Sunday Worship - The First Sunday of Lent
Our services on the First Sunday of Lent are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11.00 am at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find the Gospel, a short reflection and a prayer below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Wait for the Lord (Taize)
The Gospel
Luke 4: 1-13 The Temptation of Jesus
After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written,
'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and
'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Reflection
Today’s reading comes right at the beginning of Lent. A time when after the excess of Shrove Tuesday, people often make resolutions give things up for Lent. Often things such as eating chocolates, toffees, or other treats. At first, it may seem easy to put aside some of these indulgences especially if there are other incentives such as health benefits or saving money. But as time goes by it can get harder to resist our desires. The temptation seems too much.
But there are many other sorts of temptations we might also want to reflect on, such as talking about people behind their back, bending the rules a little because it benefits us, losing our temper when stressed or being judgemental about others, (particularly if it’s about folk less fortunate than ourselves who we don’t even know). Not least there are temptations of omission, for example when we fail to speak out against wrongs or inappropriate behaviour because they don’t want to stand out. We may even be tempted to excuse our behaviour by blaming cultural norms.
When you read Luke 4 it would be easy to think that Jesus was tested by the devil only 3 times. However, if you read closely, you will see that Jesus was tempted for all of the 40 days. The final three tests that are specifically mentioned were aimed at coaxing Jesus display his identity in self-serving ways. The devil even uses the words of the scriptures to try and trap Jesus. But Jesus also knows the word of His Father and that if he gave in to temptation, it would undermine his identity as the Son who relies on the good gifts of the Father and who must be free from all sin to enable him to die for us and free us from our sins.
The reality is similar for us – temptation is all around us every hour of every day and we too need to sometimes pause and take a moment to think if what we are doing, saying or thinking is right. Regrettably we will not always get it right, but we are fortunate that when we don’t, we can turn to Jesus for his love and forgiveness. Paul
Our Prayers
