Baptism and Temptations

Mark 1:9-15

Today is the first Sunday of Lent – the annual period of self-reflection leading to the joy and celebration of Easter.

It is also the Sunday that we hear in the reading about the baptism of Jesus and God’s affirmation that He is His

“well-beloved son.”

It helps remind us of our baptisms, the first sacrament we share with Jesus. Just as it was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, it is the beginning of our life in Christ and compels us to follow His teachings and emulate His life.

Although most of us do not remember our baptism, we relive it each time we witness a baptism, and we have the opportunity to begin anew our life in Christ through our baptismal vows. Indeed, as a family of Christ’s followers, we commit ourselves to try to live the life Jesus taught.

It’s pretty powerful stuff – or at least it can be. We can start again, do better this time, and live up to Christ’s teachings and values.

Following His baptism, Jesus went into the desert for forty days. He did not choose to do this willingly but was driven out into the desert by the Holy Spirit. He was cast into the wilderness to prepare for His great work on earth. He didn’t go to a library or a spa; he went alone into a wilderness with wild beasts, dust, sand, heat during the day, cold during the night, no food, no water for forty days of fasting and prayer. It was a rigorous time, it was a lonely time, it was a time in which most would have turned back, given up from fear or doubt or dread.

During these forty days and nights, we learn that Jesus was tempted by Satan three times:

• When hungry and challenged to turn stones into bread, Jesus replied that

‘we cannot live by bread alone;’

• When in his solitude and powerlessness, Satan taunted him to have the angels catch Him as He threw himself down from the cliff; Jesus reminded us that we should not tempt God;
• Overcome by loneliness and helplessness, Satan offered Jesus the kingdom of the world with all its power and riches; Jesus rebuked Satan, reminding us that we should worship ‘only the Lord our God’ and nothing else.

In the desert, Jesus found the inner strength, calm, and resolve to claim his identity as God’s child and to let the rest of his life – his words, his relationships, and his love, even dying a painful and unjust death on the cross, come from that identity as God’s

‘beloved Son.’

Jesus denied Satan’s three temptations, saying:

Get behind me, Satan!

At that point, he was ready. Jesus came out of the wilderness proclaiming the reign of God had begun.

Jesus suffered and prayed in the desert for forty days and forty nights. And this is why we have Lent.

Does anyone see a pattern of His forty days in the desert and our forty days of Lent?

During those forty days, Jesus was without food and water, being tempted by Satan to prove he was the Son of God. It becomes clear that even with baptism, He (and we) do not get a ‘get out of suffering’ card. We will still have conflict and suffering. Our baptism equips us both for the realities of the wilderness and joyful proclamation at the resurrection. Through prayer and God’s grace, we, too, will get through it.

We have now entered the desert of Lent on our spiritual quest. Lent is not a tame kind of pious self-improvement (giving up something that most people think is good to give up, at least for a time — chocolate, beer, swearing — drop a few pounds and maybe look a little more like what our culture thinks of as ‘good’).

But if we want to experience our Lenten quest fully, we need to realize that our pursuit of these forty days is neither tame nor flippant. Jesus left his family and entered a desert with wild beasts, hunger, bodily discomfort, and all the temptations of Hell – and angels.

And if we strive to follow Him, we should make our Lent a time of fasting, reflection, repentance, searching, and prayer. During our forty days of Lent, we can prepare ourselves for the jubilation of the resurrection of Christ on Easter morning.

Jesus was alone, but we are not alone. We have each other, and we also have something else on our journey – the opportunity to encounter God as Jesus did, to wrap ourselves in God’s word that we are His beloved children, to claim that identity as Jesus did – the only identity that matters –

a child of God.

Lent is not only forty days of centering and reflection; it is about dying to an old identity defined by our culture, traditions, habits, and even our families and being born into a new identity centered in the spirit of God.

It is about dying to our deadness, that daily routine of our lives that we trudge through, oblivious to the needs of others and the call of our Lord. It is a time of reminding ourselves of God’s love. It is a time to be lifted from our confinement, removing those feelings of burden, mortality, fear, and doubt.

How shall we spend these forty days of Lent?

• How about forty days where we truly open ourselves to God through prayer and meditation and invite God to live through us;
• How about forty days where we examine ourselves, our shortcomings, our judgments, our arrogance, and egos, where we face who we are and strive once again to be all that we can be;
• How about forty days in which we remember we are dust, and to dust our bodies will return, but with our spirits transformed by God’s grace, we can live this life and the life to come more fully, embraced in God’s unending love.

So just as we came Wednesday to have ashes in the sign of the cross placed on our foreheads, may we open our hearts, admit our helplessness to save ourselves, and accept the grace and forgiveness that marks us as a child of God with new resolve to be His body on earth.

Let us pray:

O God, you created us in your image and gave us life’s gift. We want to live in a way that will honor you in everything we do; we want to be like Jesus. We want to see the reflection of Christ in the eyes of everyone. We want to be part of the gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit, that lives in each one of us and enables us to share – to share love, to share concern, service, and to be disciples. Bless us on this and every day with the opportunity to be like Jesus and make a difference in the world. And when we are in the wilderness, help us to experience your presence; allow us to know that we, too, are attended by angels and can come out of the wilderness into the world and make a difference in your name.

Amen.

Delivered at In The Garden, Trinity Episcopal Church On Capitol Square, Columbus, OH; 18 February 2024

How Will You Be Remembered?

Proverbs 22:1

In the last few weeks, we have experienced the loss of several residents here at Westminster-Thurber. Loss is not uncommon because of the nature of our facilities, but it still often takes us by surprise. After attending memorial services, I began thinking about what I would like someone to say about me in a eulogy, which prompted this sermon.

What we hear at a funeral or memorial service should give us something to consider as we listen.

****

Ben just came to town as a new rabbi. Unfortunately, his first official duty was to conduct a funeral service for Albert, a man who died in his eighties, with few relatives. Since Ben didn’t know the deceased personally, he paused from his sermon to ask if anyone in the congregation would say something good about Albert. There was no response. Ben asked again: “Many of you have known Albert for years; surely someone can say something nice.” After an uncomfortable pause, a voice from the back of the room said, “Well, his brother was worse.”

That is not what we would like to hear said about us!

If you died tomorrow, what would people say about you?

Would you be proud of how you lived and the choices you made?

If someone looks back on your life years from now, what will they remember about you?

None of us will probably have our names in future history books; what will likely happen is that we will be remembered by those whose lives we’ve touched.

There’s an old saying,

“If you want to know how to live your life, think about what you’d like people to say about you after you die … and live backward.”

The idea is that we earn our eulogy by our everyday actions.

What would you do if told you had ten years to live? Would it change your life? Of course, it would. But what would you do with those ten years? Would you:

• Go wild, lose control, and do anything you want without conscience?
• Sulk and have a big pity party?
• Sit around feeling sorry for yourself in depression?
• Drink and eat more than is reasonable?

We are a product of what we have already been and done in our lifetime. If we did little with our life, we would probably do more of the same – only intensified. We would likely continue the same habits; if we lived a life of substance; we would work at being the best we could be.

We would smell the roses, waste less time on things that have no meaning, value our friendships more, and work harder at things that count and have meaning in our lives.

Our love for those vital to our lives would grow even more. We would start seeing more positivity and less negativity in this world.

We would care more about those in need and help those we can. We would not want to waste a single day and appreciate each day for what it is – a miracle. Would we stop learning and growing as a person? I don’t think so. We will continue to do the same as we are now, but only with the awareness that time is short.

One area that does seem to change for people in this situation is their spiritual life. Most of us don’t want to give much thought to the dreaded ‘life after death.’ If told the end is near, we will naturally think about it. Gaining a sense of oneness with our Creator certainly is a comfort. Maybe it’s the most important thing anyone can do in this situation [or any situation]. There is no lasting peace and comfort with money, achievements, titles, hobbies, or endless TV.

In his book, When Everything You Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough, Harold Kushner writes:

“Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter so the world will be at least a little different for our having passed through it.”

So what would you do?

• Live to be remembered for the important things.
• Live to be remembered for giving up your rights and your possessions for the benefit of others.
• Live for acts of kindness that lighten the load of hurting and weary people.

‘At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel.’

There’s a lot of truth in the paraphrased quote from Maya Angelou. You can probably remember your childhood, neighbors, classmates, or teachers who made you feel good, and others who did not feel great.

But the focus today is not on others; it’s on you. How are you making other people feel as you navigate your daily life? Do you cause those you encounter to feel better about themselves and the world around them? Or are you giving off a vibe that is, at best, neutral or even a little negative?

People want to be remembered for different reasons:

1. Some people wish to leave a lasting legacy.
2. Others may want to know how they make others feel and how those around them treat them.
3. Others want to be remembered for being selfless, caring, compassionate, kind, loving, patient, and understanding.

Ultimately, people remember others depending on their actions, character, and impact on others.

How do you want to be remembered?

We hear in Proverbs 22:1:

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”

We all agree it would be nice if those we encountered felt better about crossing our path. If we could

“…reach the hearts of others and give them something that will broaden and enrich their lives. The desire that every person be open and alive to higher inspirations and filled with beauty and truth so splendid that it elevates their soul.”[1]

Well, that sounds like a lot, you might think. I want others to feel better and elevate the people I encounter. But elevate their souls? How does that work?

There is a simple guide to follow, one you can start using right now. It consists of three keywords, all with an action we can take daily with each person we encounter. They are:

• Recognize
• Encourage
• Praise
  
  
• Recognize those you know and don’t with eye contact, a warm smile, and, when appropriate, a “hello” or friendly greeting. Chat with anyone with the time to engage with you and, most importantly, listen to them. From that point, you can take the next step and add encouragement or praise to the mix.
  
  
• Encourage those who need a kind word, who appear to be having a rough day, and anyone needing uplifting. Do something as simple as a “keep up the good work” to a gardener, a heartfelt word for an overworked waitress, or silently wishing all you encounter happiness.
  
  
• Praise those doing something/anything of value, even complimenting the barista at the coffee shop or commenting positively on a coworker’s fashion choice.[2]

Each of us walks through life engaged in our ‘ministry.’ Our ministry encompasses “how we live our lives” and “how we handle situations, our values and ideals, goals, and the way we strive to attain them.” Most importantly, our ministry revolves around “how we treat others.”

I encourage you today to lend a smile or a kind word to someone; you may be pleasantly surprised by the response. You don’t need a reason to be kind. Allow God’s love to shine through you and be a path of righteousness for others.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, You are the ultimate example of goodness, and we want to be more like you. Give us the courage to share kindness with a world that is so much in need of your love. Allow goodness to flow through us so we bless others because of Christ in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 Delivered at Ohio Living Westminster Terrace and Thurber Tower, Columbus, OH; 11 February 2024

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[1]      Tom Rapas, Wake Up Call

[2]      John Templeton, Worldwide Laws of Life, 200 Eternal Spiritual Principles