Once when I was a kid, maybe 10 years old or so, my friend Tim and I found a pack of cigarettes in the street. We hid them away, and then one day snuck into the bushes to try smoking one of the them - living on the wild side! Apparently we thought we were doing something wrong.
Temptation, of course, isn't really about such things as smoking, drinking or swearing. I mean, if you think you shouldn't be doing something stop doing it. I'm all in favor of morals and values. And, yes, you may be tempted to do something you know you shouldn't. Just don't say, "The devil made me do it." You and I get to choose.
This Sunday, February 26, 2023, is the 1st Sunday in Lent. The Gospel reading is Matthew 4:1-17. It's a story common known as "The Temptation of Christ."
Please join us for worship at Messiah North at 9 AM, at the main campus at 10:30 AM on online. (Weather allowing!) What I want to look at is the corporate nature of temptation - that is to say what it is satan and Jesus are really talking about. I don't think it's a simple as Jesus just miraculously fixing himself a meal after 40 days in the wilderness. Nope. This is about identity, calling, purpose and the invitation we have for a deep and abiding relationship with the Divine.
Hope to see you Sunday!
Pastor Dave Brauer-Rieke
