1 Lent Yr C

A wondering Norwegian is my grandfather. I have attended Monson family reunions since I was in high school, at least that’s as far back as I remember. And as far back as that memory goes I heard the story of my family coming to this country from Norway. After a few years of hearing the story it was mine, I could tell it. In the valley where the farm was in Norway there was an awful avalanche that covered the house, Dorothy was hurt, but no one in the family was killed. Five siblings came to this country, including my great great grandfather Mons, only one stayed behind in Norway. After coming to this country, my great great grandfather settled near Benson Minnesota, and he and his wife had many children, one of which was my great grandfather Jacob. Jacob and Anna had many children, one of which was my grandfather Nelbert. Eventually, Nelbert and Inga had many children, one of which was my father, Juel. And eventually my dad who was always called Mons, and my mom Pat, had many children. When I was just out of college, I went to Norway and met relatives that live in the very valley where this avalanche was. As I stood looking out over that valley my great uncle who I was with and who I had only just met, told me the very same story and I was connected to those people of so long ago whose story is my story. I read their names on the historical marker that was erected by the road. This story has become very important to me.

These days when we gather for the Monson reunion we tell this same story, and we’ve learned more about ourselves over the years, and all of that is added to the story. As the elders of our family have died, we have been freed to talk more frankly about the reality of life on the prairies of Minnesota and North Dakota. Our story now includes the children born outside of marriage, it includes the truth about the difficult life that was lived in central Minnesota, our story reflects more accurately the joys and the sorrows of life. This is the story that nourishes us today, and gives us hope for tomorrow. We are constituted as Monson’s by this story.

We hear in Deuteronomy this morning, “A wandering Aramean was my father, he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, he and just a handful of his brothers at first, but soon they became a great nation, mighty and many. The Egyptians abused and battered us, in a cruel and savage slavery. We cried out to God, the God-of-Our-Fathers: He listened to our voice; he saw our destitution, our trouble, our cruel plight. And God took us out of Egypt with his strong hand and long arm, terrible and great, with signs and miracle-wonders. And he brought us to this place, gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. So here I am. I've brought the first fruits of what I've grown on this ground you gave me, O God.”

This is a creation story. This is the story that tells us that we are a people who are related to the Creator God. This is the story that constitutes us.

This is the story that tells us about the pain and the suffering that our people have endured. It is the story that teaches us that together we endured the abuse and battering, the slavery. It is the story that teaches us that God listened, saw our plight, and took us out of that land and brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey. After planting and tending crops, our people gave the first fruits to God.

You and I know however that the story continues, as it continues we learn that our people turned away from God and worshiped idols, we turned away from God and believed that we could be self-sufficient, that we didn’t need God. And as the story goes, God loves God’s people even in times such as these. This is the pattern of the story, it is the story that constitutes us, and it is the story in which each of us participates. God’s covenant with God’s people is about always loving humanity, and always loving every one of us, there is no one outside of God’s love.

And then we hear this story about Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit, very newly baptized, and tempted by the devil. The story may have many titles, but as I read it again I hear dueling biblical interpretation. The devil throws down a scripture text, and Jesus retorts with a quote from Deuteronomy, “It takes more than bread to really live.” The devil throws down the next text, and Jesus responds again from Deuteronomy “worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute singe-heartedness.” And lastly the devil takes him to Jerusalem and challenges him to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple, and quotes to him the psalm “he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.” And Jesus answers, “don’t you tempt the Lord your God.” Nothing the devil said was a lie. The devil quotes straight from scripture, but what the devil forgets in this dueling exchange of scripture, is the relationship. The relationship between God and the people that was constituted from the beginning, the relationship that Jesus renews by being in our midst, the relationship that reminds us who we are, and whose we are.

We wander in the wilderness of our own pain and suffering, alienation and isolation. We wander in the wilderness tempted by the excesses of our culture. We wander in the wilderness tempted by a sense of power that makes us think we can fix everything, that if we just work harder and longer and better we will live forever. We wander in the wilderness, we wander in the desolate places and we forget our story, we forget who we are and whose we are. We forget that we are in the wilderness together, and that together we encounter Jesus.

This Lent, we have the opportunity to be reminded by the Good News. The Good News that Jesus the Christ, full of the Holy Spirit, came to confront the powers of sin and death, the powers that separate us from one another, the powers that try to convince us that we are not loved or lovable, everything that separates us from one another, from God, and from the joyful, peaceful, loving life for which God made us, and for which Jesus won on the cross. But, I get ahead of myself. On this first Sunday of Lent, Luke shares with us the Good News that Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, confronted the devil and won. Jesus reminds us who we are and whose we are.

Please remember that the victory Jesus won is not a victory that takes away pain and suffering. It is not an easy victory. Jesus accompanies us through the wilderness, through the pain and suffering and betrayal. We learn from our companions on the journey, if your heart is breaking, mine is breaking also, we need to walk together, and our stories and our prayers will sustain us. If you’re laughing, let’s share it, and lighten the way. Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led into desolation and victory, and is company for all of us on the winding path toward healing and reconciliation.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him.