stubbornly distant, even with Earth at its perihelion in its wobbly orbit around the sun. Perhaps it’s another way to have a go at peeling away something unhealthy amidst the tattered remains of many a New Year's resolution. But what if we looked at this from another angle? What if we thought of this as a chance for true repentance—a literal turning from away from one thing in hope of something better? Rather than giving up, what if we set an intention for ourselves to give in, with an emphasis on the word “give?” What if we used this Lent as a chance to give in, to look in, to lean in--- to try to surrender fears, attitudes, and failures of heart that separate us from the love of God we are called to embody, to take into our very heart and soul and mind. When we surrender these things, there is then a space hollowed out in our hearts that can be filled with Christ.

At a time when life can feel as small and cool as a stone, Lent can be a time to release the heavy weight of fear that infests so much of our public and private narratives. It is no accident that the glorious reminder of the Transfiguration still dances in our mind's eye today as we are called to repentance. So let's take a deep breath with each other today. Seek out and welcome being shriven. Let Lent be the slow exhale that purifies and lightens, that opens the way for the risen Christ to be breathed in, to fill us when we emerge on the other side with light and life.

This was first published on Episcopal Cafe's Speaking to the Soul for February 9, 2016.)

Prayer 1113- on Shrove Tuesday

Blessed One, we thank You for watching over us through the watches of the night. Let us praise the One who sets our feet upon solid rock, and rejoice in our unity in the fellowship of God. May we seek to reflect your light in our words and our work, bearing the banner of love and building the foundations of peace. 

Lord, accept our humble repentance for all our wrongs, both against You and against each other, and purify and renew our hearts in You. When we are tested and tried, may we fasten our hearts on the steadfast love of Christ, who walks alongside us always. When we are wearied and worried by the cares of this world, may we center ourselves within the embrace of the Holy One. 

Rooted and strengthened in the mercy of God, we lay our hopes and prayers at your feet, O Redeemer.

Amen.

Prayer, day 1112

(inspired by Matthew 18:10-20)

O Shepherd, we give thanks that You call us each by name: help us to turn to You in faithfulness when You call. Guard us from the wolf at the door and the wolf within our hearts. All like sheep we have gone astray, yet You have brought us through the perils of the bramble and the snare. Hear us when we cry to You, and lift us upon your shoulders when we grow weary. Bring us to the day when we sing out our joy at the recovery of the lost, for You are ever seeking us out in steadfast love. Enfold us within your arms, O Loving One, and with a word banish all our cares and pain, for our trust is in You. Hear the concerns of our hearts as we pray to You for our beloveds.

Amen.

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Prayer 1111- On the Transfiguration

Dome from the basilica on Mt. Tabor, Israel.

We rise from our beds to witness your glory, Lord Christ, and gather before you in prayer, thanksgiving, and awe. Let your light and your truth wash over us, O Savior, that the eyes of our hearts may be opened to your radiance. 

May we proclaim your gospel throughout the world and in our lives, and witness to your transforming love. May we be filled with your holy light, that we be known as your children by our love and faithfulness, O God. Transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, may we be your heart in the world, Lord Christ. 

Send forth the power of the Holy Spirit, O Holy One, upon all of us who need thy grace, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1110- a prayer for the loss of a friend's daughter

Calla lily on the grounds of Mission San Carlos Borroméo del río Carmelo, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

In peace, we pray to You, Lord Christ, our hearts and faces upturned and open to your glory. Holy One, You are our shepherd; we therefore have no reason to be afraid. 

You gather us into your arms, blessed Jesus, and carry us in safety and love. We rest within your mighty embrace, O Redeemer; You cover us in the mantle of your grace and truth. Each breath we take is precious in your sight, O God; you know our lying down and our rising up. We know that we are yours forever; nothing can separate us from the love and mercy of God our Savior. 

You strengthen the trembling; You comfort those who mourn; You bear within You those who have fallen. We can endure and overcome all things through Christ; in You we root our trust and our hope. 

Holy One, we place before you the names and cares of all who call upon You this day, and ask that You grant them peace and solace.

Amen.

Prayer 1109- A prayer of gratitude

Yesterday was the birthday of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. May he rest in peace, and rise in glory.

In peace and thanksgiving, we gather before You in prayer, O God and Creator of all. Inscribe a song in our hearts, O Spirit: a song of peace, a song of hope, a song of faith, a song of gratitude. 

Let us be refreshed by the cooling waters of your Truth, O Holy One, and fed by your Wisdom. Let us seek to lift each other up rather than tear each other down, honoring the beauty and dignity in every being. Let us be steadfast, true, and compassionate, bearing each other's burdens and drying each other's tears, reflecting Christ's love in every thing. 

Our hearts upraised in prayer and open to receive your word and extol your sustaining love in creation, we rest within your grace, Lord Christ. Send forth your healing Spirit to rest upon those whom we now name, we pray.

Amen.

Prayer, day 1108- a time for everything

O Merciful One, we know that there is a time for everything, for our times are in your hand.

Someone's hopeful, Lord--and You are with them: May they know your presence.

Someone's laughing, Lord-- and You are with them: May they know your presence.

Someone's crying, Lord-- and You are with them: May they know your presence.

Someone's troubled, Lord-- and You are with them: May they know your presence.

Someone's being born, Lord--and You are with them: May they know your presence.

Someone's dying, Lord-- and You are with them: May they know your presence.

With the hands you have given us to do your will, we raise up these names today and ask your care to rest upon them.

Amen.

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Prayer 1107-for trust in God

Half Dome, Yosemite Valley.

Lord Jesus, we bend the knees of our hearts before You, and seek to give you thanks and honor with all our being. 

O God, You are our Rock: place us in the cleft of your protection as the storms of life pass by us, we pray. You set us upon the Higher Ground of your love and faithfulness, and we trust in your mercy and loving-kindness. 

Deliver us from hardness of heart, and guide us into forgiveness and compassion, to walk in the Way of Jesus. Let us walk gently upon the earth and gently with each other, as You, O Holy One, have taught us. United in our love for You, O Spirit of the Living God, we offer our souls, our selves, and our prayers before You. 

Remembering your goodness, abiding in your promises of mercy, we lift up these beloveds before You.

Amen.

Prayer 1106

O God, you are our refuge and our strength, ever-abiding with us in times of trouble; we put our faith in You. We give you thanks for your saving deeds, for You who number the stars also cherish each breath in our bodies. 

May we remember that in turbulence and trials You, O Holy One, seek to calm the crashing waves in our hearts. Help us to reconcile to all whom we have sinned against, and to all who have sinned against us, Lord Christ. May we answer your call to return to your embrace, as a child runs back to the embrace of his mother. 

You hold us fast, O God, you hold us fast: may we sigh and turn into your love in trust and in peace. Accept our prayers for our loved ones, especially those we now name.

Amen.

Prayer 1105

The road taken.

Almighty Creator, this day is a gift from you, and we sing out praises for your blessings upon us! We thank you for a blue-true dream of sky, and remember your handiwork in all that is made, O God. Encircle us with your protection and inspire us by your lovingkindness, that we may serve you this day. Guide us into ways of wisdom and peace, that we may dance at the foundations of your kingdom. As angels attended you in the wilderness, Lord Christ, send forth angels to stroke the brows of those who weep our mourn. Bend near, O Holy One, to receive our offered hearts, and to hear our whispered prayers. We lift up especially those we now name.

Amen.