“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”                         (St. Matthew  iv. 10.)

Today, we heard about Jesus spending 40 days in the desert and being tempted by Satan.  We heard how he was tempted to use his power to feed himself after he had fasted for forty days.  We heard that he was tempted to use his privilege as the Son of God to descend from the top of the temple without being hurt.  We were reminded that he was offered the control of all the kingdoms on earth to forsake His Father in Heaven.  His responses are powerful examples of letting God’s Will take precedence over the natural tendencies of man.

Today is the first Sunday in Lent.  By now we are starting to notice the changes we took on as Lenten discipline.  We may be missing whatever we gave up.  We may be noticing the extra effort it takes to maintain the positive changes we took on.  We don’t regret our pledges.  We make them willing just as Jesus willingly made His.  But, we are becoming more aware of the effort required to maintain the discipline we pledged for our Lenten sacrifice.

The story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness gives us guidelines on how to deal with the temptations of this world, the flesh and the devil.  First, Jesus withstood hunger to follow the Will of God.  Fasting is a common discipline for Lent.  You may forego cokes, or cakes, or if you are particularly strong, perhaps you can forego chocolate.  It sounds like a little thing but it is amazing how quickly we notice a little abstinence.

Second, as the Son of God, Jesus knew He could descend from the Temple without harm.  It would have made it easier to convince others that He was divine.  Jesus denied Himself that privilege to follow the Will of God.  We could also make a similar choice.  We all have privileges that are afforded us by others.  Perhaps we should forego some of those privileges.  I, for example, am given the privilege of avoiding many household chores.  I could forego that privilege and volunteer for more chores.  The effect of foregoing such a privilege is twofold.  Those who award us the privilege will then know that we appreciate their generosity.  In addition, we grow in humility by not assuming that we inherently deserve the privilege.

Lastly, Jesus passed up control of the material world and the glory accompanying that control.  The closest we can come to that is to curtail our involvement with the material aspects of this world during Lent.  Perhaps we put off the spring shopping spree.  Perhaps we don’t keep up with the neighbors with the latest cars and electronic devices.  Even better, we might choose to share what we have, by the grace of God, with those who are not so fortunate.  In whatever form, we show that the material world does not take precedence in our lives.

It is important to realize that Jesus was tempted, as we are tempted.  In the letter to the Hebrews it is written, “Since He was Himself tested through what He suffered, He is able to help those who are tempted.”  It is important to remember His great sacrifice as we make our small ones.  These are comforting and inspirational thoughts for us as we study his ministry, his passion and his sacrifice.

All of the thoughts of trial, temptation and self-sacrifice are appropriate.  They are not, however, the full story.  When we consider what is going on in Jesus life at this point, we see another pattern.  Jesus has been quiet and unassuming throughout his life up to this point.  This period of His life is the beginning of a radical change.  He will no longer enjoy the piece and quiet of relative obscurity.  In the future He will be constantly doing His Father’s work and following His Father’s Will.  The Gospel readings through the next six weeks will remind us of the dramatic events coming into His life at this point.

When we follow through with our small sacrifices during Lent, we feel a sense of accomplishment.  We feel a sense of belonging to Christ.  We feel kinship because we have placed God’s Will above our own in a small way.  And as we repeat our denials throughout Lent we are constantly reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us.  This is a good practice, but there is yet another possibility to explore in this season.

Jesus’ life was never the same after He resisted the temptations in today’s Gospel and determined to follow God’s Will without regard for the consequences.  Jesus didn’t make a temporary change.  He changed His life and ours forever.  Do you ever wonder what might happen if we made our temporary Lenten changes permanent?

I realize that some of the changes we are making may not have a real bearing on those around us.  Our permanent avoidance of chocolate will have a more profound effect on us than the world around us.  However, many of the changes we make will have an impact on those around us.  If we take less advantage of privileges, we are telling the world around us, that we consider them as important as ourselves.  We show the world that our gifts are different, not better or worse than others’, just different.  When we avoid these different gifts for self-gratification, we naturally use them for the honor and glory of God.

The real objective in a Lenten sacrifice is to show our willingness to change our life.  It shows a desire to follow the Will of God.  If we choose our sacrifice wisely, it can have an impact on others without anyone knowing exactly what the chosen sacrifice entailed.  If our change produces the desired effect to the honor and glory of God, perhaps we should consider making our Lenten changes permanent.

Lent is not just a season for penitence and denial.  Lent is a season of grace.  Lent is for change.  Lent can prepare us for a new life.  During Lent we will take a look at the temptations that face us and examine their effect on us.  Are they gradually moving us away from God?  Are we yielding to the temptation to give more to ourselves?

We have an alternative.  We can treat our temptations as opportunities to change.  We can use Lent to develop the habits that bring about permanent change.  We can say, “God has blessed me with many things.  He has blessed me with gifts and talents.  These gifts and talents, I dedicate and give back to my God.”

We generally look at Lent as an obligation rather than an opportunity.  It is an opportunity to bring us closer to the Will of God.  It would be a shame to let that opportunity slip away.  Wouldn’t it be a pity to see this season pass and know that we have reverted to our old life?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to start the Easter season with the knowledge that we have made yet one more, small step toward God as a result of this Lenten season?