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During Lent we recall that the Hebrews roamed the wilderness for forty years, depending on God for sustenance. Immediately following his baptism by John, the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert for forty days of fasting. While the Hebrews had a clear destination, Jesus did not. Jesus’ journey was inward. The destination of his journey was God. At the end of these forty days, he would know who God was, who he was, and what he was called to do.

This Lent our congregation’s journey is not outward and physical, but inward and spiritual. Jesus faced three temptations, and the one who administered the tests was the devil. I think that the three tests that Jesus faced can also be seen as the tests our CCC is facing. First, since Jesus was fasting, he was of course hungry. The devil says, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." Jesus said, "You don’t live just by bread, but by the Word of God." Later on Jesus would teach what he had experienced. "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all else will be given you." Instead of worrying: trust. How does this first test apply to CCC? Trust the vision, and you will find the resources to make the vision happen. If we say, "Well, we really like the vision, but too bad it costs so much…" I would say we don’t get the vision. Why? Because, the vision transforms us and resources us. Speaking for myself, I believe CCC is on the brink of a major burst of life and energy – in terms of program, staffing and mission. We’re ready. And it is going to cost money. More money. Trust me on that. If we say to ourselves, we’ve done our bit, time for others to step up, that reflects neither vision, nor trust. Live by God’s Word. Be fed by God’s Word. Be transformed by God’s Word. I think there is nothing more important at this time than for our church leadership to make sure every single person at CCC fully understands what our comprehensive vision is and how much it will cost. Then you and I decide.

Jesus’ second test is the Devil taking him to the pinnacle of the temple and saying that Jesus should just jump off and expect God to catch him. That’s wrong says Jesus. That is putting God to the test. Faith is always a leap, but not every leap is a leap of faith. To leap without faith can be a leap of arrogance, of pride, of misinformation, or plain stupidity. This is the sin of assuming that God will rescue us from the consequences of our wrong-headed actions. In recent years CCC has undertaken a major self-study, an ambitious building program, major fundraising, and a hefty mortgage. Were all those decisions and the processes that shaped them poorly organized, carelessly implemented, and lacking in spiritual foundation? I don’t think so. I believe they were expressions of CCC at its very best. Were they bold decisions? You bet. Foolhardy? No. I’ve heard it said that the philosophy for our renovation was "build it and they’ll come." I understand that and agree. But take it a step further. "Build it and we will serve." The Psalms say that if the Lord does not build the house, those within labor with anxious toil. In fact it is not that we built this space so they will come. I believe the truth is that God built this place so that we can minister – so that we can engage in teaching, worship, healing, advocating, transforming - ourselves and our community. God is saying "Stop worrying. Start serving." You should have seen the group of parents and small children packed in here on Ash Wednesday evening for the pancake supper and worship. It was fun. It was full of energy. And you know why those parents brought those kids? I don’t think it was about just getting out for the night. Those moms and dads really care about their children and they want the best possible Christian education, support for parenting, nurture and growth they can get. That is what all this is about. We need to serve them and empower them to serve others.

The third temptation is that the devil takes Jesus to a mountain peak and surveys the world before them. "All this is yours if you will fall down and worship me." "Beat it!" says Jesus. "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." The test for us? We are called to be a faithful church, not a successful church. We can be beguiled by the numbers and the budget and all the rest. We can take great pride in the history of our role in the community. We feel proud when we see CCC in the paper. But God is always saying, "What are you doing now?" What matters to God is whether we are doing justice or not. What matters to God is whether we are caring for the poor. What matters to God is whether we are speaking truth to power. What matters to God is whether we are addressing intractable and vexing issues like racism, homophobia, structural poverty – near at hand and afar off. Focusing on these matters is, it seems to me, seeking the Kingdom first; trusting God first. And believing that everything we need will be provided.

I think this is our Lenten journey. And it all comes down to trusting God. I suggested in the latest Newsnotes that this Lent is about breathing. The simplest kind of prayer. Don’t be anxious. Just breathe in. Breathe out. Are things getting all out of perspective? Just breathe in. Breathe out. Are the attachments and attractions and fears of your life weighing you down? Let go of them. Just breathe in and breathe out. God’s breath. Your breath. Let that be your destination. Amen.

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