One of the things I enjoy doing is making my own bread. I admit to cheating as I use my bread maker to make the dough but the combination of flours and seeds is my own. I also shape the dough and over bake it rather than let the machine create a ‘sponge’. I cheat because I don’t have the strength in my puny wrists to really knead the dough, properly. I am, however grateful, for the machine as I am still able to make organic bread, fresh when I need it. Being a bread maker if I had to choose a phrase from today’s readings it would be the sentence from Luke’s Gospel account, where Jesus answers the devil, saying:

“One does not live by bread alone.”

On the surface those seven words seem to be obvious. A diet consisting of only bread would be pretty sparse and boring, lacking in long-term nourishment, essential minerals and vitamins. It would keep you going but it would  not really sustain you for months on end. 

Bread and water has been used as a traditional punishment meal for centuries and the bread used would have been pretty rough and hard. I don’t think that Jesus means us to take his words literally. If so, why does he use that reply to the Devil, when that malign influence tempts him to turn a stone into a loaf.

Jesus’ reply is, I think, very clever. He is actually answering the Devil’s question on many different and complicated levels. Firstly, he is saying that; ‘Yes’, he could change the stone into bread but why? For bread on its own is not much of a meal and if he really wanted to be could do more than change a stone into bread alone. There are here, echoes of the water into wine at Cana - when Jesus produced something of great quality out of relatively nothing.

Secondly, his reply to the Devil, that ‘One does not live by bread alone’ implies that, even with food that is not enough to really sustain one. for total nourishment one needs something else and that is God. Recognising that God is more important than bread is also to recognise that in God one is fully fed at all levels of one’s being. In his reply to the Devil, Jesus is talking about spiritual nourishment not just physical nourishment. He implies that without God the body would be sustained but not thrive. One can feed the physical hunger but not the spiritual yearning. It is here that we come to the nub of the Devil’s question and Jesus’ answer.

The Devil is being wily. Trying to tempt Jesus into giving into him and all that he offers, rather than remaining true to God. He is offering Jesus’ tired body and soul all that it could desire. It might be a great temptation for a man in a reduced state, as Jesus would have been after 40 days in the wilderness. Yet, Jesus remains true to God. He does not waver in his answer and he in essence basically says:

“You can give me everything but without God it is nothing.”

Without God life is not complete or fulfilling. Even if the Devil offers everything, his gifts would be mere bread and poor bread at that.

Jesus’ comment in the Gospel that without God, we are nothing, alongside the other two readings heard today, seek to remind us that it is God who fulfils our deepest needs. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans tells us that:

“God is generous to all who call upon him.”     Romans 10:12b

God he says is impartial and treats all of his children equally and without distinction. In Deuteronomy the writer encourages us to remember all that God has given to us time and time again. Not just to us but to our ancestors and descendants too. God, the writer implies, never forgets those he loves and as such we are called to be grateful.

Jesus’ seven words this morning are an encouragement to us to remember and to give thanks for all that we are and for all that we are repeatedly given. God does not give us bread alone, he gives us an abundance of life and many life enhancing gifts. Jesus is telling us to remember those truths.

Lent is a good time to spend time reflecting on God’s good gifts to us and to give thanks for them. Part of our Lenten repentance is to acknowledge that we are quite likely to often forget to be thankful and to hanker after bread alone when what we need is something much richer and spiritually deeper; such as love and friendship. 

Try to spend time this Lent pondering on your lives and the good things you have experienced and been given. Give thanks to God for them, be grateful for them and try to be aware of the times when you have perhaps taken God for granted and say; ‘Sorry’; and to say ‘Sorry’ in ways that enable you to share your gifts with others.

This morning’s readings at first glance seem to have little in common with each other but taken as a whole they speak of new life in different forms. We have Joseph meeting his brothers. The same brothers who thought him dead, now have him restored to them but in a very different form to the boy they tried to get rid of. St.Paul is discussing what resurrection is all about and in Luke we have Jesus encouraging his audience to to follow new ways. All in all they echo the resurrection and what it might mean when we use the phrase ‘new life’.

New life means, I think, changing ones ways and following paths closely aligned to the paths of Christ. Doing good to others, being prepared to give others a second chance or turning over a new leaf in one’s own life. All this involves doing things differently or living life in a way that you haven’t done before. That can mean clearing out the things, all the baggage we carry emotionally or the people who drain us rather than give us life. A sort of ‘Spring Clean’ now and again does not hurt us and it can lead us to a mini resurrection, as we discover new pursuits, new relationships, or skills we didn’t know we had. It can also re-vitalise existing friendships and spur us on to achieve those goals we have been putting off. With Lent approaching it is a good time to reflect on one’s life and to have that ‘Spring Clean’ of one’s inner being. 

I wonder how many of you, many decades ago, were caught out in some naughtiness and heard one of your elders saying “Woe betide you if you do that again!” Don’t worry - I’m not asking for a show of hands. That recollection came to me when I turned to today’s Gospel, in which Luke has Jesus use the word woe several times.

The next thought that struck me is that it isn’t at first clear how our three Bible readings fit together. There’s clearly a link between the curses and blessings of which Jeremiah speaks and our Gospel passage from Luke in which Jesus contrasts those who are blessed and those whom he addresses using the word woe. Today’s Epistle, that passage from the first letter to the Corinthians in which Paul asserts the truth and the significance of the Resurrection, seems at first hearing unconnected to the other two readings, yet it is the key which unlocks their importance for us and which enables us to see the contrast between them. 

That there is a contrast between Jeremiah and Jesus becomes clear when Jeremiah’s curses are contrasted with Jesus’ use of the word woe. The Hebrew word which Jeremiah uses means bitter, savage condemnation with no possibility of forgiveness. When an older relative said “Woe betide you…” in response to our juvenile misdemeanours, what they meant and what Jeremiah is saying was: “you’ll be punished!” When Jesus speaks of woe he is expressing sorrow. One might legitimately translate Luke 6, verse 24 like this:

“I sorrow for those of you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

Jesus isn’t threatening punishment. He’s expressing something much more subtle, he’s blending two things which we sinful humans find it difficult to hold together - judgement and empathy. Much that is wrong with our public discourse and our discussion of social issues stems from our inability to understand that judgement and empathy aren’t polar opposites, that they can and must work together. 

The judgement in Jesus’ words about the rich is clear - they have received their consolation - they have got what they wanted, but they haven’t wanted the right things. Their desire has been misdirected. The same applies to all the others about whom Jesus uses the word woe - the seekers after material comfort, entertainment and popularity. And how contemporary those desires seem. Yet the judgement is blended with compassion.

“I sorrow for those of you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

Jesus’ approach poses questions that we need to ask of ourselves. Am I being judgmental in a way which lacks compassion?  Am I going to the opposite extreme and allowing compassion to elbow aside moral judgement. To wrestle with such issues is part of our Christian calling. As we look forward to Lent, these questions might be a fruitful agenda for self-examination every time we watch or listen to a news bulletin or engage with social media.

And then we turn to the Beatitudes, the blessings that Jesus confers on the poor, the hungry, the sad, the marginalised and the persecuted. On one level he is radically attacking the view which prevailed in those days that wealth and happiness were signs of God’s approval - and not just in those days, for what we now call the Prosperity Gospel still finds expression in some Christian denominations. Jesus is also demonstrating solidarity with those who suffer. He has no fixed abode, no regular source of income; he experiences grief, sorrow and temptation. He knows what it means to be unpopular and he will die like a slave or a criminal on account of his actions and beliefs. 

The Beatitudes are statements of faith, not descriptions of current experience. They seem to invite a negative response from those to whom they are addressed, those whose lives are difficult, diminished, uncomfortable or imperilled - those who have reasons not to feel blessed  and yet they are also an invitation to trust in God, to have the trust of which Jeremiah speaks:

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.

And that is why the compilers of the Lectionary chose today’s reading from 1 Corinthians to point us from Jeremiah to the Gospel. The Resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our trust in God. Without the Resurrection there would be no Gospel to read, no Church in which it is preached and shared and the Beatitudes would, with all the teaching of Jesus, be lost to posterity. 

Those concerning whom Christ expresses woe have been captivated by the things of this world. Those whom Christ calls blessed have been distressed by the adversity they have experienced. Our calling is to have faith not in ourselves, nor in our experiences and circumstances, whether good or bad. Faith isn’t about what happens to me, it’s about what happened to Jesus Christ. Through Lent, which begins in two and half weeks, and Holy Week  and the commemoration of Christ’s passion we look forward to Easter and to the Resurrection, God’s vindication and affirmation of the blessings and promises in today’s Gospel.

Fishing and landing a catch is no picnic. By fishing I don’t mean the gentle sport of angling I mean fishing deep at sea by trawler men. Deep sea fishing is hard graft, scary at times, dangerous even perilous but it can bring rewards. A good catch of fish can bring in a good price at market, although every penny made is well earned. 

Deep sea fishermen deserve our respect, for they are ordinary people (usually but not always men) who daily leave the security of home and the land for the insecurities of the sea; braving and battling all sorts of weather and conditions. Fishing is tough but it is a challenge these men rise to almost daily. Fishing for men or people, as the modern translations have it, is not easy either. 

To be brutally honest it too is hard graft and rarely as rewarding as hauling in a great net of fish. Yet fishing, for people, is something that all of us here, are called to do. That may sound or feel rather dogmatic and pious - and you may not have expected me to have stated it so boldly but it is what I believe we are called to do. We Christians are not called to experience our faith on our own. We are called by Christ to share our experiences of him and his Gospel message of love, with EVERYBODY around us. The great commission at the end of Matthew’s Gospel account charges us to do this:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations &  teaching them to obey everything that I have  commanded you.”               Matthew 28:19

Christ expects us to respond and act upon this command to mission and evangelism. But how can I do this? This is a question I often ask myself and ask of God when I pray. More often than not the answer is how can you not do this. You may ask yourselves the same question. Obviously, there is no easy answer but I think St.Paul gives us a clue today when he says:

 “For I am the least of the apostles & by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain.”

Despite originally wanting to stop the spread of Christianity and to debase the Christian message Paul became one of its greatest ambassadors. He realised that Christ had chosen him for the skills he had not realised he possessed. Christ continues to do the same with us today. We are what we are. I am what I am - Flawed, imperfect and human. But, as a human being we are all blessed with God’s grace. 

A grace that has lavished upon us gifts, talents and skills to use and share in the spread of the Christian message. I am what I am and despite all that God still loves me! Pretty amazing - eh? This is what we are called to share with others, this is the bait or the net with which we are called to fish - just ourselves, as we are. It is our imperfections that can help us the most in this fishing because if we allow others to see them, they might believe that they with their imperfections have a place in God’s Kingdom and Christ’s church too. This is how we are called to mission, how we are to reach out to others -  by simply being who we are; and having the courage to tell others that despite it all God loves us and loves them too. Never be afraid of who you are. For you as you are is exactly the person Christ loves beyond measure and exactly the right person with the right skills to bring others to him to be loved unconditional too. I am what I am and what I am is no mistake. You are what you are and that is no mistake either.

The Feast of Candlemas which we are remembering this morning marks the true end of the Christmas Celebrations. Today’s Feast is the culmination of the Christmas season of celebration. It is the reason why our church remains in White or Gold until 2nd February rather than reverting to the Green of Epiphany Sundays, to which it will move next week. 40 days of rejoicing and thanksgiving for the birth of our Saviour have been celebrated. 

The 2nd February is the 40th day after Christmas Day and Christmastide like Eastertide is 40 days long. This is to emphasise the importance of the Feast of Christ’s Nativity - the birth of our Saviour. Just as we keep the 40 days of Lent and Eastertide to emphasise the self-giving and resurrection of Christ as our Saviour. I wonder, however, how many people have been giving thanks for 40 days for the wonder and mystery of the Incarnation? For some, Christmas ended on Boxing Day when they took the tree down (being fed up with it as it was put up in early November!) or for most at Twelfth Night, when on the eve of the Epiphany decorations disappeared in some homes. Well not quite in mine.

Come Twelfth Night, I remove most of the decorations and the tree but I have an Epiphany Crib that I leave out along with any Christmas cards depicting the ‘Wise Men from the East’ until Candlemas. Only after Candlemas do I fully clear ‘Christmas’ away. 

Candlemas is, I believe, an important but so often overlooked feast day. I wish it was more noticed by everyday folk and the wider Church as well. 40 days of Christmas celebration seek to remind us of the importance of Jesus’ birth, It should be something we greatly rejoice  in. For without Christ’s birth there would be no Easter Day and proof of our redemption! Although Easter is the primary celebration of our faith, Christmas comes a close second.

But, what is Candlemas or the Presentation of Christ in the Temple really all about?

St.Luke relates to us, the story of Jesus’ presentation in the temple and his Mother’s purification or ‘Churching’ after childbirth. It was the Jewish tradition to make sacrifice in thanksgiving for the birth of a son. He also goes on to tell us about the two elderly temple dwellers who have been told by God that they will live to see their Messiah. When they see the Holy Family, God alerts them to the fact that they are in the presence of the Messiah. They rejoice and give thanks knowing that their waiting is over. 

They also predict that the child will have a turbulent life but that he will save those who believe who he is. These two pensioners see the light of Christ and it shines brightly for them in their darkness.

Candle-mass, also, tells us something else and it is very important; it is that we are never too old or too young to do God’s will. Think about it. The Candlemas heroes are Jesus and two elderly people Simeon and Anna both of whom have waited years to see the Christ Child. They were in God’s eyes NOT TOO OLD to proclaim the Christ. The infant or baby Jesus is also NOT TOO YOUNG to offer God’s salvation to us. 

Candlemas is a festival celebrating not only the salvation offered by Christ but the wisdom of the elders in recognising who that baby really was. Simon and Anna also prove that we are never too old to change our minds or to see something afresh or with new eyes. 

Both ends of life are represented in this feast of Candle-mass; this feast shows us that age in God’s eyes is no barrier to proclaiming his truth and salvation. It may not suit our human logic that it is the elderly and the very young acting as prophets of God but, it suits God’s logic and shows us that God will use us as he thinks best, regardless of our age, sex or background. None of us are ever too young or too old to do God’s bidding.