The Kingdom, the Power, the Glory - September 25

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82; Esther 6:1-14 or Judith 10:1-23; Acts 19:1-10; Luke 4:1-13

 In today’s Gospel passage from Luke, Jesus spends forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan.  It’s a passage that we often hear during Lent inviting one to self-reflection on their own Lenten discipline.  When the passage is heard outside of a penitential season of self-discipline and moderation, the passage can be seen in a different light.  Consider this: Jesus is being tempted with power for consecutive days.  The son of God, who has the power to raise the dead to life also spends a considerable chunk of time being tempted by power, kingdom, and glory. It’s not just a day or moment in time, but 40 days. 

One of the most important books I read this summer (and maybe in several years) is titled, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta.  Alberta is a conservative evangelical and the son of a Presbyterian (EPC) pastor.  As an Episcopalian, I live far removed from the Evangelical world which is undergoing a rapid transformation and decline.  He traces the history of the Evangelical movement including the growth of Liberty University and the rise of many recent mega pastors and faith communities, and explores how the church has been transformed over the last decade.  He argues that the church and people are consistently tempted by power, glory, and kingdom, and we conflate these with God’s realm. It’s a painful, difficult, and important story to read and hear. 

 And while I am grateful to be a part of a community that works hard to put Jesus above our individual and political goals and works to share love, compassion, and mercy with all people, Alberta shows how easy it is for political and personal ambition for power and glory to corrupt in many places what was once a faithful embodiment of the Christian faith. 

Maybe this passage from today’s Gospel is a reminder that if Jesus was tempted by power, kingdom, and glory, we should expect life to be no different.  How does your own desire for power shape your ability to live into the Christian faith?  What is the intersection of the kingdom you desire in a nation and the Christian embodiment of the kingdom of God?   How does your own desire for glory diminish God’s glory?  If these are questions we can ask of ourselves, we can certainly ask these questions of our communities and even our faith tradition.  The grace in these dilemmas is to remember that Jesus wrestled with these very same questions too. 

Faithfully,

John+