“Even Jesus faced temptation.”
If you’ve spent much time in churches, you’ve probably heard that statement as the point of the passage in Matt. 4:1-11 about the temptation of Jesus. As if that’s supposed to somehow make us feel better…or inspire us to summon all our willpower so we can overcome our own impulses and desires.
But what if that passage isn’t about us? What if the writer is trying to tell us something more important about not just who Jesus is, but how his agenda has far less to do with personal piety than with how we dismantle the systems and structures of society that exploit and oppress?
This week at New Wineskins we’ll kick off our Lenten collaboration with our friends at Justice & Jubilee by deconstructing the so-called Temptation of Jesus and taking a deeper look at how Jesus calls us not just to resist the small temptations in our own life, but our systemic instincts to simply go along with the way the world works as the path of least resistance (this excellent video featuring Diana Butler Bass gives some interesting insight).
Join us this Sunday, Feb. 26, for a conversation about deconstructing temptation. For the full experience, see the schedule below…you’re welcome to participate in any or all of the following:
5:30pm ET: Justice & Jubilee Message & Music (YouTube livestream)
6:00pm ET: New Wineskins Happy Half-Hour (informal meet & greet time…see link below)
6:30pm ET: New Wineskins Presentation & conversation begin (see link below)
Join us for Lent with Justice & Jubilee!
Every week during Lent, Justice and Jubilee will host their regular YouTube live premier at 5:30pm (Eastern Time) and invite participants to join us in our New Wineskins Virtual Theology Pub powered by Zoom for Happy Half-Hour from 6:00-6:30pmET for a time of conversation and community.
We’ll then hold our regular 6:30pmET discussion focused on how we might look at the J&J topic through the lens of deconstruction, seeking to find deeper, perhaps unexpected meanings that inform our collective justice & liberation work.
- Feb. 26: Tempted (Matthew 4:1-11)
- Mar. 5: Called (Gen 12:1-4a & John 3:1-17)
- Mar. 12: Quenched (Exodus 17:1-7 & John 4:5-42)
- Mar. 19: Anointed (1 Samuel 16:1-13 & John 9:1-41)
- Mar. 26: Raised (Ezekiel 37:1-14 & John 11:1-45)
- Apr. 2: Palm Sunday (Details TBA)
- Apr. 7: Good Friday (Details TBA)
- Apr. 9: Easter Sunday (Details TBA)
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Feature image: The temptation of Jesus in the desert, an ancient fresco in Fanefjord church, Denmark. © Stig Alenäs 2021 via pond5.com