Sermon by Herman Kauffman
Bremen Church of the Brethren
January 17, 2002

The Day the Devil Came to Church
Matthew 4:1-11

I can appreciate the story of a little boy named Bobby who badly wanted a new bicycle. His plan was to save his nickels, dimes, and quarters until he finally had enough to buy a new 10-speed. Every night he took his concern to God in prayer. Kneeling beside his bed, he prayed, "God, please help me save for my new bicycle and, please God, don't let the ice cream truck come down our street tomorrow.

Today is the first Sunday of Lent and the Gospel theme from the lectionary reading is again on "Temptation" - as it is every year on the first Sunday of Lent. As a pastor, I dreaded preparing another sermon on temptation each year when Lent came around. Maybe that's why Tom is gone today and I'm here. :) But one thing I have learned over the past 25 years is that once a year is not too often for a sermon on temptation because temptation is with us all-year-round.

Several years ago there was a story in Reader's Digest told by a Jim Grant about an overweight business associate who decided it was time to lose some excess weight. He took his new diet seriously, even changing his route to work so as to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he arrived at work carrying a gigantic coffeecake. Everyone in the office scolded him, but he just smiled.

"This is a very special coffeecake," he explained. "I accidently drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window were a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed, 'Lord, if you want me to have one of those delicious coffeecakes, let me have a parking place directly if front of the bakery.' And sure enough," he continued, "the eighth time around the block, there it was!"

We all know what it is to enter the wilderness of temptation, though the temptations placed before us change from person to person. Some are tempted by food and others by sexual desires. Some are tempted by get-rich-quick schemes, while others are tempted to hang on to money they should be sharing through a tithe to the church. (And some preachers are tempted by the opportunity to pick on church members who do not tithe. :)

The Gospel message today is this: We are all faced with temptation, even Jesus; but the Good News is we do not have to give in to temptation no matter how rich the rewards appear to be. Jesus is tempted by the devil for 40 days and nights -- tempted with food, power and authority but does not yield.

40 days is a long time to resist the temptations of the devil. (40 days is the length of time from today until Good Friday.) But the scripture concludes that after 40 days, the devil left him and the angels came and ministered to him.. If you and I will continue to resist the devil's temptations, God will send the angels to minister to us as well.

With those thoughts in min mind, I want to tell you a story this morning of The Day the Devil Came to Church. ⁽¹⁾

Years ago there used to be a little church in a little town called Willow Bluff, and every Sunday the devil came alive there in the stories of the preacher and the Sunday School teachers. Whatever the text of the sermon and whatever the topic of the Sunday School lesson, the last word was always about the devil. The devil is everywhere, they said. Beware of his temptations, they warned. He will use any means available to snatch an unwary soul.

Whenever people gathered to socialize in that community there was always some talk about the devil. If someone was caught doing something they shouldn't have been doing, they would argue, The devil made me do it. If someone was mean and continually getting into trouble they would say, He is full of the devil. If something unexplainable happened someone was bound to say, It's the devil's work. Some claimed that they had actually seen the devil.

There was one older Sunday School teacher who was particularly good at spinning these tales about the devil. Her name was Agnes - Agnes Woodley. She had been teaching the young people's class for over forty years. They loved to listen to her stories. She told them about the serpent who tricked Adam and Eve in the Garden, and of the devil tempting Jesus in the wilderness, but the story the young people liked to hear her tell the most was about the day the devil came to church.

"One Sunday morning," Mrs. Woodley always began, "not too many years before all of you were born, the devil appeared in person right here on the main street of Willow Bluff. He walked straight into the church, strolled smoothly up the aisle as if going to church was something he did every Sunday, stepped up onto the platform and sat down in the place of honor, that empty chair next to the preacher where the guest preachers always sit. He was very well dressed. He had on a blue suit, a white shirt, bright red tie and shiny black shoes. He was a very fine figure of a ... of a devil. It wasn't clear how everyone knew who he was, but we knew," she said. "There was no doubt about it, it was the Devil himself."

"Except for the devil's grand entrance," Mrs. Woodley continued,"the service went along pretty much as usual. The devil joined in the singing, seemed to know all of the hymns by heart, and he even bowed his head during the prayers. When it cam time for the sermon, the devil got up to speak. The preacher started to object, but the devil said, "Give me just two minutes and I'll be on my way." The preacher looked at the congregation, and seeing no sign of protest, he nodded for the devil to go ahead.

"The devil stepped up to the pulpit, looked out warmly over all the worshippers, smiled sweetly, and then in a voice that suggested years of speaking experience, he said, 'My dear friends, it's so good to be here with you today. I see so many familiar faces. I would like to take this opportunity to offer you a proposition which I think you will agree is in the best interest of your church and community. I will guarantee that all of your young people will be safe from drugs, alcohol, drunk-driving, tragic accidents, suicide, premarital pregnancy, abortion, fornication, adultery and divorce, all of the things you worry about and preach against, if you will allow me one small consideration.'

"Here the devil paused, and waited until he could se that their interest was piqued. And then with the timing of a master salesman, he held them in that moment of expectation just long enough before he added, "All I ask is that you allow me to cook the pancakes at your annual pancake breakfast, not every year, but once, let us say, every ten years or so.'

Now the Willow Bluff Church of the Brethren was known for two things - preaching against the devil and their annual pancake breakfast. People came from miles around to eat their pancakes. Some said their sourdough cakes were the best in the world. There is nothing like a stack of hot sourdough cakes smothered with fresh Willow Bluff maple syrup. It was ... ambrosia! All of the young people knew this. The annual pancake breakfast was their favorite church activity. They got to help wait on the tables, the proceeds went into their NYC fund, and more important they got to eat. But that wasn't the reason that this was their favorite part of the story.

Mrs. Woodley always paused here to let the class feel the full effect of the devil's proposition. She wanted them to feel it the way their parents and grandparents felt it when they heard it from the devil's own lips. It didn't seem like too much to ask for that kind of guarantee. Some of them knew that it was just what their parents were looking for. How many times had they heard them say they would give anything to keep their kids safe from the evils of this corrupt modern world? What harm could it do if the devil cooked the pancakes every ten years or so? It was tempting, very tempting.

Then Mrs. Woodley continued with her story, "No one knew what to do. It seemed like too good a deal to turn down. But how could they enter into an agreement with the devil?"

"While they were pondering all of this, Billy Chink got up and approached the devil. Billy was known as something of a trouble-maker in the community, but his mother saw to it that he got to church every Sunday, and..." Mrs. Woodley said, "he came regularly to my young people's class. Billy marched right up to the devil, looked him in the eye and said, "We don't need to make any deals with you. Our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, and that is the only guarantee we need."

"At this, Mrs. Woodley continued, "the devil turned pale and began to slink out of the pulpit. Billy took out a water pistol and squeezed off a shot at point blank range. The devil ducked, dove off the platform, scooted down the aisle, ran out the door and took off down the road as fast as he could go. But when he turned the corner he stopped, and he climbed up onto the bluff which overlooks the town, and to this day," Mrs. Woodley always added with emphasis, he sits there waiting and watching for an opportune time."

And let me remind you that the devil is still watching and waiting for an opportune time to make you promises and guarantees that seem too good to be true. And when you are tempted to give in to the devil's deal, remember the words of Billy when he said: "We don't need to make any deals with you. Our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, and that is the only guarantee we need."

May God bless you and strengthen you for these 40 days of Lent. Amen.

1. "The Devil in Willow Bluff" by John E. Sumwalt, Lectionary Stories B, pp. 58-61