[RCL] Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11 Seldom does our lectionary give us such richness in Scripture—two of the most powerful and evocative stories in the Bible on the same day. And when it comes to stories about temptation, these readings just about cover the waterfront. First is that wonderful account of…

[RCL]: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11; Psalm 32 “If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” What image does your mind…

As Lent means Spring in Old English it for sure favors the later Lent timeline of this year; it is always strange when the season begins during the heart of winter. For well over a millennium Lent has traditionally been a time of fasting. Communities would fast in various ways, abstaining from food or certain…

In our Old Testament lesson, we find a test case for free will in the Garden of Eden. We humans usually have good excuses to offer for the bad choices we make. Like Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Misérables” who steals bread to feed his sister’s family. Or we can look to someone…

“Temptation” is a word that has absented itself from this culture’s vocabulary and thinking. It’s so much easier to just give into it. “Save us from the time of trial,” the modern version of the Lord’s Prayer has substituted in place of “Lead us not into temptation.” But everything in the current culture points to…

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” or “Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.” Whichever version of the Lord’s Prayer you say, the request is the same: we ask God to be our strength and guide when we’re faced with temptation and sin. In our Collect…

The reading for today from Matthew’s Gospel is an odd bit of Scripture, isn’t it? This particular passage is full of images. They’re very vivid images, so vivid that we almost can’t help but imagine the scene of Jesus’ conversation with the tempter. If we have very lively imaginations, we might feel the heat of…

Our 40-day Lenten journey began on Ash Wednesday. In many churches, the people of God were marked with ashes as a sign of penitence and mortality. In words, we are told, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” (BCP, p. 265) And forever mindful of the horror of September 11, 2001,…

This Gospel story says something important about what happens between Baptism and ministry to Jesus and all the rest of us who follow him. For ministry to be real and effective, a wilderness is required. Whether we are called to a geographic place is open to debate. But we are certainly called to squarely face…