Lectionary for the First Sunday in Lent.
If the confession ‘Jesus is Lord’ is on your lips, and the faith that God raised him from the dead is in your heart, you will find salvation. Romans 10:9
Collect. Lord our God, listen to the voice of your Church, calling to you from the desert of this world. Protect us with your strong hand and outstretched arm, that, nourished by the bread of your word and fortified by your Spirit, we may conquer with fasting and prayer the persistent seductions of the Evil One. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. Deuteronomy 26:1-11. The reading for today celebrates that time when the wilderness wandering is over and the people are settled into the Promised Land. The harvest is about to be gathered in. This gift of “first fruits” was the sign of God’s blessing on the people and was also a recognition that the whole harvest came from God and so was a gift from God in order to sustain the people. Indeed the statement to be made to the priest on duty for the day was a recognition that the bounty being brought came through the fulfilment of the promise made by God to their family ancestor. Once the harvest gift was placed on the altar it was then that the worshipper would recite the familiar prayer, “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor…” This prayer was harking back to the time of Jacob the father from whom all the tribes of Israel originated. It was a recognition that when Jacob sought to escape the famine in Canaan he took with him only seventy people and their lives were all at risk. From those seventy the whole nation of Israel emerged. Now here in the placement of these gifts the great promises of God are coming to fruition for Israel is now a great multitude. It also reminded them of the struggles that had been endured and the suffering that the people had been enabled to overcome. So the prayer was in recognition of the shared heritage each had through God’s grace; the history that reminded them of God’s faithfulness and then the confidence that God continued to be with them and so they had hope. It was a community celebration which included everyone who was participating in the blessing the harvest brought. As we commence the season of Lent this reading reminds us that God brings his blessing to us as a community. We each receive a blessing, but it is a blessing which is shared equally. It is a reminder of the unity that God’s provision brings; even the aliens are to be included. Every child of God has a shared history, rejoices in a shared faithfulness and looks forward together with confidence in the hope of what is still to come.
Prayer. Gracious God, your generosity knows no bounds for in everything you provide for your people. Help us always to remember with thanksgiving all that you have done on our behalf. Foremost in our minds is the gift of your Son who came to restore the whole world and place it once more under your authority. Through his ministry in your name, each of us is securely linked into your family and we rejoice in the assurance that your loving care gives. Receive our thanks and praise for all the benefits that Jesus Christ has made possible. This we ask in his name. Amen
Reading. Luke 4:1-13. In different ways each Gospel is written to remind the church of who Jesus is and the authority he displays. The story of the temptations follows two important sections of Luke’s Gospel. Luke records the baptism and highlights God’s approval that Jesus is the beloved Son. Then Luke records Jesus’ Jewish ancestry taking him back to Adam the first recorded human made in the image of God. Therefore Jesus is in familial relationship with both God and humanity! His baptism signifies his submission to the Spirit’s leading and so his earthly ministry can commence. When combined with fasting, the wilderness was traditionally a place where one could be alone with God. Here then Jesus is in close communion with God as he begins this ministry. As his fast is nearing its end the devil confronts him with the tests in order to deflect him from his prayerful path. Each temptation, better translated testing, is a challenge to choose his own way rather than to submit his way to God. Each test questions the authority that Jesus now has and how he will use that authority. The first temptation is to use his authority to satisfy his immediate needs. Would he use his authority to satisfy his hunger? John in his Gospel tells us that Jesus’ food is to do the will of God, (John 4:34) and so he is prepared to deny himself and trust in God’s provision. Bread alone cannot give life to anyone.
The temptation of idolatry is to worship something other than God, in this case the devil and then to place himself in the centre of everything. Jesus reminds the devil that God is the one who stands above all other authority and is the only one who is to be served and worshiped.
Jesus had used scripture to rebut two of the devil’s attacks so now the devil uses scripture in a perverse way to further tempt him into presuming to know how God will act. In other words the devil is tempting Jesus to lead rather than trusting God to lead.
All of the devil’s temptations challenged Jesus not only about his purpose but also about his deity. In each temptation it was Jesus the man who resisted the devil: he chose to remain hungry; he chose to worship only God, staying true to him; finally he did not presume on his special relationship with God but chose the way of humility and submission. Jesus came to live life as a man and as a man he withstood every temptation that the devil presented: Like Adam, made in the image of God, unlike Adam Jesus was a true son, and carried the whole human race with him into sinless perfection. We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 NRSV
Prayer. Gracious God, Jesus our Saviour trusted in you alone and so withstood the Tempter’s trials. He was tempted as we are and yet remained without sin and so we your humble servants draw near to you trusting in his works alone. Through Him we dare to approach you in prayer, offering to you all praise and honour; rejoicing in the privilege of being called your adopted children; receiving blessing upon blessing. Fill us afresh with your Spirit’s power that we may faithfully serve you in both word and deed; honouring the sacrifice of Jesus who gave himself to secure the destiny of the world, bringing into being the kingdom of God. We pray for that day when our Lord Jesus will return and all things will be under your control. In his name we pray. Amen
Collect. God our refuge and stronghold, we who know sin look to you for grace and mercy. We give you thanks for Jesus, who endured temptation for us, and did not stray from you; with our lips and lives, help us to confess his name, the name in which we pray. Amen.
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