"Here be dragons" Sermon for 1st Sunday in Lent 2020
Sermon for 1st
Sunday in Lent
1 March 2020
Lutheran Church
of the Redeemer, Jerusalem
The Rev.
Carrie Ballenger
“Here
be dragons”
 |
Illustration of the Devil on folio 290 recto of the Codex Gigas, dating to the early thirteenth century |
Grace and
peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Who is the devil? What does he look like? Is the devil
a person? A man, a woman? Does the devil look like someone you know, someone in
power? Does the devil look like…you?
In literature and in popular culture, the devil has often
been depicted as a bright red cartoon character with pointy ears and tail, but sometimes
also as an angel expelled from heaven, and sometimes in a spiritual way as the
impulse for evil that resides in each of us. But as I did my study for
preaching this week, I learned that sometimes the devil has also been depicted
as…a dragon.
And this got me very excited, because I’m a huge fan
of dragons.
Or, perhaps I should say: I’m a huge fan of dragon
slayers! As many of you know, I have a cat named after St. George the dragon-slayer,
patron saint of Palestine (and of England, and a number of other countries and
cities, by the way.) I have several icons
of George hanging in my home...and even have him tattooed on my arm.
George defeating the dragon (true story or not) has long
been a story that has inspired and encouraged me. But I must say, it completely
changed my reading of today’s Gospel lesson to imagine the devil in the wilderness
as a dragon—and to imagine Jesus as a dragon-slayer.
Scripture tells us Jesus was led up by the Spirit into
the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards
he was famished. Now I know that when I’m famished, I’m really not at my best physically
or mentally. It takes a lot fewer than forty days for me to get “hangry”—maybe more
like forty minutes past my expected mealtime. For this reason, I’ve always thought
of how unfair it was for the devil to come and torment Jesus when he was hungry,
tired, and weak.
But famished as he was, Jesus didn’t let the devil get
away with any of his tricks. He deftly meets each of the first temptations
(based on Scripture) with Scripture of his own. And then, finally, Jesus looks the
deceiver in the eye and says:
“See, what you’re NOT gonna do today is tempt me away
from my mission. Away with you!”
In other words, Jesus slayed that dragon!
Somehow, it has encouraged me this week to think of
Jesus not only actively resisting, but slaying.
It seems Jesus wasn’t so weak after that forty days of
fasting. Maybe that’s not so surprising. After all, there’s something about
going through a struggle, or living through a liminal stage in life—labor and
birth, sickness, grief, the end of a relationship, or a job transition, for example—that
makes you not only stronger, but also helps you to see the world with clearer
eyes.
The devil seems to know what he’s talking about, quoting
Scripture and all. But Jesus—famished Jesus, hangry Jesus, Jesus both human and
divine, strengthened by his wilderness struggle—saw that dragon for who he
was: a deceiver and a liar. And using the powerful weapons of the Word and his trust in God, Jesus
slayed him on the spot, telling him to sit down, to be quiet, and to go home.
Of course, the dragon-slaying didn't end there in the
desert, because then Jesus went on to minister to the sick, the hungry, and the
oppressed. He went on to eat with sinners, with women, with children, with all
those who were usually ignored or persecuted. He went on to challenge the
empire, and to gather into God’s Kingdom all those who know what it means to fight
dragons on a daily basis.
On Wednesday evening at our community’s Lenten supper
and prayer service, a few of us were discussing the loss of battle songs in our
hymnals. For example, there’s no more “Onward Christian Soldiers” in our new
Lutheran hymnals. Also gone is the verse from “Be Thou My Vision” which says “Be
thou my battle shield, sword for my fight; be thou my dignity, thou my delight.”
I don’t in general disagree with these changes—after all, Christendom has for
far too long been associated with empire, and with a battle for power over
others. Here in Jerusalem, for example, the Crusades are still talked about as
if they happened yesterday!
However…it also occurs to me that there are times when
we NEED battle hymns. There are times when there be dragons, and we need
songs to encourage us in the fight against them.
While it can be helpful at these times to sing “Away
in a manger, no crib for a bed. The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head…”
sometimes we also need “A Mighty Fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing”!
I would dare to say this is one of those times. There
are real forces at work in the world today for people of faith to contend with.
There are powers and principalities in every country, including here in Israel and Palestine, working against the Gospel
of love, justice, peace, and dignity for all people.
Here be dragons to slay,
and we might need some good music to march to!
But to be perfectly clear again: I’m not suggesting Christians
take up arms. After all, Jesus slayed the devil in the desert with Scripture
and verse, not with sword and shield.
Dragon-slaying, devil-busting, and death-defying can
take many different forms.
In your life and context, it might look like voting.
It might look like praying for your enemy.
It might look like intentionally raising your children
to be accepting of difference.
It might look like forgiving those who have hurt you,
freeing yourself to work for the liberation of others.
It might look like speaking truth to power, speaking
the truth of what you have seen here in Palestine and Israel, or speaking your
own truth.
It might look like making art—or writing hymns.
Today, March 1st, just happens to also be
the day we remember a different George in the church—hymnwriter George Herbert.
An excellent scholar, Herbert served briefly in the English parliament, then
became a parish priest. He was known for devoted care of his parishioners, as
well as for writing poetry and hymns, including “Come, my way, my truth my
life.” He died at age 40 in 1633.
I’m not sure anyone has ever marched to “Come, my way,
my truth, my life”. However, George Herbert’s hymns have definitely slayed a
few dragons. They have provided solace and strength to countless Christians
seeking to follow Jesus’ Way out of the wilderness and into our common mission
to the world, with words like:
Come, my way,
my truth my life
Such a way as
gives us breath
Such a truth
as ends all strife
Such a life
as killeth death.
Dear siblings in Christ, you may have been in the desert
wilderness a long while yourself. You may be famished—for love, for acceptance,
for faith, for the knowledge of God’s presence. But you are not alone! And you
are not powerless. Keep singing. Keep speaking out. Whatever you have come
through, whatever you are going through now—trust that it does not make you
weaker, but rather is making you a stronger witness to the power of the Gospel
of Love in the world today.
Thanks be to God for St. George, and for George Herbert
and his music which has inspired us on the Way.
And thanks be to God for Jesus, whose Way led him out
of the desert, to Jerusalem, and to the cross. Thanks be to God that Jesus slayed
the dragon of death when he was raised from the tomb on the third day, granting
us all life, liberation, and love eternal.
May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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