Lord! Who, throughout these forty days, for us didst fast and pray, Teach us, with Thee, to mourn our sins, and close by thee to stay…
As Thou with Satan didst contend, and didst the Victory win; O give us strength in Thee to fight, In thee to conquer sin.
Those words, the beginning of a hymn written for children by Claudia Hernaman in 1873, not only reflect our bible reading perfectly, but also give us a practical application for these days of Lent.
However, there’s much mention of sin, do we think of sin and temptation as having the same meaning; is just being tempted a sin? Or is it that temptation leads us to sin? Do we really know what sin means? The version of the Lords Prayer that we will pray a little later uses the word ‘sin’, however other versions use the word debts or trespasses… do these all have the same connotation?
I’m sure we’ve all heard stories of people suggesting that a particular act is a great sin, perhaps taking the life of another, where often, those very same people will do something considered normal or minor & think it OK, but in reality it’s still a sin. If I drew a line across the church with A at one end and Z at the other and said to you that A is the worst sin possible and the level of sin reduces as you move towards Z and then gave you some scenarios and asked you to stand on that line to represent the level of sin – could you choose where to stand? If the scenario was someone who had murdered another, you may stand right next to A, what about a shoplifter where would they fit? Or someone who had hurt another with their rudeness? Are there levels of sin? Or in reality would we only need the A?
If we look at the dictionary definition of the Greek word for ‘sin’ it translates as ‘missing the mark’. Missing the mark is about falling short of where we ought to be, falling short of being the people that God would love us to be, reflecting His image in our lives.
Really sin is about how we as humans live in relation to God and to each other.
In our passage we are drawn back to the image of Adam in the garden being tempted by the snake – in the previous chapter as Jesus is baptised he’s declared as the son of God, followed by a genealogy that leads back to Adam being ‘son of God’. As we know Adam was tempted in the garden, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Jesus comes back with a string of quotes from Deuteronomy which reminds us of the temptation of Israel in the wilderness; the exodus and the wanderings in the wilderness show that from ancient times God was beginning to undo that evil.
And here we have the devil trying to undo that work, but God is in control. Jesus sticks absolutely to scripture, he doesn’t appear to waver at all as the devil works ever harder to tempt him into evil. God is allowing Jesus to be tempted, but why? The purpose of God is that Jesus will undo the harm that has ensued from the sin of Adam, Jesus has to confront the powers of evil and conquer them. Of course we know, that ultimately he will do this on the cross and by his resurrection, but that struggle begins here – just as Adam was tempted so too is Jesus; Adam succumbed, Jesus stands firm – the devil will be thoroughly defeated by the work of Jesus.
Can we imagine how it must have been for Jesus? He’d been out in the wilderness without food for forty days and forty days of prayer and being as close to his Father as he could be. This wilderness was an area of the Middle East that’s rocky, barren, dry – blazing hot during the day, and ice cold at night. Almost nothing—not even cactus—grows there. Any water around would probably be alkaline—deadly to drink. Jesus is weak from hunger and thirst; his skin is burned; and he’s most likely suffering from exposure – but this man, fully human, full of the Holy Spirit resists all temptation!
What about us? Life is busy, we are often preoccupied, tired, pulled in many directions – do we sometimes miss the mark? Lent gives us the space – 40 whole days – to think about how we might come closer to God, it’s only by seeking and growing a closer relationship with God that we will have the understanding, the strength and sometimes the courage to say no to temptation.
What does sticking close to God look like for us? What do we need to do to help us be more like Jesus and be able to say no to damaging choices and yes to God? Some of us might decide to give something up as we seek a deeper spirituality and encounter with God, and this might help, providing that the focus doesn’t end up being on self-improvement or on sorting ourselves out after a period of excess – I hear many who profess not to be Christian, suggest that they will give up this or that for Lent, only to go on and say it’ll do me good I could do with shedding a pound or two! Where is the focus on growing in relationship with our Father?
Of course, the alternative is to take something on, here we are offering prayer courses that you can embed yourself in. However we don’t want to obscure the reason for the season as we spend it in chaos trying to undertake a host of new disciplines aimed at bringing us closer to God, so we do need to be discerning.
In the wilderness Jesus had space, space to come before his Father rather than spending time ‘doing’! Can we bring to mind the last time that we made space for God? When we last had a ‘wilderness experience’? These times with God are often undervalued, especially by others, but ‘just being’ rather than doing is crucial if we are to hear from God, the ‘pauses’ are vital.
Jesus’ wilderness experiences show us that by simply waiting in space, in simple contemplation, God is to be found!
This Lent, why not take time to simply make space for God? Rest awhile, under the stars perhaps, pick up that book you have always been meaning to read but never got round to, lay and watch the clouds move across a clear sky and allow time to grow aware of Jesus’ presence.
Dwell in the Scriptures, Jesus quoted the scriptures to save himself from temptation, why not make a holy habit of opening your bible or devotional every day and see what stands out, what is God trying to tell you through His word?
As we begin these 40 days in the wilderness, I implore you to find your way to meet with God, and if we keep God close we won’t be in the wilderness, we will be loved, held and cherished as we make this journey towards Easter and the cross.
And as we spend a Lent abiding in God, I feel that the final lines of the hymn by Claudia Hernaman sum up exactly what we need to ask: Abide with us, that so, this life, of suffering overpast, An Easter of unending joy we may attain at last!
Amen
Service: Rev Rebecca Yates, 9th March 2025. (St John’s Church Peterborough UK)
Readings: Luke 4:1-13 / Romans 10:8b-13 / Deuteronomy 26:1-11