Deut 26:1-1;
February 21, 2010
Luke 4:1-13
Lent 1
Patrick Preheim
Temptations of the Desert and Promised Land
A couple of weeks ago Patty and I shared a meal with Sihle Magagula, the
International Visitor Program (IVEP) volunteer from Swaziland. She is Ontario
for her mid-year conference this weekend, but she gave me permission to repeat
some of our conversation from that evening. Her story is a remarkable tale how a
young girl survived the death of her mother, being raised by a community,
finding herself affirmed for leadership in a church, and being accepted to the
IVEPer program run by Mennonite Central Committee. The MCC interviews, visa
application process, medical exams were all difficult to negotiate. In the end,
however, she was granted a place in the program. She felt special. She felt
chosen. She felt God’s presence as things were unfolding. And then she climbed
off the plane at Diefenbaker International Airport into a summer day more akin
to her winter temperatures, and the mercury has just kept falling since then;
not the easiest for her Southern Africa blood. NPMC is a fine church with fine
people, but the worship style differs from her home congregation and this is
hard. There have been other points of disjunction, but you can ask her about
them yourself. The truth of the matter is that surviving in the Promised Land is
not as easy as a person might think. In fact being chosen / being named as a
special child of God with a special assignment often times feels like a desert
experience. It is true for Sihle and it is true for us.
Too many times I have seen newlyweds thinking that marriage will be easy. The
ceremony seems like the end destination at which time things will move to
matrimonial bliss. Not so. Marriage can be wonderful, but it takes work. And too
many times I have seen people pursue financial wealth only to find that money
does not create happiness. A short article appeared in the Star Phoenix on
February 9 which reported that Karl Rabeder, a businessperson from Austria, “is
giving away every penny of his $5 million fortune after realizing his riches
were making him unhappy”. Rabeder is quoted as saying, “Money is
counterproductive--- it prevents happiness” (Star Phoenix, February 9 / 2010,
section D, page 8). The Promised Land isn’t all that we think it will be
In the first desert temptation the devil refers to Jesus as the “Son of God”.
Luke incorporates this idea of divine son-ship in the two episodes immediately
preceding the temptations in the wilderness. At the time of Jesus’ baptism the
Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove while a voice rings out from
heaven, “you are my son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased”. And then Luke
launches into a genealogical review of Jesus which concludes with Adam listed as
the son of God. There is a bit of irony in being God’s child. The good news—you
are God’s son newly anointed by the Holy Spirit; the bad news—God leads you on
an all expense paid trip to the wilderness where there will be hunger and
temptation (not the winter holiday most of us signed up for this year). The good
news—you are God’s son in the garden of Eden with permission to eat nearly every
fruit, even the tree of life; the bad news--- you are not to eat the fruit of
the Tree of Knowledge which happens to be the most tempting tree. The good
news—you are the son of God and are able to turn stones into bread; the bad
news—to do so somehow warps the ministry of the beloved son.
So, why sign up for this program if you get lots of responsibility but few external treats? All I can say is that the parent / child relationship with God is better than anything else I have experienced. The sense of communion I feel in my private study, in congregational life, and in community service is richer than anything I have found. Wilderness will come—it comes for all of us. The Promised Land may come—it comes for some of us. The key to my spiritual and emotional well-being is to remember my identity whether I find myself in scarcity or plenty.
“Identity” is a central concept as we navigate the temptations of wilderness and Promised Land, and few books of the Bible focus on identity as clearly as Deuteronomy (Deut). It is a “boundary book” (A term I learned from Garth Ewert Fisher). The people are crossing boundaries from wilderness into Promised Land and the central purpose of Deut is to help a community remain God’s people once they are among the nations. It should be no surprise to us, therefore, that the organizers of the lectionary chose Deut for the Old Testament lesson today. It should be no surprise to us that Jesus quotes the scriptures of Deut in response to the Devil’s temptations.
Deuteronomy has a variety of facets by which the people are called to remember their identity. The reading from today links the offering of first fruits with a condensed recitation of the Hebrew transition from wilderness to Promised Land. Instructions are given for religious holidays and their observance. Guidelines are given about the sowing of seed, the tailoring of clothes, the preparation of food. Another aspect of the Deuteronomic lifestyle which preserves identity is that of service. With surprising frequency Deuteronomy mentions widows, orphans and foreigners (see Dt. 1:16, 10:18, 14:29, 16:11, etc..,.). These groups of people were in danger of exploitation, and a test of the people’s godly identity rested in their ability to make provision for and deal justly with them. Service to the marginalized of society reinforces our identity in God.
From the beginnings of the Anabaptist reformation service has been a hallmark of Mennonite communities—usually directed to people within the congregation in the form of mutual aid. In the last eighty years programs like MCC and Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) have provided venues for service among the non-Mennonite population (a.k.a “the heathen”). Service reinforces several aspects of our identity. We serve because Jesus told us that is what we should do. Service also reinforces our identity as a discipleship people rather than a people of doctrine. We believe religious topics are figured out following Jesus on the way, and that means we have a good deal of tolerance for people figuring out their theology or Christology while serving. As we meet the marginalized we also remember that at one time we were the dis-empowered who relied on the goodness of others for our survival. Last Sunday Lois Nickel spoke about the three fold blessing connected to service with MDS: a blessing to the one being served, a blessing to the one serving, and a blessing to the community sending the servants because we get to hear stories from people like Carl Wiens, Jeremy Enns, Delmar, Betty, Lorraine, Peter and Lydia. Praying for the servants who leave and hearing their stories upon return helps to reinforce a service identity that keeps us rooted as God’s people in Christ.
In addition to service abroad we want to encourage, affirm and support ministry that happens locally. Even as serving the widow, orphan and alien at a distance has proven important for the spiritual health of people, so does local service. This is part of the idea behind the Bridge Builders group which meets periodically at NPMC. The group recognizes that people are already doing amazing things in our community. We talked about somehow gathering and posting the vocational and volunteer service which people already do so that interested individuals could link with others in the congregation for outreach to the community. But neither did we want to make people feel badly if they simply are not in a physical or emotional state to be reaching out. And what if a person’s service is going out for a cup of tea with a hurting friend, or caring for a sick neighbour, or watching over the grand children, or part of an occupation which requires confidentiality? These are noble tasks and drawing attention to those served may not be best or even ethical. We are still interested in raising the profile of the local service that emerges from NPMC. We are still interested mobilizing groups at NPMC for local service. The question remains how best to raise awareness of existing ministry as well as link people of the congregation together for service. If you have ideas, we would love to hear them.
In this Lenten season many people have chosen to give something up for the
next 40 days. A less emphasized aspect to Lent is adding good things to our
lives and the lives of others. One website I perused listed as possible Lenten
“add ons” things like making reconciliation with someone, enjoying nature,
attending additional worship services and engaging in acts of kindness.
(www.spirithome.com/lent.html). Lent could be a time to explore service to your
neighbour, fellow congregational member or community.
As Sihle Magagula can attest, there is no guarantee that service will be easy or
leave a person feeling warm all over. This is one reason it is beneficial to
serve with people from your faith community or with a trusted agency like MDS or
MCC. As we serve together we can support one another and debrief more
challenging experiences. Make no doubt about it, service is important. In the
Promised Land it keeps us from developing the pride and greed which so often
accompanies abundance. In the desert it reminds us that we are not helpless,
hopeless, or truly hungry. Service is one way we remember our identity, that we
are all beloved children of God called to be salt and light for the world. Amen.