Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

You ever forget anything? Forgetfulness is one of the best weapons of our enemy. When we forget who we are, when we forget who God is, when we forget how greatly God loves us, when we forget what Jesus did for us, anything you would add to the list of those amazing things about our God we should not forget? When we forget that is when we are most vulnerable to temptation. That is when we are most likely to commit sin. Satan distracts us with all of the ooh shiny and we forget. When Eve and Adam, remember he is right there too. Eve in particular and women in general have gotten a bad rap down through the centuries. Too often Eve and therefore women have been blamed for letting sin loose in the world. Like Adam wasn't right there. He could have spoken up and said this is a really dumb idea. It isn't just Eve's fault. It is mighty tough to hand a piece of fruit to someone who is not standing right there. 

The temptation offered is you shall become like God, knowing good and evil. I wonder if Eve and Adam heard anything past like God. If you don't know good and evil do you have any context for what it would be like to know the difference between good and evil. What sort of temptation would that be other than maybe, well now that sounds interesting knowing this good and evil stuff? “Like God” though, that I suspect would catch their attention. 

I wonder, what do you think it would mean, what is this temptation to be like God? Powerful, in control, in charge, not needing to depend upon anyone else, those are a few of my thoughts of what might have been going through Eve's and Adam's minds after the serpent delivered the speech. Anything to add? What would it mean to be like God? 

Here's what I wonder especially about this temptation. Is it somehow about power? Do Eve and Adam think that somehow they will be more powerful if they are like God? Let's run down the list, made in the image of God, given dominion, stewardship over all creation, placed in the garden to tend and till it, told to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, take walks in the cool of the evening with God, and the human being, both male and female, serve as “God’s representative, are summoned to maintain and enforce God’s claim to dominion over the earth.” Ancient kings erected images of themselves in portions of their reign where they did not actually appear to remind people who was in charge, “so man is placed upon the earth in God’s image as God’s sovereign emblem.” Male and female are the image of God and are to rule and care for the earth as God's images. 

So much power is already theirs. So much authority is already theirs. Do you think they forgot? The serpent starts talking about like God and that really tasty looking fruit there in the garden and knowing, and what they knew and what they were just went right out of the heads of Adam and Eve. They forget who they are and sin enters in. It is what evil does. It is what evil has long been in the business of doing. Evil in the world rebels against God and leads others into rebellion. Evil in the world actively defies the will and the work, the rule and the reign of God in the world and is always recruiting.

That marvelous old word repentance, it is about turning away from that which is not of God and turning to God, to Jesus and to the things which are of Jesus. Evil is exactly the opposite, wanting us to turn away from Jesus, his will and ways, and to turn to those things which are not Jesus. This goal, this plan of evil, this work of evil in the world includes the institution of the church. Recruiting the church to also be defiant, to be counter to Jesus's work in the world has long been the game of evil. Sadly it has been so very successful down through the ages. Institutional church has been seduced by power and horrible things have been done by the church in the name of God. The list is long. Some of the worst fighting the world has seen has been between those who confess the name of Jesus as they seek to dominate and have power over the other. 

So often, too often the church forgets that it is called to be servant, just as Jesus came to be a servant. Too often the church forgets that the way of power is not the way of Jesus. Too often the church seems to think that if only we had the power we could really get something done. We could really accomplish so many good things. If only, if only the church remembered, always remembered that it is not about power and ruling over. It is about serving. It is about washing feet. It is about laying down life. It is about binding up the broken no matter who they are. It is about loving God and loving God in the shape of the neighbor who is right before us no matter who they are. 

When we claim our identity, when we live our identity as servants then we are getting it right. Then we are being the church. More hearts and lives will be changed by the loving service of the people of God than will ever be changed by laws which might be passed. That is God's plan. That is God's way. The early church exploded because of the working of the Spirit of God through those who would boldly serve when and where they could. There are many who like to lament the state of our nation for all sorts of reasons. My lament is that parts of the church think that if they can pass enough laws then all will be well. 

What was that last temptation which Satan offered to Jesus? Bow down to me. Worship me and all this will be yours. Power. Satan is offering Jesus the power of ruling as an earthly ruler. Satan is offering Jesus the power over all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus turns it down. You know why that is of course, I mean besides the being son of God and without sin and all that. 

Jesus remembers. He knows who God is, the creator of all things and the one alone who is to be worshiped. He also knows who he is. Jesus remembers. He knows and remembers the Bible and so is ready, prepared to deal with Satan. Jesus remembers why it is that he has come into the world. He is the one born to be a servant, born to love so deeply and so greatly that even death on the cross is not too great of a price to pay. 

Sometimes I forget that. No matter what I do to live out my faith, to practice it, to remind me to turn back to Jesus. I still forget and temptation wins out. I forget and then I live not as the child of God I am called and created and to be. I forget and oh my the relationships and the community which can suffer as a result. I forget who I am, just like Eve and Adam. I forget who Jesus is. 

The good thing, the very good thing, the best thing is that Jesus does not forget. There in the wilderness he did not forget who he was. When facing a poor forgetful sinner, Jesus does not forget that this forgetful one is one for whom he died. He does not forget you dear one. He will not forget his love for you. Forget as you will, mess up as you do, fall short as happens, still you will be claimed as that holy and precioius child, claimed in the waters of baptism, sealed by the Holy Spirit, marked with the cross of Christ forever. You are his and Jesus remembers. The evil one will not have his way with us. We are children of the kingdom. Let us live out that kingdom life here and now, each day, remembering who we are, remembering Jesus. Holy Spirit come, remind us of who we are. Remind us always Jesus, of who you are.