1st Reading:
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
The readings from the Hebrew
Scriptures this Lent are a tour through the history of ancient Israel. This morning’s reading is a creedal summary
of the events leading up to the Exodus, meant to be a reminder to Israel of
what God had done for them. The creed at
its most basic is “I was nothing…I was delivered…I was given abundance.” Their
remembrance was to be made tangible through on offering of “first fruits.” Secondary generosity is seen as a symptom of
amnesia and faithlessness.
26:1 When you have come into the land that
the Lord your God is giving you as
an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the
fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you
shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in office
at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”
4 When the priest takes the basket
from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5 you
shall make this response before the Lord
your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and
lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation,
mighty and populous. 6 When the
Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and
our oppression. 8 The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a
mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and
with signs and wonders; 9 and he
brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and
honey. 10 So now I bring the first
of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord,
have given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11 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 and to
your house.
Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Our psalm this morning is used by
Luke in his description of the temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:10-11). It may have
been an important text from the Hebrew Scriptures among the early followers of
Jesus attempting to understand his ministry. The first two verses are an
exhortation to trust. What follows are promises of the results of that trust.
The promises are comforting, but also unsettling to anyone whose faithfulness
has not been rewarded in these ways. Yet just as God has an ideal dream for the
creation (which sometimes falls short), so humankind has an ideal dream for God
(which sometimes falls short). The dream, nevertheless, lives on, is held
deeply, and its fulfillment is expected when the reign of God is complete.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, *
abides under the
shadow of the Almighty.
2 He shall say to the Lord,
“You are my refuge and my
stronghold, *
my God in whom I put
my trust.”
9 Because you have made the Lord
your refuge, *
and the Most High
your habitation,
10 There shall no evil happen to you, *
neither shall any
plague come near your dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over you, *
to keep you in all
your ways.
12 They shall bear you in their hands, *
lest you dash your
foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder; *
you shall trample
the young lion and the serpent under your feet.
14 Because he is bound to me in love, therefore will I deliver him;
*
I will protect him,
because he knows my Name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; *
I am with him in
trouble;
I will rescue him
and bring him to honor.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, *
and show him my
salvation.
2nd Reading: Romans
10:8b-13
Our second reading today begins with a quote from Deuteronomy
(30:14), which Paul uses in his argument (an argument which has been going on
for some time in this letter) that it is the righteousness of faith that saves
us, not the righteousness received from following the law. This reading is a concise statement of Paul’s
understanding of salvation, including the universality of its scope. The final quote is Joel 2:32.
8b “The word is near you, on your lips and
in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved. 10 For one believes
with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is
saved. 11 The scripture says, “No
one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12
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. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved.”
Gospel Reading: Luke 4:1-13
The account of Jesus’ forty days of trial and temptation in
the wilderness is always the Gospel reading on the 1st Sunday in
Lent. The Spirit is the director of the action, as it is throughout Luke’s
Gospel. The devil figure in the story can in many ways be seen as the
“anti-Spirit.” Jesus reaches back to Deuteronomy for each of his retorts (8:3,
10:20, 6:16). The devil uses this morning’s psalm (91:11-12) as well as
Deuteronomy (6:13). There is an
appropriate and inappropriate use of Scripture.
Overall, the story wants us to be clear about the reality of evil. As one commentator says, “In whatever images
or concepts the power of evil may be presented, it is the testimony of
experience as well as Scripture that there is in the world opposition to love,
health, wholeness, and peace” (Fred Craddock, et al., Preaching through the
Christian Year C, 1994, p. 140).
1 Jesus, full of the
Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the
wilderness, 2 where 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. 3 The
devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a
loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered
him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” 5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in
an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And
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. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all
be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It
is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 9 Then 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, 10 for
it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not
put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When
the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune
time.
The readings are taken from The New
Revised Standard Version of the Bible © 1989 by The Division of Christian
Education of The National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. The translation of the Psalm is from The
Book of Common Prayer. Commentary on the readings is copyright © 2019, Epiphany
Esources, 67 E Main St, Hornell, NY 14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy for group study with this
notice. Bulletin
inserts are available. Visit our website for more information.
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