A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. Problem was, the parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to “clean up” the bird’s vocabulary, but to no avail.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even more rude In desperation, John threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.

Then suddenly, there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he’d killed the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John’s outstretched arm

and said, “I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I am sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.”

John was stunned at the change in the bird’s attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued.

“May I ask what the chicken did?”

source: http://www.jokebuddha.com/Change#ixzz4aOTD601k

Psalm?32

1Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

5Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ?I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,? and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

6Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.

7You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah

8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

9Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.

10Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

11Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, ?If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.? 4But he answered, ?It is written, ?One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.?? 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, ?If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ?He will command his angels concerning you,? and ?On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.?? 7Jesus said to him, ?Again it is written, ?Do not put the Lord your God to the test.?? 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9and he said to him, ?All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.? 10Jesus said to him, ?Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ?Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.?? 11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

?The season of Lent leads up to the most holy of Christian days, Easter Sunday. The forty days of Lent begin Ash Wednesday and end at dusk the Saturday before Easter, not counting the Sundays in between. This is a 40-day period ? like the flood of Genesis, Moses? sojourn at Mount Sinai, Elijah?s journey to Mount Horeb, Jonah?s call to Ninevah to repent and Jesus? time of testing in the wilderness. The Sundays during Lent, like every Sunday, are considered weekly celebrations of the resurrection. Many denominations encourage disciples to renew and strengthen their faith during Lent. Plans are made for community-wide Lenten preparation through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, fasting, giving, and service.?[1]

Our series for this Lenten season we are going to focus on how we can find inspiration during challenging times. This is always a time of the year when we can reflect inwardly how our lives, on our relationships with others, and our relationship with God; which is all connected to the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, fasting, giving, and service. It is a reminder that reflection and change take work, a lot of hard work. In a way, Lent can be like a boot camp for the soul, a way to restart in a focused area. We will walk through season together, demanding the best of ourselves, ready to support one another, and prepared to see truths that shatter our self-understanding. Looking within is difficult work, especially when there are many other challenges happening in our lives.

Have you ever had moments in your life when you realized there was a need for change? This story captures the importance of recognizing the need for change in one?s life.

?Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn?t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. ?Daughter, what do you see?? ?Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,? she hastily replied. ?Look closer,? he said, ?and touch the potatoes.? She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face. ?Father, what does this mean?? she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity? the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

?Which are you,? he asked his daughter. ?When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean??[2]

In our scripture lesson for today, Jesus is offered three different temptations during his time of preparation for his ministry. As Jesus is beginning his ministry, he is focusing on spending time alone with God, fasting, and praying about what God is desiring for him to do. He has just been baptized and God has publicly recognized him as his ?Beloved Son? with whom God is pleased and then Jesus goes out to prepare for his ministry to help people reconnect their lives with God. Jesus is on a journey to teach a different way of living with God each and every day. And it is during this time when Satan temps Jesus with food, life, and power. If we remember, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew, is constantly wanting to remind people the Jesus is the Messiah and is the fulfillment of the promise and covenant with God for the people.

With each temptation, Jesus responds with words from Deuteronomy 6-8. In this section of Deuteronomy, Moses is addressing the people of Israel when their time is nearing the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and before their entrance into the Promised Land. Moses is reminding the people of the covenant and God?s love for the people. Moses is encouraging the people to learn from the past mistakes and to faithfully enter the Promised Land. By connecting the testing of Jesus to the experience of the people of Israel in the wilderness. Although Israel failed the tests they were given, Matthew is telling the story to those early believers that Jesus accepts the challenges, Jesus passed the tests, and Jesus also takes part of his identity from the people of Israel. As the people of Israel were the children of God, Jesus is the Son of God. In the first temptation for daily bread, Jesus responds with ?One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.? This is the reminder from Deuteronomy 8:3 and Psalm 91:11-12. As we reflect on those words from Jesus, I think our question to reflect on today is ?How do we acquire our daily bread?? Many times, we think about daily bread as the food that is before us. But Jesus is reminding us that daily bread is God?s word. So how are we acquiring God?s word, daily?

The second temptation or challenge is to test God by doing something crazy, like jumping off a building. But Jesus responds by saying, ?Do not put the Lord your God to the test.? This passage is from Deuteronomy 6:16 and is the reminder about how we understand what it means to live. How do we? If the daily bread is God?s word, how are we choosing to live each day? Are we living centered in God and God?s word, or are we living in ways that go along with what the wills of the world are?

The final temptation is for power, authority, and grandiosity. Yet, Jesus says, ?Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ?Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.?? By Jesus rejecting Satan?s power, he subjects himself to the power of God. Through God?s power, Jesus is able to have an even more powerful impact on the world. So, today, how are we impacting the world around us? Are we? And if we are, what does it look like?

Jesus passed the test and the angels swept him up and cared for him. Jesus went through a very challenging time in his life, and by focusing on God?s word and keeping God at the center, he drew closer to God and God?s love for him and all of humanity. Jesus also was able to do all of these things because he knew the importance of living life differently. He knew a part of his mission and ministry was to challenge people to change they way they were living and live not for themselves, but for God.

We all have many different challenges happening in our lives right now. Family, friends, health, relationships, financial, work, or something else. Sometimes these challenges seem very overwhelming and there doesn?t seem to be a way out. I think our challenge for today from this passage is to see if we are being tested or tempted. After that, then think about how we are responding to those challenges. Are we responding in the way that Satan is hoping we will-will we choose riches, power, physical wants and desires, or will we choose the ways of God? How we respond to challenges in our lives, shows the world what we believe about our God. Did you know that you can take the challenges you are facing now and turn them into inspiring messages to others about the love of God?

As I close, I think back to the story about the potatoes, egg, and coffee beans. As those three items went through a change, something else happened. The perception of them changed. The moral of that story is that in life, things happen around us and things happen to us. Just like Jesus experienced in the wilderness. Jesus was changed from the inside out because he was tempted and withstood the temptation, putting his faith in God alone. Remember, the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us and how we share that change and love of God with others. So friends, which one are you? Amen.

[1] https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/theology-formation-and-evangelism/curriculum/ideas-magazine/lenten-practices-101/

[2] http://www.livin3.com/5-motivational-and-inspiring-short-stories