“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” ⁵ Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”⁹ Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ ¹¹ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ¹² Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:1-13

For forty days, Jesus was tempted by the devil. Temptation is a universal human experience. For Jesus to be tempted gives evidence to his humanity: it gives evidence that Jesus was tested just as we are tested every day. What truly gives us hope and should strengthen our will to sustain temptation is the amazing fact that Jesus was able to avoid the Devil’s temptations when he was truly hungry, truly questioning his ministry and figuring out what it meant to be “the Beloved Son.”  Time generally wears a person down, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The longer Jesus remained in the wilderness with the temptations, the more that his own will would have been tested. What gives us hope is that we worship a G-d who, became human just like us, and gives us a model for withstanding temptation — even in the most difficult of trials and tribulations.  No, we cannot be sinless like Jesus, but we can receive strength and hope knowing that Jesus was fully human and knew what it meant to be tempted.

Pastor Dave

“John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹ Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Luke 3:7-9

John says, “Bear fruits worthy of repentance.”  John calls for a change of life-style that reflects the genuineness of our repentance. By suggesting that false love is no love at all, repentance then, that is not sincere, is not repentance. How do we know that one is truly repentant?  As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.” How one lives, determines their priorities and commitments, forms their personal relationships, and follows their passion for peace and justice through unplanned acts of compassion, mercy, and love – all of this gives evidence to how we live repentant lives. Understanding that we owe everything to G-d, and understanding that our faith and fruit bear witness to our response to G-d’s love, mercy and grace, then our life-style should be a witness to that relationship with G-d.  We may not feel worthy of grace, but grace is a free gift – from a G-d who loves us unconditionally. That alone should help us to bear fruits worthy of repentance.

Now what are those fruits? Well, we each need to discover our own gifts and how we can share them. Repentance leads to reflection which leads to discernment which leads to action.

Pastor Dave