Home Service 9th March 2025

Lent 1

Prayers of Approach

Loving God, at the start of Lent, help us as we explore what it means to survive and thrive, even in the difficult times.
As we gather together, may we feel among us the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in our worship, our prayer, in hearing God’s Word and in the fellowship we shall enjoy.
Father God, thank you for your Word, an effective weapon that equips us for survival. We give thanks for the unshakeable truths on which we can stand firm.
Lord Jesus, we praise you for always watching over us, through good times, bad times and desert times. Thank you that when we falter all we need do is cry out to you and we are heard.
Holy Spirit, thank you that no matter what hardships we encounter, whatever dry wilderness places we may find ourselves in, you always guide us through.
We praise you for the angelic help we receive in times of weariness, from neighbours, friends, colleagues or strangers. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for helping us to survive and thrive. Amen.

Hymn O God of Bethel, by whose hand (R&S 71)

Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Luke 4:1-13

Introduction

After his baptism and affirmation of his identity as God’s Son, Jesus is led into the wilderness. There, for 40 days, he is tempted by the devil who questions Jesus’ very identity. Jesus confidently counters these questions by quoting from Scripture, and the devil departs from him.

In the passage from Deuteronomy Moses is reminding the people of the ways in which they must continue to live as they enter the Promised Land. There are two things that are crucial for them if they are to survive and thrive in this longed-for future: they must remember who they are, their identity as the people of God and their history; and they must remember that all that they have belongs to God. Offering the first fruits of the harvest back to God, is a recognition of and reminder that all that we have comes from God and without God we cannot survive.

Surviving and thriving are integral to being human, as is temptation. What tools does God give us to aid survival and combat temptation? How can we improve our generosity, or at least live more simply, leaving greater abundance for others?

Hymn Seek ye first the kingdom of God (R&S 512)

Sermon

In some ways today’s readings are as much about identity as they are about preparation or temptation. For the Israelites as they prepare to enter the land that God has promised them it is important that they remember who they are and what God has done for them. They must not let themselves get absorbed by the new land, it’s peoples and customs and forget where they came from. They are to offer the first of their harvest to God in acknowledgement that everything comes from him, and as they present their gifts they are to recite the history of who they are and where they came from, and how God had brought them safely there through all their journeyings. Even today Jews still do this at Passover, which is also the time when the first fruits of the barley harvest are ready, and they celebrate their escape from slavery in Egypt.

Jesus also faces a question of his identity. After his baptism, as he came up out of the water, the holy spirit came down like a dove and a voice was heard to say, ‘this is my beloved son with whom I am pleased.’ Jesus then immediately went into the wilderness to prepare himself for the ministry which was to follow. By the end of the 40 days that we are told he remained there Jesus must have been physically at a very low ebb, and it is at this point that his identity is challenged. He has heard the affirmation at his baptism now he is challenged to prove it. ‘If you are the son of God…’ taunts the devil then, ‘turn these stones into bread… bow to me and I’ll give you all these kingdoms… jump off the top of the temple!’

Choices or temptations? Jesus could have chosen to do any of these things, he could have fed the world ending hunger at a stroke, ruled as a benevolent dictator making sure everyone had everything they needed and putting an end to war, and proved that he was indeed the son of God and that God would not permit any harm to come to him. But would it really prove anything? A modern magician or stuntman could pull off such convincing tricks or illusions. And as for ruling it would put an end to free will, free choice and freedom in general at a stroke. Jesus recognises the dangers and chooses to rely fully on God, repudiating the devil’s challenges through his knowledge of scripture.

Jesus didn’t begin his ministry until after he had spent time in the desert. Sometimes we will find ourselves in a desert – perhaps it is a spiritual one, when we question our connection with God, or our faith altogether; perhaps it is a ‘life desert’, when we are weighed down by personal difficulty. Yet here’s the thing about deserts: no matter how big they are, they all have an edge, and they can be crossed. Just like Jesus, just like the Israelites, we too face challenges, choices and temptations. Ours may be very different to those Jesus faced yet some may be quite similar in essence. Which of the three temptations would you have found it hardest to say no to? What things do we put our trust in? How can we rely on God more? And just like for the Israelites and for Jesus the decisions or choices we make define our identity.

There are many stories online and on TV about people who discover that they aren’t who they thought they were. There are stories of people who embrace a new ethnic identity having taken a DNA test that has provided them with surprise results. The BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? enables exploration of previously unknown ancestors. Who we are may be a matter of family, nationality, colour, gender or a multiplicity of other factors but much depends on who we choose to be. Jesus was secure in his identity. How does your identity shape you?

Hymn Jesus the Lord says, ‘I am the bread…’ (R&S 199)

Prayers of Intercession

Author of Life, we offer you our praise. In you we live and breathe and have our being. In you we find protection, because you are faithful and loving. In you we find guidance, because you are wise and all-knowing. In you we find strength, because you are fortress and refuge. We praise and thank you,

for all that you have been to us and to our world, for all that you are to us and to our world, for all that you will be to us and to our world.

We bring you our prayers for this world in which we live:

To those who exercise power, to decision makers in politics, business and industry, to those who have wealth, and to all whose lives affect the lives of others: grant wisdom and compassion.

To the vulnerable and the weak, to those with little or nothing, to those subject to the will of others, and to the very young and the very old: grant wisdom and compassion.

To us as we look at what we have, to us as we consider what to do, to us as we relate to the world, and to us as we seek to be faithful to you: grant wisdom and compassion.

In the Saviour’s name, we pray. Amen.

Hymn One more step along the world I go (R&S 549)

Blessing

Creator God, you tell us that you will make a way in the wilderness. Help us to see it, however faint it may be to our human eyes. Guide us through the desert and help us to find the oases, so we may flourish for you.
Challenge us, Lord, in our giving and receiving. Empower us, Lord, when decisions need to be made. Accompany us, Lord, on every step of life’s journey, this week, this Lent and always.