21 February 2010

Welcome to  St Alban’s Anglican Church  

Today's Scripture: Deuteronomy 26: 1-11         Romans 10: 8b–13       S. Luke 4: 1-13

Today: 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6.00 p.m. EP

This Week: Tues, Thurs-Fri: 12.30pm Midday Prayers; Wed, S. Matthias: 12.30 pm HC.

Next Sunday 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6.00 p.m. EP

1^st Sunday in Lent

O Lord, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.

FAITH IN FOCUS: JUST TESTING

We tend to think of temptation in terms of a sin magnet. It’s the opposite pole to where we should be and like all magnetic opposites we’re attracted to it even though we know it’s wrong. The cake on the plate just seems to have a power that draws us; it attracts us because that’s what temptation does.

It surprises a lot of people that this is not really the meaning of temptation in the scriptures. The Greek word that we call temptation means something rather different. It means a “testing” or a “proving” of a person’s fidelity, integrity, virtue or constancy. So if I tempt you, I’m not simply trying to get you to eat the cake; what I am really doing is measuring your ability to remain faithful to your principles, seeing whether you really are the person you claim to be.

That’s what the devil did with Jesus in the desert. He put him to the test by first getting him to doubt himself (offering him greater status and power) and then getting him to be over-confident (jumping off the roof of the temple, sure that the angels would catch him).

The point of this episode is not that Jesus didn’t fancy jumping off. It’s that he didn’t allow himself to be deflected from being the person he knew he was. The devil tested him but Jesus didn’t budge.

In a strange way temptations can be constructive things because they can become growth points in our relationship with God and other people. I can “prove” my true qualities when I am offered the choice to reject God. Of course, it’s important to remember that no temptation, however repulsive to us, is ever a sin. In order to redeem us, as a human being Jesus was tempted at the roots of our human nature and yet he never sinned.

Temptation strengthened Jesus’ resolve to carry out the mission he received from the Father. As we begin our Lenten journey this week can see temptations either as a threat to us or else as moments when we can reaffirm our commitment to following Christ. Why not put it to the test?