St. Bartholomew s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in the Town of Tonawanda, N.Y The Rev. Fr. John E. Commins+ Associate Rector Scripture: Luke 4: 1-13 Temptation Avoiding Missions I think you will agree with me that sometimes we can forget that Jesus was a man, a human being, a historical person who walked this earth and who did all of the kinds of things every human being does. Jesus Christ was true man, and true God. As a man, as a human being He felt, He experienced, He encountered all of the emotions, all of the senses, all of the circumstances that we feel in life. He ate, He drank, He slept, He got dirty, He needed a bath, He prayed, He wept, He gave thanks, and He worshiped. Jesus did and experienced all the things you and I experience in life and He still kept on course to carry out the mission that He was sent to do. Jesus experienced temptation - just as you and I are tempted. Can you imagine how you would have felt if you spent 40 days without anything to eat? I can tell by the look on some of your faces that Tim Horton s is on your mind, or the coffee hour is calling! Forty days without a cookie! Jesus had spent forty days with nothing to eat in a hot, dry wilderness that was such a desolate, forsaken place that most people would avoid it whenever possible. Satan came to Jesus, tempting Him to take the easy way out and by doing so he was persuading Jesus to avoid His mission. And so we come to the first temptation: Satan was asking Jesus to change stones into bread. This temptation really seemed like a good idea, to feed what would most probably have the immediate desire of anyone who was fasting: food! Jesus was being tempted with an instant want instead of what a person truly needed. Sure, food would have been really satisfying, but Jesus knew that humanity would need more than food, they needed His spiritual food; they would need to listen to His teaching, not because He enticed them with food, but because He offered them life; eternal life! And then there s the second temptation: This was even more dramatic. The devil asked Jesus to worship him, and then the devil would give Jesus the authority over all the earthly kingdoms. The father of lies said that he would relinquish control and that Jesus would be in charge of every kingdom of the earth! The father of lies is trying to tell the King of the Universe I am going to give you all of this! Like he might even turn that over? Jesus would then be the one who would run every country! With Jesus in control of the world s political, military, and economic power, disarmament would be swift, peace would be certain and an equal distribution of wealth would be immediate. Isn t this a great idea? Jesus could take the easy way out. All he had to do was acknowledge that the devil had control of the earth ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden, and then He could change the course of history. But Jesus knew that He would change the course of history in a far more important and dramatic way; He would suffer and die on a cross and then His Father would raise Him from the dead, defeating the devil s control of this earth, over sin and over death. Jesus was tempted to take the easy way out, to avoid the cross, and then He could make the changes to this world all by Himself - instead of working through His devoted followers, the church. Sometimes this temptation is very difficult for us to overcome. Sometimes it is easier to do thing ourselves. Let s take a closer look at this have you ever had the opportunity to teach someone, or show someone how to do something, and while they are doing it you want to rip it out of their hands and do it yourself? Sometimes it is easier to do that that it is to trust. To want to do it 1
ourselves - instead of fully trusting God s plan for our lives! Isn t it? If that wasn t enough, the third temptation was the most dramatic. The devil had another way for Jesus to serve while taking the easy way out: he told Jesus "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. In other words dive off the temple tower and let God the Father perform a dramatic rescue. This event would show that God could be manipulated to do whatever we want and need. He would be at our service night and day. Such a message would be appealing to huge masses of people who like to hear that God will keep us successful and happy prosperity, if you will. How many like to take the easy way out and have God serve you instead of you serving God. Yes, you know: bargain with God, make deals with Him, you be the boss, and in essence you sell God a bill of goods. How blessed we are that Jesus would have none of that instead Jesus response to Satan was absolutely crystal clear: You shall not put the Lord your God to the test! You see, nothing was going to make Jesus avoid His mission on our behalf. You may have heard the story about a little boy in a grocery story. The boy was standing near an delicious open box of peanut cookies. "Now then, my boy," said the grocer as he approached the little boy. "What are you up to?" "Nothing," replied the boy: Nothing?" said the man. "Well it looks to me as if you were trying to take a cookie?" "You re wrong, mister. I m trying not to!" This young man wrestled with temptation, not just for a cookie, but the temptation to break God s Law and he decided it was not for him to take the easy way out. Do we try to take the easy way out, the way that doesn t seem so bad, but is much easier? Hey, we are only human! But remember so was Jesus! Have you ever hoped or dreamed to win a large sum of money, instead of working for it? Have you ever tried to make a bargain with God demanding or trying to convince Him that He do things for you? Things that would most likely help you to avoid the mission that Jesus has called you to take on for your life? The mission that Jesus calls us to follow is a narrow road, a road that is not easy, but instead is difficult. It is a road where we are to follow Him instead of ourselves; a road that asks us to sacrifice ourselves, our time and our energy and even our money - for Him. Jesus asks us to travel the hard road, because at the end of that road is our final reward: heaven, eternity with Him. Jesus said "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14) Jesus never said that following Him would be easy! There is no easy-button! So, if you are being tempted by the devil to take the easy way, what will you do? Will you take the easy way, the way that requires little effort, or will you follow the example of Jesus and take the way traveled by Him, the way of sacrifice, the way of service, the way of the cross? Following Jesus way and not the temptation to take the easy way means sharing with others what Jesus has done for you. Believe it or not - in doing this you will have taken on the role of missionary to the world. You are probably saying what are you talking about, Fr. Commins? I am no missionary! Sharing Jesus with others is NOT taking the easy way out it is NOT 2
avoiding missions. Jesus has promised salvation to those who believe in Him. In today s second reading from the tenth chapter of Paul s letter to the Romans the Apostle reminds us that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." The most exciting thing that I can think of in my life is the Jesus loves me. Why is it then that when we have a new toy in our life whether it is a shiny red Camaro or a new coffee maker that Wow - I can make all the little white cups that I want and I am going to tell everyone I know about this machine. Why is it so easy to do that and it is too difficult to tell people who Jesus is in your life? Oh, we need to be politically correct we never want to offend but I will tell you about my coffee maker! I will tell you about my new red Camaro; I will tell you about my transmission that blew up - I want to get a red Camaro! We have friends of this parish who are doing what the Lord has asked and are following Him wherever He calls them, some to some rather extraordinary places. You have had meals with these people, you have shared worship with these people: Susan Morris in Uganda, Fr. Marc and Suzanne Jacobsen in the Philippines, David and Heather Nagy with Campus Crusade for Christ, Cannon Daryl Fenton of CMJ USA ministering to Jews right here in the USA, Bishop Grant and Wendy LeMarquand who are serving in the Diocese of the Horn of Africa. From our own parish we have sent 2 mission trips in recent years: to the Dominican Republic they went to orphanages, they went to places that others don t want to go! And then you as a parish sent shoes and sneakers to a village down there so that people could stop wearing cardboard on their feet. We sent a group to Joplin, Missouri, and we are in the process of sending a group of young people to New Jersey in early April to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. You are sending them! Praise the Lord - St. Bart s as a parish has been sending more and more people into the mission field Erin Van Lente and Jill Meacham went to mentor young people. Chelsea Richner has worked on a medical mission s trip. Brielle Clontz ministered in Costa Rica, Dr. Denise Callari, MD and Krista Clontz, NP just returned last night from the Dominican Republic as a part of a medical mission bringing much needed healthcare to the villages and people of the DR. Erin Van Lente is already in the midst of her semester in Kigali, Rwanda. She has an active blog on the web (info in the CHATTER) that you can follow her in her travels for Christ. Our daughter Theresa Commins Arway is in the last leg of her 8 week mission trip to Turkey with Youth with A Mission (YWAM). She has been in Istanbul since Dec. 31 and is now ministering to individuals in Istanbul making a difference. She will be returning to the USA at the end of February, and will graduate from YWAM on March 2, in Jacksonville. Each one of these people and groups could have said no but instead they resisted the temptation of avoiding missions and have instead walked with Jesus through the narrow gate and hearing His call. Please take a moment and think is God speaking to you today? Will you hear His words: You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain. (John 15:16) Great Words! You know getting the Word out is not all that easy! 97% of the world has heard of coke-a-cola; 72% of the world has seen a can of coke-a-cola; 51% of the world has tasted a can of coke-a-cola; Coke has only been around since 1886. 3
If God had given the task of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Coke company it would probably be done by now. But instead Jesus gave the task to all of us: And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20) This is often called the Great Commission in which Jesus gives to His followers - to us - our marching orders. He is not telling us to just stay where we are but He is suggesting that it may require us to step out of our comfort zone and actually talk to people that we don t know, teaching them about what He has done for you and sharing what He might do for them, inviting them to give Jesus permission to work in their lives. It might mean that we have to actually invite a friend to church for a Bible study, or even for a service! Many people seem to think that the responsibility of this falls solely on their shoulders, and that this is all up to them. I have heard people in this parish say If I don t save this person, or I don t tell this person about Jesus they won t be saved. It scares the daylights out of them! They pressure is on them to produce. I want to suggest to you that nothing could be further from the truth. The pressure is NOT on you! Please listen to these words of Jesus once again from the end of the Gospel of Matthew, He said: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." You see Jesus is promising you that you are NOT in this mission alone It is NOT your fault! He is in it with you this really should be called the Great Co-mission that Jesus is your partner in spreading His Gospel. He will never leave you or forsake you! Before He ascended to the Father from the Mount of Olives Jesus said: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Finding excuses, talking yourself out of this co-mission - is giving in to the temptation to avoid missions. Every three years the New Wineskins Missionary Network has a conference like no other. Imagine a convention of people involved with sharing the Gospel all over the world, and you might find this hard to believe, but they share the Gospel even right here at home. For four days people from all over the world gather to share and to learn from one another what Christ is doing in their co-missions. Imagine 4 days of worship, prayer, Bible teachings, testimonies and personal workshops given by people who share what they have learned, their successes and their failures dealing with different people groups and governments. The remarkable thread that runs through everyone s experience is that Jesus is right there with them His Holy Spirit strengthening and protecting them. This April 4 th to the 7 th at Ridgecrest, North Carolina, we will be joining with brothers and sisters from around the globe and you are invited to join us. Three years ago nine members of St. Bart s attended and most of them are going back again as matter of fact right now there are 13 planning to go from St Bart s. You can ask those who went last time and they will share with you their experiences. There will be two full days of workshops dealing with missions from an Anglican perspective, understanding Muslims perspectives on Christians and overcoming the obstacles of bringing Jesus to them, ministering to Native Americans, ministry in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. You will be personally interacting with fellow Anglicans, many of whom are Archbishops, Bishops, priests, Deacons, and others who are all the same 4
passionate about Jesus Christ! I want to invite you to find out more about this conference and how you might attend with us. Check the color brochure on the table in Fr. Amend Hall. Check the website: www.newwineskins.org for all of the workshops, for the agenda and more. I ask you to not take the easy way out, finding excuses why you shouldn t go succumbing to the temptation of avoiding missions. Jesus needs you on this co-mission. He tells you today: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. (Luke 10:2) Please don t take the easy way out but instead I close with these powerful words of the Prophet Isaiah: Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I. Send me! (Isaiah 6:8) 5