Lent offers a time for reflection. It’s not about what you do, first of all, whether that is abstaining or engaging. All our doing flows from our Being; and in its turn shapes our being. So, Lent offers us a time to reflect:
- Reflect on who you are
- Reflect on who God is
- Reflect on your relationship with God
Out of this God will call us to do (abstaining or engaging). But we have to start in the right place.
There is a call in our readings to look at yourself; in the example of the Testing of Christ, and the call to remembrance in Deuteronomy.
There is a call also to look at God; in the God that Jesus reveals to us in his testing, and the call to remember and rejoice in Deuteronomy
There is a call to look at your relationship with God; in the call to faith in Romans, the example of Jesus in his testing and the whole message of Deuteronomy
Today’s Readings
- Luke 4:1–13
- Deuteronomy 26:1–11
- Romans 10:8–13
A Time to Reflect and Look …
Look at Yourself
In Jesus’ Testing
Jesus experience in the wilderness is often called his Temptation, but it is better understood as his Testing (periazō). The Devil may tempt to make him fall, but God intends to Test in order to prove – to prove what is truly in Jesus – and to approve. Just as Peter refers to the “tested genuineness of your faith” which is proved like gold (1 Pet 1.7).
In Jesus we see that what is proved, by this testing is his Hunger (or desire), his Love, and his Trust.
Jesus, what is it that you truly desire, what are you really hungering for? It’s not bread, or any of the things with which we so often feed ourselves (though our father knows what we need and will give it to us). Rather it is God’s Word; his truth, instruction and wisdom. What’s your hunger? Truly.
Jesus, what is it that you truly love? What is it that has captured your mind and heart; and inspires your passion and devotion? It’s certainly not people and what they think. Rather is God, the Father; whose goodness, beauty, wisdom, power and holiness is all that he worships. What is it that you love? Truly.
Jesus, what is it that you truly trust in? Go on, prove it. But Jesus does not need to test God; he will show his trust when he lets himself be taken and nailed to the cross, but he does not need to test God, he trusts him. What is it that you put your trust in; your experience, other people? Or do you trust God even when he does not do what you look for from him? Truly?
Deuteronomy
Look at yourself. Who do you think that you are, truly? In Deuteronomy, God calls us to remember that we are nothing and nobody; simply those who in our helplessness have called on God, and he has blessed us
Deut 26.5
“A wandering Aramean was my father …”
I am a sinner saved by utter grace. I have nothing that I have not received. And, outside what Christ has given and worked in me by faith, there is no good thing in me; no gifts, no wisdom, no wisdom.
Every year, God’s people were to bring the fruits of God’s blessing to his temple and say these words. Every year we come to the Cross on Good Friday and say the same things. Every Sunday, perhaps every day, we have an opportunity to see ourselves again, and in our unworthiness recognise all that God has done with us and brought us to be.
Does this resonate with you?
Look at God
There is a call here also, to take a look at God. To often our God is too small, to mean, to ordinary.
What sort of God is it that his words and his ways can be our daily bread; our daily hunger and desire? What sort of God is it that can be better than eating, better than entertainment, better than being with family and friends, better than a career, better than a comfortable life?
This is our God!
What sort of God is it that who he is can be so entrancing (so beautiful, wonderful, glorious, close and loving) that we cannot but love him with all our heart and mind and soul and strength; above all else?
This is our God!
What sort of God is it that we can trust him above all else; whatever our fear, or worry, or circumstances; whether he helps us now, or help is delayed, or never seems to come? What sort of God is it that we can trust, without any need to test him?
This is our God!
So, God calls his people, as they come to him with their thanksgiving for the things that he has given them; not to just give thanks and enjoy those gifts, but to Rejoice in the Lord – in the one who has given and will give all that we need.
Not just:
“you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house”
Deut 26.11
But
Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say Rejoice!”
Phil 4.4
Look at Your Relationship with God
And, finally, we are called to look at our relationship with God.
Looking back at the idea of Testing. If it is about proving – you can’t test, or prove what is not there; all you can do is show that it’s not there
So, what is your relationship with Jesus – I say Jesus, because he is our relationship with God; you can’t have a relationship with God outside Jesus?
None of us has the relationship the Jesus has, and demonstrates in his Testing. But, he invites us into a relationship with him, and to share in his relationship with the Father.
That’s what our Romans reading is about. The way to have a relationship with God is not hard. It does not require any great spiritual exploits: either trying to rise up to the heavens, or to reach beyond the grave to the dead.
“But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
Rom 10:6–7
Jesus has done all the spiritual exploits, and now, the word of faith (i.e. Jesus) is near you – in your heart to respond to, and in your mouth to speak out.
So, always, no matter how far we may feel we have to travel to God – however far we have wandered away (like the prodigal son) – the journey to him is near to you. Jesus has made that journey so that you can simply turn to him and receive all that he has done; entrusting yourself wholly to him in faith.
Lent; God’s Gift to You
So, the, Lent offers us a time to:
- Reflect on who you are
- Reflect on who God is
- Reflect on your relationship with God
It’s a precious gift. So, as Paul urged us in our Ash Wednesday readings:
“…, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Cor 5:20-21