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First Sunday of
Lent
March 5, 2006 Sermon
by Rev. Peggy Tuttle, Rector
Readings
Two fellas were watching an old cowboy movie and it came to the part when the cowboy, on his horse, at full gallop, was headed right towards a cliff. One of the guys said to the other, "Hey, I’ll bet you 10 bucks that he rides over the cliff.” The other said, "You’re on!"
Well the cowboy and the horse went right over the cliff. The fella that
lost the bet paid up. A while later, the guy who won said, "Hey, I’m
feeling a little guilty about our bet and need to make a confession ...
I already have seen the movie." The other fella replied, "Well, I saw
the movie before, too . . ., but I didn’t think he’d be dumb enough to
do it again!"
And that’s the way it is with us and sin! We do something that separates
us from the love of God, we suffer the consequences of that behavior,
sometimes at great cost, and we say to ourselves, “I don’t think I’ll do
that again!” But we do. We either repeat the same behavior or we find
another one that is just as harmful.
Sin and what it does to our lives is the gift of Lent!
On Ash Wednesday we heard the words, “Welcome to a Holy Lent.” Frankly,
most of us would rather skip Lent and go straight to Easter! Lent can be
difficult. But it also can be rewarding.
In the Gospel of Mark, following his baptism by John, Jesus is led out
into the wilderness for his temptation experience. Jesus is human. He is
tempted just as we are.
Mark tells us simply that, while Jesus is with the wild beasts in the
wilderness, he is not alone. Jesus is tempted to misuse his power and
distort his calling, but the angels attend him.
Possible choices are offered to fulfill his vocation just as we are
driven to wrestle with choices for our own lives. The temptation to
blame others for our lack of success weakens our ability to see God at
work in our lives. The temptation to take the easy way out blinds us
from being challenged in new ways to use the gifts God has given us. The
temptation to be rigid and inflexible denies us the experience of seeing
God in unfamiliar faces.
Lent is the invitation to enter our wilderness experience and come to
know and trust the one who has already been there, Jesus. The wilderness
for us is not necessarily a literal place, but rather it is our arena of
inner or outer battle. It is where we experience attack, and muster
forces against particular threats to our own peace, and our own
discipleship.
By turning our lives over to God we trust that the master will give us
safe passage through this life. We won’t stay on the narrow path, we
won’t remain always faithful to this loving God but we will always be
welcomed back. God will always cleanse our hearts and make us pure. When
God touches our lives and souls, it is the touch of the Master’s hand.
Myra Welch writes:
‘Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar,” then, two! Only two?
“Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?
“Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three . . .” But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! and who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice;
And going and gone,” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
“We do not quite understand
What changed its worth?” Swift came the reply:
“The touch of a master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A “mess of potage,” a glass of wine;
A game -- and he travels on.
He is “going” once, and “going” twice,
He’s “going” and almost “gone.”
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.
(By Myra B. Welch entitled: “The Touch of the Master’s Hand”)