Sermon: Genesis 2:15-17; 3: 1-7; Matthew 4:1-11

<p>Many of you are probably familiar with the term <em>Theme and Variations. </em> This term describes a very common form of musical composition.  When used, this compositional technique first presents a simple theme or idea and, after it is initially stated, repeats that theme but alters it and embellishes it.  There can be multiple variations presented, based on this simple theme, but each variation can always be traced back to the original presentation.</p> <p>Today’s Old Testament reading from Genesis as well as the Gospel reading from Matthew present a form of theme and variations.  You see, there are not really three temptations in our Gospel story.   There are three variations of the same basic theme.  As from the beginning, the devil always tempts his victims to reach for, access, and attain <strong><em>power</em>.</strong></p> <p>As we look at our reading from Genesis, I want to first make clear that this ancient story was written to help explain why, in God’s creation, there came to be sin and death.  It is <strong>not</strong> a story to be interpreted as literal.  The truth of this story goes much, much deeper.  This ancient tale helps to communicate something about human nature, something about <strong>our</strong> alienation from God.  It serves to narrate aspects of human brokenness and it helps us understand more about the way we disobey God by eating false foods of all kinds.  And, it describes how we invite others to join us in our disobedience. </p> <p>So, from the beginning, we see evil, in the form of a serpent, tempting victims to go for <strong><em>power</em></strong>, saying, “You will be like God.”  For the tempter, there seems to be no surer path to internal contradiction and self-destruction.  You see, this story is <strong>our</strong> story because human beings repeatedly succumb to such temptation.  All we need do is look around us at what is happening in our country and the world, and we see not only the result of people eating false foods (foods being a metaphor for all kinds of th