Believing and Confessing
(Free Version) The First Sunday in Lent- Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13
Lent is a good time to step into the liturgical church calendar, if that is not already your current practice. You can find this week’s readings here. This version includes just a brief overview of the texts. For more context, illustrations, resources, quotes, etc. check out our subscription options.
This week, we begin the season of Lent, often considered a “desert” season, because it is a season of dependence and trust. During Lent, we intentionally strip away the distractions, the counterfeits, the noise and trust that God is the source of life.
Christians, much like Israel in the Old Testament, are a people who have been delivered. We have been set free from the oppression of sin and death, and yet, we are now wandering. We can trust in our new baptismal identity, or we can go back to what is known, the ways of the world.
Today’s passages are about who God has called us to be, and the ways that we are tempted to go astray. We were created as worshippers, and every temptation is not just a temptation to do bad things. It is a temptation to worship something else, to change our allegiance.
Our gospel reading this Sunday tells the story of Jesus’ temptation, the ways that the devil tempted him with shortcuts to the cross (Luke 4:1-13).
It would be a mistake for us to hear our readings today as moralism, to say something like “Jesus resisted temptation, so you should do it too.” The reality is that we, just like Israel, can’t live a faithful life. We are broken on our own. We are dependent creatures. And we will mess up. We will lose trust. We will choose counterfeits.
The point is that Jesus has been faithful on our behalf. We are part of his story, his family. Our faith is not in our own ability to overcome temptation, but in His.
The Christian life is not about merely avoiding sin. It is about trusting in the God who conquered sin and death.
Just like the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 26:1-11), we need liturgies which declare God’s action in the past and the hope of the future. These practices transform our very heart, the core of who we are as we publicly confess God’s faithfulness. It is no wonder that confessing with our mouth and believing in our heart are what Paul describes as the identifying markers of the people of God (Romans 10:8b-13).
This Sunday’s Collect in the (1979) Book of Common Prayer reads:
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Our prayer acknowledges that God is our source. He knows us. And He is mighty to save. As we were created to be worshipping creatures, may we avoid thinking that our own resources, our ability to gain the approval of others and our ability to control the world around us are what sustains us. May we trust in God, flourishing into who He has created us to be.