Sunday, December 8, 2002

Jesus returned to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. News about him spread everywhere. He taught in the Jewish meeting places, and everyone praised him. Luke 4:14-15

Finally Jesus went back home. No doubt he emerged as a different person from the young man who knelt before John the Baptist at the Jordan River. He had lived through his choice to follow the Spirit into the desert and there, discovered he could endure challenge after challenge, emerging intact as God's true Son. Through the devil's tests, he took stock of who he was; his devotion to God, not to other things, his understanding of God's power and its place in his ministry and lastly, his faith that God's presence and love rendered anything else irrelevant. He had The Spirit and he was ready! The word was out and he attracted crowds who met his teaching with great acclamation.

Resist temptation and take the God's high road is more often the traditional affirmation for Jesus' desert experience. But if we explore a bit closer, we can see that in sustaining his earthly covenant with God, he gave us great gifts.

In rejecting the demand to turn stone into bread for himself, he showed us the gift of service to God's people and that God holds so much more than economic reward for all of us. By rejecting the bargain for total power, he showed us the gift of freedom to worship God and the folly of negotiating God's power over the world. In rejecting the invitation to test his identity, he gave us the gift of his unyielding faith in God. While we will be repeatedly tested in many ways during life's course, Jesus' dialogue with the devil made those who journey toward God privileged people. We are privileged to be able to choose, to exercise God's freedom for each of us to find our own way, to know the continuing presence or God through worship and to serve God's people in whatever way we can.

Claudia Stine


All contents copyright 2002 by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Permission is granted to United Methodist congregations, individuals and groups to reproduce and distribute this devotional without charge. All other use requires the advance permission of the editor.