Lent 1: Mirror, Mirror?

Have you ever caught your reflection in the mirror at a bad angle, or bad lighting? Dressing room mirrors. Ewww.

It’s like being aware of your bad side when someone takes a photo, “Hold on, get my good side.” We know what it takes for us to look good. But what about when we look bad, real bad?

Remember the witch in Snow White?

“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

What if the mirror told her, “Not you, that’s for sure.”

Ouch. One fried mirror to go!

What if Lent is like a mirror? That shows us our bad angles, along with our good ones. The real us.

It might show the “ashes” inside us, which we don’t like to dwell on. What a downer. Makes us all sad and uncomfortable. Who needs that?

Dr. Luke, who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote the gospel named after him, shared an interesting story about Jesus, the grown-up.

Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist (who was a pretty unique dude), and then this happened.

Listen to the story: (from Luke 4:1-13, The Message)

Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.³ The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: “Since you’re God’s Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread.”⁴ Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to really live.”^5-7 For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, “They’re yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I’m in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they’re yours, the whole works.”⁸ Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”^9-11 For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?”¹² “Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’”¹³ That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.

What just happened?

Major grown up moment for Jesus. God tells everyone there, “This is my son! I’m so proud of him! Go get ’em, son!” Fills him up with the Holy Spirit, and then… sends him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil?

Who does that?

Maybe someone that knows what their kid needs.

There’s nothing worse than thinking you have it all together, when you don’t. Like seriously don’t. When I was 18, I seriously thought I knew what it took to live on my own. Moved out of parents house, and into an apartment with my best friend. It was great–until it was time for rent.

Talk about eating crow when I called my Dad to “borrow” money.

So maybe I didn’t know it all.

Ever had to come to terms with what you saw in the mirror. Or even worse, with how others see you in the mirror? Ouch, ouch, OUCH!

Lent is not supposed to be a downer. But it sure can feel like one.

Because it gets all up in your business. It points out your weakest links.

Like hunger. Seriously, when I get hungry–I can get angry.

What if Jesus got “hangry” too?

Imagine not eating for 40 days??? And THEN, when you’re starving, the devil comes to tempt you with FOOD?

I bet Jesus was thinking, “Seriously!?”

The devil was holding up the mirror for Jesus.

The devil also tempted Jesus about his human weaknesses–hunger, power and pride.

Thing is–Jesus is God. Jesus took on humanity but humanity could not control him. So Jesus looked in the mirror and saw himself.

Yes, Jesus could’ve made bread to eat, but not because the devil told him to. That’s patience.

Yes, Jesus could’ve been the man of the hour at any moment he chose, but not because the devil told him to. That’s humility.

Yes, Jesus could’ve called angels down to save him from hitting the rocks below, but not because the devil told him to. That’s wisdom.

Jesus is God.

And if we believe that, then we each have God with us, inside of us.

• Helping us be patient when we get frustrated with our mirrors.
• Guiding us to humility when we see our mistakes in the mirror and own them.
• Leading us to new wisdom when we decide to make the changes we need to.

Reminding us of who we are, in him.

Because we all have “ashes–no surprise there!

Jesus wants to reveal our ashes so we can see them clearly, and then, with God’s help, we can work on them.

Because guess what? Just like for Jesus, the tests of life will always happen.

It’s what we do with them that matters.

Look in the mirror. What do you see?

And if the mirror could talk back to you, what would it say?

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