Based on
Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7 (The tree of the knowledge of good and evil),
and Matthew 4:1-11 (the temptation of Jesus in the desert)
Sunday, February 26, 2023

I: The Mojave Desert
You could have heard a pin drop.
The air was hot
The earth a dry desert of rock and sand,
Barren beneath my feet
except for a few small plants.

Yet, there I stood
5 months pregnant
on the edge of the Mojave desert –
a brief car ride from Las Vegas, “sin city,”
where we stayed for a weekend get-away.

It was Feb 2002,
just Five months after 9/11:
Our world had changed.
Our lives had changed.
Everything felt different –
Scary
Uncertain
New

Just five months before
the world trade centre fell before our eyes,
a double terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
Suddenly war was imminent, proximate.

Terrorism became a reality to fear,
not something far removed in the middle east
somewhere else, not about “us.”

It was an awful time for everyone,
like we had entered the wilderness –
not just a dry desert which we were visiting for a day,
but a dry and painful place in our hearts, minds, and souls.

One thing was certain:
Life would never be the same.

II: Adam and Eve in the Garden
It was not that different for our ancient ancestors, Adam and Eve.
They too were challenged by the “wilderness.”

First they enjoyed The Garden of Eden,
a beautiful, lush bounty.

But God in his infinite mercy
gave them free will
to make choices.

God offered them two paths:
          a) Follow God’s law and live abundantly
          or
          b) perish by the world’s ways.

          a) Trust in God to provide all your needs
          or
          b) Be deceived by the world’s wisdom (Satan) and experience:
               Pain.
               Suffering.
               Labour
               Loss and
               Death.

It’s hard to believe making the wrong choice
could lead to such a fall from grace.

It might feel like God is wrathful, vengeful, or punishing
just because we make a mistake.

We might wonder why God would banish them
from such a beautiful place
to experience what we now know as:
    Suffering,
     Pain
     a shorter life
     labour and
     death?

But this story is not finished.

God is merciful.
God has a plan for us.
God sent Jesus knowing we would lose our way.

III. Jesus in the Desert
Today we learn even Jesus was tested in the desert.
The Spirit leads him there for 40 days and 40 nights
Where Satan tempts him 3 times.

We may wonder why Jesus, who is supposed to be perfect and divine,
needs to be tested? Isn’t he like God?

Yet Jesus fully experiences our human feelings of
     hunger
     pain
     isolation
     loneliness
     temptation
     maybe even doubt.

We can find comfort that even Jesus faces these challenges.

In Lent we encounter a Jesus who is vulnerable.
Who enters the wilderness and feels what we feel.
He doesn’t use his divine nature to overcome his circumstances.
He suffers with us.
He shows us how to resist evil.
And most importantly,
He reveals God’s grace.

Jesus responds to these challenges
By saying no to Satan three times.

No, I will not turn these stones into bread.
No, I will not jump off this cliff to prove the angels will catch me.
No, I will not serve you, Satan.
Get thee behind me!

IV. Jesus in Our World
In his refusal, Jesus breaks the chains that bind us.
He overcomes Satan’s power,
And the forces of this world
which try to lure us away from God.

Jesus also teaches us not to be afraid in the wilderness.
to face the challenges head on,
to resist evil by saying:

NO when the world values power, ambition, and control
     over love, mercy, and compassion.
NO when we are tempted to focus on possessions and pleasures
     over people, equitable use of resources, and generosity.
NO when the world occupies us with endless idols,
     (or replacements for God), like:
          excessive TV,
          social media,
          video games,
          money,
          and other distractions.

We are tempted every day.
It’s hard to say no to these things!

I know how tempting it is to care more about status and accolades
than pleasing God.
To worry about what people think of me,
rather than what God thinks of me.

But that is the challenge of the wilderness.
To question these things,
And go a little deeper.
To find out what really matters.

V. The Gifts of the Wilderness
The wilderness or desert is not such a bad place,
If we look at it not as a punishment
but as an opportunity to reflect on our lives
and draw closer to God.

We can ask God to:
Protect us
Guide us
Forgive us
Forgive our world
Help us to live up to our calling
As representatives of God’s Love on earth

We may fail at times or fear the future
And then we pray :
      “LORD have mercy on us.
       Save us from the time of trial
       and deliver us from evil.”

But God knows when we are weak.
God knows our struggles.

God created the wilderness
as a place of refuge and silence
to learn and reflect
if we are willing to enter it.

Maybe it would help to think of it differently.

That God invites us into the wilderness
not to punish us
but to fulfill us;

to help us realize –
when the world fails to fulfill us –
     God is there waiting.
     God has our backs.
     God will fulfill all our needs.

That is the gift of the wilderness,
when we dare to say yes to God.

VI. A Lenten Reflection
Lent is a perfect time to enter the wilderness with Jesus.
To pause and reflect
on how the world tempts us away from God.

If we just had the story of Adam and Eve it might be a little depressing.
They had it all, and then God takes them away.
Now they must work hard and labour for their food,
And labour to give birth to children.
It almost feels like a punishment.

But the story of God moves us in the right direction, not away.
God shows us where to find the answers.
And sometimes that is in our challenges.
In our wilderness experiences.

Jesus is the corrective, the glue that holds the two stories together.
He is our salve, our salvation.
If we didn’t have Christ, we would be left with no answers.
But God is merciful.
God gives us grace.
God sent us Christ.

What is so beautiful and hopeful about the Gospel message for today is
Jesus is also human.
He understands our hunger for righteousness.
He suffers.
He shows us how to pray,
and even lets the angels to minister to him.

His vulnerability is our vulnerability;
His strength, our strength;
His faith builds our faith.
He shows us we can rely solely on God.

That is the gift of these desert experiences,
these times in the wilderness.
When our faith is tested, and we draw closer to God.

VII. The Desert and Beyond
As I stooped down
to pick up a smooth, black rock
beaten by the sands of time
I felt its warmth and softness in my hand.
I held it to my ear
And heard the silence
Of a thousand years.

I felt peace as I stood there
The past months were full of trauma and confusion
And the future full of uncertainty with glimmers of hope
As the sun shone on my growing belly.

I took a deep breath
Gaining my strength, and my footing
And asked God to protect us,
Help us, help our world.

At my deepest core I knew this:
God is my rock and my salvation.
On what else can I put my trust?

There would be more tests and challenges
And beautiful moments ahead
The birth of our daughter
A sudden change of careers
The passing of years.
But for now
All was well.
I could breathe and hold on.

VIII. God is With Us
We all face challenges in our lives like death, divorce, sudden health
changes, aging, loss of work, conflict, worries and fears.

And we face challenges in our world, like navigating life post 9/11
Or now in our almost post-covid world, the ongoing war in Ukraine,
And threats of worse things too fearful to contemplate.

Despite these many challenges,
My hope is we can take in these sacred stories
Where God invites us into the wilderness
     to enlighten,
     challenge
     and comfort us

So that we will know and understand:

     1. God is still with us – when we are uncertain in the wilderness.
     2. God strengthens and sustains us – when we feel weak
     3. God is gracious and merciful – even when we fail, fear, make
         mistakes, or fall away and forget God’s grace.

This is only the beginning of our Lenten journey.

There are still many challenges ahead as we follow Jesus from Galilee
toward Jerusalem where we experience the events of Easter.
While we wait,

Let us pray:
May God’s love and comfort sustains us
May Christ’s humanity and strength go with us,
Even when we face more questions and challenges
as we walk with Jesus and his disciples toward Jerusalem.
It is not yet Easter.
But while we are waiting with Jesus in the desert
Let us embrace God’s invitation
to enter the wilderness with Him.
May this journey test and strengthen our faith
So that we will not be afraid but
draw closer to God.
Knowing at our deepest core:

We are not alone.
God is with us.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.