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Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.  Philippians 3:17-4:1

When a house is built on poor soil, it will eventually fall away because it does not have a firm foundation. In the same way, it's always distressing to watch a life crumble away, whether it be the life of a loved one, or even our own life. Paul, who is writing to those he loves and has an emotional attachment to, offers the people a wonderful word here in Philippians. Today, let us ask the question: What is my life built upon? Asking this question is what Lent is about. What's the bedrock of our lives? In the last sentence from the reading, we get a sense of the great emotional commitment that Paul has for these people. Just as we would not want the lives of our loved ones to disintegrate, Paul has that same commitment to his friends in Philippi. These people were his beloved, his joy and crown. He wants them to go in Christ beyond anything that they had ever imagined. Paul calls them his "crown," which here means a laurel given to a victor in a race. Paul wanted their lives to have a sense of completion to them, just like we want for our own loved ones and for ourselves.  In this passage, Paul says two phrases that we can look at today. The first is stand firm, and the second is in the Lord. The recipients of Paul's letter were retired Roman soldiers. They would have related well to the phrase stand firm, because it was a military phrase meaning to stand your ground in the face of enemy attack. The temptation at that point is to break rank and retreat. In our own lives, the waves break against the shores of our lives and test our foundation. If we want victory and a sense of completion in our lives, then we should stand firm against the waves. What is the foundation of your life? What is your life built upon? Our lives are only as strong as the weakest point in our foundation. Our lives will only be as strong as we are willing to stand firm. It's important to note that standing firm does not mean standing alone and facing the world all by yourself, relying only on your own resources. That will only bring frustration and exhaustion. We need to stand firm in the Lord.  Paul's love for Christ had given him a love for these people. And he was reminding them that happiness and joy is not about what you have or where you are; it is about who you are standing with. In Christ, we find a joy and a completion in our lives that we could never find any other way. What foundation is your life built on? All of us need to ask these hard questions. What is the bedrock of your life? Will you stand firm in the Lord? Use Lent to take out the excess, to take out a little bit at a time the things that God doesn't want in your life. And remember that on this side of glory, we will never be perfect. But each Lent is an opportunity for us to allow the Lord to gently bring us more and more towards being the person he created us to be. What is your life built upon? Stand firm in the Lord.

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. 1 Cor 10:1-13

Part of what Lent is meant to be is a time to reflect upon the different tests that we encounter in our lives. During the first week of Lent, we looked at Jesus and the different tests he faced in the wilderness. We also talked about in our own lives not just trying to be better, but training to be better. Last week we looked at the phrase from Paul, "Stand firm in the Lord." We talked about how there are challenges in all of our lives, like waves beating against the shore and testing our foundation. This week, we look at temptation through the eyes of Paul. He says in today's reading, "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it." We all face times of testing and temptation, and we are especially aware of this during Lent when we affirm: Blessed be the Lord who forgives all our sins; his mercy endures forever.  Let's first look at the first part of Paul's statement - no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to everyone. It's important to remember that the temptation itself is not a sin. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, but he did not sin. It is not a sin when we come up against something that is testing us; the sin comes in the choice of giving in to the temptation. Every day, everyone is tempted in different ways. It is common to everyone. Don't ever come to the place in your spiritual life where you think you are immune to temptation. Paul admonishes us to be very careful and take heed if you think you are standing - watch out that you don't fall. The first thing to understand about temptation is that in itself, temptation isn't sin. The second thing to understand is that everyone, every day is tempted. We are all vulnerable to temptation. The second part of Paul's statement is: God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can endure. There will always be temptation of various kinds, and all of us are vulnerable; but God is faithful, and he will not give us more than we can endure. The third part of Paul's statement is: With the testing, God will also provide a way out. The phrase is actually a military term, which refers to an army being completely boxed into a canyon by the enemy, and then suddenly discovering a pass to escape through that no one knew about before. In our own lives, when we come to an impasse in our lives - a place that we keep coming to again and again in our lives that we know is destructive, but we still can't see a way out - God always provides the way. The last part of Paul's statement is: that you may be able to endure it. It does not say, that you may succumb to the temptation, or that you may avoid the temptation; it says, that you may endure the temptation. It brings to mind the image of being able to stand under a heavy load. Temptation, in all our lives, is a heavy load. But in Christ, with God, there is always a way to endure.  Today on St. Patrick's Day, we can look to the life of Patrick as an example. Patrick, as a young man, was taken away to a foreign land to be a salve. He had lost everything - his friends, his family, his possessions. All he had left was prayer and his faith. Eventually he went on to be a great missionary to the very people who had enslaved him. God had provided a way through his time of trial and testing, and in turn he gained a special love and sense of calling to the people whom he had called enemies. All of us face temptation, and your temptations aren't any different than the temptations that everyone else faces. And we have the assurance that God will always bring us through it and provide a way out, and we will be able to endure.

Rev. Dr. Mark Tusken

Then Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, "How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands." ' So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, "Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate. "Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, "Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!' Then the father said to him, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"  Luke 15:11-32

During Lent, we have been thinking about testing. The first week of Lent, we talked about how Jesus was tested in the wilderness. The second week of Lent, we learned how Paul admonished us to "stand firm in the Lord." Last week we were reminded of the fact that God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Today we read a familiar story, the story of the prodigal son. All of us are familiar with this story having the title "The Prodigal Son," but we might just as well call it "The Lost Elder Brother," or even "The Loving Father." Today we will look at this story from a different perspective; not only does the son experience a test, but all three figures in the story go through tests. In this painting by Rembrandt, the father is depicted as lovingly embracing the lost son. This was the last painting that was completed by Rembrandt, and it was an important work to him. Rembrandt himself experienced loss in many ways during his lifetime. He suffered through the deaths of his children and his wife, he lost his money and went through bankruptcy, and he had to sell all of his possessions, even his paintings and his blank canvasses and art supplies. Early on in his life, he was a greedy man, living for himself; but at the end of his life after going through a period of great testing, he had changed towards grace. The first test that we focus on in the story is the test of the son. His test was in his leaving. We might at first think that his test had to do with money, power or sex, but really these were only symptoms of the real test that he experienced. As the son leaves his home and family behind, he is saying spiritually, "I want to deny all of the things that I was taught at home with my father, and I want to live my life totally and completely for myself." This is a question we must ask ourselves:  Do we belong to God or to the world? The son wanted to search for something in the world rather than something he could find at home. The fact that he left means that he had already failed the test. The second test we can focus on from the story is the test of the older son. When looking at the painting, actually Rembrandt had it wrong: the older son wasn't in the homecoming scene at all. The older son didn't even know that the son had returned. He was busy tending his fields and taking care of his work and business. When he heard the sounds of a party, he had to ask the slave what all the rejoicing was about. The test of the older brother was the test of jealousy, of envy, and of revenge. Rembrandt may have painted the older brother into the scene so that all of us, when faced with a choice, might ask ourselves whom we identify with, the younger brother and his lust for the world, or the older brother who is challenged by jealousy. Are we challenged by lust, or by resentment? It was probably easier for the younger brother to face and conquer his test of worldliness. The older brother with his responsibilities was living with the expectations that his family had for him. He was living by the law, not by grace.  The third test we can focus on from the story is the test of the father. His test was the test of forgiveness, reconciliation and healing. The painting depicts an incredible moment -- the father places his hands of blessing and reconciliation on the shoulders of the young son. He says to the son, all that is mine is yours. It reminds us that the love the Father has for his Son Jesus is the love he has for us. Will we also be people of forgiveness and reconciliation? This is our test too. Will we forgive the one who is wasteful, or the one who is vengeful? Will we be willing to let the Father work his love in our lives? These tests that we face are not tests meant to trip us up in life. They are in fact invitations to joy. If you find that in your life you have started to walk down a path that you shouldn't have, this is an opportunity for reconciliation with God the Father. Wherever you find yourself in this story, when you come back to your senses and turn towards home to find reconciliation in the arms of the Father, that is when the party really begins!  What about you? Are you ready to turn towards home?

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise. Isaiah 43:16-21

What is the nature of the mind, and how does the mind relate to God? Here are a few stories and anecdotes that might cause us to ponder and might give us some insight into what makes up the human mind. The first story is the story of a family who was moving to another part of the country. The family packed up the station wagon with all of their belongings, and began the long drive to their new home. Along the way, they decided to have lunch at a rest area. While they were picnicking, they realized that their dog had run away and was nowhere to be found! They searched everywhere, but at last they simply had to get back on the road and continue their journey without their beloved pet. Months later, after the family was established in their new home, they suddenly heard a scratching at the door while they were eating dinner one day. There at the door was their dog! How had he found his way to the new home? Was there some psychic channel in the minds of the family that lead the dog? A second story we might consider involves a study that scientists conducted over a period of ten years. The researchers assigned a group of people to be "senders," and another group of people to be "receivers". The senders were all issued cards with certain images on them, and they were told to somehow try to mentally send the image to the receivers. Over the entire study period, the receivers were able to correctly determine what the sent image was the majority of the time. Were the senders actually able to successfully use a form of mental telepathy? A third story to consider involves the famous quantum physicist Schroedinger. He was known for asking his students the question, "How many minds are there on earth?" The students would naturally give the same answer as the current world population. Schroedinger would counter with his theory that there is only one mind in all of the universe, and we are all part of that mind. This was actually a common view held during the middle ages, that all of the cosmos exists in the mind of God. Modern-day scientists have been returning to this theological idea. In today's reading, Isaiah proclaims that God is about to do a new thing. Does God indeed do new things?  When God speaks to us, what language does he use? Perhaps he speaks Latin?  God speaks to us in a special language - the language of love. We interpret his words for us according to our needs and concerns. In today's passage, God was communicating to Isaiah through his language of love. In another passage, God tells Isaiah, "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more" (Is 43:25); and, "You are precious and honored in my sight." (Is 43:4). This is what Isaiah heard from God. In First Corinthians, Paul speaks of bringing a word of knowledge to the people: "What good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?" (1 Cor14:6) The Holy Spirit enabled Paul, and indeed enables each of us, to hear and understand God's language of love and God's personal word for each of us. We are indeed more open and more able to hear God's language than we often realize. Our minds are much more complex then we can ever understand, and we are able to receive much more than we can comprehend.  The point of this message is not to promote things like psychic abilities and mental telepathy, but to instead point out that our minds are wonderfully created by God to be able to communicate with our loving Creator and to receive from him all that we need. The disciplines of prayer, meditation and receiving the sacraments can help us to be more open to God and can help us in our own spiritual formation, and they can help us in our ministry to others. For it is in God that we live, move and find our being. Let us ask him to open us to all that he has to offer, in the same way that Isaiah was open to receiving God's word.

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Then [Pilate] handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." John 19:16-22

On nights like this during the church year, we are carried by the liturgy and we focus particularly on the scriptures. We are reminded that translations -- what you say, and how you say it -- are very important. This past week, we have seen how translations really do matter in the area of international relations. The United States needed to find specific words to give to China in order to bring about the release of our men and women who were being held on Hainan Island. It was important for our diplomats to say just the right thing to guarantee the safe release of our military personnel, while still asserting that we were not to blame for the incident. Tonight we find a similar situation in our reading from the Gospel of John. At the end of Jesus' life, John says that Jesus called out some very important words. Some of the words that Jesus said were probably said out of quiet desperation. These words, such as "I thirst," were probably uttered in Aramaic.  All of the gospels use the Hebrew language when describing those words that Christ called out at another crucial moment: "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Every word and phrase in the account of Christ's crucifixion take on an importance. John needed to find a way to bridge the gap between himself and his readers, and between his generation and the generation of his future readers. Three languages are used for the inscription placed on Jesus' cross -- Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.  All three of these can speak in several ways to our hearts today. Hebrew was the language that signified holiness and morality for the people. This language spoke to the people's desire to live holy and upright lives as they strived to move closer to God and away from sin. This signpost speaks to us today as well, and encourages us to always move closer to the light, and away from darkness. But the sign doesn't stop there. The inscription was also written in Latin. This language speaks of scientific inquiry and reasoning. Some of us today seek God through the pursuit of truth. If you are the type of person who leans towards analytical thinking and reasoning, then you can be encouraged with the fact that Jesus has an answer for every single question that you might pursue with your intellect. The third language of the sign was Greek. This language was the common language used for commerce and for matters of law and justice. Those of us who see the inequities of the world and who cry out for justice in the face of evil and corruption -- we can rest easier knowing that Jesus reigns victorious over all the earth. If you are someone who has been wronged or has suffered great pain or hurt in your life, this perhaps can speak to your heart tonight. Finally, Jesus spoke his last word: "It is finished." This Greek word that he spoke might be translated, "Paid in full." This Greek word had a specific meaning in Greek and Roman courts. During the time of Jesus, if someone was convicted of a crime, he would have a bill of charges written against him. After the criminal's jail time was complete, he would have the phrase "it is finished" stamped across his bill of charges, meaning that the sentence for the criminal's wrongdoing was fully satisfied. What does this mean for us today? Each of us today knows in our heart of hearts that we have failures in our lives. We have not lived up to our moral code in a perfect way. And each of us has an accuser who knows that we experience failures and that we each struggle with various weaknesses. But Jesus on the cross gives us the proclamation, "It is finished." Through his death God has given us forgiveness, and through forgiveness, victory; and we can show our accuser that our bill of charges has been paid in full. As we reflect on the cross and what God has done for each of us, our hearts can turn from hearts of stone to hearts filled with love. And we can have a great sense of thanksgiving and gratefulness for God's love and forgiveness for each of us.