Unfinished, Discovering God’s Call in the Not Yet.
Called to Follow Jesus’ Values
If you are reading a novel – especially if it is a mystery – do you sometimes peak and read the ending? No shame if you do! It can be hard to be stuck in middle – not knowing the ending.
That is not the problem that we have as Christians. We know the ending. We know that God sent Jesus into the world and that he died for us. We know that, because of Jesus, God claims us as God’s beloved children and we know that Jesus will come again to judge and redeem the whole world. But… we are not there yet. We are somewhere in the middle– we are in the unfinished part of God’s story.
Our theme for this Lenten season is “Unfinished, Discovering God’s Call in the Not Yet.” As Rev. Charlene Rachuy Cox, writes, “The church by its very nature, and we as people of faith, live our whole lives in the space between no longer and not yet. Cross-marked and Spirit-sealed, we dwell in the space between the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the final fulfillment of God’s hope-filled promises.”1
God’s kingdom is “unfinished.” And so, as Christians, as we live into the promise of the future of God’s Kingdom, but know that it has not yet come, and that it is our call to discover what God’s call, God’s purpose is for us today.
The theme for this week is “Called to Values.” When you think of your values, what comes to mind? Do you think about the 10 Commandments? Or Jesus’ commandments to love God and love your neighbor? Do you value other things that maybe were ingrained in you from the time when you were a child or that you have simply learned along the way – things that aren’t written in the Bible like “clean your plate;” or “take turns” or even “God helps those who help themselves.” We have lots of unwritten values and social mores – and sometimes they come into conflict.
Right before our Gospel reading for today, Jesus is baptized and God proclaims “you are my Beloved Son.” But instead of a celebration, or a road trip proclaiming his anointed status, Jesus is led by the Spirit - that’s the Holy Spirit -- into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Have you ever wondered why? That’s one of the questions I’ve been thinking about this past week. I don’t think that Jesus is undergoing a test – like students have to take to get into college or like some sort of weird hazing like what goes on in some fraternities and sororities for students who want to belong. God has already proclaimed Jesus as His son.
The wilderness can be a challenging place. But it is also a place that God took the Israelites when they left Egypt and were learning to trust in God as their Lord. So perhaps the Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to give Jesus some time and space to wrestle with what it means to be God’s son, to be a child of God who is also human. I think it is good for us to see the humanity of Jesus –that even Jesus had to wrestle with the temptation that comes from having a human body that gets hungry; and from having a human ego that might desire status or power or glory or the meaning and ability to make a difference in the world. These are not bad things in themselves – and the devil knows it. He even uses the bible to try to bolster his argument.
But what Jesus confirms during this time in the wilderness is who he is called to be – the Son of God - and what his mission will be – and what he values. As he deftly turns aside the temptations of the devil, it is clear that Jesus values God’s word and that his mission is not to seek his own glory or power but instead to trust in God’s steadfast and abiding love and presence. Also - did you notice? The Spirit led him to the wilderness… and there is no mention that the Spirit ever left.
This is good news! It is good news because when you were baptized, you were marked with the sign of the cross and sealed with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit hasn’t left you either.
This is good news for our ordinary lives – and it is especially good news for those times of temptation, those times of trial and those times that are simply hard.
Since the pandemic began – and maybe before – we as a world, as a country, as a city, as people have gone through some hard and challenging times. It feels like a wilderness time – where people are hungry, housing is scarce, children are killed in schools, people of color don’t feel safe on the streets and war and earthquakes cause devastation. I have to admit that the other day I was reading the news too late in the evening and I ended up having nightmares all night.
We may be in a period of wilderness – but make no mistake – the Holy Spirit is with us still and always. This can be hard to remember when times are challenging – but that is one of the advantages of our community of faith in the church. We can remind one another of the promises of God and encourage and strengthen one another.
It is also helpful to be reminded that in the past, Christians – even those leaders we admire, like Martin Luther -- have been in and come through hard wilderness times too. As the story goes, one night…
“Martin Luther invited some friends to share dinner at his home during a particularly challenging part of the Reformation and, during the meal, bemoaned the many setbacks they had recently experienced. As the night went on, Luther’s catalogue of disappointments grew longer and longer, until Luther suddenly realized that his wife, Katie, had left the table and come back dressed all in black. When Luther asked her why she had changed her clothes, she responded, “Well, to hear you talk, dear Martin, I thought that perhaps God had died and I should dress for his funeral.”
Which caused Luther to laugh at his own foolishness, to remember God promises, to get up from the table, and to get back to the ordinary and everyday tasks of preaching and teaching and trust the future of the reformation, and the world, to God” 2
As we seek to value what Jesus values and live faithfully into this “unfinished time – this time between already and not yet, we too can be thankful that the Holy Spirit is not only with us but that we can trust our future and our world to God. And as we do that, we can ask Jesus to walk with us along the journey and discover that he is already here. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church + February 26, 2023+ Pastor Pamela Stalheim Lane
1 Rev. Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox
2 Rev. Dr. David Lose, A Sermon for Every Sunday