Lent 1, 2023

 Juniper is being baptized today.  On this day she is named and washed and claimed.  On this day God says to her, this is my beloved, in her I take delight.  On this day she follows the path of many before her, the Israelites crossing the sea into freedom, Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan, her family walking forward in faith despite barriers and persecution. 

Juniper is a curious kid.  Her curiosity will take her amazing places.  It will help her notice things in life, notice people in her life.  Her curiosity will help her ask questions about why things are the way they are—why some people are hungry and in need.  Her curiosity will help her find creative ways to respond to these injustices in our world.  Her curiosity will bump her up against limits in this world.  She will offend some people.  She will make new discoveries.  And she’ll get herself in trouble more than a few times.  And Juniper will learn from these adventures whether it was worth it or not to follow her curiosity in each instance, what she can take from these experiences to inform her future directions.  She will decide what to take on in this world and what to let stay the same, what she chooses not to challenge.  This is part of the dilemma of Adam and Eve—they represent the human drive to discover and try to understand.  They were curious, so they explored their world.  They went beyond the boundary prescribed for them, but that all seems part of being human and part of growing up.

Jesus already knows Juniper and has claimed her.  But so easily do humans forget, that we need a day to celebrate, to mark her place in Jesus’ family with something tangible, some holy water, some songs, prayers, a candle and some promises, a rubber ducky and some cake to mark this day.  So as Juniper explores her world and its limits, as she follows her curiosity, she can ask about this day and think back to it and know that God loves her.

Just after Jesus’ baptism, he was driven out into the wilderness where he faced some temptations.  He fasted for a long time.  Matthew links Jesus and Moses.  Moses was in the wilderness 40 years.  Jesus 40 days.  Moses received manna.  Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread for himself.  Both Jesus and Moses were learning to trust God to provide their food.

Jesus went to the Temple where he was tempted to throw himself down, to get God to rescue him.  Jesus’ refusal shows that he follows the values of God’s Kingdom values of steady faith, rather than dramatic public events.  Moses stayed steady following God for 40 years and learning to trust.  Jesus, too, trusts in God without need to test God.

Moses and Jesus both went to the mountain.  Moses went there to receive the Commandments and to converse with God.  Jesus went there to converse with God, to pray, to be transfigured, and to be tempted.  Jesus was promised all the kingdoms of this world but he refused.  It was the value of the Romans to rule and control people.  Jesus came to share power and love not to own everything his eye could see.  Moses and the Israelites, too, gave up everything—home and food and security, in order to follow God.  They didn’t own anything but trusted God to lead them.

Jesus meets these temptations to show what kind of person he is.  He is interested in what God is interested in, trust, using power to help others rather than yourself, not collecting and controlling things, but allowing resources to be used for the common good.

Juniper, too, will meet many temptations.  Some she will resist and others she will fall into.  She will learn what is important to her as she grows and matures.  She’ll learn that food is important, but it isn’t the point of everything.  She’ll care about people who don’t have enough.  She’ll have the chance to try to get attention.  She’ll learn that gets old fast.  She’ll learn about ownership verses stewardship, how to care for what she has and that things will never satisfy her.  She’ll learn about sharing.  She already knows a lot about it.  When Juniper stumbles into temptation, God will be with her, helping her to learn.  When Juniper resists temptation, God will be with her helping her gain strength and wisdom.  And no matter w\hat direction Juniper goes, she’ll know the love and grace of God because she’s learning that here at Trinity.  She’ll know the love and grace of her family.  She’ll know the love and grace of her community of faith. 

Today in the baptismal liturgy, we’ll all have the chance to make some renunciations—to reject temptations with Juniper.  It’s no co-incidence that we make three renunciations, just like Jesus faced 3 temptations.  Together we with Juniper will say, “I renounce them!” 

None of us is alone out in that wilderness.  For Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon him at his baptism and remained with him out there all those long days of temptation and hunger.  Juniper has the Holy Spirit with her, too.  We all do.  We have the scriptures to comfort us.  We have the angels nearby, ready to tend to us.  We have the whole history from the beginning of time about God’s providing, about our temptations, about our failings and God’s forgiveness, we have the example of people through all of history failing and trying again, learning and growing in grace and love.  We have each other in this place to practice living a life of faith, seeking the good of the poor and hungry, sharing power, putting God in the center of our lives, not needing attention, not needing to lord it over anyone, and always trusting God’s providing.

Finally, we are given the gift of scripture, the stories of God’s people handed down to us.  These stories can be used to build up the Kingdom of God and they can be used to damage and control people, to scare them and tempt them.  Both Jesus and Satan quote scripture.  One uses it to build up.  The other to tear down.  Quoting scripture is not proof of righteousness or closeness to God, but we must remember what Jesus tells us is central, loving God and loving neighbor.  Scripture is for that use.