Jesus the Steadfast Son: Resisting Empire, Ushering Kingdom

A brisk set of announcements opened the gathering, with details about Wednesday evening Lenten dinners, a short DVD series on the Gospel of John, an ecumenical noon Lenten lunch at Saint Timothy’s, an upcoming Conversation Church comfort-food event, love feast preparations, and lily orders for Easter. A liturgy for the first Sunday in Lent led into confession, thanksgiving, and prayers that emphasized Christ’s humility, suffering, and redemptive work. The congregation shifted its weekly prayer practice for Lent by omitting the Lord’s Prayer at the end of the pastoral prayer, replacing it with an extended period of silent, personal intercession.

The narrative of Jesus in the wilderness received careful attention. Gospel parallels in Mark, Matthew, and Luke set the scene: forty days of fasting, three pointed temptations, and an encounter that tests identity and mission. The temptations—turning stones to bread, proving divine protection, and seizing imperial power—appear less as moral puzzles and more as a theological interrogation about who Jesus is and what kind of kingdom he will inaugurate. Matthew frames these trials as confirmation of Jesus’ allegiance: not to empire, not to shortcuts, but to God alone.

A reflection on the title “son of God” moved beyond Trinitarian jargon to historical resonance, noting how royal or divine sonship functioned in the ancient world and before Roman authority. That historical lens clarified the stakes: accepting the tempter’s offers would have real political and social consequences for those longing for justice and bread. Instead, Jesus models an alternative form of authority—one rooted in humility, healing, and sacrificial love.

The kingdom Jesus brings contrasts sharply with worldly empires. Power in this kingdom reveals itself through vulnerability, inclusion, and the care of the marginalized—food for the hungry, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed. The Lenten season functions as a time to be reintroduced to this vision, to practice interior attentiveness, and to join in a communal life shaped by a God who stays steadfast.

The service concluded with an open-table communion, an affirmation that Christ meets people wherever they are and that the sacrament calls the community to align with the kingdom’s way of love and service.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus' identity resists worldly power Jesus’ temptations expose more than personal weakness; they test whether divine sonship will translate into empire-style authority. The refusal to take shortcuts or align with coercive power shows a kingdom rooted in fidelity to God’s purposes rather than in political advantage. This resists any theology that equates Christian identity with cultural clout or safety. [56:46]
• 2. Kingdom built by vulnerability, not force The narrative reframes power as sacrificial presence rather than domination. Healing, feeding, and welcoming become the true instruments of authority, revealing a reign that transforms through inclusion and mercy. This challenges practices that prioritize control over compassion and invites a public witness that bears cost. [57:23]
• 3. Lent invites interior, attentive silence Replacing the spoken Lord’s Prayer with extended silence creates room for personal reflection and honest confession. This practice cultivates a readiness to be reintroduced to God’s priorities and to hear where daily life diverges from kingdom work. Such silence resists ritual as mere habit and summons deliberate spiritual attention. [28:22]
• 4. Open table affirms radical welcome Communion at the open table underscores that belonging does not depend on perfection or doctrinal certainty. The sacrament names a hospitality that meets people where they are and reorients hearts toward communal care. Participation becomes a training ground for living the kingdom’s inclusive practice. [59:55]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [10:19] - Announcements and Lenten Events
• [14:10] - Easter Preparations & Lenten Resources
• [15:09] - Call to Worship
• [16:23] - Liturgy, Confession, and Thanksgiving
• [28:22] - Lenten Prayer Practice: Silence
• [35:04] - Installation of Board Members
• [39:42] - Offering and Joyful Noise
• [48:07] - Gospel Introduction: Temptation Readings
• [56:46] - Who Is Jesus? Identity and Kingdom
• [59:55] - Communion: Open Table Practice
• [77:05] - Blessing and Sending

Bible reading: Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Observation questions

1. What are the three specific temptations the devil presents to Jesus in the wilderness?
2. How does Jesus respond to each of the three temptations?
3. What does the tempter's repeated use of the phrase "If you are the Son of God..." [51:22] suggest about the nature of the confrontation?
4. What is the immediate result of Jesus resisting the temptations?

Interpretation questions

1. The temptations appear to be less about personal weakness and more about what kind of power Jesus will use. What does his refusal to turn stones to bread, prove his divine protection, or seize imperial power [49:44] reveal about the nature of the kingdom he came to establish?
2. In the ancient world, the title "son of God" was a royal title claimed by emperors and kings. [52:23] How does understanding this historical context change the stakes of this encounter from a personal test to a political and theological one?
3. The sermon suggests that accepting the tempter's offers would have provided temporary relief for real problems like hunger and oppression. [54:48] Why was it crucial for Jesus to reject these seemingly good shortcuts?
4. How does Jesus' model of authority, rooted in humility and sacrificial love, [57:23] contrast with the world's understanding of power and leadership?

Application questions

1. The kingdom Jesus brings is built on vulnerability and inclusion, not force and control. [57:23] Where in your own life or in our community do you see a temptation to prioritize control, safety, or cultural clout over compassion and sacrificial love?
2. This season invites a practice of interior, attentive silence to be reintroduced to God’s priorities. [28:22] What distractions or "shortcuts" might you need to set aside in this season to create space for honest reflection and to hear where your daily life diverges from this kingdom work?
3. The open table practice affirms a radical welcome that meets people where they are. [59:55] How does participating in this sacrament train us to extend that same kind of inclusive, non-judgmental hospitality to others in our daily lives?
4. Jesus' identity resisted being defined by worldly power or empire-style authority. [56:46] In what areas of your life—work, family, social circles—are you most tempted to find your identity or security in something other than your belonging to God's family?
5. The power in God's kingdom reveals itself through caring for the marginalized—feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and freeing the oppressed. [57:40] What is one tangible, practical way you or your small group can participate in this kind of kingdom work this week?