The Devil Tries to Should on Jesus

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.

Last week I had you imagine all the darkness, evil, worry, and fear that you feel closing in on you, weighing on you, and pressing on you these days.  I told you to take all of it and knead it like clay in your minds into a personified form.  Then I told you to give that personified form a name, write that name on a rock, and then leave it… all of it… in that pile right there.  (If you weren’t here last week you are welcome to do that today after worship if you’d like)  We wrote a wide variety of things on our rocks but in ancient times I suspect the vast majority of people would have simply written “The Devil” on that rock, because that was a much more universal go-to name for the darkness, evil, worry and fear back in those days than it is now.  

But regardless of the name on the rock, that’s who Jesus met in the wilderness.  He met the personified form of all the darkness, evil, worry, and fear the world has to offer.  It’s the very same darkness, evil, worry, and fear you locked into those rocks last week.  THIS week we see one of the tricks the Devil uses to try and get us to let him out of his rock.  It’s called “SHOULDING.”  “Jesus, you SHOULD make bread.  Jesus you SHOULD be in charge of the world.  Jesus you SHOULD get the world’s attention.”  “SHOULD” statements are what we say to ourselves or others about what we “should,” “ought,” or “must” do.  SHOULDING sets up unrealistic expectations that will most likely not be met.  Those unmet expectations then lead to guilt, shame, and resentment.  Resentment when others don’t meet our expectations and guilt and shame when we don’t meet the expectations we put on ourselves.  Israel and Palestine SHOULD stop fighting.  The Administration SHOULD treat our allies better.  We SHOULD care more about the environment.  I SHOULD go to the gym more regularly.  Americans SHOULD take care of those on the margins.

The tricksy part of “SHOULD” statements is that the things we “SHOULD” do aren’t necessarily BAD things at all!  Jesus making bread?  Not bad.  In fact Jesus eventually makes bread for 5000.  Jesus ruling the world?  Also not bad.  In fact Jesus becomes King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Jesus getting the attention of the world by being lifted up?  Also not bad.  In fact, that’s this thing we call Easter!  The same is true of our “SHOULDS”… Middle East peace, treating friends well, caring for the environment, going to the gym, caring for those on the margins?  None of those THINGS are bad!  What IS bad… what IS tempting… what IS self destructive… is not the THINGS we are thinking about, but the WAY we think about them.  Thinking with “SHOULD” statements sets us up for dramatic disappointment, radical resentments, all consuming anger, and debilitating depression.  

The way to fight against the Devil and his temptation of “SHOULDING” is to use alternative language that BOTH keeps the people we love and the things we value in our focus, AND at the same time realistically manages our expectations.  Jesus used the language of Scripture to do that.  In addition to that, we can also use words like "could," "would like to," "might consider," "aim to," "prefer to," "want to," "it would be beneficial to," or "I choose to,” instead of SHOULD.  I would like to see peace between Israel and Palestine.  The Administration might consider treating our allies better.  It would be beneficial to care more about the environment.  I aim to go to the gym more regularly.  I would prefer if Americans took better care of those on the margins.  Do you see the difference?  We're still focusing on moving toward the people and values that are important to us, but the new language changes our outlook from an unrealistic expectation of instant arrival, to a more realistic expectation that getting to where we are going will take a journey.  

Now comes the experiential portion of this sermon.  In your bulletin you have a 3x5 card.  Think now... What is the loudest thing the Devil is telling you that you SHOULD do right now?  Jesus got three.  You just get one.  (You aren't Jesus!) Write that on one side of the card.  Now, JUST THINK about the language you might you use instead, so you're not letting the Devil SHOULD on you.  DON'T write that new language on the card.  You'll want to keep that.  Okay, now think of what is the Devil tempting you to tell someone else they SHOULD do? When you've got that, write it on the other side of that card.  What language might you use instead for that one?  

NOW, you know what you've got?  You've got a card with SHOULD all over it!  When you come up for communion, bring it here and throw it down the hole in the center of the pile of rocks.  That's where “SHOULD” belongs, so when the Devil tempts you with SHOULD again… do what Jesus did… talk back to him… find other language... and leave both the “SHOULD” and the Devil right there in the SHOULD-ER where they belong.  Amen. 

To protect you as you push back on the temptations of the Devil whether in personified form or not, with whatever temptations he might throw at you in these unusual times, I am going to anoint the walls of our church with Holy Oil.  This is part of an ancient ritual most often associated with the consecration of a church used to create a powerful impenetrable Spiritual boundary between the powers and rulers of darkness in the world, the spirit of wickedness, and the Devil himself and you… God’s people gathering here in this Sanctuary.  In this space, within these wall, you are unconditionally loved, you are accepted just as you are as a beloved… a BELOVED child of God.  With this rite and within these walls you have sanctuary and you will be safe.  Always. 

Like the Hypocrites Do

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? 

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

First, we put ashes on our heads which disfigures our faces.  Then we read this Gospel where Jesus tells us NOT to disfigure our faces… you know… like the hypocrites do!  The first time I made that ironic connection in 25 years of preaching, was last Ash Wednesday… while I was preaching.  After worship Bishop Jack and I laughed about the irony. 

So, keep the ashes or wipe them off?  Maybe change the name from Ash Wednesday to Irony Wednesday?  I don’t think we’ll be able to sell that one.  Honestly, I think what we should do with these ashes on our heads depends.  Does keeping the ashes on your head, in some way or another, move you closer to God and neighbor?  If so… then by all means keep ‘em!  But, if keeping them doesn’t do either, then you’d be better off wiping them off before you go back into the world looking “like the hypocrites do.”  

That’s the same for most of the practices of Lent… fasting, giving things up, prayers, giving alms, doing extra acts of service.  When you do those things, do they move you, in one way or another, into a closer relationship with God and  neighbor?  If so… then by all means do ‘em!  But, if doing them isn’t moving you closer to God or your neighbor, then you’re probably doing them for yourself and if that’s the case, you’d be better off NOT doing them at all, rather than doing them “like the hypocrites do.” 

There does seem to be one Lenten practice that doesn’t “depend” so much.  It comes out of that lesson from Joel where he says, “Call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast.”  It is the Lenten practice of showing up… the practice of being here, together, consistently… some might even say “religiously” in community. 

The gathered congregation, Joel believed, has the power to not just make a difference in individual lives, but to make a difference in the world.  I’d have to agree with Joel on that one.  Remember our first Sunday back together after two icy Sundays?  Being together again made a difference for us individually.  We all felt it.  But you also have to admit that when this particular assembly assembles, good things happen in the world as well.  Sheffield Pride, Berkstock, the AT project, tens of thousands of dollars shared with our non-profit partners.  All THAT happens out of our gathered solemn (and not so solemn) assemblies!

So, if there is an individual Lenten discipline that moves you closer to God and your neighbor by all means, take it on.  But whether or not you choose an individual practice… whether or not you keep your ashes or wipe them off…  let’s all take on the ancient Lenten practice of being with each other here this season.  Let us commit to being present and allowing the Divine to work compassion, healing, and hope through this solemn (and not so solemn) assembly to change the world for good.  God knows, the world could use some good.  Amen