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The Gospel reading for the First Sunday in Lent was the Temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1-13). We heard how He combated the temptations that came His way: He used the Word of God. Satan tried to throw some of those words back in His face, but Jesus did not fall for that twisting of the meaning of Scripture. He was steadfast and faithful to His mission of living a perfect life for us, which He would then offer as the payment for the sins of the world.

While three temptations are recorded here, there could have been more. We all know from our own experience that Satan is relentless in His attacks. That last verse of that Gospel reading reminds us of that.

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13)

There would be more temptations directed at Jesus. Daily. Just like we are constantly bombarded. Satan is always looking for the “opportune time” when he thinks you will be most susceptible.

I don’t sleep well. I haven’t for almost 30 years. While I am able to fall asleep quickly, I only sleep a couple of hours before I am awake again. Sometimes I am able to fall asleep again quickly, but more often than not I am awake for an hour or more before I get some more rest. And yes, I’ve been to doctors and had sleep studies and tried their recommendations, but nothing has helped. It have accepted it as a reality in my life.

The reason I mention this is that I am often awake during the time when it is dark. And I can tell you that the Prince of Darkness is an accurate title. He is very busy at night. All kinds of temptations come when I am unable to sleep, often times they assault me from multiple directions at once.

I have discovered that following the example of Jesus when He was tempted actually works! I speak God’s Word to the devil. I pray for God’s help as Jesus did in the Garden. I sing hymns and spiritual songs – in my head, not out loud, because Cheryl is still sleeping. Satan does not give up, but I have the power to resist every temptation he throws at me. That may sound arrogant, but it is not. I am not referring to my own power, but the power of God that He makes available to followers of Jesus.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  (1 Corinthians 10:13)

God is faithful. He provides the way out, the power to resist.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14–16)

His mercy and grace help us, empower us, to resist temptation.

It even works in the daytime. Give it a try the next time you are tempted.

A few days ago we heard about a tornado going through Iowa. Some friends of mine live in that area and posted pictures of the storm as it was happening. Pictures of the aftermath reveal the devastation. I’ve seen it up close. Over the years I have helped clean up after tornados in Oklahoma and North Texas. I have also helped with clean up and rebuilding after Katrina, the flooding from Harvey in Southeast Texas, and then after the floods in Nebraska a few years later. Most recently, right after I retired, Cheryl and I went to Sulphur, Louisiana to help clean up after Hurricanes Laura and Delta. We were there for two weeks.

That was when I met the folks from the Trinity Lutheran in Tyler, Texas Disaster Response Team. What an awesome group. Their mission is to get to disaster sites as quickly as possible, usually within 48 hours, to start helping and caring. Their primary focus is chainsaw work/tree removal. They cut up downed trees or dangerous standing trees and get them out of the way so the other clean up and recovery can begin. See how they describe themselves here:   https://bit.ly/3vMY18K

Last week I went with them to build a couple of Disaster Response Camps they mentioned in #2. It will speed things up the next time they need to respond after a hurricane.

By the way, every Lutheran Disaster Response Team I have been a part of does this as a gift, at no cost to those whose lives have been turned upside down by disaster. Volunteers pay their expenses to get there and back. It is a way for us to be the hands and feet and arms and ears of Jesus to those people. It also gives us the chance to tell them why we are doing it. We are sharing to love of God in Christ with our labors. We tell them about our Savior who loved us and gave Himself for us all. He showed us how to be a servant to others, and we are trying to follow His example.

Sometimes you might think there is nothing you can do, or that your little bit won’t make a difference. One day a man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” The man laughed to himself and said, “Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference!” After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one.”

If you have not been part of a disaster response team, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Do so in response to what Jesus said in that parable about the End Times:

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

The kindness we show by serving others gives us the chance to share the Good News with them. And that is something they all need to hear.

Hark! the voice of Jesus crying, “Who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvests waiting, Who will bear the sheaves away?”
Loud and long the Master calleth, Rich reward He offers thee;
Who will answer, gladly, saying, “Here am I, send me, send me?”

 If you cannot speak like angels, If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus, You can say He died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked, with the judgment’s dread alarms,
You can lead the little children To the Savior’s waiting arms.

If you cannot be a watchman, Standing high on Zion’s wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven, Off’ring life and peace to all,
With your prayers and with your bounties You can do what God demands;
You can be like faithful Aaron, Holding up the prophet’s hands.

Let none hear you idly saying, “There is nothing I can do,”
While the souls of men are dying And the Master calls for you.
Take the task He gives you gladly, Let His work your pleasure be.
Answer quickly when He calleth, “Here am I, send me, send me!”

I told a story about some of my grandchildren yesterday, my youngest daughter’s two kids. My middle daughter also has two children, and her husband brought three daughters with him into our family, so we have seven grandchildren in all. I won’t be telling stories about all seven, but I do want to share an ongoing drama with our youngest granddaughter, Micah.

Even though they live in Colorado, we get to see her almost daily using video chat. When Micah was about a year and a half, she started calling me “Papa.” She recognized me on the phone and would say “Hi, Papa!” It kind of melts my heart. It is a wonderful thing. The drama is her steadfast refusal to call Cheryl “grandma.”

We went up to their house for her second birthday. The entire time we were there, Cheryl was working on her, trying to get her to say “grandma.” She thinks she might have said it one time, but she still refuses to call her that. At one point, my daughter pointed to Cheryl and asked Micah, “Who is that?”  Her response: “No Papa!”

Three months later, it continues. Last week I went to Florida with a group to construct some Disaster Response camps for future deployments of volunteers as needed (More about that tomorrow). Because I would be gone all week, Cheryl flew up to Colorado to be with Micah and her family. She comes home today, and Micah has still not called her “grandma.”

I know that is disappointing to my wife. She has always loved children. Her face lights up when she gets to be with her grands, who she calls her “littles.” She does not love Micah any less than the others, but longs for Micah to acknowledge her for who she is.

That made me think of how it must grieve and hurt our heavenly Father when the children he loves so dearly will not acknowledge or come to him. That is most of the people in the world! Those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior sent for all people refuse to recognize the Father for who He is.

“He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” John 5:23

The word translated as “honor” in this passage can also mean “recognition.” They refuse to recognize that Jesus and the Father (along with the Holy Spirit) are the one true God. This is devastating for a God who loves the world and wants everyone to know and come to Him.

“[God] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4

Jesus made that point repeatedly. How tragic that even God’s chosen people, through whom the Savior would come into this world, rejected Him.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37

It is not simply that God wants people to call Him “Father.” Saying the word is not enough. He wants people to believe that He is their Father, who wants them to be in a loving relationship with Him now and forever. He made that possible by sending Jesus to be our substitute and take the punishment our sins deserve. Faith in Him receives the forgiveness and life and salvation He earned for you.

What can you do to help others see their heavenly Father for who He is?

1 Corinthians 13:8-13   8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

These words appear right in the middle of a discussion on spiritual gifts, which was something the people of Corinth didn’t understand. You know, gifts like healing, prophecy, wisdom, knowledge and speaking in tongues. Rather than changing the subject, this chapter ties in to that discussion on gifts. The point Paul is making is that the main thing in a Christian life is not the ability to speak in tongues or heal an illness or any other gift. The most important thing in the life of a believer is the practice of Christian love. Once you have come to faith in Christ, that is what you are to do: Love. Christians are to model the love that God has shown to us. You are to mimic the love that drove Jesus to the cross, because nowhere do we see God’s love more clearly. You are to show others the love that has been shown to you.

Love is the greatest because it is permanent. Songs will say “and I will always love you” and “my love for you will never die.” But those songs describe emotions, which change, as the failed relationships all around us testify. But love, God’s love, lasts forever.

The love Paul writes about here is the greatest because it has its origin in God. John wrote about this as well, many times, but perhaps most clearly in…

1 John 4:7-11 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

The love we show is to be a response to the love which God has shown.

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

I remember sharing Psalm 103 at the bedside of a member of my congregation who was very near the end of his time here on earth. While he was unable to respond, his wife and I talked about the comfort these words give.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion…”

Even when we face death, those who have put their confidence in Christ have reason to praise Him and remember all the blessings that He gives to us while here on earth. More than that, we have the “benefit” of knowing our sins will not be held against us because Jesus paid the price for them all.

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

It is not that God simply “gets over” our sins as time goes along. No, His justice demands payment for sin, and “the wages of sin is death.” But we don’t get what our sins deserve—thanks be to God. In fact, we get what we don’t deserve because of what Christ did for us with His perfect life, death in our place, and victory over death.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Our sins have been removed because Jesus paid their penalty. God’s love led Him to provide Christ as our substitute. The people in the Old Testament were saved by believing God’s promise that had not yet been fulfilled in Christ. We are saved by believing the same promise that was fulfilled by all Jesus did for us.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;   the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”

This past Wednesday Christians around the world had ashes placed on their foreheads and heard the words “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” God remembers that, and we should, too. Our time on earth will end. But those who are in Christ look forward to going to be with Christ, which is better by far.

“But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him…

Praise the Lord, O my soul.”

As I wrote yesterday, those of us who follow a traditional church year calendar find ourselves once again in this season known as “Lent.” It is designed to be a time for personal repentance and reflection on the death of Jesus. Each individual is encouraged to remember that it was for his or her sin that Jesus died. We focus on His death, not in a morbid sense, but with an appreciation for what He was willing to endure for our sake.

Perhaps no event in human history has been interpreted in so many differing ways as the death of Jesus Christ. Almost everyone who has ever heard about it has offered an opinion about what it means. Some think it is no different than any other death. Others believe Jesus was (and still is) the Son of God, the Savior of all people, and that His death paid for the sins of the world. And there are countless other interpretations and explanations in between those two extremes.

There is no reason for all the different interpretations. Rather than trying to put a “spin” on it or explain it in a certain way, I suggest we just listen to what Scripture has to say on the matter.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” (1 John 3:16)

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:3)

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

 “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

“…and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

I’m not going to offer you any interpretations here today – just these simple statements from the Bible. Read them for yourself. And there are plenty more where these came from. Listen to what they are saying. The message is there.

It is a message our world today needs to hear.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of another Lenten season. For those who don’t follow the church year calendar, Lent is a 40 day period (not counting Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, a season of marking time, a countdown to Easter. People who give up something for this penitential season are certainly counting the days. You watch the clock, waiting for time to pass, maybe even marking the days off your calendar until it is over. Perhaps you suffer a little because of what you have given up, which is to be a reminder of how much Jesus suffered for you and all He endured to accomplish your salvation.

Lent is not mandated in Scripture. It is an observance developed in the history of the Church to assist us in reflecting on the death of our Lord and preparation to celebrate His Resurrection.

Remember that Old Testament 40 day period of waiting when it did not stop raining? Noah had an experience of watching and waiting. Even after the rains stopped, the water covered the entire earth. He and his family and the animals would be in the ark for a long time before it settled on dry land.

Life is filled with times of watching and waiting: for a child to be born, at the bedside of a loved one who is hospitalized, for a spouse to return from deployment. Those times come and those times go, but that is not all there is to life. I don’t imagine that Noah’s time on the ark was all work and gloom and drudgery. When I try to picture those eight folks together on the ark, they had to have done something. One author said he imagined them spending their evenings playing pinochle and telling stories and having sing-alongs! As bad as things were, they knew there was an end in sight. Eventually the time would be up, their current circumstances would be over, replaced by something better.

That is the message from God’s Word for you as well, involved as you are in this business of marking time, watching and waiting. You go through Lent to get to Easter! You go through life to get to heaven! You are assured of something better because of what Jesus did. You have God’s Word on it.

God made a promise to Noah: “Never again will you have to go through what you have been through. You have my word on that!” The rainbow was the sign that God keeps his Word. The colors of the rainbow can remind us of the promises God makes to us, too.

• Red for the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross to make us clean from every sin.
• Golden orange, a prelude of the untold riches that await us.
• Yellow, like the rising sun, promise of a new and better day.
• Green, the color of life, of things that live and grow.
• Blue, for heaven, cloudless when the storm is past.
• And purple, the traditional color of the Lent, the color of royalty, a reminder of what our Lord endured, the King of Kings once crowned with thorns and throned on the cross, to let God’s kingdom come.

Lent is a season for counting the time. But there is also a rainbow, the promise that we are moving toward Easter when the counting is all done. And the even greater promise of life everlasting earned for us by Christ through His death and resurrection.

Psalm 143 is known as one of the Seven Penitential Psalms. David recognizes his own sin, his utter unworthiness, yet He turns to God requesting and expecting what Luther called “fatherly divine goodness and mercy.” I think this gives us a good picture of how God’s people, even before the time of Christ, were saved by trusting in His grace, His mercy, His Love, His promise of deliverance. David admits his inability to save Himself, so He turns to the one from whom help comes.

You and I are fortunate to live in the time after Christ. We have heard eyewitness accounts of how God carried out His plan of salvation for all people through His only-begotten Son. You have the Biblical record that clearly points to Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You know that for the sake of Jesus Christ, because of His death in your place and His resurrection to defeat death for you, God has promised you forgiveness for all sins and eternal life with Him. That really is Good News for each of us.

As I said, David did not have that perspective. He was not looking back in faith. Yet he had the same kind of confidence, because His faith was in the one who promised to send a Savior. Knowing that Savior was coming gave David the same assurance of mercy and grace and forgiveness that you and I have. And that comes through in this Psalm.

What I’d like to do now is have you think about this setting, prior to the time of Christ, yet anticipating Him, as I go through this Psalm and offer a paraphrase.

O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

Lord, I’m hurting. You and I both know it. I’ve messed up. I’ve done wrong. I admit that. But now I don’t know what to do. In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is nothing I can do. I don’t have a prayer….well, that’s not quite right. I do have a prayer, and I’m offering it to you. You are the one who can help. And you have promised that you will.

Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

As I said, you and I both know what I’ve done. I deserve punishment. I have not done what you demand. I have done what you forbid. No one can live up to what you expect! Yet I’m begging for mercy, Lord. Don’t give me what I deserve.

The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

It seems as though Satan has complete control over me. He makes me feel guilty, which I am. I don’t know if I could feel any lower. Sometimes I wish I were dead. I’m tired of feeling this bad.

I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

It hasn’t always been this bad. If I just stop and look around, I see evidence of you, Lord, and your goodness. I have heard all the stories of how you have delivered your people in their times of need. You mercy is so obvious in so many lives. I should spend more time thinking about all the good things you have done for me in my life.

I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

O.K., Lord, I’m turning to you again for help. I’m desperate. I have nowhere else to turn. Don’t ignore me. I need an answer from you soon. If you don’t help me, no one will. Without your aid, I will be hopeless.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.

I believe the promises you have made to me, Lord. You have the power to help me, to heal me, to save me, to comfort me. I put myself in your hands. Show me what to do. Speak to me, Lord.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

I know I have turned away from what you have told me to do, God, so give me a refresher course. Remind me how you want me to live. Help me hear what you are saying, take it to heart, and live according to it.

For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

My own experience has taught me that your ways are best, Lord. You will deliver me and bring me out of trouble. Yet I continue to go astray. I am tempted on all sides. Help me. Give me the strength to resist those temptations. I want to live according to Your Laws. I want to walk in your ways. I want to be your servant.

As you listened to what David said in this Psalm, did you hear any words that sounded familiar? All of us have felt and thought those things at times, and no doubt will again. When you do, follow the example of David. Go to the source of help. Confess your faults. Talk it out, or should I say hash it out with God. He wants you to come to Him. And do so with the confidence that comes from knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior. Remember that His death has paid for your sin, so you can go to God and confidently ask forgiveness. And then join David in praying that God would empower you each day to live a life that responds to His goodness, a life pleasing to Him.

Matthew 17:5b This is my Son, Whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.  Listen to Him.

Yesterday we observed the Transfiguration of our Lord, the last Sunday of the Epiphany season. This is an appropriate conclusion to Epiphany, which emphasizes Jesus showing Himself to be God. The Transfiguration was an ultimate Epiphany or “showing,” with Jesus revealing His glory to those three disciples. It must have been a tremendous thing to witness. Peter was so overwhelmed that he didn’t know what to say, except that he wanted to do something special to commemorate this event.

I wish I had been there to hear the conversation between Jesus and Moses and Elijah. But we have something even better. You and I have a constant source for listening to God: His Word. Listen to Him!

God the Father spoke to those who were on the mountain, repeating what He had said at the Baptism of Jesus: This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him. While we cannot “listen” to Jesus as the disciples did, we still have the chance to hear Him. We have God speaking to us each time we go to His Word. Do you listen?

How much do you listen to God? Once a week? Once a day? How well would things go at work if you only listened to your boss once a week? How would your relationship at home be if you only listened to your spouse once a day?

God’s Word has countless riches waiting for you, passages that will speak to you where you are in your life. God wants to be with you, He wants to help. Will you listen?

The most important thing you need to hear is what God tells you about Jesus Christ. If you listen to Him, as He speaks to you in His Word, you will discover that no matter what you have done, no matter how bad you have been, you can be forgiven. Jesus went to the cross to insure that forgiveness. But only those who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died and rose again for you, will receive forgiveness and life. Hopefully you hear that each week when you attend worship and Bible Class. But what do you listen to during the rest of the week?

There are so many things in the world that vie for our attention. Phones, movies, video games, sporting events, books, jobs, friends, and so on. You listen to these things. You cannot help but listen. But keep your priorities straight. God tells you to listen to him. Why? Because He alone is able to tell you what you really need to know. Jesus spoke to his disciples, who listened. They preached to others, who listened. And God led some men to preserve His Word in written form, so that we might have it with us still today. You all own copies of God’s Word in a version that you can readily understand. But do you use those Bibles to listen to what God wants to tell you?

Owning a Bible will not get you into heaven. Believing what God tells you there will. But how can you believe if you don’t know what it says? And how will you know unless you are in the Word for yourself, looking for what God says to you?  In John’s Gospel, we are told that some of Jesus followers at one time were abandoning Him. Jesus asked the 12 if they, too, would leave. Peter’s response tells us that He had been listening. He said, Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life!

When you listen, you will hear how God has dealt with sinful people throughout history. He hates sin but is merciful and forgiving to those who put their trust in Him and ask to be forgiven. When you listen, you will find that the rules and regulations He lays out for His people really do make sense. Your life is easier and better and happier when you follow His plan for your life. And this is all in the context of knowing that you have been forgiven and given the gift of eternal life because of your faith in Christ.