Rev’d Caroline - [email protected], 01285 712467
Rev’d Vicky Falvey - [email protected]
Readings for Sunday: Genesis 2.15-17; 3.1-7; Romans 5.12-19; Matthew 4.1-11
We are now heading into the season of Lent, when we seek to examine ourselves, to recognise our flaws and sins, and to draw closer to God, seeking his forgiveness and promise of new life. This Sunday we start at the beginning, as our readings prompt us to think about the nature of temptation and sin.
Back in the history of the Church, in the 5th Century, one of the major conflicts in what people believed about Jesus’ saving power took place between two great thinkers, Augustine and Pelagius. Pelagius argued that people were capable of overcoming temptation and sin themselves, and that Jesus was just an example and encouragement for them to do better. Augustine on the other hand understood sin as something that people simply weren’t able to overcome by themselves. Everybody without exception needed the power of Jesus to save them from that sin and temptation and place them on the right path.
We see in the Bible again and again the story played out of how right Augustine was. Human beings might desire to do good, but time and again they fall short. Temptation is too much for them, and they fall away, even with the best of guidance. Jesus offers us something that is otherwise unreachable for us. Only he was able to stand against the temptations offered to him, in the Wilderness as in our reading this morning from Matthew’s Gospel, but throughout the rest of his life as well. Jesus is the only human ever who was without sin, even though he was tempted and tested as all of us are.
In the world today, through the marvels of the information age, we see in glorious technicolour just how terrible human beings can be. We turn against God’s commands to love the world, to till and keep it; to love Him; to love one another. We see violence, selfishness, hatred and cruelty displayed in crystal clarity. We see how wrong this is. And often we can see no way beyond it. What can one person do against this tide of evil?
When these feelings rise in us, then is the time to turn to our readings this morning. This evil that humanity can brew up can be resisted, can be conquered, and has been – by our Lord and Saviour, who offers us hope and strength day after day to start afresh and to do better, for ourselves and for others. In Lent we don’t look away from sin – we look at it directly, even if that looking hurts. We’ve seen this sin defeated. Jesus didn’t give up, and with his power, we won’t either.
So at the beginning of this season of penitence and reflection; my prayer is for courage. For that stout-hearted refusal to give up or give in to despair or nihilism, because we are people of the light, and Jesus shines with and for us. Be brave, and let’s stand together.
Rev’d Caroline
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