Worship Helps for Lent 1

The temptation of Christ

Scapegoat Studio

Worship Theme: The call to sinners in Lent is a serious call to struggle. While we throw out and leave behind the trivial outward Roman type practices of Lent, let’s not throw out repentance in the process. Let’s not replace the trivial externals with something even worse: assurances that we are so forgiven that we need not bother anymore with repentance.

In Gathered Guests, Timothy Maschke describes the season of Lent as a time of preparation for baptismal candidates before Baptism at the Easter Vigil. He then writes this:

In AD 325, the Council of Nicaea recorded the first reference to the specific number of days for Lent: forty. Later, these forty days were associated with Jesus’ forty days in the desert prior to His temptation (Matthew 4) and to the forty years the children of Israel spent in the wilderness (Numbers 14:34). (p. 66)

You may notice that Lent lasts longer than forty days. The Sundays in Lent are not counted as part of the forty-day season. If you list the Sunday of the Church Year in your bulletin, pay attention to the prepositions. Maschke writes, “Interestingly, the Sundays during this season are not ‘of Lent’ but ‘in Lent.’ Thus the Sundays retain an Easter tone and may be less solemn than the midweek services that Lutheran congregations typically offer” (pp. 66–67).

The parament color during Lent is violet or purple. It is a common custom in Lutheran congregations to decorate the cross (or an extra cross used only during Lent and Easter) with a violet cloth that is changed to black on Good Friday and to white or gold on Easter Sunday.

Though Sundays remain celebratory in character, it is a common practice to omit the Gloria in Excelsis and any hymn, song, or liturgical element with the word Alleluia in it. This means the Hymn of Praise will be omitted. The Alleluia and Verse will be omitted or changed to the Lenten response. And the Post-Communion Canticle will not be “Thank the Lord” (which contains alleluias) but rather the Nunc Dimittis or another appropriate hymn.

Though it is associated with Reformation Sunday in many Lutheran congregations, the Hymn of the Day is “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. Stanza 1 highlights the temptation theme of the day. Note the reference in the final line: Luther writes of Satan, “On earth is not his equal.” God says to Job of Leviathan, “On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride” (Job 41:33–34).

Old Testament: Genesis 22:1–18

Some time later God tested Abraham. He called to him, “Abraham!”

Abraham answered, “I am here.”

²God said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there, the one to which I direct you.”

³Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, along with Isaac his son. Abraham split the wood for the burnt offering. Then he set out to go to the place that God had told him about. ⁴On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

⁵Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go on over there. We will worship, and then we will come back to you.” ⁶Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and loaded it on Isaac his son. He took the firepot and the knife in his hand. The two of them went on together.

⁷Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father?”

He said, “I am here, my son.”

He said, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

⁸Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them went on together. ⁹They came to the place that God had told him about. Abraham built the altar there. He arranged the wood, tied up Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

¹¹The Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”

Abraham said, “I am here.”

¹²He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

¹³Abraham looked around and saw that behind him there was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord Will Provide.” So it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

¹⁵The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶and said, “I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your descendants greatly, like the stars of the sky and like the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the city gates of their enemies. ¹⁸In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

1. Abraham believed God would somehow quickly raise Isaac from the dead (see Hebrews 11:19). How did Abraham show this to his servants?

2. Who is the Angel of the Lord?

3. By what two unchangeable things did God say to Abraham, encourages us to trust in Jesus?

Epistle: Romans 8:31–39

³¹What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him?

³³Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies! ³⁴Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! ³⁵What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶Just as it is written:

For your sake we are being put to death all day long.

We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

4. What do we have to endure, for God’s sake? (Verse 36)

5. Do we conquer in Christ now, forever, or both? (Verse 37)

6. Where is God’s love? (Verse 39)

Gospel: Mark 1:12–15

¹²The Spirit immediately sent Jesus out into the wilderness. ¹³He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels were serving him.

¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. ¹⁵“The time is fulfilled,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near! Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

7. Who sent Jesus into the desert to be tempted?

8. Wild animals in stadiums threatened some of Mark’s first readers. What comfort did Jesus’ temptation give them?

Answers:

1. See the end of verse 5. Abraham assured his servants that after he and Isaac worshiped atop Mt. Moriah, they would both come back down the mountain.

2. The Angel of the Lord is God the Son himself. The proof is in verses 12 and 16, where the Angel of the Lord speaks of himself as God. 1 Corinthians 10:4 says that the Angel of the Lord was Christ. This does not mean Jesus is a created angel. “Angel” in both Hebrew and Greek means “messenger.” Essentially, even before he became man, the Son of God was the Father’s messenger to us.

3. See Hebrews 6:18. God both made a promise to Abraham, and swore by himself. What could be surer?

4. We daily suffer great grief and pain. Paul says this by quoting from Psalm 44:22.

5. We conquer both now and forever. In all our troubles we are more than conquerors, not just after all our troubles.

6. God's love is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Since Jesus lives forever, God’s love for us will never end.

7. God the Holy Spirit drove Jesus (in overly-literal Greek: "threw him out" into the desert). We can take comfort that the devil never tempts us unless God allows it.

8. When Jesus was tempted in the desert he too was with the wild animals. He overcame all temptations by the same Word that steadied the hearts of martyrs whom Roman officials fed to lions. No matter how God allows us to be tempted, he will always make a way out for us (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Putting your faith into action

If God spoke to you, tested your sacrificial limits, how far would you be able and willing to go? Would you “go the distance” as Abraham did? As Moses did? As God himself did, sacrificing his Son, Jesus Christ for your sins? During this season of Lent we reflect upon such questions. 

A reading from the Book of Concord for Lent 1

“The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).  Also, “For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:14).  We must explain well how righteousness and salvation are preserved in us, lest salvation be lost again.

This false Epicurean delusion is to be rebuked and rejected: some imagine that faith, and the righteousness and salvation that they have received, cannot be lost through sins or wicked deeds, not even through willful and intentional ones.  They imagine that a Christian retains faith, God’s grace, righteousness, and salvation even though he indulges his wicked lusts without fear and shame, resists the Holy Spirit, and purposely engages in sins against conscience.

Against this deadly delusion the following true, unchangeable, divine threats and severe punishments and warnings should be repeated often and impressed upon Christians who are justified through faith:

Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers … will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9–10)

Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21; see also Ephesians 5:5)

If you live according to the flesh you will die. (Romans 8:13) – Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article IV, Good Works (paragraphs 30-32)

           

200  A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

1  A mighty fortress is our God, A trusty shield and weapon;

He helps us free from ev’ry need That has us now o’ertaken.

The old evil foe Now means deadly woe;

Deep guile and great might Are his dread arms in fight;

On earth is not his equal.

2  With might of ours can naught be done; Soon were our loss effected.

But for us fights the valiant one Whom God himself elected.

You ask, “Who is this?” Jesus Christ it is,

The almighty Lord. And there’s no other God;

He holds the field forever.

3  Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us,

We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpow’r us.

This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will,

He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done!

One little word can fell him.

4  The Word they still shall let remain, Nor any thanks have for it;

He’s by our side upon the plain With his good gifts and Spirit.

And do what they will—Hate, steal, hurt, or kill—

Though all may be gone, Our victory is won;

The kingdom’s ours forever!