“Lent - A Time to Change!”
Rev. Dennis Ryle
This is the complete service, with some beautiful quotes from Thomas Aquinis and Mary Oliver.
Welcome. On this first Sunday in Lent we are again guided by a gift from the Vanderbilt Library’s Revised Common Lectionary presentation.
In acknowledging the Noongar Whadjuk nation on whose country we worship, we endeavour to reflect on a little knowledge that has been willingly shared with us. Here is the "Zamia Palm" or "Burrawang," - a species of cycad native to Western Australia. It's a distinctive plant that has been around since the time of dinosaurs and is part of the ancient cycad family, which has existed for over 200 million years.
It has a stout, trunk-like structure that often lies beneath the ground, with large, glossy, pinnate leaves that can grow up to 2 meters long.
Like other cycads, it produces cones. Male and female cones grow on separate plants (dioecious).
It thrives in sandy and well-drained soils, commonly found in open woodlands and shrublands in its native range.
Indigenous Australians have traditionally used the seeds of the Zamia Palm for food, though they require careful preparation to remove toxins.
We are in the Bunuru season or “second Summer,” the “season of adolescence, " which coincides with a period of growth and transformation. Just as adolescence is a time of significant change and development in human life, Bunuru represents a time when the environment undergoes noticeable changes. The hot and dry conditions of Bunuru create a unique set of challenges and opportunities, similar to how adolescence involves navigating new experiences and transitions.
In Noongar culture, Bunuru marks a time of adaptation and preparation, aligning with the idea of growing and evolving during adolescence. The season's abundance of resources and the movement towards coastal areas mirror the way adolescents explore and adapt to their changing surroundings. Perhaps each occasion of Lent represents such a time for us.
Today we reflect on the change in Jesus’ circumstances as he moves from anonymity to strong public presence, marked by his 40 days of testing in the wilderness following his baptism in the Jordan.
Community Candle
Call to Worship
Global Refugee Mural by Joel Berner
Contemplate this visual, notice the responses of heart, mind and body, and the dream of Shalom articulated in the ancient Hebrew text.
Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you. Deuteronomy 26:11
Let this be our call to worship as we sing
“Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer” TiS 569
Claiming Trust
“Guardian Angel” Antonskirche, Vienna
For he will command his angels … to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, … you will not dash your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:11,12
This assurance taps into our skepticism. The world as we know it is fragile and edging towards self-destruction on so many fronts – economic, geo-political, climate uncertainty, food insecurity, genocide, the ascendancy of tyranny over democracy.
Thomas Aquinas
The disregard of the common good is greater under an oligarchy than under a democracy.
But worst of all is a tyranny where the advantage of one man is sought.
The rule of a tyrant is worst.
Security is banished and everything is uncertain when people are cut off from law and depend on the will, I would even say the greed, of another.
The tyrant oppresses the bodies of his subjects, but what is more damnable, he threatens their spiritual growth, for he is set on his own power, not their progress.
He is suspicious of any dignity that they may possess that will prejudice his own iniquitous domination.
A tyrant is more fearful of a good person than of a bad person, for he dreads their strange virtue.
Where are the armies of angels that will come to the rescue? Rescue is not the promise. “They will bear you up.” Let these words linger.
“They will bear you up.”
“Love Will Be Our Lenten Calling” TiS 684
Affirmation
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. Romans 10:12
What I Have Learned So Far
Mary Oliver
Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I
not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside,
looking into the shining world? Because, properly
attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion.
Can one be passionate about the just, the
ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit
to no labor in its cause? I don’t think so.
All summations have a beginning, all effect has a
story, all kindness begins with the sown seed.
Thought buds toward radiance. The gospel of
light is the crossroads of — indolence, or action.
Be ignited, or be gone.
Luke 4:1-13
4Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where 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. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” 5Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And 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. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 9Then 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, 10for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 12Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
“Tell Out My Soul” TiS 161
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, … was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
In the ancient scriptural imagination, “40” was both a shorthand way of saying, “for a long time,” and a way of resonating with other key “40’s” in Israel’s sacred memory: the flood’s 40 days of rain (Genesis 7:12), Moses’ 40 days without food on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28), Elijah’s 40 days without food as he journeyed to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8), Israel’s 40 years of wilderness wandering (Deuteronomy 8:2), and not least, Jesus’ 40 days of wilderness temptation. The underlying idea here is that God, like a master poet, choreographer, or composer, works through signature forms in time and space. In the Season of Lent, we’re invited to step into our own 40-day pilgrimage of preparation.
The most common and easiest way of reflecting on this event is to treat it as some sort of morality play. We’ve often done that. We interpret Jesus’ temptation by casting him as a kind of ethical model, stoically resisting lures to comfort (You’re hungry — so go ahead, eat!), status (All this can be yours!), and security (Prove you’re God’s beloved — let God rescue you!).
By resisting such things, we say Jesus demonstrates his courage and moral strength. We are to emulate it! (Hymn “Yield not to temptation”). Vaghue memory of Sunday school “Tic Toc” test. Who would be the first to succumb?
Luke’s story points in a quite different direction: not toward teeth gritting toughness, but rather open-handed, open-hearted humility and genuine strength.
According to Luke 4 was Jesus tempted or tested. What is the distinction?
The text specifically uses the Greek word "peirazō," which can mean both "to tempt" and "to test," depending on the context. Here, the intent of the devil (diabolos = slanderer, accuser) seems to be to lure Jesus into sin, which aligns with the meaning of "temptation."
The distinction between "tempted" and "tested" lies in the intent behind the action.
Temptation: This is an attempt to lead someone into wrongdoing or sin. The intent is often destructive, trying to weaken one's moral or spiritual resolve. In Luke 4, the devil's goal is to entice Jesus to stray from his identity – “God’s beloved child” and resulting mission.
Testing: This typically involves an effort to prove, strengthen, or refine someone’s character or faith. The intent is usually constructive, designed to reveal or reinforce one's qualities. Testing is often attributed to God, as seen in other parts of Jesus’ tradition (e.g., Abraham in Genesis 22).
In Jesus' case, although the devil aims to tempt him, his triumph over these temptations serve as a form of inner proof and reinforcement of his identity and mission.
Scripture:
This section based on The Hidden Fountain: SALT’s Commentary for Lent 1
The key to understanding Luke’s story is to focus on Jesus’ three responses to temptation, each quoting Deuteronomy. These quotes come from Moses’ teachings about the divine law, given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Starting with the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:1), Moses explains that the law isn’t just a strict set of rules but a gift to help people live well and thrive (“so that you may live and increase,” Deut 8:1). He also reflects on the Israelites’ 40 years in the wilderness, where God provided manna to humble them and show His guiding and sustaining presence in their lives (Deut 8:2-3).
Manna (daily bread) had a purpose! Having to live on manna was a path of preparation for living in the Promised Land. Moses puts it this way: If the Israelites had immediately entered that land of “milk and honey,” they would have misinterpreted that abundance as a result of their own efforts, rather than as a graceful gift of God. They would have said to themselves, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this” (Deut 8:17). But the truth, Moses insists, is that God is the true source of every good gift, from milk and honey to a simple loaf of bread. It’s because of God’s loving initiative that these good things come (Deut 8:18). It’s because of God’s graceful decrees that these good things are here — not our own decrees or schemes or good works. We live by the grace of God, the decrees of God, the life-giving ways of God. Living for 40 years on daily provisions of manna in the desert (each day a new portion — no hoarding allowed!) becomes an experiential course for learning just that.
Moses delivers the famous line: God fed you daily with manna “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” — or, in another translation, “by anything that the LORD decrees” (Deut 8:3). God’s grace, not our own efforts, is the hidden fountain in the midst of our lives, the fresh spring of every blessing we receive. Affluence — “eating your fill,” “fine houses,” and so on (Deut 8:12-16) — can camouflage the fountain, Moses warns, and so the manna protocol was meant to help the Israelites keep track of their actual situation, their actual identity as beloved recipients of God’s graceful gifts.
Now we can see what Jesus is up to in Luke’s story. Newly baptized, Jesus is “full of the Holy Spirit,” the same Spirit who leads him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Luke casts the devil as a kind of sparring partner, and the Spirit leads Jesus directly into the ring. Just as the Israelites were “humbled” (Deut 8:3), strengthened, and instructed by 40 years in the wilderness, so too is Jesus humbled, strengthened, and instructed by 40 days there. The Spirit dwells in him; the devil opposes him. After a good while, Jesus is famished — and the devil senses an opportunity.
On the surface, the first temptation seems to be about comfort, as if the devil purrs, You have great power — and look, you’re dreadfully hungry. Why not make some bread, and take, and eat? But on a deeper level, the temptation boils down to this: Why not sustain yourself? You have the power on your own; you don’t need God to sustain you… By quoting Deuteronomy 8 in response, Jesus signals that he understands the stakes, as if to say: Just as my ancestors were led through the desert for 40 years, the Spirit has led me here to spar with you for 40 days — and far be it from me to end this training session prematurely. I’ve learned the ancient lesson of the manna: God is the true source of my sustenance, physical and otherwise. Bread certainly has its place, but every good thing — including bread! — comes from God’s graceful decrees. Put simply, bread is a gift from God. Shall I then cut short the Spirit’s instruction by making and taking bread for myself? No. God is the fountain of blessing at the center of my life. With an open, humble spirit, I trust in God’s graceful care for me, not in “my power and the might of my own hand” (Deut 8:17).
6) Likewise, the second temptation seems to be about power and “glory” (Worship me, and all this can be yours!) — but again, Jesus exposes the true stakes by quoting from the story of Moses’ presentation of the law. If living on manna in the wilderness was meant to cultivate a stance of symbiotic reliance on God, the divine law itself has a similar purpose. The law is meant to nourish us, to form us toward worshiping and serving God, not an idol. Thus Jesus responds, I worship and serve only God. God is the graceful fountain not only of sustenance (bread), but also of true “glory,” the beauty of being a fully human being: just, kind, and humble, a Child of God, serving God and neighbor.
The third temptation suggests concern with security (Prove that God will keep you safe, that you’re God’s beloved!) — but Jesus clarifies that following the devil’s proposal would actually involve profound insecurity, a deep mistrust of God’s mercy and care. The law is meant to help us learn to love and trust God as a child would love and trust a caring parent, not “putting God to the test,” like a child throwing herself into traffic to test if her parents truly love her. Thus Jesus responds, I will not test God, as if I doubt divine love (Deut 6:13 and Luke 4:8; Deut 6:16 and Luke 4:12). God is the gracious fountain not only of sustenance (bread), not only of true “glory” (beauty), but also of genuine security, along with the poise and serenity that comes from trusting we are in God’s tender care. Not that we are shielded from suffering, (Jesus certainly wasn’t!), but rather that always, in our suffering and in our joy, in the pleasant garden and in the rough wilderness, we are beloved children of God. From that poised, powerful, beautiful, courageous, humble, kind, clear-eyed, trusting, beloved stance, Jesus stands his ground.
13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
For Luke, Jesus is the Child of God, but also the Child of Humanity, the Human One. What emerges from this story is a picture of the human being not as an independent actor over-against God, but rather as a humble creature made for immersive, symbiotic reliance on God. Relying on God for what? For sustenance, for beauty, and for loving-kindness. Not heroic “self-reliance,” then, but rather genuinely strong, humble communion with God. Indeed, the devil tempts Jesus toward “fortitude” and “self-sufficiency,” at least as the world often defines them (Sustain yourself! Rule the world! Trust no one! Put your own interests first!). Jesus declines to pursue this path, testifying instead to his deeply intimate, empowering communion with God, the fountain of all blessing at the centre of his life.
These three questions animate and govern our lives: Whom do I trust for my nourishment? Whom do I trust with my service? And whom do I trust to love and sustain me? As Luke tells it, on each of these three fronts, the devil tries to drive a wedge between Jesus and the One who, at his baptism, has just declared him to be “my Child, the Beloved” (Luke 3:22). In effect, the devil whispers: For nourishment, don’t trust God — trust yourself! With your service, don’t trust God — trust me! And for loving care — well, let’s be honest, who can you trust? God? Really? If you believe that, why don’t you jump from this tower — and then we’ll see how many angels come to your rescue!
The devil’s temptations are an attack on Jesus’ baptism, on the very idea that Jesus is God’s beloved child, made for a life of humble, open-handed reliance on God. Indeed, Moses’ reference to “testing” God is itself an allusion to the incident at Massah (literally, “Test”), in which the Israelites in the wilderness, parched with thirst, cry out, “Is the LORD among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). This, perhaps, is the most fundamental temptation of them all: Is God with us? Is God’s grace really the hidden fountain in our lives? Does God love us — does God love me — or not?
Jesus’ three responses don’t just debunk the devil’s temptations; they implicitly declare the good news of the Gospel: Yes — God loves you, and loves us all! God is the One we are made to trust — with humility and grace — for nourishment, guidance, and care. Even as we, too, travel through the wilderness, every good gift in our lives is manna from heaven, our “daily bread” for which we can and should give thanks — and for which we can and should pray afresh each day, presuming nothing, with empty hands and humble hearts. For the God of grace is among us — and God’s own child, Emmanuel, “God with us,” walks at our side. In seasons of scarcity and plenty alike, God is the font of every blessing!
Feedback
Prayers
Our God, as Jesus walked through the wilderness, guided by Your Spirit and strengthened by Your Word, so too do we ask for Your guidance and strength in this world of trials and temptations.
We pray for a world steadfast in faith, turning away from the distractions that seek to lead us astray. May we, like Christ, stand firm in truth and humility, relying not on the fleeting promises of earthly power, but on the eternal promises of Your love and grace.
Lord, where there is division, bring unity. Where there is despair, bring hope. Teach us to trust in Your providence, to find peace in Your presence, and to reflect Your light to others, even in the darkest of times.
May we not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from You. Strengthen the weak, comfort the grieving, and empower us all to resist the pull of temptation and to work for a world filled with justice, mercy, and compassion.
In the name of Jesus, who overcame the wilderness and the tempter’s snare, we pray. Amen.
“When Christ Was Lifted From The Earth” TiS 248
Blessing
May we walk in the fullness of the Spirit strong and steadfast in the face of trials. May God's words be our guiding light, our anchor, and our sword against all that seeks to distract or harm us. As we journey through life's wilderness, may we always trust in the Lord's provision, worship Him alone, and rest in God’s eternal promises. Let us go forth in peace, courage, and unwavering love. Amen.
Benediction