Easter Sunday: He is not always in the same place!

Acts 10:34-43
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-18

Risen Lord, fill our hearts with Easter joy.
May the light of your new life shine forth from us,
So that we may fill the world
with good news of your resurrection .
Dying you destroyed our death,
Rising you restored our life.

Happy Easter! Christ in Risen!

There are no better stories than ones that start off badly and sadly and end gladly in glory. However, we must avoid the temptation to assume that the pain and terror, the confusion and sorrow of Good Friday is all washed away by Easter Sunday. This is not a story that can have a bow tied around to tidy up for another year. Nor is it one that we can discount like the chocolate eggs still in the grocery stores.

The Easter story is one that moves and transforms us. It should deepen our Christian lives and witness each time we hear it.

Thomas Merton, an American Trappist monk and poet, who lived from 1915-1968, wrote a little book called ‘He is Risen’. It begins with:

‘He has risen, he is not here… he is going before you to Galilee. (Mark 16:6-7)

Christ is risen. Christ lives.
Christ is the Lord of the living and the dead.
He is the Lord of history.

Christ is the Lord of a history that moves.
He not only holds the beginning and the end in his hands,
But he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are going.
He is not always in the same place.

Let this be a helpful guide to us this Easter Day. He walks ahead of us to where we are going. He is not always in the same place.

The resurrection of Jesus is a story of love and transformation. The Church is to be a place of love and transformation. The Church needs to apologise for when it fails to be loving; when it meets the stereotypes of being a place of judgment, unkindness, rigidity; when it would rather maintain rules than build relationships. We need to walk ahead; our leader certainly has.

The first Easter day began in darkness, Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb early. She was likely one of the last to leave on Friday; Mary knew the tomb had been sealed with a giant stone. Jesus was not in the place where Mary had left him.

So she ran to find Peter and John. Imagine that conversation, out of breath, trying to get the words out. Exhausted, confused – ‘they have taken the Lord out of the tomb!’ Mary was convincing enough for Peter and John to set out running. John gets there first; younger and faster but he is not able to bring himself to enter. Peter goes straight in. He finds the linen wrappings empty. Jesus was definitely not in the place where He was last seen.

Maybe some here this morning feel dislocated from the Church or faith. Maybe you have been looking for something and not found it. Looking to the world, to society is not providing the answers we need and lacks certainty and truth. Or maybe you have been looking within and found that your own resources are depleted. The Church can sometimes appear to be empty and lacking too.

Maybe God is not in the same place you thought He might be.

Maybe it is time to stand still. Mary got back to the tomb after Peter and John and stood weeping. She stopped for a while. Then probably got the second biggest shock of her life although her reaction seems subdued. Two angels sitting where Jesus had been. A brief conversation ensues and then Mary turns around.

At first she does not recognise Jesus. Mary Magdalene who had been an early follower of Jesus since her healing/exorcism of the seven demons, does not recognise Him. This is almost unbelievable that someone so close to Jesus cannot recognise Him – even after two days apart. Jesus was not in the same place and neither was Mary.

It is not until Jesus calls her by name and she gets the greatest shock of her life. Mary needed to be called back. Back to The One who had healed and redeemed, who loved her more than any other. Mary is called back to move forward. We too need to be called back to move forward. Jesus walks ahead of Mary and He walks ahead of us.

Peter had a similar experience of being called back to move ahead. Peter the fisherman turned zealous follower turned Good Friday denier turned Easter Sunday runner to being restored by Jesus on the shores of Lake Galilee is now preaching and teaching in Caesarea. Peter is preaching about belief in Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. Peter knows what he is saying is true because he witnessed it, he received it and committed himself to living it out until his own crucifixion. Peter has taken the commandments of Jesus to share the Good News seriously.

Paul, who wrote the letter to the Colossians, is telling us to seek Christ and to seek things that are above. Paul gets it too, although he never met Jesus while He was alive. Paul was on the opposing side, the enemy of Jesus and his followers. In a flash of light, Paul’s direction changed. Jesus was not going to leave Paul where He was. He did not leave Mary or Peter the same either.

On this Easter Sunday, my prayer is that we will watch for Jesus in new ways. Not in the traditions, assumptions or habits of the old but in the newness of the Easter season. If you cannot seem to find God in the same place, maybe it is time to scan the horizon and look again. He is walking ahead of us.

Thomas Merton again…

Christ is risen. Christ lives.
Christ is the Lord of the living and the dead.
He is the Lord of history.

Christ is the Lord of a history that moves.
He not only holds the beginning and the end in his hands,
But he is in history with us, walking ahead of us to where we are going.
He is not always in the same place.


Maundy Thursday: Hands, Feet and Knees

Crucifix in Santa Maria Maior, Lisbon

2/4/26
Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14 Psalm 116;1, 10-end
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-17, 31-35

I hope that everyone is having a holy Holy Week. It is not always easy! We get busy and tired and distracted. I hope that this evening we can reclaim some of what this week and especially this day is meant to be about. For many it is a time to get away on holiday, make preparations for big meals and egg hunts. There are our church activities and services too. All good things. And there is more.

Tonight we begin the journey to the cross. The disciples began that journey too. It is a journey that requires preparation. Jesus had been preparing them through his teaching and example. On this night Jesus took off his outer robe, tied a towel around himself and began to wash the disciples’ feet. This was an act of humility, the job of a slave in any household.

When I was in Lisbon the other week, I visited a number of Catholic churches. As one does! I found them to be rather austere compared to others in Spain, France, Poland & Italy. More stone than gold; but something profound in the simplicity. I also noticed Jesus on most crucifixes around the churches had very bloody knees. I don’t think I had ever noticed Jesus’ knees before. We focus on his hands and feet pierced by the nails of the Romans.

Jesus would have had to bend his knees to get down to wash those feet. We are told in the Passion narrative that He fell at least three times while carrying the cross. Jesus would have needed his knees to get himself up and bear the weight of the cross. The knees came before the hammered hands and feet.

How are your knees this evening? Are they bearing the weight of all that you are carrying?
How about the knee of your heart? I bet you did not know that your heart has a knee! It is metaphorical of course.

In the book of Manasseh (which is in the apocrypha), it is written,

And now I bend the knee of my heart,
imploring you for your kindness.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,
and I acknowledge my transgressions.
I earnestly implore you,
forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!

It is a profound action, to bend the knee of the heart. This means putting aside our pride, vanity and hypocrisy. It is an act of deep humility.

Maundy Thursday is a day of preparation as well as humility. There are physical as well as spiritual preparations to be made as we move into Good Friday.
In a few minutes I will invite you to come forward to have your hands washed. Following on from this we will celebrate our last communion before Easter Sunday. At the end of the service we will strip the altar and then sit in silence to keep watch.

All of these actions, however ceremonial we make them, should help us to bend the knees of our hearts towards Jesus as he goes to Gethsemane and then onto the cross.

In Exodus, God gives specific instructions to Moses and Aaron about how the Passover meal is to be prepared. Hands were needed to prepare the lambs and make the arrangements. Sandals were to be on feet, staff in hand and the food eaten quickly. The lamb’s blood needed to be painted over the doorposts.

Paul is reminding the Corinthians about how they are to celebrate the Eucharist. Seriously, simply and holding to the words of Jesus. Paul says he received this from the Lord and is handing it on. What we have received from the Lord needs to be handed on too. This is not a passive passing of words but of action. The actions of Jesus and his hands: taking the bread, lifting it to give thanks and then breaking it to be shared. This is the new Passover meal.

This is the drama that is played out on the altar each time we take communion together. Do this in remembrance of me, he says. Remember my broken body and my blood spilled for you. You. Remember me.

As we read again the accounts of the Last Supper and Good Friday, Jesus has been given all things. Not only that, Jesus remembers and knows. Whatever it is, is in His hands! His knees can bear our pain and our doubts. His feet are never too tired. The relief this has brought me time and again has been amazing and transformational. Even in the darker and difficult times and I forget; Jesus has not.

Jesus’ foot washing is an act of service and of love. The ultimate victory is knowing that Jesus was going to God. He can then do the menial job; the job of a slave. This foot washing shows us what humble service and true greatness are.
Jesus has set us an example as he has washed our feet, we are to wash the feet of others. We can do this in our acts of love and service to each other however unglamorous or menial they might be.

Tonight, though, is about the literal washing of hands as an outward sign that we believe we are in His hands.

The hands that healed the blind and raised the dead.
The hands that broke the bread and poured the wine.
The hands that have our names written on them.
The hands that were nailed to the cross for the dirt on ours.
The knees that bent down to write in the dust and set a woman free.
The knees that bent to wash the dirty feet of the disciples
The knees the were bloodied when He fell under the weight
The knees that bore the weight of your sin and mine
The feet that walked thousands of miles to heal and teach the least, the lost and the last.
The feet that brought the Good News.
The feet that walked up the hill under the weight of the cross.

Will you let the things that have been picked up in your heart, hands and feet be washed away tonight? Will you let him strengthen your feeble knees?

Loving Lord, you served your disciples in washing their feet: serve us often, serve us daily, in washing our motives, our ambitions, our actions; that we may share with you in your mission to the world and serve others gladly for your sake. (based on a prayer by Michael Ramsey)
AMEN.

Lent 5: I am the Resurrection and the Life

Van Gogh’s ‘Rising of Lazarus’

Lent 5
22/3/26

Ezekiel 37:1-14
Romans 8:6-11
John 11:1-45

This is a rather long and well-known passage of John’s Gospel; it is good that we should hear the entirety of it. There are many threads to pull especially in Lent as we get closer to Easter. We will soon be confronted with the death and resurrection of Jesus through Holy Week and on Good Friday. What does it mean to be resurrected?

It is more than simply popping back to life again. Often the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus gets reduced down to a miracle story of Jesus. An impressive miracle story of course. However some of the more important parts get left out. The rising, resurrection of Lazarus shows us something of Jesus’ character.

Jesus is our friend. I baptised two brothers a couple of years ago and I asked the older one what does it mean to get baptised? He paused for a moment. Then with the biggest smile on his face, he said, ‘it means that I am Jesus’ friend forever and Jesus is my friend forever.’

Jesus is the friend that will never leave us. Jesus loved his disciples and Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He spent his life travelling around and teaching them so they could pass on the message to others. Mary, Martha & Lazarus appear to have been particularly close friends as Jesus is known to have stayed with them and they are mentioned by name.

Jesus does not always do what we want him to, when we want. The fact that Jesus knew that Lazarus was sick and did not immediately rush to his bedside, but waited for two more days is awkward. We have this idea that God should act and react whenever we summon him to meet our needs and wants.
When this does not happen people get angry and God takes the blame for all failures and misfortune.

There were reasons why Jesus did not rush off: the disciples were afraid that the Jews were going to stone Jesus and they were far away from Bethany at the time. Jesus tells the disciples that, ‘this illness does not lead to death, but rather it is for God’s glory, so the Son of God may be glorified through it.’

There are things that we will never understand about how God and Jesus work on this side of death. We do not know how God’s glory fully works. It is good to be curious so that we can begin to understand and that comes through learning about Jesus by looking at this life.

Everyone who trusts in Jesus will live forever. The pinnacle of John 11 is in the words of Martha as she knows that Lazarus will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Despite her distress, sadness and that request that seemed to go unanswered; Martha understands, at least on some level, that death is not the end of the story. Pitiful is that word that comes to mind for those who think that there is nothing beyond this life.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus says to Martha, ‘Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ Martha believes this. I happen to believe this. I am confident that other people in church today believe this. Do you?

The resurrection is the central event that everything about Christianity hangs on. We will all experience physical death in this life; the death of those that we love and our own. How do we make sense of it? Unfortunately most of the popular narrative around death today is painfully lacking and brushed over. That it is nothing, no big deal. Death is something to be embarrassed about, not to be burdened by or be too expensive.

One of my cousins died last week after a short bout of cancer. It is really awful for his wife, children and grandchildren. I had not seen him for a long time but he was part of the family ever since I can remember. Those ties go back a long way; we also shared our Christian faith. A belief in the resurrection is the only thing that has brought any comfort at all. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. I have no questions or qualms over the fact that as bad as it is right now, my cousin Greg is now living in the light of the resurrection.

Jesus wept. People sometimes get the impression that God is somehow removed, distant from us or worse, not particularly interested in what is going on down here. If we want to know what God is like, then we need to look at the person of Jesus. In Jesus we see love and compassion, forgiveness for those who want it and boundless patience. Jesus was so moved by the broken hearts of those around him, he cried. The Greek translates it as he ‘burst into tears’. That is much stronger than a few tears sliding down his face.

Jesus is not afraid of bad smells. Nothing is beyond God’s reach. Nothing we can ever do or not do, say, think, act is too much or too bad. We are loved by God unconditionally forever.

Jesus can raise people from the dead. Jesus can and did raise people from the dead on a few occasions. Miraculous! However, they went on to die again another day. Jesus also raises people from spiritual death who do go on to live forever. This is out of love, the most extraordinary love we will ever know.

The resurrection of Lazarus is about love, God’s glory and his willingness to send Jesus into the mess and sorrow of our lives and deaths. We too will be resurrected one day if we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. God gives us this life in the resurrection of Jesus. Dry bones can live again with the breath of God and so can we.

Lent 3: Well well well!

Annibale Carracci ‘Christ and the Samaritan Woman‘

8/3/26
Lent 3
Exodus 17:1-7
Psalm 95
Romans 5:1-11
John 4:5-42

There are many studies, psychological and otherwise, that try to measure willingness to change. It takes a lot of effort and intention to make changes in our lives; this is when we are willing too! We only need to watch the news from the Middle East to witness the massive and generally unwanted changes that are occurring to millions of people. For some it might be short-term and others it will be irrevocable. It can put into perspective the changes we might be facing.

The stories of the Israelites and the woman at the well are about change. Moses had led the people out of slavery in Egypt to the promised land. They are struggling to connect with God’s past actions with their present needs; the default position is to panic and complain.

The woman seems unlikely to believe that her life will ever change. She is being offered salvation in the course of a single conversation; can’t be that easy can it?!

God’s mercy is all around them even though they cannot or will not see it. God’s mercy is all around us too. Mercy comes in many ways and in these two stories I want to talk about it coming physically, socially and spiritually.

Physically

Moses had only recently led the Israelites across the Red Sea to escape slavery in Egypt. On arrival into the wilderness of Shur, the lack of water is a big issue. The first water found at Marah was bitter and undrinkable. The Israelites’ reaction is to complain to Moses who in turn cries out to God. God does what God does and provides Moses with a piece of wood to be thrown into the water to make it sweet.

God then leads Moses and his people to Elim, where they camp by 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. Lots of water and life is good. But they have to move on and lack of water again becomes a problem. Same response: complain to Moses with even more anger than last time; blame him for the exodus because he wants to kill them, their children and livestock. Woe is us!

God responds again by providing more water. This time Moses must strike the rock at Horeb. Water comes out and the people drink. Problem solved, for now.

What does this say to us today?

God provides. In a world of war and uncertainty this is still true. God provides all that we need. We do need to cry out though to make our needs known to God and to others. Mercy is all around. God uses other people to answer our prayers and uses us to answer the prayers of others. He gave us family, friends and our church family. Look at the people sitting around you, they could be the answer to your prayer. They can certainly help to meet any needs you might have right now but they do not know what they do not know.

Socially

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well is fascinating. She too has a physical need for water but her social circumstances dictated collecting her water when no one else was around. The well would have been a place of social gathering for the women of Sychar. Kind of like the modern-day equivalent of the workplace water cooler or village cafe.

But not for her. There was a lack of mercy and understanding.

The collection time is significant. Noon is the heat of the day. Who would want to schlep heavy jugs of water at the hottest point in the day? No one else would be doing this. She was on the margins of society. There is nothing to suggest she was a prostitute or promiscuous although that gets read into this story. There may have been many reasons for her five husbands. Maybe she married young. Her first husband could have died, and she was passed along to his brothers. She could have been infertile as there is no mention of children. She had no power to divorce her husband as that power was given only to the man.

Whatever the reason for her 5 husbands it might not have had much to do with her.

Then one day, she meets Jesus at the well, at the loneliest and hottest point of the day. There are huge social implications for Jesus and the disciples. In the wider story, Jesus and disciples are travelling around Judea and Galilee to teach, preach, heal, and cast out demons. They have arrived in Samaria, a place traditionally hostile to the Jews.

Jesus is not only in Samaria but talking to an unaccompanied, social outcast female Samaritan. Jewish men did not speak to lone women in order to avoid any form of sexual temptation or impropriety. Jesus is not bound by these conventions and the longest recorded conversation he ever has with anyone begins. This is an astonishing thought.

This woman on the margins, judged and looked down upon, with virtually no control over her situation gets the most face time with Jesus at the most socially active place in the city at the most deserted time.

What does this say to us today?

We were made to live in a community. We are born into them with our families. Think back to the isolation of Covid – a mere 6 years ago; the social and mental health implications of that time hangover many people. Some people live in isolation under normal conditions. There are people for whom any social isolation is the worst thing they can imagine.

There are some practical things we can do. There are people in the village who are isolated; if you know them, have you visited recently? If you are feeling isolated, make a list of things you could do around your house, a list of people to call, email or write to, a list of books to read or films to watch. Build a schedule – might sound silly but we all need purpose. I will be so crass as to suggest more prayer and Bible reading, it is Lent after all.

Despite our circumstances, Jesus will meet with us when we want to meet with him. The Samaritan woman was getting on with the business of everyday life when she met Jesus. He was waiting for her. He is waiting for us too.

Spiritually

There are many times when reading Gospel stories I would love to hear the original tone of voice. One commentary suggested that the woman comes across as cheeky, brave, vulnerable and a bit flirtatious. Jesus responds to her with warmth and humour yet continues to push her beyond the superficial. You can see a quick wit in her responses. Jesus responds on that level but everything he says has a serious point to it.

Jesus tells her that everyone who drinks the water from the well will be thirsty again, but those who drink the water He offers will never be thirsty ever. This water will become a spring of water gushing up to eternal life (John 4:13-14). This is of course the water that the Samaritan woman wants. She wants it because it will stop her from coming to the well by herself in the heat of the day to avoid the other women who judge and condemn her.

Jesus responds by asking her to call her husband, another external problem she has. By asking her to call husband six, Jesus shows that He knows what is going on internally too.

From a previous Lent study: ‘She longs for a more satisfying life. From freedom from the shame that made her go to the well when she expected no one else to be there. Jesus treats her with respect and dignity.’

The woman does admit that she knows that the Messiah is coming (verse 25) as an attempt to create even more distance. Yet again she is matched by Jesus. The Messiah she has in mind is safe and impersonal and won’t interfere too much in her daily life. That is not the Messiah she met though. She met the Messiah who very much wants to be involved in our lives and knows every detail.

What does this say to us?

Anyone else try to do that with Jesus? Try to distance and distract? Not letting Him get too involved in your everyday life and business. He wants to be with us – if we will let him! It is helpful to remember what Jesus doesn’t do: He didn’t tell her to sin no more, blame her, condemn her. Works with her where she is at.

She went away changed; the small but not insignificant detail of the left-behind water jug tells us that. She went for water as in H2O and came away having experienced some of the living water Jesus offers. She still had some doubt, ‘He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ We are told at the end of the story that many Samaritans came to believe in Jesus because of her story.

It is a time of great uncertainty across the world. We may feel isolated, but we are not alone. Jesus is merciful; He is the living water we need to satisfy our thirst. He will provide for our physical needs as he did for Moses and the Israelites. He will provide for our social needs if we find ourselves alone at the well in the heat of the day. Jesus will meet our spiritual needs with his living water in whatever way we find ourselves isolated.

I will leave you with this final explanation for what the Samaritan woman found in Jesus that day. She had five husbands, was living with man number six, when she met Jesus, number seven. Seven, is the number associated with perfection. In Jesus, that woman met perfection. We too meet perfection in Jesus. Perfect grace, perfect mercy, perfect love.

Lent 1: Three Questions

The Temptations of Christ, 12th century mosaic at St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice.

22/2/26
Year A – Lent 1

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11

“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” – Charles Baudelaire (French poet & essayist).

“Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in.” – Billy Sunday (American evangelist & professional baseball player)

“The devil hath power / To assume a pleasing shape.” – William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

“We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.” – Oscar Wilde.

Scripture tells us repeatedly that the devil is the father of lies. In the wilderness or in the Garden of Eden there is nothing on offer but lies. We see the devil at work in the Genesis and Matthew readings which are always set for the first Sunday in Lent. It is a reminder that the devil/evil/darkness/temptation has been around from the beginning. No one is immune from it, not even Jesus. We have to learn to be aware of it and stand against it. The quotes chosen this morning give a glimpse of how others have contended with the devil.

Many people are convinced that the devil does not exist. We can invite him in. Evil is not always unattractive at first glance. We are our own devils and cause much of our own destruction.

In Genesis, the devil takes the form of a serpent, more crafty than any other animal God had made. The serpent takes an effective and basic approach to deception: casting doubt. Did God really say… Eve knew what God had said, she repeated it verbatim. The serpent carried on telling Eve what would happen which was a lie. She ate the fruit (not necessarily an apple), gave some to Adam and the rest is history.

At the heart of the fall of Adam and Eve is disobedience resulting from lies and deception. Most of our personal problems, the world’s problems stem from lies, deception and ultimately disobedience. Who should we be obedient to? Who should we disobey? What lies have we fallen for?

In Jesus’ baptism, his identity is revealed by God as being his son, precious and beloved. The Spirit then leads him into the wilderness where that truth is powerfully tested and assaulted by the devil. Jesus is not treated as we might expect post-baptism. If you have been to a baptism recently you may have experienced a lavish celebration after the event! There is no cake or bouncy castle for Jesus, no lingering in the glory of baptism for him.

One explanation for Jesus’ temptation is that he had to determine what kind of Messiah he was going to be. Jesus was at the very start of his public ministry; He might as well start as he means to go on.

I want to briefly look at the temptations that Jesus faced and ask three questions that I had not ever considered before.

Stone to Bread

Jesus’ temptation begins after his forty days and nights in the wilderness; likely at this weakest point physically, spiritually and psychologically. Many of us may know the restorative power of a nap and a snack to change perspective. The first need the devil attacks Jesus with is for physical food. Tell this stone to become bread and Jesus of course could do that. There is nothing quite like having hunger satisfied quickly.

The question is: what is truly nourishing for you? If we are thinking about food I am reminded of family meals with everyone around the table. The nourishment of conversation, laughter, being with the people we love. So often we eat junk, we are marketed cheap calories and convenience that do not satisfy our souls or bodies.

We can also ask this spiritually – what nourishes your soul? As you are here this morning I would guess that coming to church does. I know for myself that I am nourished at the Communion table, in times of prayer and reflection. I want you to be fed spiritually, to take this seriously. Do we trust that God and His Word will sustain us?

Jump and Let the Angels
The second temptation is also about trust in God as the devil wants Jesus to put God to the test. This never ends well! Sometimes we put God to the test too when we try to bargain with him, ‘I’ll do this, if you’ll do that.’ We bargain because of our need for safety. Human beings are hardwired for survival and to do that we need to be and feel safe.

The second question is: What is true safety? For a number of years I saw safety in my Canadian passport and credit card with a high limit. If it all went wrong here in the UK, then I could go. Be home again by dinner tomorrow. A growing number of people in this country carry weapons; young people with knives. Is that true safety?

This is driven by fear; I was afraid of failing, running out of money, not having a job or not liking what I was doing. Often fear is far greater than any perceived enemy. God is more than capable of handling our questions, our doubts, our anger and even our temptations. They need to be handed over to him though. What is not acceptable is dangling these things, threatening to do them in order to make God responsible for our actions.

True safety has nothing today with weapons and passports; it has to do with trust. Trusting that God is with us, we are loved. No need to jump off the cliff.

Worship Me and All is Yours

It is very difficult to imagine that Jesus would be tempted to worship the devil. This final temptation is about power. People crave power and the devil knows this. We want to be in control of our own lives, destinies, plans. Adam and Eve were tempted by the prospect of power. They believed, with no proof at all, that eating a piece of fruit would make them like God.

The serpent convinced them that there was more to God than he was letting on. Surely just living the good life in the garden was not all that God wanted. Really? The idea that we can become our own ‘god’ is pervasive in current culture. We want to be powerful, image is everything. Is it? People are falling down all over the place – so get torn down, others throw themselves down.

The third question: What is true power? We learn again and again, or we fail to learn again and again, Jesus’s own central teaching: true power has nothing to do with governments or kingdoms or popularity contests or how many people you can command. True power is the mysterious path that Jesus walked. It comes with no guarantees. It is self-giving surrender, the strangest of paradoxes, and it leads to the cross.

Lent can be a wilderness season of sorts as we make time (or should make time) to examine where we are at with God. To ask ourselves what is truly nourishing? What is true safety? What is true power? Jesus was able to answer the devil at each turn with scripture from Deuteronomy. Maybe we need to brush up on what the bible says (or doesn’t)! Maybe we need to think again about where our trust lies.

A wilderness season, however challenging, will never be wasted if we believe and know that God is with us, that those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved, that our identity lies in being His beloved son or daughter. If we can hang on to that, then whatever the wilderness throws at us, whatever illusions we live under can be overcome.