First Sunday in Lent
February 22, 2026
Matthew 4:1-11

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). This is how the devil typically acts throughout the Bible. The devil has no power of his own, he simply twists, corrupts what is good and uses that for temptation. That’s what happened in the Garden of Eden story we just heard. The serpent is a trickster, and uses his words to twist the hearts and minds of the man and the woman away from God. Same here. The devil is using words, from the Bible, to try and twist Jesus around. This is how temptation works. The devil has no power of his own, but can only manipulate, and coerce.

Just think of these three temptations that the devil uses to entice Jesus. After fasting in the wilderness for forty days, Jesus is rightfully hunger. So the devil tempts Jesus, turn these stones into bread. Of course, Jesus, working as the power of God, can do that. Just as God gave bread from heaven to the Israelites in that same wilderness; just as Jesus will turn just a few loaves of bread into a meal for thousands. The devil doesn’t have that power; but God does. 

Then the devil takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, “throw yourself down,” the devil says (Matthew 4:5); because if you are the Son of God, you’ll be fine. But Jesus is going to do that later on. Jesus will voluntarily offer himself as the sacrifice of God on the cross; and then will be raised up again. The devil doesn’t have the power to do that, only God does; the devil works by twisting words.

And, then, finally the devil takes Jesus to take in the whole world, all the kingdoms and nations of the earth. And the devil offers them all to Jesus (4:9). But, the devil doesn’t have power over the kingdoms of the world. It’s a sham, it’s a con. Who has authority and power and majesty over both heaven and earth? Only God alone. Everybody else is just temporary. 

The good news in this is that the power of evil and darkness do not actually have any power themselves. All they can do is take something that is good and contaminate it.

This is how temptation works, this is how evil works; by perverting whatever is good and holy. It’s a tale as old as time. Evil works by manipulation. It happened then, and it’s happening now. 

How often have we seen this? Money, power, connections – these can all be good things. Used to create goodness, and harmony; to build up the Kingdom of God. But that’s precisely where the evil lurks. When those good things are twisted around and used for sinister purposes. We’ve heard this story so many times, and the Church has not been free of it, either. When people get so twisted around to believe that it’ll be okay just this time; that nobody will notice; that nobody will care. 

But since evil has no authority of its own, succumbing to temptation will always backfire. There will always be a comeuppance. The devil will always be found out. The sham, the con, the pyramid scheme, the secret dealings, will always, always be brought to bear under God’s justice. Because good will triumph. Because life is going to conquer death. Because grace will defeat sin. The power of God’s light is shining, even now, into all the dark places of the world.

Even into our own hearts. We must not kid ourselves. We’ve all felt it. Temptation. And I know that we often think about temptation as a thing of attraction. That’s not what I’m talking about. I mean the temptation to allow ourselves to be manipulated; manipulated by the powers of evil and death; manipulated into believing that somebody, anybody other than God, is worthy of our attention. 

This is the heart of the season of Lent. Acknowledging how the temptation to live apart from God lives in our minds and in our hearts. Lent is about naming to God all the ways that we have been too lazy, too scared to love God and love our neighbor. Confessing how we have traded in the mercy of God for the comfort of an easy life. From what I have seen, from the witness of holy scripture, this is how the devil works. By sowing just enough doubt, by confusing us just enough; not that we give in to total depravity, but rather than we stop caring just enough to let evil prevail.

I know what some of you are thinking. “Geez, I didn’t think Episcopalians talked about the devil so much. That doesn’t really seem to be our thing.” But see, that’s part of the problem. I fear that we’re all becoming just a bit too lazy, a bit too casual with our faith. Remember, that’s how the devil works. By taking something that is good – faith, discipleship, commitment to the holy church of God – and just chipping away at it. Just a bit here, and a bit more there. Until you and I have lost just enough of our moral compass so that evil can twist more hearts and minds. 

But if temptation is simply the perversion of what is good – this also means that we know the way out. Jesus is tempted only after forty days of prayer. Prayer. Prayer is anecdote. Fixing our hearts and minds on God; focusing on what is good and lovely and just in the world. We will not avoid temptation by thinking harder about avoiding the temptation. The way to fix your mind on the good, is to fix your mind on the good. To pray. To truthfully, honestly, offer all of our hearts and minds to the Living God. 

I know, I know it’s customary to give up things for Lent – dessert, Starbucks, fast food. We do that because we think that we have to give up something concrete to really make it a sacrifice. But God doesn’t want your Starbucks, God is not going to have the cookie that you gave up, God will not eat your Whataburger. Let’s be honest, that stuff isn’t really temptation anyway. And if we think those things are the greatest temptations in life, then surely the devil has done a great job of convincing us that following Jesus is just that vacuous.

What God wants, I believe, is our time and your attention. Our prayers. 

Why did we say that long prayer at the beginning of the service, the Great Litany? It’s to shock ourselves back into this spirit of prayer. It’s why the church is providing you with a prayer and an examination of your life to use daily during Lent. It’s why our whole focus for the Lent program is prayer. If temptation is simply the perversion of something good, then we should use this season to focus on the something that is good. A life with Jesus. 

So, in the name of the Church, I invite you to a holy Lent. To commit to praying, both for yourself and for others. Do not fix your minds on avoiding temptation. Fix your heart and minds on the Lord God and the love that God already has for you. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8). And whatever you do, pray.