St. Paul’s Church in
Bergen, Jersey City NJ
February 14, 2016
Year C: The First
Sunday in Lent
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
The Temptation of Indifference
I
know we have some political junkies in the congregation who are following this,
let’s say “unique,” presidential election very closely.
And,
there are lots of others of us who may not be following it so closely but are,
let’s say “surprised,” by who is leading on the Republican side and who is
giving the Democratic front-runner a run for her money.
There
has been a lot of speculation in the media about why Donald Trump and Bernie
Sanders are doing so surprisingly well.
They
are both, obviously, very different men and very different candidates, but it
seems they have both tapped into something that has been maybe just
below the surface for a long time: a sense among people of losing power – a
sense of powerlessness.
Many
of us feel powerless.
We
feel that we are not in control of our lives – that we are subject to vast
global forces that move jobs and money all around the world – that we are
governed by leaders who don’t really care what we think and want and need but
only care what their big financial backers think and want and need.
We
feel powerless when we don’t get a raise for years but everything keeps getting
more expensive.
We
feel powerless when we’re forced to send our kids to substandard schools.
We
feel powerless when we look for a job and don’t even get a call back.
We
feel powerless when we look at the pile of bills on our kitchen table.
We
feel powerless when we can’t afford to get the healthcare we need.
We
feel powerless when we wonder how can we ever have enough money to send our
kids to college, to offer them a shot at a better life than our own.
We
feel powerless when the rich grow ever and richer and we keep falling ever
farther behind.
Yes,
we feel powerless a lot.
But,
this presidential election, for better or worse, is showing that maybe we’re
not so powerless after all.
And
what’s true in the political world, what’s true in our everyday lives, is also
true in our spiritual lives.
With
God’s help, we’re more powerful than we think.
Today
is the First Sunday in Lent – Lent, this forty-day season when we are called
not to enjoyment, as Rev. Gary reminded us in his very wise Ash Wednesday
sermon, but we’re called to really look into our hearts, to really look at our
lives.
During
Lent, we’re called to repentance, called to turn our lives around, with God’s
help.
We
began with ashes on Wednesday, reminding us that we came from the earth and
that’s where our bodies will return.
And
then today on the First Sunday in Lent, we hear the story of Satan’s forty-day
temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
Each
time, Satan tempts Jesus to abuse his power.
Each
time, Jesus is tempted to abuse his power.
He’s
tempted to show off his power, to be like a magician, by turning a stone into a
loaf of bread.
Jesus
is tempted to rule the earth not as God’s Son but as Satan’s deputy.
And,
finally, Jesus is tempted to abuse his relationship with the Father by throwing
himself off the Temple, testing God to save him.
Each
time Jesus is tempted to abuse his power, but, as we know, he resists these
three temptations and probably many others that we don’t know about.
At
first glance, because we think we’re
powerless, we might assume that the temptations of Jesus have nothing to do
with us. After all, Satan doesn’t tempt us to turn stone into bread, or to
rule the earth, or to throw ourselves off the Temple.
But,
we’re wrong. We’re not powerless.
With
God’s help, we’re more powerful than we think.
With
God’s help, we all have the power to take an interest in other people.
With
God’s help, we all have the power to care for others, especially the people we don’t
like very much or even fear.
With
God’s help, we all have the power to love one another, especially the people
who are hardest to love.
With
God’s help, we’re more powerful than we think.
So,
how does Satan tempt us, us powerful people?
I
don’t think Satan wastes his time tempting us with little stuff – you know,
eating the chocolate we supposedly gave up for Lent or telling a little lie or giving
a second look to someone we find attractive.
No,
Satan tempts us with something really big.
Satan
tempts us to be indifferent – to not
take an interest in the lives of other people.
Satan
tempts us to be indifferent – to not care for others, especially the
people we don’t like or even fear.
Satan
tempts us to be indifferent – to not love one another, especially the
people who are hardest to love.
And,
maybe most dangerous of all, Satan tempts us to deny that we have any power at
all – tempts us to believe that there’s no point even trying, especially when
we face big obstacles, especially when our good work is greeted by ingratitude,
or when our beautiful church that offers welcome and love to so many is
violated by someone breaking through our locks and stealing our hard-earned
offerings.
Oh,
yes, Satan tempts us to abuse our power by being indifferent – tempts us to
throw up our hands and give up, to circle the wagons, to be just like everybody
else and take care of our own.
Indifference.
Pope Francis has actually said forget about the chocolate and instead give up
indifference during Lent and beyond.
Indifference.
It’s a real temptation.
I
know I’m tempted and I bet most of you are, too.
But,
I also know that, with God’s help, we’re more powerful than we think.
I
don’t need Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders to show me how powerful we are
because I see it all the time.
I
see the way so many people’s lives have been transformed by our interest, our
care, and our love.
Power.
I
see the way people at the nursing home react joyfully when we visit each month with
our simple service of prayer and song.
Power.
I
see the way people who haven’t had anything to do with church in years find a
home here, maybe not buying the whole package, maybe not able to say the whole
creed without crossing their fingers, but getting a real taste of God’s love
right here and now.
Power.
I
see the way that we’re working with other congregations across our city to make
a real difference providing decent shelter for the homeless, demanding better
schools, and insisting on safe streets.
Power.
I
see it in the boys learning valuable kitchen skills that will serve them well
for the rest of their lives – skills that are about to provide us with a
beautiful meal during coffee hour.
Power.
And,
I see it when people come here with nowhere else to turn, looking for food,
looking for a couple of bucks, looking for someone to talk to, looking for
someone to care.
Power.
In
the wilderness long ago, Jesus was tempted to abuse his power. But, despite his
empty stomach and dry tongue, powerful Jesus resisted Satan’s very real
temptations.
Now,
today, here at St. Paul’s, Satan tempts us powerful people.
Satan
tempts us to be indifferent – to not care, to not love, to not welcome, to not recognize
our own power.
But,
despite our own exhaustion and despite our disappointments and despite our
sense of violation, with God’s help we are still more powerful than we think.
And
so, with God’s help, we can resist the temptation of indifference.
Amen.
Posts
