"Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."

       

Monday musical meditations on God's good news






















An opening prayer:

    Jesus, tempted in the desert,
    Lonely, hungry, filled with dread:
    “Use your pow’r,” the tempter tells him;
    “Turn these barren rocks to bread.  
    “Not alone by bread, he answers,
    “Can the human heart be filled.
    Only by the Word of mercy
    Is our deepest hunger stilled!”

    Jesus, tempted in the temple,
    High above its ancient wall:
    “Throw yourself from lofty turret;
    Angels wait to break your fall!”  
    Jesus shuns such empty marvels,
    Feats that fickle crowds request:
    “God, whose grace protects, preserves us,
    We must never vainly test.”

    Jesus, tempted on the mountain
    By the lure of vast domain:
    “Fall before me! Be my servant!
    Glory you are sure to gain!”
    Jesus sees the dazzling vision,
    Turns his eyes another way:
    “God alone deserves our homage!
    God alone I will obey!”

    When we face temptation’s power,
    Lonely, struggling, filled with dread,
    Christ, who knew the devil’s hour,
    Come and be our living bread.
    By your grace protect, preserve us,
    Lest we fall, your love betray.
    Yours, above all other voices,
    Be the Word we hear, obey. Amen.

Luke 4:1–13

  • Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2  for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry.
  • 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
  • 4 But Jesus answered him, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone."
  • 5 So he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
  • 6 The devil said to him, "I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. 7 If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours."
  • 8 And Jesus answered him, "It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
  • 9 So he took him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you, 11 and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
  • 12 And Jesus answered him, "It is said: Do not test the Lord your God."
  • 13 After the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Good new questions

  • The devil will never give up attacking believers. So what is your plan? What is your hope? How much power does the devil have over Jesus? Over God's Word?

For others pray

  • That God spreads the good news of the kingdom of the Son he loves in French Guiana

J.S. Bach's beautiful music for today

  • BWV 54 (YouTube, "Stand firm against sin")
  • "Whoever commits sin is of the devil," John insists.
  • Jesus, give us strength by your victory over Satan!

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