Is There a Way Out of the Wilderness?

Genesis 2:15-17;3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11

NO 02/10/08 MW

The Genesis Story

I love the book of Genesis.  I regret that I've allowed what little Hebrew learned in seminary to float away as if would never be used.  This book has a little of everything in it.  It is almost a survey course on the entire Bible and it allows us to see what it means to be creatures rather than gods.  It sets the foundation for us to see, without doubt, that we need a Redeemer and how no matter how good we think we are or how hard we try we experience salvation at the hands of a Redeeming Lord rather than our own cunning and goodness.

It is a book that raises many unanswerable questions that we tend to make up answers to in order to feel like we know what going on.  Questions like:

• If God really didn't want those first folks to eat from the tree of good and evil why not just have it outside the garden?
• How did the serpent know that they would not die if they ate of this special fruit?
• How is it that it is nakedness that is the first good and evil?

Oh, I can go on but it just this sort of thing throughout the Book of Genesis – a book of relationships between Creator and created and between created and created.

The Hebrew Bible reading this morning sets the stage for our Gospel reading.  We have the picture of temptation as it came through the centuries.  It is a story that Jesus would have know well and would have been told over and over to remind him of the Creator.

Our Genesis story is one of how easy it is to give into temptation – and when we do we enter the wilderness.

The Jesus Scene

Jesus has just been baptized by John and we often say, “And he went into the wilderness.”  Well, Jesus didn't just head for the wilderness as a good idea of his own.  We are told that he was led by the Holy Spirit – I suspect the the Spirit grabbed him and brought him into the wilderness.  For forty days and nights he was there – like Moses on the mountaintop and Elijah as he prepared for his ministry.

At his most famished and tired, Jesus is met by evilness, by the Tempter – Satan.  Another spirit that has powers beyond anything we can imagine.  And he makes Jesus offers that few if any would refuse. He offers Jesus:

• Physical comfort.  This is offered in such a manner that Jesus would have an opportunity to show off his God-given powers.  Just change the stones into bread and be satisfied.
• Spiritual comfort.  Just jump and watch the angels rush to your aid.  Prove to yourself that nothing can happen to you – you can know with certainty who you are – just jump.
• Kingship and Partnership.  Everything we know as this world would be given to Jesus.  He would rule it all.  David would be nothing compared to him.  Solomon would be just a poor excuse as a ruler in memory compared to Jesus.  Just worship Satan and have it all.

Jesus pulls from the Book of Law, Deuteronomy, to respond and reject these powerful temptations.

I don't know about you but I can tell you that I have given into temptations that near as luring as these and yet I didn't say no to myself and yes to God. 

The Subtleness of Temptations

Kevin Miller, editor at large of Leadership Journal, shares thoughts written by Henri Nouwen about the subtleness of temptations for clergy and perhaps for churches that are really important.  There are three temptations that he identifies that snare most of us.  Let me share his thoughts:

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership:

1. The temptation to be relevant.

2. The temptation to be popular by doing something remarkable.

3. The temptation to be powerful in your leadership, to lead rather than be led.

This week you and I probably will be sent brochures promoting conferences that will help us and our churches do precisely this: become relevant, do something remarkable, and lead boldly. Such conferences offer many helpful insights, and I've benefited from some. But pause and reflect on the fact that Jesus regularly refused to do miracles on demand (John 6:26-31), that he asked many of the people who did receive his miracles not to talk about them (Mark 5:41-43), that he said some things almost certain to drive people away (John 6:53, 60, 61). And ultimately he was led away, like a lamb to the butcher.

I don't like those facts. I want to be relevant, a leader who does something remarkable. The question is, Why?

The answer, if I can peer through the murky silt and see the bottom of my spirit, is that I want to be liked, noticed, significant. I thought my drives were all about ministry for God, but it turns out they're only a little about God and a whole lot about me.

As Nouwen puts it simply and piercingly: "The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus?"

Do I love Jesus? Really? If the answer is "mostly" or "somewhat," what has displaced my first, full love? Maybe a desire to be a Christian leader who does something relevant and remarkable.

But if the answer to "Do I love Jesus?" is an unqualified yes, then no matter how uncertain and frustrated I am, no matter how insignificant and unremarkable the current ministry, God will one day tell me, with equal certainty, "Well done!"

—Kevin A. Miller is editor at large of Leadership Journal. To reply, write Newsletter@LeadershipJournal.net.

 What Might This Mean to Us at New Oregon UMC?

What are some subtle and not-so-subtle temptations that we face and how are we going to respond?

            Church Growth

The Pastor-Parish Relations Committee in consultation with me have set a couple of extremely important goals for our church for 2008:

• An attendance increase of 5%.  We averaged 96 for morning worship in 2007 and so we have set as a goal to have at least an attendance of 101 this year.  We can go beyond that if the Spirit desires us to do so.
• We have a goal of twelve new members.  Now, here is the part that I want everyone to hear – we set as a goal that a minimum of 6 of the new members be by profession of faith.  This means that we will be inviting persons who may have had no exposure to church-life.
• Temptation: Leave these goals up to the pastor.  It's the pastor's job to see that the church grows.  That's what he gets paid to do.
• Reality: The job of sharing our faith and inviting others, especially those without a Christ relationship, belongs to all of us.  Jesus did not call you to come into his Kingdom and then become satisfied and comfortable. He called you to witness for him.

            Church Giving

Our Charge Conference decided to pass a budget larger than that of 2007 even though our giving did not reach the budget goal last year.  It may seem foolish to many that we would take such action but we did and I'm glad we did.  Reverend Joe Elmore talks about how the church does not need your money but you need to give to the church.  This year we need $2,369.48 per Sunday to meet the budget.  This will be most difficult as long as we have a few who carry the financial load and a few who give nothing to our church.  I don't know who you are but I know how churches work.  We need for every member to give and to Tithe.

• Temptation: to give to the church what you think you can afford.  Most United Methodist give to the church after they have spent for their needs and desires and if anything is left over they will put some into the offering if they are present. We tend to not give when we are absent and we tend to give what's left over: two very dangerous practices.
• Reality: Jesus makes it clear that stewardship is a necessary part of being a disciple.  Tithing and Offering are not the same.  Tithing is giving God a tenth of what we earn – or what God has given us to be stewards of in life.
• Reality of Giving by Being Led: If you will go home and pray about your offering to the church and ask, “God, what do you want me to give?” then give as led, I suspect the church will not have to worry about finances for all our programs and missions.

Conclusion

The original question is if there is a way out of the wilderness.  Why, some will say, “I didn't even know I was in the wilderness.  Any time we are listening to voices other than God we are in the wilderness.  So, in one sense, being human means that we will live in the wilderness all our lives.  However, as we commit and re-commit ourselves to walk God's path we are moving the direction of the promised land.  As we listen to the Spirit of our Lord, we are in the Kingdom even when we don't see it perfectly.

Jesus had the opportunity to be satisfied, comfortable and powerful while living in the wilderness but he chose to walk toward Jerusalem instead.  He could have lived a different life where he put his needs first and ours last.  Instead, he put our needs first and his last.  Jesus lived an upside down life and he tells us the way out of the wilderness is to join him in living his way.  “Yes!” there is a way out of the wilderness even while living in it – Follow Jesus!  Amen.