As with many passages, writing a children’s sermon on Matthew 4:1-11 is made challenging by the sheer amount of weighty detail, and the theological puzzles. Do I discuss all three temptations? Complicated. Do I try to explain the concept of temptation? Pretty vague. Do I discuss the paradox of God in the flesh experiencing temptation […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year A, Lent 1, Matthew 4:1-11
On the first Sunday in Lent, the Revised Common Lectionary always turns us toward the temptation of Christ. Matthew 4:1-11 (this year, “Year A”) tells the story in detail, as does Luke 4:1-13 (Year C), while Mark 1:9-15 (Year B) mentions it only in passing. Last year I wrote extensively on Luke’s version, and I […]
Monday Meditation: RCL Year C, 1st Sunday of Lent, Luke 4:1-13
On the first Sunday of Lent we take a step backward in the flow of Luke’s narrative to look at a very lenten issue: temptation. The Gospel text is Luke 4:1-13, the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Luke 4:1-13 Jesus’ three big temptations get all the attention, but a tiny little moment in the […]