The First Sunday of Lent

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The First Sunday of Lent, 29 February 2004
Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Romans 10:5-13, Luke 4:1-13
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, West Valley City, UT

This season of Lent I would like us to think about how we tell the story of Jesus? How do we tell the story of the Good News of God in Christ? Perhaps obviously first is through the Gospel narratives of Jesus' life and ministry. The stories we hear week by week in church, such as his temptation today in Luke's Gospel.

For many people the story is told through music, such as our hymns as well as through more serious musical presentations. One of my favorites is Bach's, “St. Matthew's Passion.” Another favorite for many is Handel's Messiah.

But for our generation, perhaps the most popular method of telling the story of Jesus is through film and video. So, beginning on Wednesday we will begin our series, Jesus of Hollywood as we look at how popular culture has portrayed the life and ministry of the one we call the Son of God. We will be looking at the serious to the musical to the heretical depictions of Jesus.

As in Scripture, there is no one story. No one truth about Jesus. No one interpretation that encompasses the whole of his life and work. There is no one Jesus. Each film is an interpretation of his life, just like the four Gospels offer different perspectives and interpretations of Jesus. They are selective and they are edited for specific reasons and audiences.

The questions we may ask ourselves after each film then is who is he? How is he portrayed? How similar is he to my Jesus? Yes, my Jesus, the image I have in my head when I worship, pray, read scripture. And just as when we read the Gospels, what can I learn from this perspective that I did not gain from another? What new insights are there for me? For example, Luke's story of the temptation differs markedly from Mark and varies from Matthew. What can you learn from comparing the three? And John does not even mention it.

And of late there has been so much talk about Mel Gibson's, &ldquo"The Passion of the Christ.” I saw it this week. I cannot commend it to you as a story about the Good News of Jesus. It is about the brutality of Rome and power of the Jewish temple leadership in destroying Jesus. It is violent, brutal, and I feel should have been rated NC-17. This is not family entertainment. It is the most violent, brutal film I have seen. If you choose to see it, be forewarned.

The violence, the thread of anti-Semitism and the undercurrent of non-Biblical superstitions get in the way of any story of the Good News of Jesus. I will say, however, that the portrayal of the Virgin Mary is probably the most moving and finest portrayal I have ever seen. That part of the film is extremely poignant and powerful.

As in any interpretation, be it between the Gospels or between movies, there are aspects that inform and broaden the view of Jesus I have in my mind. But as any film, it is not the gospel and it is not historically accurate. We must remember that the Gospels were not written as history. They were written to proclaim the Good News of the life, ministry, teachings and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They teach and proclaim, they do not report the detailed historical facts of his life and his death as if you were reading the newspaper or news magazine. I remind you of a statement by a librarian at the library at my seminary, “In the Bible we have the truth, not necessarily the facts.”

So, I return to the central question for us this Lent, how do we tell the story of the Good News of God in Christ? I believe it starts in our lives and in our relationships. It is less in what you say as it is in how you are in relationship with others. How do you incarnate the Good News of Christ through your faith as well as your forgiveness and love of others?

I also believe it includes how we engage others in conversation. So, please invite friends, neighbors, family to our Lenten series. Join us in a conversation about who Jesus is to us and how has he been portrayed and understood in our culture. But also, invite them to worship, because we believe that we know Christ most immediately as a community in the prayers and in the breaking of the bread.

The Good News of God in Christ is shown forth in your lives. It is celebrated at this altar in the Holy Eucharist. And it is proclaimed in the mystery of our faith: “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.”