The sermon title at church today was “In the Wilderness.”
The message by our interim pastor, Brian Conklin,
was inspired by Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Here are the sermon notes I took as I listened to today’s message:
It’s no accident
That Jesus ends up
In the wilderness
It’s a place of clarity
He spent forty days –
Forty days and nights there
These forty days of Lent
Are our chance, like Jesus,
To stand up for our beliefs
What happens in the wilderness
Doesn’t stay in the wilderness
Jesus rejects political power
The promise of the Gospel
Is that God has gone –
He has gone ahead of us
Like our Lord Jesus,
We venture into the wilderness
It’s a place that propels us forward
In seasons of disorientation
We wander without a clear end in sight
We feel alone, but God is ahead of us
Instead of feeling overwhelmed
Accept Jesus’ inspiration
Let God catch and shape us
Gain inspiration in the wilderness
It comes when we walk with Jesus
May we gain clarity of purpose
May we walk with courage
May we wander with a clear end in sight
And let the wilderness propel us forward.
Amen?
Amen!!
What’s your wilderness experience?
Love ya,
JanBeek
Comments on: "In the Wilderness" (17)
Fifty years ago, everything seemed so clear, Patty Hearst, SLA, ZODIAC killer, weathermen underground, Black Panthers, Spiro T. Agnew, Richard Nixon, Vietnam war, off the gold standard, inflation. Yep. So clear. Today, we see strife around the world, corruption in Minnesota, riots and protests everywhere, inflation, military “intervention” in Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, Iran and place we don’t hear about on the news. Protests against a president, against federal agencies, and financial squeezes the likes we been struggling with the entire time we’ve been a country. I heard this morning, the USA has been in some military conflict 93% of all time this has been a country. We measure things like the price of oil, the price of natural gas, the price of electricity, the price of housing, vehicles, groceries. Rarely do we think about the price of peace, freedom and solitude. Jesus had it right. Today if we go off into the wilderness, we may be way laid by a bunch of bandits or freedom fighters, doesn’t matter, it’s all the same. The only sense of purpose I know is to talk with God everyday and ask, what can I do for you today, Lord.
That sense of purpose makes a lot of sense to me!
Years, not days, apart
Hmmm … what was years apart?
40 years – Jackie and me
Oh yes, I shoulda figured that out!! Yay for you two!!
🙂
Jan, blessings for sharing Pastor Conklin’s messsge through your poetic witness. Indeed, one’s Lenten journey returns to the wilderness. One of my moments of being in the wilderness happened years ago when my teaching position was terminated in Missoula due to budget cuts. While I was totally devastated. God taught me to begin to trust Him more than I ever had in the past.
Thank you for reading and responding. God is faithful to teach us, isn’t He? I’m glad it was a fruitful lesson!
Blessings to you Jan!!
This is so Wonderful, thank you!! If I may share, this is my Best LENT ever in my life. Aside from Bible reading, I’m rereading several of Max Lucado’s books about the last days of Jesus’ life on Earth, and the Crucifixion, and the impact on various people at the time. May God bless you so Abundantly, Jan!!
Yay, Cale! Good for you!! ❤️ Thank you for sharing. I’m delighted that my blog spoke to you and you are enjoying Lucado’s trip through Lent to prepare for a truly meaningful Easter!
Have a blessed weekend!
Thank you. It’s been an interesting Saturday to say the least!
Oh I hope that “interesting” means mostly good–bless you!!
Yup!
😊