Sermons In Time Easter

A Time For Commitment

March 4, 1990

Matthew 4:1-11 Romans 5:12-19

When we read the Gospel from Matthew 4, almost always our focus of attention is on the Temptation of Jesus. There is nothing wrong with such an emphasis, but it may miss the point of the passage in the process. This passage is one of several which give us a picture of a much more important decision in the life of Jesus than overcoming temptation. That decision is to answer the question, what will you do with your life? It is asked and answered by him in this place and also as he stands in the Temple, and reads from Isaiah 61: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has chosen me.." In this passage, the question is "Whom will you serve?" and the answer given is that Jesus will do as all persons of faith must do, to "worship the Lord God, and him only serve."

It is interesting that this passage is given to us at the beginning of Lent. One might be "tempted" to deal with the issue of temptation in the context of Lent, but it seems to me, at least right now, that to do so would in some way trivialize the passage. The issue of commitment is a much larger one, and much more encompassing of our entire being as persons.

1. There is, in the Romans passage for the morning something of the significance of this moment of commitment as it bears itself out in the understanding of the church. Romans 5: 12-19 gives us the heart of the theological meaning of the Faithfulness of Christ on behalf of the Church. It is quite clear in the mind of St. Paul that what Jesus has done is to overcome everything which would keep him from being the representative of Complete Humanity for the whole world. One only has to be reminded of some of the ways in which "Original Sin" has been held over the soul like a "Damoclean thread" because of Adam's sin to appreciate what St. Paul is saying in Romans 5. There have been those whose whole approach to religion has been based on the axiom, "In Adam's fall, we sinned all."

The point of Paul's statement in Romans is a great affirmation: Because of Jesus' faithfulness, we understand and receive the unmerited grace of God, and we model our lives not after Adam, but after Christ. "The one act of righteousness sets all mankind free, and gives them life." The "Act of righteousness" to which Paul refers, of course, is the cross, but it is much more than just the cross. It is also the entire life of Jesus, and that begins with the commitment to worship the Lord, and him only serve!

The affirmation is completed by the statement, "Just as all people were made sinners as the result of the disobedience of one man, in the same way they will all be put right with God as the result of the obedience of one man." This is perhaps the most important statement of faith in all of the Bible, and we need to hear it with joy and gladness.

2. So, we begin this Lenten season with a call to commitment. It is in reality an invitation to focus our lives on that which we will be as persons, and what we will do with our lives because of who we are. Or to put it another way, what we will do with our lives because of whose we are.

What is so fascinating about the call to commitment is that it comes again and again, and in so many different ways. It would be tragic if we saw commitment in the life of the Church only in the context of making a commitment to support the church in a financial way. Actually, the call to commitment is much more than just such a context.

As we think again of the life of Jesus, we are reminded of the many times and ways he, too, renewed his commitment to "Worship only the Lord God." In speaking with different people throughout the Gospels, the focus is almost always on some aspect of that persons relationship with God. During the weeks ahead, we shall focus on different meetings with people, and what those "times" with others meant: Nicodemus, the woman of Samaria, the man born blind, the family of Lazarus, and then his own final time of commitment.

But in this moment, let us remember that "He set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem," that he stood "As a lamb before the slaughter that opens not his mouth," that he faced those who would accuse him, or confront him, or question him, always with the spirit of the Loving God in his responses, caring deeply that those he met also "Worshipped only the Lord, God."

Even as we think about the centrality of the Cross in Christian Faith, it is important to remember that even the cross was not "chosen" by Jesus as the way to fulfill the will of God. It was not by "going to the cross" that we see the commitment of our Lord. Make no mistake, the cross is still the central symbol of what our Lord's commitment eventually led to, but it is not in the cross where we see that commitment. One only has to review briefly the story of the Garden of Gethsemene to realize that there was a great struggle of the soul also in that place. It may well have been as serious as the struggle in the desert about which we have read today. The struggle is related to the events which were building all around him. It was quite clear that somethingdrastic was going to happen. I doubt seriously that he knew in the struggle of Gethsemene just what the outcome would be for his life. He undoubtedly did not know how the commitment he had made to God would be completed in his life. But, however, he was not about to back away from the commitment he had made

. Thus, again, it is important for us to remember what that commitment was: It was to worship the Lord, and him only serve.

Perhaps one of the great struggles of the soul for Jesus was to understand only too well that in honoring God with his life there was just no way to tell where that might lead. It was, however, without question that this would be the central focus of all that he was as a person, and as the one of whom God would say, "This is my son, my beloved, hear ye him."

3. Which lets us ask the question, "And our commitment?" There are many times when we make those commitments of life: When we choose a life vocation, when we marry, when we decide where to live, raise a family, and even how we die. Last week we mentioned that the church has a way of celebrating these commitments as we make them along the way, and the sacraments become "Rites of Passage" for the church to help celebrate the events.

The importance of this question today, however, is to put it into the proper perspective. It's a little like "Being obedient." A few minutes ago, I mentioned that we are not "saved" by our obedience, but rather we are obedient because we are "saved." The same can be said about our covenant of commitment. Because we are the Lord's we worship him, and him only we serve.

All that we have said today about the commitment of Jesus to worship only God is our commitment as well. Seen in that light, then even to make the commitment at all involves a kind of soul searching which asks the question seriously which Jesus asked his disciples,"Are you able to drink the cup that I will drink? The answer they gave is the one we sing, "Lord, we are able, our spirits are thine..." And it is worthy that we should thus answer our Lord, "Yes, Lord, I am able." It is also important that we understand that we make such a commitment without knowing the full implication of what it might mean.

It's a little like Rosa Parks refusing to get up when she is already seated on the bus. Who could have dreamed where that might lead? Her commitment at that moment may not have been any more than just an overwhelming weariness with the day that had just passed. But it changed the face of America.

For most of us, to say "yes" to God, to make it central in our lives that we will not worship other Gods, but worship only the Lord God may not change much. We will, most of us, live out our lives in the context of who we are and where we live, we will live and die with the yes there, and it will be o.k.

On the other hand, to worship only the Lord God has put many a person in an extremely perilous place in our time. In fact, most of the acts of faithfulness which have led to martyrdom across the centuries have been in the context of faithful people just trying to be faithful where they were, and not giving in to the pressures of anyone who would seek to destroy that which is really important and valuable to them. Many a mother has stood up to the abuse of a drug crazy husband, and protected her children because they were a gift of God, and she would not let them be destroyed. Many a pastor in countries overrun by oligarchies has stood with his people and for their right to worship God, at the peril of their lives. These do not start as heroism. They start as faithfulness. People who are committed to what they believe, and especially when that commitment is one of honoring God with their lives have no idea where that commitment will lead them. But one thing is clear. Those who follow that centrality of life in the Worship of God, are powerful people and are not afraid.

I have become more and more impressed with how the issues of justice and righteousness are being sounded with clarity in our world today. The struggles of society as to what is right and what is not right have begun to consume our legislatures, our economic world, the structures of our families. We are no longer willing for persons to destroy the life of a child and excuse themselves for being drunk. We are not content to let the advertisers tell us that there is nothing wrong with smoking and then let millions die of cancer caused by doing so. Nor are we willing to let industry pollute the air, destroy the ozone, pollute the oceans, and many other evils and not react with vigor.

But it is important that we understand where we are coming from when we do. We are not free to just be moralistic against something we do not like. We are those who seek to be faithful in our worship of God, and to destroy justice and righteousness is to deny God, and to worship idols.

Much of the time, there may seem to be little conflict in the world close to where we live. But when it comes, it can come with great power and great force. The one who sustains is the one who knows whose they are, what they believe, and where their commitments are. It is a very important question to ask, and even more important to answer: Where are my commitments today?

"You shall worship the Lord, and Him only you shall serve." amen.

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