1 Lent A March 9, 2014
Luther Memorial Church Seattle, WA
The Rev. Julie Guengerich Hutson
Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7 + Psalm 32 + Matthew 4: 1-11
Grace, mercy, and peace to you in this holy season of Lent. Amen.
Today we find ourselves at the beginning of the season of Lent AND smack dab in the middle of the drama in the Garden of Eden. This text is one of the most misunderstood texts in the Bible; it’s used, incorrectly, to identify the beginning of sin, to blame women for all that has ever gone wrong with the world, and to remind us why we don’t trust a snake when we see one.
There’s an important interpretive word in this reading from Genesis. It’s the word translated from Hebrew as “crafty” in Chapter 3, verse 1. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal the Lord God had made.” That word can also be translated as naked….the serpent was more naked. In order to completely understand this, though, you have to go to the American south for translation. You see, in the south, if a person is simply not wearing clothes, say, they’ve just gotten out of the shower, they are “naked.” But, if a person is not wearing clothing because they are up to no good, then, they are “nekkid.” The serpent, clearly, in this case, was “nekkid.”
Or was he? Was he really up to no good? Because technically speaking, the serpent told the truth. The man and the woman in the garden did not die when they ate of the fruit from the tree God had forbidden them to eat or touch. But they were aware of their vulnerability, their shortcomings, their own nakedness.
I’ve been pondering this drama in the garden in light of this season of Lent. For the Church, which didn’t even exist at the time this story was told, Lent is traditionally about repentance and fasting. And certainly if the woman and the man had resisted the urge to do what they had been told not to do, if they had ignored the serpent, if they had listened to God, they would not have found themselves living contrary to God’s instructions.
But they put themselves first. Their own needs, their own wants, their own desires. Because the fruit of that tree was good for food and a delight to the eyes and desired to make one wise…they ate it.
This, I think, is a worthwhile Lenten focus – refraining from thinking only of ourselves, of what we want, of what we think we need, of what we hope to have and possess…in favor of listening deeply for God.
There is something about this idea of refrain that draws me in. To refrain from something, is to stop for a time, to have one’s actions interrupted. The refrain of a song interrupts the singing of the verses. To imagine Lent, then, as a season of holy refrain, seems helpful to me on this day.
In fact, to imagine the season of Lent as song, seems also to work. Because it is a song that offers us what is maybe our most understandable notion of refrain. Of the interruption of what we are doing. Can we interrupt our own lives, which are arguably lived in the daily pursuit of what we need and want and desire – like the tree in the middle of the garden – for attention to what God desires with us and for us?
If we can identify that refrain, then we are more likely able to come back to it at the end of the verses of our lives, at the end of the verses of our days.
That refrain might certainly include a loving relationship with our Creator, steeped in prayer, and Scripture. Love of neighbor, which is lived out in big and small ways- from a shared cup of coffee to a march in the city streets. Can we interrupt our pursuit of more…refraining from our desire for more stuff, more money, more free time….for the appreciation of what we have? An earth that is coming to life with blooms and blossoms. Gardens being planted. Friends and family and colleagues and this community of faith. Can we interrupt our striving for the future to rest in the present?
It occurs to me that there are other ways that keeping Lent is like the refrain of a song. One is that we refrain from alleluia. This ancient word of praise absents itself from our worship. And it is not because we no longer offer our praises, but it is because we offer them with our lives and hearts rather than our lips and voices. The absence of those words of praise, then create spaces. They create spaces in our lives for us to lean more fully into our call as disciples. Space is created for prayer and worship, for time in Scripture and time spent considering our lives. Space is created for holy rest. Rest. Another part of a musical refrain. Another opportunity to pause, if only for a moment.
This idea of refrain, of an interruption or a rest from a pattern was present in Jesus’ life as well. The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent is always the story of Jesus’ time in the wilderness. What comes before this time of refrain for Jesus is his baptism, the beginning of his public ministry, the beginning perhaps of his own understanding of what would be required of him as he Messiah, the son of God, the Beloved. In the wilderness time, Jesus is, as is so often the case, tempted. The evil one tempts him with power.
Know your own power…the tempter entices….
You’re hungry? Turn the stones into bread.
You think you’re all that? Throw yourself off this cliff and let’s see if those angels will save you?
You want to rule the world? Just worship me instead of God.
In the wilderness times in our own lives, we may find ourselves face to face with the tempter…enticing us with those things that would draw us from God. There is an old saying: If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll at least keep you busy.
I can relate to that, can you? I can stand assured that I’ve not fallen into the “big sins.” I’ve not killed or murdered or stolen anything. Oh, sure…maybe a little covetousness every now and then. But being busy in our culture is something of a sign of success.
There is a commercial that debuted during the Olympics for a luxury car. This commercial extols the value of working longer hours away from your family so you can buy an expensive car. It’s a pretty awful commercial. I hope that this particular American car manufacturer will consider again the values they are promoting in their advertising. One part of the ad specifically rejects the idea of taking vacation. Who needs rest? Who needs refrain?
Jesus did. And so do we.
Time and time again, Jesus withdrew from the crowds and went off by himself…to pray…to be quiet…to rest.
Lent invites us, with its natural pause, its innate rest, to an interruption of the song of our lives. Lent invites us into deeper understandings, harder considerations, and a more rigorous leaning into our faith. This is not always easy, especially in a world and a time when such value is placed on the incessant spinning of the wheel that is life. It is not easy in a time when we are rewarded for how fast we can go and how efficient we can be. To suggest rest and interruption and refrain from such fevered activity is a radical suggestion. And just what we need.
To journey into this Lenten refrain, to sing this song, naturally requires the support of our community of faith. The importance of gathering in for worship is highlighted. The sustaining nature of our friendships here, old friendships and brand new ones, becomes life giving – reflecting for us the very way the angels came to Jesus when the devil had left him in the wilderness.
And so, beloved community, we begin this holy season together. This time of refrain, this time of rest, is marked by our relationship with one another and with Jesus Christ, grace notes in our song. Amen.
I invite you to a few moments of silent reflection before we sing our hymn of the day. When the worship leaders stand to sing, you are invited to join us.