Main Text: Luke 4:1-13 (Deuternonomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8b-13)
We live in a world that seeks to separate sacred from secular. We would say sacred is God’s space and secular is human. Though we affirm God’s claim on the secular, we often do not recognize God’s presence in it. This, however, stands in stark contrast to the message of scripture. In Deuteronomy, the people are instructed to bring the first fruits of the land to a dwelling place for His name. This was not a place to restrict God’s presence, but rather recognize God’s presence and grace in all time and place. The reading from Romans recognizes that the Word is so near as to be in our hearts and on our lips. We are the dwelling place of the Lord in this time and place. In the Gospel story of the temptation, the devil left Jesus in the wilderness and waited for an opportune time and place to separate Jesus from all time and space. What seemed like the devils opportune time, became God’s time to overcome that separation Sin had created. Now the sacred and secular are one. This is the opportune time and space for God’s presence. How is this the opportune time and space for God to do something new?