Away from me, Satan!!

Saturday February 16th, Matthew 4: 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Return, Return to the garden before the eating of the tree. Return humanity to the idyllic state of not knowing, and not having to think and act and reason and care. Return to a time before that separation from God we call sin, and all it will cost is the very soul of humanity, only the dream of God, to create in His image. Return and there will be no path to be drawn from and to return to and no cross on the distant hill that, yes, you and I both see. And Jesus looked up and said away with you. Humanity will struggle with what it means to be created in the image of God, they will fall along the way, but more importantly they will get up again and sometimes even help others in the process. In the midst of empires pretending to be gods, they will create community and walk together toward the cross on that distant hill, and I Emmanuel, God with us, will be with them every step of the way. And Lo, I will be with you always, even to the ends of the age.