March 26th

Lookin' For Love In All The Wrong Places

Numbers 21:4-9
John 3:14-21



How many people here remember the movie, “Urban Cowboy” with John Travolta? Personally, I think it was the Village People and this particular movie that put “cowboy drag” on the map.

There is a song in Urban Cowboy by Johnny Lee entitled, “Looking For Love in All the Wrong Places.” “Looking for love in all the wrong places, looking for love in too many faces…looking for a friend and a lover, thank God for the day I found you, looking for love.” And how many of us danced to that song weekend after weekend in 1980? And some of us we were dancing with a different person each weekend! You would think we would have paid closer attention to the lyrics of the song.

But it isn’t just love we are looking for, either, is it? The song also mentions looking for “a friend.” We always seem to be looking for something—love, friendship, acceptance, healing—you name it, and we are looking for it. And the clubs aren’t the only places some of us go looking for these things, either. We head to the gym, the local coffee shop and bookstore, and chat rooms on the Internet. We may even shop at the local home improvement store--although we may not know the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver. Oh, yeah! We’re shopping alright; just not for home improvement accessories.

All this searching points to the fact that we humans tend to be a restless, easily bored bunch. And when this boredom reaches a certain level—and we still haven’t found what we think we’re looking for—we normally begin complaining to anyone who will listen to us.

This tendency is just one of the many characteristics we share with the children of Israel. I love speaking about the children of Israel because we are sooooo much like them in sooooo many ways! Take today’s passage in Numbers, for example.

The children of Israel are headed to the Promised Land. God has already delivered them from bondage in Egypt, parted the Red Sea so they could escape from Pharaoh’s army, and provided fresh water and manna for their journey. Now we would think that by this point they would be sufficiently impressed with God to move forward with confidence, trusting in God’s mighty power to lead, guide, direct, and protect them.

Oh, but no! The Israelites have been pretty much complaining all along about the lack of meat, water, leadership—you name it, they probably whined about it. But in each case, Moses interceded for the people, and God graciously provided for their needs.

Today’s story is a little different, though. We read that the children of Israel are taking the long way around a place called Edom to the Promised Land. Why? They are taking the long way because they did not want to fight the people of Edom. OK, let’s review for a moment. The children of Israel have a destination, a goal—the Promised Land. God has provided for them all along the journey so far. They face a serious challenge, and… they decide to avoid it. When the Israelites finally figure out that this was probably not the best idea after all, they become impatient and started whining.

And what were the Israelites whining about this time? “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this wretched manna!” Now if you will notice, God had not stopped providing for the Israelites at all; they were just bored with the menu. The Israelites had made a wrong decision by not facing the challenge of the Edomites. But rather than remembering God’s past and continuing provision for them, acknowledging their mistake, and getting back on track, they not only complained against Moses, this time they also complained against God. Not a good move, as it turns out.

We all have destinations—goals, if you will—in our lives, as well. And if we think about it, God has provided for us all along our journeys, too. And what happens sometimes when we face serious challenges along our journeys? We do our best to go around them! Rather than attempt the sometimes-difficult work of facing our challenges through prayer, medical treatment, dialogue, education, support networks, and therapy, we may choose the longer and potentially far more dangerous route of the desert of avoidance and denial.

God allows us to make these choices, too. Then, like the children of Israel, when our choices result in discomfort, we become impatient. We tend to play the “Blame Game.” We blame the government. We blame our bosses at work. We blame family members and friends. We blame the church. We accuse everyone of abandoning us. We point fingers at anyone and everyone.

Everyone that is, but ourselves.

Like the children of Israel, we forget about God’s past and continuing provision. God provides us with manna in the form of positive and healthy people who love with us no matter what we may say and do. God provides us with manna in the form of open and affirming communities of faith that offer healing and hope during the wilderness times of our lives and beyond.

But, for whatever reason, when we are bored and unhappy with our lives, we tend to forget all the good people and spiritual nourishment that God provides. Or, maybe even worse, we may begin to unfairly criticize and actually detest God’s provision for us through these people, communities or faith, and other forms of modern day manna. In other words, we get bored with the menu.
And like in the case of the children of Israel, I think God eventually gets tired of all the whining and self-pity.

You know, I have heard it said that occasionally it is OK to sit on our pity pots—as long as we remember to flush when we are done. The problem is, we sometimes sit for far too long and don’t flush. Eventually, the system backs up, everything starts stinking, and the stench eventually reaches the nostrils of God. Then, God basically says, “OK. You don’t like the way I have provided for you; fine! Go ahead without my guidance and protection.”

And what happens? We get bitten! The fiery serpent of haughty pride and arrogance bites us. The fiery serpent of self-sufficiency bites us! The fiery serpent of unreasonable fear and doubt bites us! And without treatment, the poison from these serpents will cause us to die long, slow, agonizing spiritual deaths.

The point here is simply this: our actions have consequences. Does that mean God doesn’t love us? Not at all! God will always love us! Scripture tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. But that does not mean God will always spare us the consequences of our actions. Please hear me: there is absolutely no limit to God’s love; but there is a limit to God’s tolerance.

The good news is that there is a cure for this particular case of snakebite.
First, there is confession. The people came to Moses and confessed their sin. For the power of God’s redemption to work in our lives, we have to admit we are infected with the poison of sin in our lives. Until we confess our wrongful actions to God, we will continue to die slow, painful spiritual deaths.

Second, there is obedience. To be healed, the people also had to obey the command of God through Moses to look upon the bronze serpent on a pole that Moses had lifted up. Symbolically speaking, they had to face what was killing them. It wasn’t the bronze serpent that healed them, however. It was the belief that God could heal them. So, the healing of the children of Israel required confession, obedience, and faith.

To avoid spiritual death, we too, must not only confess our sins, we have to face what is killing us spiritually, and believe that somehow through it all, God both can and will heal us from the poisonous bite of sin in our lives.

But where do we look?

Well, how about the cross? After all, when Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross, he took on all the sins of the world—including yours’ and mine.
Is it really that easy, though? Does the cross take away all the potential danger and death that sin poses for our lives? Does the cross heal us? Well, no and yes. In our Old Testament passage today, you will notice that God did not take the serpents away. In other words, the danger was still there, but God provided a way for healing to take place.

So it is for us today. The cross of Jesus Christ does not take away the dangers that sin poses to our world today. Unfortunately, the effects and scars of sin remain in our world. However, God has provided a way for healing to take place. In fact, God has provided “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

For God so loved the world, that God sent Jesus, that whosoever believes in him may not perish, but may have everlasting life. It is when we look upon the cross of Jesus Christ and acknowledge that there is no hope for healing and life except in God’s saving power through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we truly begin to heal. It is when we look upon the cross of Jesus Christ that we truly begin live.

Looking for love? Look at the cross of Jesus Christ. Look at the cross of Jesus Christ and believe in the redemptive power of Almighty God. Look at the cross of Jesus Christ, believe, and be made whole.

God bless you and amen.

March 19th

Picky, Picky, Picky!

Exodus 20:1-17
1 Corinthians 1:18-25



The story is told of a missionary serving in a remote part of Africa, who was attempting to convert a native chief to Christianity. Now, the chief was very old, and the missionary was very Old Testament—that is, his version of Christianity leaned heavily on the “Thou shalt nots!”

The elderly chief listened patiently and finally said, “I do not understand this religion of yours. You mean I cannot steal?”

“That’s right!” said the missionary.

“You mean I cannot take my neighbor’s wife?”

“Quite right!”

“Or his ivory or his oxen?”

“Precisely!” answered the missionary.

“You mean I cannot dance the war dance? I cannot ambush the enemy? I can’t kill?”

“Absolutely right,” said the missionary.

Then the native chief said regretfully, “But I can’t do any of those things anyway—I am too old!” Then, with a wave of the hand, the aged chief added, “To be old, and to be Christian—it is the same thing!”

Well, as much as the old chief’s words may sting, there is some wisdom in them. Many people cite the picky and negative nature of much of religious tradition as their main reason for not being part of a community of faith. And who can blame them? We have some seriously detailed-oriented religious folks in the world today. Some might call them obsessive—or worse.

Take Old Testament Law for example. Now, I have mentioned this fact in previous sermons, but it bears repeating here. Did you know that by the time all is said and done, there are actually 613 laws? This doesn’t take into account all the additional rules and regulations some of the religious authorities of Jesus’ time added to the list. Good grief people! We can’t even keep the original 10!

Many people look at the negative tone of the 10 Commandments, and immediately think, “No thank you. No one is going to tell me what I can and cannot do—especially if those rules come from writings that are thousands of years old!” See, some folks look at what they see as the negative tone of the commandments, and feel their freedoms are being violated somehow. And you know how people are—especially we Americans—it is all about the freedom! But rather than limit our freedom, the 10 Commandments are actually designed to give us freedom!
So, what I want to do this morning is try something a little different. I want us to symbolically “rewrite” the 10 Commandments in a positive voice. Maybe by going through this little exercise together we can gain some more insight to the positive message of the 10 Commandments.

Here goes…

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.”

Translation: God first. God before our jobs, God before our partners, God before our families. Even God before “church work” (after all, sometimes there is a difference between doing something for God and “church work”) But why God first? Because it is God who brought us—and continues to bring us--- out of the bondage of sin in our lives. While we will never be perfect, it is because of God’s grace that we can be brought into a freer, more peaceful existence than we have ever experienced before in our lives trying to juggle all those other “gods” we tend to serve.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol…” OK. How about “Worship God in spirit and in truth?” Let’s free ourselves from worrying about whether God is male or female, and how we express that. Let’s free ourselves from worrying about how much we think we know about the mind of God! Once we are able to put God first in our lives, and accept the truth that there are just some things (probably a lot of things) about God that we cannot know, we are on the way to true freedom in our lives.

“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God…” Use God’s name with reverence and respect. This commandment is about more than just not cursing. In ancient contexts, a name signified more than a convenient label. One’s name related closely to the very being of that person. This commandment is a reminder of God’s holiness. Whenever we use God’s name, we are invoking God’s presence! That is some serious stuff, folks! God’s wonderful gifts to us are worthy of our highest praise. Reverence and respect are very positive responses to these gifts.

“Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.” Translation: Take some quality time off to spend alone with God. Take some time off from everything—frantic work, frantic consumption, even frantic leisure! That’s right, even frantic leisure! Ever notice how many times we are more tired when we come back from a vacation then when we left? Why is that? Well, usually it is because we feel like we have to do everything in just a few short days to get the most “bang for our buck.” Then we come home, and what is usually the first thing we do? Take a nap!

Take intentional time to be alone with God. What’s more positive and freeing than relaxing—really relaxing—and enjoying a time of renewal and refreshment with the One who makes all things possible? Your time of renewal may be Sunday, but it could be any other day of the week as well. Remember the words of Jesus: “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.” It’s a gift, folks—not a burden.

“Honor your father and mother.” For many people obeying this commandment is not difficult, as their parents loved and cared for them, and modeled mostly good values for them. For others this commandment is negative; it is especially hard for those of us who have suffered abuse from one or both of our parents or other caregivers.

But think about it. We all have had at least one positive adult role model in our lives. These are the people who may have raised us in spite of our parents; or they may simply have been there for us in our darkest hours, guiding us to make wise choices for our lives. The word translated “honor” in Hebrew means “give weight to.” In the context of the children of Israel it meant ensuring the successful transfer of the covenantal vision from one generation to the next. For us, this commandment can take the form of taking care of our seniors, giving appropriate weight to their wisdom so we may learn from them, and passing their wisdom on to those younger than us. Obeying this commandment isn’t restrictive or negative; it is life giving.

“You shall not murder.” Respect life. All life. We respect the life God has given us, and we respect the lives of others. Life belongs to God because it is God who has given life to us. We don’t have to get even, folks! When we get that thought through our heads, it frees us to focus on more positive and life-affirming activities like feeding the hungry rather than killing them in war, then calling them “collateral damage.”

“Thou shall not commit adultery.” Translation: respect relationship covenants—not only yours’, but those of others’ as well. When we cross relationship boundaries, not only are we guilty of adultery, we can also be guilty of murder. By that comment I mean we can destroy relationships between others and ourselves. We can destroy the life and love and trust between others and ourselves. By obeying this command, we are not restricting ourselves, we are celebrating God’s gift of human love and relationship. By obeying this command, we are free to love in a way that clears our lives of the clutter that the deceit, guilt, and pain that dishonesty in our relationships brings.

“You shall not steal.” Translation: Respect the property of others. That property includes intangible assets, too; for example, respect the dignity of others. Respect the boundaries of others. Respect the opinions of others—whether we agree with them or not. This commandment does not restrict us; it builds people up.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Speak only the truth. That is the whole truth, by the way. A half-truth is not truth at all. When we present something about an individual or a situation as true when we do not know that it is, we can be guilty of not only bearing false witness, but also we can be guilty of stealing and murder as well. We can steal a person’s reputation—we can even kill it. Falsehoods and half-truths damage and destroy people, relationships, and institutions—including churches!

Scripture tells us to speak the truth in love. Scripture tells us we shall know the truth, and the truth shall set us free. And by the way, just because we might know the truth about a person or situation does NOT mean we are obligated to share it! The next time we are about to share some information, why not ask ourselves these questions, “How will this sharing make a positive difference? How will this sharing build up the community?” If the sharing doesn’t make a positive difference or build anyone up other than ourselves, maybe we should just keep our mouths shut. Amen?

“You shall not covet…” In other words, be content with what you have. This is not to say it is wrong to work hard to make a decent living and have nice things. It is when we want what others have so bad that those things become our goals in life that we begin to break all the other commandments. We begin to worship the idols of materialism, we may forget about our elders, lie, cheat, and steal to claw our way to the top. Worst of all, we forget God, and guess what? We end up right back in bondage.

OK, so what are the points of the 10 Commandments? Respect, freedom, and love. If we take the commandments to heart, following them can lead to true freedom, to be the people God has created us to be, and to whole relationships where real love and intimacy can prevail. Still, it is a lot of information isn’t it? How do we keep track of all the details? The truth is, we can’t.

But the good news today is that Jesus Christ took the Ten Commandments and summed them up for us: “Love the Lord your God above all things, and love your neighbor as yourself.” He said on these two commandments rested all the law and prophets. From 10 commandments to 613-plus laws to 2. And there is only one detail to remember: love. And from love, respect and freedom can follow.

The 10 Commandments. The freedom to love—God’s way.

Now, THAT is true power for positive living!

God bless you amen.

March 12th

The Good Thing About Dying Is

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Mark 8:31-38



My Mamaw Carrie—God rest her soul—may not have had an extensive education, but she was still quite the philosopher. Take her philosophy on death, for example. When her children asked Mamaw what she would prefer regarding her funeral arrangements, she replied, “Well, I really don’t care. I’m going to be as dead as I’ll ever be. I won’t be around for the funeral; and besides, you kids are going to do whatever you want, anyway. So why are you even asking me? You see, that’s the good thing about dying; I won’t have to worry about those kinds of things anymore.”

She makes some pretty good points, doesn’t she?

But there are some other benefits to dying, as well. In fact, to be perfectly blunt, we wouldn’t be alive without death. Specifically, I am referring to cell death. Cell death in our bodies is programmed for our own good. Look at your hand. We have fingers because the cells that used to live between those fingers died when we were embryos. Embryos depend on cell death; if it did not occur, our human development would go off course. It is even possible to say that without a certain amount of cell death, we would not even be born.

Here is another example of a good thing about dying. Cell death is necessary to prevent our bodies from being filled with cancer. In fact, did you know that our bodies have natural surveillance systems that detect almost all cancerous mutations? Those systems, when working properly, actually instruct the affected cells to commit suicide. In other words, the cancer cells die that we might live.

Dying in order that we might live. Sound familiar? For some of us, it does. For others of us, this concept might sound foreign, ridiculous even. We have examples of both attitudes in today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark. Just before today’s reading, Peter has correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah, and now it is time for Jesus to take his training of these 12 disciples to the next level—explaining what the role of Messiah really means.

Jesus understood that he would have to undergo suffering, rejection, and death as part of God’s plan for the salvation of humanity. He would have to die so that we might live. And apparently, Jesus was right up front with the disciples about this confusing part of God’s plan, as well.

The disciples were not happy with this revelation, either—especially Peter. They must have missed that last part about Jesus rising again, because Peter pulls Jesus aside to have a chat with him. Wouldn’t you have just loved to have overhead that conversation?
“Jesus, you have GOT to be kidding, here! We’re just getting warmed up here! The crowds love us! You’re the Messiah; remember? The Messiah is supposed to kick butt and take names! If you start talking about getting killed, everyone will desert us. Look, if it is a matter of those religious authorities, maybe we can just soft pedal the message a bit and sidestep them until we have become more powerful. Then, BAM! They won’t even know what hit ‘em!”

Now we all tend to make fun of poor old Peter. He just can’t seem to open his mouth without inserting both feet. But we can’t really blame Peter, though. Maybe he was just trying to protect his Messiah—his hope—from unnecessary harm. But, Peter may have had his own behind in mind, too. He was scared, and with good reason, too. For you see, if Jesus started stirring up too much trouble, not only would Jesus’ life be at stake, everyone who was seen as a follower of Jesus would be at risk, as well.

Peter may have known who Jesus was, but he didn’t really know what Jesus was about. He had a certain view of who Jesus was and what Jesus should do. When Jesus didn’t fit those expectations, Peter became scared and insecure. In a way, in his rebuke, he was offering Jesus—and the disciples—an “easy out,” just like Satan offered Jesus when he first tempted Jesus in the wilderness.

Sound familiar? Sure it does! We’ve all played the role of Peter at different times in our lives. By that comment, I mean we all have our own ideas of who Jesus is and how Jesus should behave. Think about it. We all love “Victorious Jesus,” don’t we? We sing hymns like “Victory in Jesus,” and we fall right in line behind Jesus when the miraculous healings are happening, when the crowds love us, and our lives are full of joy.

But when our expectations of who Jesus should be and what Jesus should do don’t quite match up with what Jesus is really about, like Peter, we are often frightened. When we are reminded that our lives are not always full of joy, when following Jesus means taking unpopular positions—positions that may jeopardize our standings with our families, governments, and churches—like Peter, we may look for creative ways to side step the tougher issues that Jesus calls us to address.

But Peter wasn’t alone in his fear and confusion. Peter probably most often said what the rest of the disciples were thinking. Jesus may have rebuked Peter, but notice scripture tells us that he turned from Peter, looked at the disciples and said, “Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things!” Jesus probably knew they were all thinking the same thing as Peter. So Jesus just told all of his disciples—and by extension, us today, “It is time for an attitude check here. It is not about you. It is about God.”

But if that wasn’t harsh enough, Jesus then takes his teaching to yet another level. He calls not only the disciples, but also the crowd—Jesus gets everybody involved! Basically Jesus tells them, “OK. You want to be part of this? Then here is the deal. You have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” So much for an effective marketing strategy, huh? Let’s look at each of these requirements for Christian discipleship.

First, denying ourselves. Let’s face it, we are an immediate gratification society, folks. Many people are offended at even the mention of the word “discipline.” But discipline is literally at the root of discipleship. So, what does denying ourselves look like?

Well, let me start with what denying ourselves isn’t. Some of our Christian predecessors took Jesus’ words to the extreme—even to the point of refusing adequate nutrition and dying as a result. Fasting is a valid spiritual discipline; starvation serves no purpose. Dead people can’t deny anything. Dead people can’t take up anything. And most importantly, dead people can’t follow anyone. So what is the point of such extreme self-denial?

This type of denial is not what Jesus is talking about here. I believe when Jesus refers to “denying ourselves,” he is referring to denying ourselves of the things that come between us and serving God. What is it that prevents us from serving God with all being? Is it the love of money, career, gratification of physical desires, pride, a special relationship—or lack of such a relationship? If there is something in our lives that prevents us from serving God with all our being, then it is something that has far too much control over our lives.

And what is this “take up our cross” business? Well, the cross symbolizes the submission required of those of us who call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ. Like self-denial, the idea of submitting to authority is not attractive to us, to say the least. But do you know what? Like it or not, we all submit to something, whether we realize it or not. For Christians, submission means we recognize that we do not always know what is best for us; and in a spirit of faith, prayer, and discernment, we submit to the will of God for our lives as best as we are able to do that.

And on top of it all, there is this whole “follow Jesus” thing. Follow Jesus? Follow Jesus where? He doesn’t say exactly where, now does he? So, we have self-denial, submission to an unseen power, and then following this unseen power to who knows where. Oh, yeah! Sign me up!

But let’s think about it for a minute. Once we let go of those things that hold sway over our lives—those things that come between us and serving God—and when we are able—really able—to “let go and let God’ in submission to God’s will for our lives, we’re actually free! We’re free to follow Jesus! We’re free to follow Jesus wherever we are called to go, whether it is to a mission field outside of our home country, or the mission field of our immediate neighborhood.

We’re free to follow Jesus to the offices of political officials and work for more funding for social services and less money for senseless wars! We’re free to follow Jesus to the streets to march for equality for all people. We’re free to follow Jesus to our friends and families and let them know through both our words and our actions how good God truly is!

So, what is the good thing about dying? By dying to ourselves, we can tap into the most powerful life force in human history through Jesus Christ. For it is through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that the power of evil, sin, and death are forever defeated. By dying to ourselves through Christian discipleship, we can learn what it means to truly live.

God bless you and amen.

March 5th

Brain Buckets

1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 9:15-22




So, did any of you read the sermon title, “Brain Buckets,” and think to yourself, “OK, what is Danny up to now? What in the world are brain buckets?”

Well, simply put, “brain buckets” are just another name for “helmets.” And helmets have come a long way since many of us here were children, too, haven’t they? Of course, if any of you were like me growing up, about the only time we wore helmets was if we played an organized school team sport like football. We just didn’t think that much about the risk of head injuries. Besides, helmets were for “sissies.” Then again, you have to wonder if, after looking back at some of the stunts we pulled back in the day, maybe using helmets would have not been so bad after all!

But it seems that now helmets are “cool,” as well as wise safety choices. I read this week that there is now a helmet with integrated headphones for snowboarders to listen to their iPods while speeding down the slopes—otherwise known as “thrashing some powder.” Some models of this particular helmet even incorporate a cell phone! Oh yeah! That certainly makes sense, now doesn’t it? Although I guess you could use the cell phone to call for help after you’ve had an accident caused by using that same cell phone— you could, that is, if you were conscious.

But helmet use is now going far beyond the typical sports of cycling, snowboarding, and whitewater rafting. For example, the government is currently reviewing a patent for a child-sized car helmet. There is even discussion about helmets for walkers! Now a helmet for walkers may sound strange at first; but with all the gulls flying around in Corpus Christi, it actually makes perfectly good sense to me!

With the increased use of helmets these days, one would think that the number of head injuries would go down, right? Well, believe it or not, that is not the case! Studies have shown that helmet use can, in some cases, cause a person to take greater risks than he or she would take without the helmet. So, it appears that this risk-taking behavior leads to more injuries. Apparently, as the article put it, “Wearing a brain bucket is no substitute for actually using the brain it protects.”

Just as we need the right protection to keep our physical bodies together, we could also use some “spiritual brain buckets”—what some people refer to as “holy helmets”--- to keep our spiritual lives in tact when we enter the wilderness experiences of our lives. As we take a closer look at our reading from the Gospel of Mark, we can see that Jesus knew this fact all too well.

Today’s reading begins with the baptism of Jesus. So right off the bat, we face a deep theological question: If John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, why would the Son of God need to be baptized? The question of whether or not Jesus himself needs to repent is passed over in this particular passage, and the author doesn’t seem to have a problem with the omission. Some scholars suggest that the fact John baptized Jesus suggests only that Jesus associated himself with the need to prepare for the coming of the Lord with this gesture of repentance—whether repentance on Jesus’ part was actually needed or not. But maybe there is another clue to this mystery further along in our passage. Let’s take a look.

Just as he was coming out of the water, Jesus saw the heavens torn apart, and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” God is the one who gives Jesus his identity in his baptism by sending the Holy Spirit to descend upon him, marking Jesus as someone special, someone who has God’s favor. So it is possible, for Mark at least, that the baptism of Jesus wasn’t a question of repentance, as much as it was a question of identity and obedience.

So, what does any of this lofty theological stuff have to do with “brain buckets?” Well, with the tearing open of the heavens, and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus, we can say that Jesus began his ministry equipped with and protected by nothing less that the “holy helmet” of the full love of God. Scripture tells us that immediately after Jesus was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Spirit that the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. Jesus needed all the holy helmet protection he could get, as he entered the dangerous environment of the wilderness.

Now the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness receives just two verses in Mark’s Gospel; but these two verses are packed with meaning for us. For Mark, the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is not reduced to three specific temptations after 40 days of fasting. From Mark’s account, we can see that Jesus’ time in the wilderness was a full 40 days of trial and testing. Also, you may notice that this account of the temptation of Jesus does not mention fasting, and we may even infer from this account that the angels ministered to Jesus throughout his time in the wilderness—not just at the end of his 40 days in the wilderness! There is an Old Testament connection here. For as God provided for Israel throughout its 40 years in the wilderness, God provided for Jesus throughout his 40 days in the wilderness.

There is a lot of powerful symbolism in this passage for us, too, folks. Wilderness experiences are often times for sorting out our priorities—what matters most to us, and to try to get clear about God’s will for our lives. In fact, many Christians use the 40-day season of Lent that we have just entered as a symbolic wilderness period when we undertake these tasks of reflection and discernment.

Of course, “40 days,” when used in the Bible, is often symbolic language for “a really, really, really long time,” and sometimes our wilderness experiences do last a lot longer than 40 days, too. For some of us, these times of trial and temptation may seem a lot closer to the 40 years experienced by the children of Israel! Amen?

And what forms do these trials and temptations take? Well, our passage in Mark doesn’t give us exact details, and in this case, the silence of scripture can be deafening. By that comment, I mean by not detailing the exact nature of these trials and temptations, we can infer that they can take on any form at any time—even when we aren’t observing an “official” time of reflection and fasting, such as Lent.

For example, perhaps satisfying our hunger is the temptation—and “hunger” comes in many forms, too. “Hey, go ahead and party like there’s no tomorrow! Drink and drug all you want! Sleep with whomever, wherever, and whenever you want! Satisfy all your desires! After all, if God really loved you, wouldn’t God want you to be happy?” Well, of course God loves us! But the brain bucket of self-denial reminds us that our bodies are temples of God, and that we should take care of them.

Maybe the temptation is power and authority. “You know, you could get that promotion. All you have to do is change a few numbers on that year-end report, maybe forget to report a few small items to the IRS, and bingo! The corner office is yours’! Besides, if God really loves you, God will protect you from the IRS.” But if we are wearing the brain bucket of common sense, we will realize that people who have real power earn it honestly, don’t need to show it off, and don’t use it to suit their own needs.

Or, maybe the temptation is a combination of all these; in other words, the desire to have it all. “It can all be yours—wealth, fame, fortune, friendship—everything! All you have to do is forget all this God stuff. Besides, if you have it all—who needs God, anyway?” But if we are wearing the holy helmet of humility, we realize that the world and all that is in it belongs to God. And we know that God is the only One worth serving.

You see, Jesus knew who he was, and what he had to do. Through his baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit, Jesus knew in a powerful way that he was loved. It was this knowledge that kept Jesus’ mind guarded and his heart protected throughout his ministry here on earth.

We, too, are beloved children of God. Through our obedience in following the example of Jesus Christ in baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we too, can know in a powerful way that we are loved. The knowledge that we are beloved children of God is the protection that our minds and our hearts need. It is this knowledge that we are children of the Most High God that sustains us not only through the difficult wilderness times of our lives, but also heals the bumps and bruises that can come from day-to-day living.

God’s love. It is the ultimate brain bucket. God’s love. It is the holy helmet for all occasions.

Don’t leave home without it. Amen?

God bless you and amen.