Listen to Readings and Sermon The Good News Written Lent 1 From the wisdom of Charles Fillmore: Prayer does not change God — it changes us. Sincere desire is a form of prayer. Deep desire is essential for spiritual growth. It is desire — earnest, intense desire — that draws the whole being up out [...]
Listen to Readings and Sermon
The Good News Written
Lent 1
From the wisdom of Charles Fillmore:
Prayer does not change God — it changes us. Sincere desire is a form of prayer. Deep desire is essential for spiritual growth. It is desire — earnest, intense desire — that draws the whole being up out of mortality and its transient joys into the power to appreciate and receive real spiritual blessings. This is a demonstration, the proving of a Truth principle in one’s body and affairs. It is the manifestation of an ideal when its accomplishment has been brought about by one’s conformity in thought, word, and act, to the creative principle of God.
Luke 4.1-13 (NCV)
1Jesus, filled with the holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert 2where the [accuser] tempted Jesus for forty days. Jesus ate nothing during that time, and when those days were ended, he was very hungry.
3The [temper] said to Jesus, “If you are the son of God, tell this rock to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘A person does not live on bread alone.’”
5Then the [tempter] took Jesus and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant.6The [evil one] said to Jesus, “I will give you all these kingdoms and all their power and glory. It has all been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. 7If you worship me, then it will all be yours.”
8Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘You must worship… your God only.’”
9Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the son of God, jump down. 10It is written in the Scriptures:
‘[God] has put… angels in charge of you to watch over you.’
11It is also written:
‘They will catch you in their hands
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’ “
12Jesus answered, “But it also says in the Scriptures: ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’”
13After the [accuser] had tempted Jesus in every way, he left him to wait until a better time.
The Good News Proclaimed
Preached by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins at the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, February 21, 2010.
We pray every Sunday during the Lord’s Prayer (which we reflected on extensively during our Ash Wednesday service), “Lead us not into temptation.”
But today, we see Jesus being led into the wilderness where he does in fact face temptations. But whereas the spirit leads Jesus out of the place that is comfortable, familiar, out of what he has always known (and that feels like a wilderness experience), it isn’t God’s spirit that is offering the temptations. The spirit has led Jesus into the new and unknown; it is something else entirely that tempts Jesus to take short cuts along the way. Luke shows us today how Jesus overcame these temptations, and how we might as well.
1st Temptation — Turn these rocks into bread.
Jesus responds (Deut. 8.3), “One does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from God.” Luckily, Jesus knew scripture well enough that he could use to help himself, rather than allow others use it to keep him down.
2nd Temptation — I will give you power and wealth if you worship me.
Jesus responds (Deut. 6.13), “Revere and serve God only.”
3rd Temptation — Try to hurt yourself, for the scriptures say, “God will order angels to protect you” and “They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone” (Psalm 91.11-12).
Jesus responds (Deut. 6.16), “Do not test your God…” Continue reading »
