First Sunday in Lent A
Ai Khawng
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LCMS Lectionary Summary:
OT: lcms isn’t wholly different than rcl, but it includes nothing from Gen 2 and it runs through v 21 in chapter 3, and I think for the Lue, it might be necessary to read through 21 since it gives a full picture, a picture that is (by ending at 7) in serious danger of being incomplete. This will probably be a long service since Mat 4, Jesus temptation in the wilderness is absolutely crucial to being literate in the scriptures. Looking down to lcms’ (Carl Fickenscher?) title or theme sentence, our interpretation of Gen 3 could not help but be “yeah, Lord, we are no better than Adam and Eve” but more, Jesus went through temptation, he is our high priest, we can with his help, make it through the temptations of life. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer “lead us not into temptation” which means just that, avoid the danger zones, but it also means, help us through that temptation find a way of escape.
Epistle: same
Gospel 20: same
The Lord Jesus Christ Is Our Champion against Satan
Following His Baptism, Jesus is “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1). As He takes upon Himself the curse of our sin and sets Himself against our enemy, He trusts His Father’s voice and waits upon His Father’s hand for all things. The devil questions His sonship, but the beloved and well-pleasing Son remains faithful and lives “by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Jesus patiently suffers hunger in His mortal flesh and returns to the dust whence man was taken, and by His pain He brings forth food for all the children of men (Gen. 3:18–19). By the sweat of His brow, we eat the fruit of His cross, even as our nakedness is covered by His righteousness. Although all people live in bondage to death through the trespass of the first man, Adam, all the more “have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many” (Rom. 5:15). His righteous obedience “leads to justification and life for all men” (Rom. 5:18).
Our Victory and Transformation in Christ
Hymn of the Day: 656/657 A mighty fortress is our God
Liturgy:
Summary: I set up an "all lectionaries" layout and made it the Sunday lectionary layout, that way I can see the order of service in the Missal and see similarities and differences in the lectionaries.
Gen shows people how the sin we all struggle with and what we're concerned with in Lent started. Psa 32 explains why it's good to be forgiven, it's healthy for spirit, soul and even body. Rom shows how while Adam's sin caused so much damage, Jesus' obedience brings grace that deals with many offenses. So we have hope. Psa 32 was good news, but Rom explains how forgiveness works. And then finally Mat 4 shows how Jesus fared when tempted, he passed with flying colors, but we have to make sure the hearers know it wasn't easy for Jesus. It's the fact that it wasn't easy that is another piece of Good News for us because He can comfort us and give us strength when we are tempted.
Gen 2.15-17, 3.1-7
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
The first three verses are about the warning not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. EP changes "your eyes will be opened" to "see what's really going on" which gives a different perspective, I think it captures the main meaning of eyes opened but is not as wide or deep, i.e. your eyes will be opened has a greater range of meanings.
A Psalm of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I declared not my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let every one who is godly offer prayer to thee; at a time of distress, in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. Thou art a hiding place for me, thou preservest me from trouble; thou dost encompass me with deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not keep with you. Many are the pangs of the wicked; but steadfast love surrounds him who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Here, as a Lent 1 passage, the MSG fails, because in verse 1 we really don't see the connection to sin-iniquity-disobedience and repentance, at least not overtly. 5b finally uses the words sin and guilt. And v. 7 is changed from hiding place in the crags and rocks to an island hideaway, kind of out there. Maybe EP is trying to speak to the millennials. I do love his terms "God-defiers" and "God-affirmers" in verse 10.
Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned— sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Adam and Christ Contrasted - reign of grace and life In lt's they call Adam a type, in the nlt "a symbol, a representative."nlt is also good in v. 16 because the first sentence is short and is almost like a topic. It's as if, if you can keep that in mind, then in the next sentence, which is long, it all makes sense. Compare that to REB which, after reading twice (what I had to do) finally was clear.
Mat 4.1-11
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge of you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan! for it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.
from bible.org John Walvoord
He compares and links Jesus' temptation with the list, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, AND with the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden.
lust of flesh - fruit good for food - stones into bread
lust of eyes - pleasant to the eyes - Jesus would "look good" and be shown (eyes) to be God's Son
pride of life - you will be as God, knowing good and evil - kingdoms of world, Jesus would be great
sermon notes
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Fuller reminds us that in the Romans passage the "as" of 12 and the "as" of 18, those are the two key verses to this section. The parenthesis of 13-16 can lead many or even most to lose the train of thought, the main idea. So we could print out those two verses 12 and 18 and put them up on the wall.
Nocent reminds us of the Invitatory = opening rite for each day of Advent 1: "Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering."
