Don’t let the unusually amazing and warm weather of the past few weeks fool you. The budding trees and blooming flowers may tempt you into thinking we have already made it to Easter and the celebration of new life. While nature is starting to spring forth from its dormant grave of winter, our spiritual selves are just beginning the final countdown of the journey to Easter.

Today marks the first Sunday of Lent – a forty day journey of reflection and repentance that resembles the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for his season of public ministry. This year, as you may have picked up on already, we are adding another R word to the list – along with reflection and repentance our Lenten theme word this year is: restore.

Restore is a word that means to bring back, to reinstate, to return, repair, renovate, it is also a word that means to give – as in to restore something back to its rightful owner. When we think about those definitions in terms of our spiritual journeys it reminds us that we are not fully our own. It is God who is the creator and sustainer of life. It is God who sets us loose in the world to live and grow as independent creations.  Creations that carry within us an invitation to relationship. Part of our human journey is the on-going act of restoration, of finding our way back to that source of life through relationship with God, ourselves, and each other. It is in and through relationships that the fullness of life springs forth.

We see an example of this in the story that comes right before today’s scripture passage. Right before Jesus heads into the desert wilderness he is baptized by John the Baptist. As Jesus comes up out of the waters of the Jordan river, having been restored to God through baptism, the sky opens up and the Spirit of God descends as a dove hovering over Jesus while a voice from the heavens says: This is my Own, my Beloved, on whom my favor rests. Talk about fullness of life. In this moment God is affirming the identity of Jesus as a beloved child of God on whom God’s favor rests.

It would be natural for us to assume that complete restoration has been accomplished for Jesus through this experience. What we learn instead is that restoration is an on-going journey – it is a process. We strip away one layer in the process of restoration, only to expose the next step in the journey. And while we can celebrate and revel in the steps that we have come through and in the healing that happens as we experience moments of restoration here and there in our lives, we also must stay attentive and active in engaging in life as we move forward.

You see right after Jesus’ baptism, that same Spirit that has just wrapped him up in a big hug of affirmation and love from God, leads him into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. And the Tempter does a stellar job. The first act in this story is actually a non-act. The first thing that happens is that Jesus is allowed 40 days of reflection, repentance and fasting. By the time the active temptations start Jesus is physically worn down. His body is compromised and when our bodies are compromised it is likely that our spirits are also vulnerable.

In particular, Jesus is hungry. The Devil takes advantage of this weakness and says: “If you are the Only Begotten, command these stones to turn into bread.” In children’s time this morning we learned a bit about restoring furniture and different types of sandpaper. Well, this taunt is like a super course grit sand paper on a piece of wood – it rips right in. Yet Jesus, even in his compromised state, is unwavering. He quotes scripture, saying: “We do not live on bread alone, but on every utterance from the mouth of God.” Jesus knows that there is a constant balancing act between body and spirit that is part of the journey of life for us humans. Our physical needs are essential for survival and yet, our spiritual health is just as vital for life to thrive.

The Devil considers this response and seeing Jesus unscathed by the course grit sandpaper, he moves on to a finer grade of grit and applies a gentle amount of pressure. Jesus finds himself on the parapet of the Temple looking down on the Holy City and the Devil says: “If you are the Only Begotten, throw yourself down. Scripture says that God will send angels to take care of you, with their hands they will support you so that you will not even stumble on a rock.” Security is a constant concern in our human experience. What the Tempter is offering here is the opportunity to prove that Jesus’ sense of security is more than just an illusion – a desire many of us would understand. Yet Jesus once again rejects temptation. He responds again with scripture saying “Do not put God to the test.”

Seeing that Jesus is not willing to be manipulated, even when the Tempter is speaking Jesus’ language by quoting scripture, the Devil then chooses the finest grit of temptation he has in an attempt to smoothly persuade Jesus into compliance. On a high mountain, Jesus looks over all the dominions of the world in their magnificence. And the Devil says: “All these I will give you if you fall down and worship me.” If the temptation of food when hungry wasn’t rough enough – imagine the strength of will it would take to reject an offering like this – an offering of wealth and power. And for a final time, Jesus calls upon the words of scripture as response: “You will worship the Most High God, God alone will you adore.”

At that the Devil leaves.

Angels come to attend Jesus, restoring him from the sand and dirt of the desert and the residual debris of the encounters with temptation.

If Lent is supposed to be a sort of spiritual emulation of Jesus’ time in the wilderness – why on earth would we want to choose to put ourselves through that sort of experience? We already live in the midst of chaos and struggle every day. We live in a time where the systems of power in place in our country and in places around the world thrive on fear and control while reinforcing illusions of scarcity and insecurity. We are being stretched as individuals and communities to find ways to adequately respond and live out what we believe. How is this story of Jesus’ seemingly super human ability to stand up to fear and temptation, even in a compromised condition, supposed to be helpful or even meaningful to us?

As a followers of Jesus we seek to lean into life in the ways Jesus leaned into life. We listen to what Jesus says, we watch what Jesus does, and we glean what we can from those stories and encounters. What I am gleaning from this story this week is this: Jesus has grit. And right now I’m not talking about sandpaper – I’m talking about grit as a psychological trait that refers to a person’s passion and perseverance, particularly for long term goals.

Psychologist Angela Duckworth has done extensive research, given TED talks, and written a book on the concept of grit. Which she likens to cultivating stamina and living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Her initial research stemmed from her experience as a middle school math teacher who realized that some of her most talented students didn’t perform well academically, while some of her less gifted students did very well. When she moved on from teaching to psychology studies she started asking the question: in challenging situations, who is successful and why? And what she began to find was that, while our culture praises and supports the concept of talent, it is actually effort that is more effective at producing positive results in the long run. It turns out, that while innate talent is nice to have, if you don’t put in effort it won’t take you very far. Likewise, even if you are not particularly talented at something, you can learn to succeed over time if you apply effort – if you live with grit.

Jesus has grit. This is good news for us. What this means is that Jesus didn’t have some super human ability to withstand temptation in the desert that we don’t have access to as we lean into the challenges of life each day. What he had within him is the power and fullness of life that comes with choosing to live in the on-going act of restoration through relationship. Jesus, through his grit, is able to see beyond the moment of temptation he is in. He is able to remember the bigger purpose of his life and he chooses to lean into the long-term outcome instead of giving into the quick fix of the moment.

I said it was good news for us, I didn’t say it was easy news.

To live with grit is to live with long-term vision even in the midst of challenging situations. It is to live into the hope of eventual restoration even in the midst of the painful steps that come with the process of restoration. Grit doesn’t take away the pain, suffering, and challenge of the moment but it offers energy and perseverance for the journey.

In a blog post I read this week by Palestinian Rev Dr Mitri Raheb, he talks about culture being the fuel for the grit of Palestinian people who have spent so many years living under occupation. He says this:

“Often I meet people and donors who think that culture in this context is a luxury we Palestinians cannot and should not afford. For these donors, relief is what the Palestinians need under occupation. They need bread to eat, to fill their stomach so that they can think…but people “shall not live by bread alone.” Culture is one of the most important elements for people’s survival. Under immense constrains and in the most immoral situations, culture is the art to learn how to breathe normally…culture is the art for the soul to not only survive but to thrive…it is the art of celebrating life in a context still dominated by forces of death and domination, an art of resisting creatively and non-violently.”

Jesus’ denial of the temptations offered to him in the desert was an act of non-violent resistance. It was an act of grit undergirded by his culture. He used scripture to creatively counter each of the Tempter’s offerings – which means he carried a knowledge of scripture in his very being – certainly a gift from his years growing up in the culture of his Jewish community.

It makes me wonder about the scripture he carried within him that he didn’t quote but may have also served to fuel his grit throughout the drama in the desert. Cindy mentioned in children’s time that we will be using Psalm 23 throughout this season of Lent as a theme scripture for our explorations of restoration. I can’t help but remember that Jesus would have also known Psalm 23 and while in the desert he may have leaned into the words of encouragement and restoration it offers…even if I’m surrounded by Death, I fear no danger, for you are with me.

Actually, you know how they say if you play some songs backwards you can hear hidden messages in them? It turns out that if you read Psalm 23 backwards – you can experience the temptation in the desert from the perspective of Jesus’ grit – feel free to take a look along with me as it is printed in your bulletin [and yes, it is not literally backwards – but you’ll see what I am getting at]. Imagine this as Jesus’ grit’s internal monologue/pep-talk:

It starts with Jesus’ baptism and the affirmation of his identity in God: 

Only goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in your house, YHWH,
for days without end.

Hungry in the desert Jesus is tempted to turn stone into bread. Grit recites: 

You spread a table for me
in the presence of my enemies,
and you anoint my head with oil –
my cup overflows!

Standing on the parapet of the Temple Jesus is told to throw himself down and test God’s care. Grit responds:

Even if I’m surrounded by shadows of Death,
I fear no danger, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff –
they give me courage.

Looking over the kingdoms of the world Jesus is offered land and power in exchange for idol worship. Grit remembers: 

You let me lie down in green meadows;
you lead me beside restful waters:
you refresh my soul.
You guide me to lush pastures
for the sake of your Name.

And at the end of the ordeal, angels come to attend him. Grit is restored: 

YHWH, you are my shepherd –
I want nothing more.

Grit’s got some powerful words of support and encouragement at its disposal. Words that are available for each of us to carry with us every day and especially during this season of temptation, repentance, and reflection. In every moment, may we have the strength and courage to continuously choose to open ourselves to the invitation to restoration. And may we, like Jesus, lean into the journey with grit.