Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1 (NRSV)
Our last Sunday's worship experience was at a church in McAllen, Texas. The pastor there is a colleague of mine and her sermon was called, "Deal or No Deal?" It was based loosely on the popular game show on NBC hosted by Howie Mandel. If you haven't seen the game, please don't. You'll get hooked and then you'll blame me! It is a game fueled by raw human emotion and driven by greed and fear. Out of so many cases, you begin the game by choosing one case, which is yours and in which you hope, pray, sweat, and swear, if found one million dollars. Then you begin to choose six cases, after which, the whole room lights up red (any coincidence to the above passage?) and Howie gets a call from "the banker." The banker's job is to offer you a deal to get you out of the game with as little money as possible. His offers are always made on the mathematical odds of you having a million or whatever of the "big money" you have left to play. Most of the opening deals are ridiculous and are laughed off. It is, though, at this point that Howie asks, "Deal? or no deal?" There is a slight pause between the deal or no deal. To date there has not been one million dollar winner. I did watch an early show in which at the very end, the contestant had two cases and she opted for the deal and found out that her case did indeed contain the million dollars. It's fear that wins out and deals usually are taken.
The preacher last Sunday said that Satan tries to get us to deal. She put it more in card terms by saying that he would like nothing better than for us to fold and give up and walk away. Thankfully the story we find in the Gospels is that of Jesus going head to head with the devil and turning down every deal, then walking away the victor over temptation.
Are we that strong? Or do we give into deals offered to us? We can justify anything by saying, "we'll never have this opportunity again!" or "who will be harmed by my doing this just this once?" Is it fear or greed or lust or selfishness driving us?
This New Year will bring us as many deals as we can handle. If we follow the example of Jesus, who prepared by prayer and fasting and being guided by the Holy Spirit, we can say no to the deals and yes to God who provides the sweetest of all deals: His love and grace.
PRAYER: Loving God share with me that which is Yours for me. Let me see beyond the human and that which blinds. Let me seek to resist the easy deals and seek to glorify You. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
Our last Sunday's worship experience was at a church in McAllen, Texas. The pastor there is a colleague of mine and her sermon was called, "Deal or No Deal?" It was based loosely on the popular game show on NBC hosted by Howie Mandel. If you haven't seen the game, please don't. You'll get hooked and then you'll blame me! It is a game fueled by raw human emotion and driven by greed and fear. Out of so many cases, you begin the game by choosing one case, which is yours and in which you hope, pray, sweat, and swear, if found one million dollars. Then you begin to choose six cases, after which, the whole room lights up red (any coincidence to the above passage?) and Howie gets a call from "the banker." The banker's job is to offer you a deal to get you out of the game with as little money as possible. His offers are always made on the mathematical odds of you having a million or whatever of the "big money" you have left to play. Most of the opening deals are ridiculous and are laughed off. It is, though, at this point that Howie asks, "Deal? or no deal?" There is a slight pause between the deal or no deal. To date there has not been one million dollar winner. I did watch an early show in which at the very end, the contestant had two cases and she opted for the deal and found out that her case did indeed contain the million dollars. It's fear that wins out and deals usually are taken.
The preacher last Sunday said that Satan tries to get us to deal. She put it more in card terms by saying that he would like nothing better than for us to fold and give up and walk away. Thankfully the story we find in the Gospels is that of Jesus going head to head with the devil and turning down every deal, then walking away the victor over temptation.
Are we that strong? Or do we give into deals offered to us? We can justify anything by saying, "we'll never have this opportunity again!" or "who will be harmed by my doing this just this once?" Is it fear or greed or lust or selfishness driving us?
This New Year will bring us as many deals as we can handle. If we follow the example of Jesus, who prepared by prayer and fasting and being guided by the Holy Spirit, we can say no to the deals and yes to God who provides the sweetest of all deals: His love and grace.
PRAYER: Loving God share with me that which is Yours for me. Let me see beyond the human and that which blinds. Let me seek to resist the easy deals and seek to glorify You. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
