The First Sunday in Lent | March 9, AD 2025 | Luke 4:1-13 | Andrew F. Weisner |

Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 91:1-13
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13

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Homily

       Some years ago I saw an adventure movie about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table… (probably some of you have heard about him and some of those tales). There is a scene in this movie that is, for me, particularly memorable. The Knights of the Round Table have just accomplished something significant — probably they’ve just won a battle or just came back from a quest or some such — I do not recall exactly, but whatever it was,  Arthur and the Knights were celebrating and dancing around the fire and having a grand celebration. In the midst of it all, Merlin, the wizard magician, shouts to them to pause all the merriment. He shouts, „STOP! Remember! Remember this moment! Savor it… for it is the curse of humans – to forget.“

       „It is the curse of humans – to forget.“ That line, to my knowledge, is not in the Bible, but maybe it ought to be. Certainly, it could be, because there are so many statements that seem to reflect that notion  that are in the Bible.

       In the English translation of the Bible, the word „remember“ appears no less than 253 times (and that’s not counting „remembering“ or „remembered„!). To Remember is a central theme in Scripture. God knows the many distractions of the human mind and our gravitational pull toward „worry“, which draws us strongly, inevitably toward forgetting. From the portrayal of God’s people that we read in the Bible — the image of ourselves, we are always in danger of losing our memory; God’s people are often forgetting who they are, and whose they are.

       From today’s First Lesson, we hear an example of a major theme in the Book of Deuteronomy, from Deuteronomy 26:

       … the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us; ⁷we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. ⁸The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; ⁹and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey…

       What was Moses‘ point of stating this, recounting this? Moses is reminding them of — remembering — the mighty deeds of God on their behalf, because „it is the curse of humans to forget“! In Deuteronomy, several times we see in Moses‘ remarks to the Israelites: Remember not to forget; Don’t forget to remember. Remember / “ to remember.“  “Be careful,” Moses warns (as we read in chapter 4), “and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

       Furthermore, Moses seems to anticipate that „success“ for these former Hebrew slaves in Egypt will pose a particular temptation. States Moses, as we read in Deuteronomy chapter 8:

       When you have eaten and are satisfied, … when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. . . . You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” (8:10-14, 17-18)

       „Remember God’s mighty acts on your behalf, remember God being with you in times of trouble; remember, remember, remember!“

       Now, why, here, at the beginning of Lent (first Sunday thereof), does this preacher go into a tirade on „remembering“? Well, for one reason: psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, we need it. With war in the world (particularly, especially, between Ukraine and Russia); with the consequences of war all around us — i.e., general anxiety in the world, economic questions and challenges; troubles we have in our own government and concern for the protection of democracy; and while all that is anxiety-producing enough, we all, always, have personal concerns for health and the welfare of family. We, God’s people, need to be, deserve to be, reminded — to remember — that when our ancestors had just traveled through a desert, led by God, after ten miracles had been performed on their behalf back in Egypt; and then, their backs were up against a vast amount of water and an army was behind them in hot pursuit … what happened? God sent a strong east wind that parted the water, causing a path through the sea along which his people could walk, and escape the pursuit of the Egyptian army. Dear Friends, God protects, provides, and is always with us.

       Another reason why I launch into this oration at the beginning of Lent on „remembering God’s mighty acts for us“: I heard a lecture recently in which the professor made a claim that was simple and profound: he said that sin is, simply,  forgetting our focus to be Eucharistic.

       Now, do you recall what „Eucharist“ is? It is what we will do here in a short while… it is the Greek and early Church word which refers to what we call „communion.“ The word means, specifically, „thanks.“ „On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread and eucharistaysa“ — he gave thanks. And furthermore, the Church teaches that the bread and wine of the Eucharist is Christ… not „represents“ or „symbolizes“ Christ, but is Christ.

       Sin results from our forgetting, or our shifting our focus from „Eucharistein,“ that is, giving thanks; and sin results from our shifting our focus away from Christ, who is present to us in the Eucharist, in communion. Sin, and temptations to sin (which we try to combat in Lent), result from failing to be Eucharistically focused, when we fail to be focused on thanksgiving (which is something that happens in the Eucharist, i.e., in our communion prayers). And furthermore, sin results from our failure to focus on the actual presence of Christ now among us.  So, what can we do about this (as wizard Merlin said, this) „curse of humans (to forget)“? There is a key presented to us in our baptismal liturgy. (When we look at baptism, so much opens-up to us!) In the baptismal liturgy, it states, „As we live with Christ and his people, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will of God.“        Dear Friends, we are here! We are here, „living with Christ and his people,“ living and praying with each other; we bring our children here. There is a history here in this church-community of serving, and together we are serving each other and our neighbors. We are collaborating with each other and others for projects for our youth; we are praying together for other Christians and people around the world; we are working together for the sake of people in need; and importantly, as we live with Christ and each other, we are remembering, and growing in faith and love, and – today, in the Eucharist – coming closer to Christ. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

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Pastor Andrew F. Weisner, Ph.D.
pastorweisner@gmail.com
Pastor, New Covenant Lutheran Church
Morganton, North Carolina, USA
Faculty, North American Lutheran Seminary, Ambridge, PA, USA