The Temptation of Jesus
First
Sunday of Lent
Jesus,
full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in
the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate
nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The
devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to
become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One
does not live by bread alone.'"
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the
kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give
their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I
give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be
yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written,
'Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.'"
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,
saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,
for it is written,
'He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,'
and
'On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot
against a stone.'"
Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your
God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed
from him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:1-13
Temptation in the Desert
TISSOT,
James Jacques Joseph
1886-1894
Brooklyn
Museum
New
York, NY
United
States
Although
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all describe Christ’s temptations by Satan, Tissot
cites only the version given by Luke. For reasons that remain unclear, he
changes the order of the tests given by Luke.
Success,
popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their
seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger
temptation to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that
call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily
perceived as attractive solutions....Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of
the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the
'Beloved.' Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.
~ Henri Nouwen
We
turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking,
only
to learn that it is God who is shaking them.
~ Charles C. West
Spares and Pairs
Spares and Pairs was at the lovely home of Neil and Jennie
Snyder Friday evening.
Breakfast with Sharron
Sharron
had outpatient surgery on her leg and is supposed to
remain “housebound”
for two weeks while she heals.
Eileen
Sharkey, Sharron Leonard, Rebecca Martin
Carolyn
Alexander
(Photo
by Rebecca Martin)
We
all took yummies to share!
Do not condemn the judgment of another
because it differs from your own.
You may both be wrong.
~ Dandamis
March 10, 2019 First
Sunday in Lent Year C
Previous OPQs may be found at:
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm
91:1-2, 9-16
Romans
10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
Deuteronomy
26:1-11
When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is
giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it,
you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you
harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put
it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a
dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that
time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have
come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us."
When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down
before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the
Lord your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into
Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great
nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and
afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our
ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our
oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and
wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land
flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the
ground that you, O Lord, have given me." You shall set it down before the
Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with
the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the
bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.
Psalm
91:1-2, 9-16
You who live in the shelter
of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow
of the Almighty,
will say to God,
"My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust."
Because you have made God
your refuge,
the Most High
your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
For God will command God's angels
concerning you
to guard you
in all your ways.
On their hands
they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot
against a stone.
You will tread on the lion
and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent
you will trample under foot.
Those who love me,
I will deliver;
I will protect those
who know my name.
When they call to me,
I will answer them;
I will be with them
in trouble,
I will rescue them
and honor them.
With long life
I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
Romans
10:8b-13
"The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the
word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one
confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who
believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between
Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on
him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be
saved."
Luke
4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was
led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the
devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was
famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this
stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written,
'One does not live by bread alone.'"
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the
kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give
their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I
give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be
yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written,
'Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.'"
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the
temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down
from here, for it is written,
'He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you,'
and
'On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot
against a stone.'"
Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your
God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed
from him until an opportune time.