The Gospel passage on the First Sunday of Lent traditionally focuses on the Temptation of Christ. This reading holds great power for me. I find it amazing that Christ could be tempted like the rest of us — to be subjected to tests when we are at our weakest like he was. Yet, he prevailed in these contests with Satan and drove Satan away after he failed three times to get Jesus to sin, to separate himself from God (Matthew 4:1-11).
Satan tries three times and fails to get Jesus to sin (or separate himself from God)
Jesus survives three tests by relying on the Torah, or Teachings, from the first five books of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6-8). After Jesus fasts in the wilderness for 40 days, Satan shows up and tells the famished Jesus to prove his miraculous abilities by turning stone into bread. That’s a rather rude request for someone who hasn’t eaten in over a month. Nevertheless, Jesus responds that we cannot live by bread alone, for only God nourishes humanity with the heavenly bread of life.
Next, Satan tries to get Jesus to test God by throwing himself off of the Temple roof so that angels can catch him. Again, Jesus reminds Satan that we cannot test God.
And finally, Satan suggests that Jesus worship him so that all of the world could belong to Jesus. In a scorching rebuke, Jesus states that only God can be worshiped.
Pride, testing God, and idolatry: the major types of temptation
To boil this down, we have three tests that involve showing pride, testing God, and idolatry. These temptations could be viewed as the chief ways that we commit sin, which separates us from God. First, we succumb to conceit and weakness in pleasures of the senses that lead to excess and exploitation of others. We test God although we do not understand the divine plan and try to script it for ourselves, others, and the world around us.
And finally, we engage in idolatry, which can take countless forms like greed, selfishness, power-mongering, fear-mongering, and on and on.
We can take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows what temptation looked like. I’m sure he felt tempted and tested many times after his wilderness experience. He was taunted and goaded during his trial, his journey to where he endured crucifixion. Even when he was tortured on the cross, Roman soldiers mocked him to save himself or call upon angels. One of the two criminals crucified with Jesus told him to save them.
The lesson here is not so much that temptation happens, it’s what we do with those events that have the power to separate us from God that matters. So after breaking down the temptations of Christ, we turn to an Ash Wednesday service to help us structure a “Holy Lent.”
Why does Ash Wednesday matter?
Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent have become a vital part of my spiritual pilgrimage. Lent creates a space for us to reflect on the past year. We can think of it as a wilderness time like Jesus’ time fasting and praying. We can allow ourselves to follow the Holy Spirit to a spiritual place far away from society’s temptations and distractions. While there, we focus on reflection and prayer about what discipleship in Christ means for us.
Over the last couple of weeks, our homework has been to identify three areas of our lives that need improvement, work, weeding out, whatever you want to call it. I promised to provide an excerpt from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (BCP).
While I’m admittedly partial to this service from my tradition, there’s good reason to turn to it on Ash Wednesday. I did not grow up in a faith tradition that observed Ash Wednesday or Lent. When I became an Episcopalian in 1988, this was one of the seasons of the church year that became most important.
The formality of a season of reflection spoke volumes to me. And, in observing a Lenten season, Holy Week and Easter became even more profound in my spiritual practice and commitment to Christ.
Ash Wednesday (A service from the BCP)
Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
(Traditional biblical passages for Ash Wednesday)
Old Testament Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, or Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 103, or 103:8-14
Epistle 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10
Gospel Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
(After the sermon) The Celebrant or Minister appointed
invites the people to the observance of a holy Lent, saying
Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great
devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and
it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a
season of penitence and fasting.
This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith
were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of
notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful
were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to
the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation
was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set
forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all
Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the
observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and
meditating on God’s holy Word. And, to make a right beginning
of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now
kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.
Silence is then kept for a time, all kneeling. If ashes are to be imposed, the Celebrant says the following prayer
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the
earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our
mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is
only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
The ashes are imposed with the following words
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
The following Psalm is then sung or said
Psalm 51 Miserere mei, Deus
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your
loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.
5 And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment
6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother’s womb.
7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
12 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
and sinners shall return to you.
15 Deliver me from death, O God, *
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O God of my salvation.
16 Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
17 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice; *
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
18 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
(You can continue with the remainder of the service by clicking here.)
Finding a way to mark Ash Wednesday
We cannot directly impose ashes this year because of COVID. Many Episcopal parishes are making Ash Wednesday kits available to the faithful. The kits provide the traditional ash paste made with palms burned to ash and mixed with oil. The imposition of ashes is a ritual and is not an official sacrament of the church, and so it is fine to observe it from the safety of your home.
Even if you don’t have access to the traditional ash preparation, you can make do. This year, I will use a charcoal pencil to make the sign of the cross on my forehead in lieu of ashes.
The most important aspect of Ash Wednesday offers an opportunity to formally mark the beginning of our Lenten Journey. Lent begins here and ends on Maundy Thursday. As a matter of fact, if you read the whole Ash Wednesday service, it has no formal end until we pick it up with Jesus’ mandate to love and serve one another on Maundy Thursday. He modeled service by washing the disciples’ feet. We’ll explore that amazing story in about 40 days…
However, next week we will begin exploring a wonderful new book by the Rev. Ken Wilson entitled God be in My Head: The Sarum Prayer.
In the meantime, blessings+ on your Lenten journey.
