On the Right Use of Power
March 9, 2025
Traceymay Kalvaitis

Psalm 91:1-4, 11-12
You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
***

Today’s sermon is titled On Right Use of Power. It can be easy to feel powerless. We are reminded every day that there is a great deal that is out of our control. As part of the prep for this sermon, I was thinking about who in my life has had the most power over me. Was it my parents? An employer? A teacher? No…it was definitely a newborn baby. I don’t think newborns are seeking power, though…they are just trying to adjust to a life in the world of air and gravity where they have to digest food and eliminate waste on their own for the very first time. They just want to know they are safe; they just want to know they are loved. Perhaps that is all anyone really wants, when it comes right down to it. Perhaps even the megalomaniacs are really just searching for love and security.
According to Dr. Jeremy Nicholson, there are two main reasons that people develop an insatiable appetite for power. One reason is that in their own personal lives, they have experienced a lack of control during trying, and sometimes traumatic, circumstances. The leadership style that arises from such circumstances is what psychologists refer to as “soft power” where the leader develops “mutually-supportive relationships with others based on cooperation. That strategy reduces stress and increases overall well-being (in both leader and followers). Essentially, this is the effect of a power-with-others strategy, which ultimately creates a win-win situation.”*
The other reason that some people are driven to obtain positions of power is based on a fundamental lack of trust in others. Again, trauma (especially childhood trauma) is often a factor. This lack of trust is the main motivating force behind those seeking to create what psychologists call “hard power.” “These individuals tend to be more aggressive, sensitive to threats, and self-focused. They are also inclined to intimidate, threaten, and bully others to get their way. Unfortunately, that strategy results in stress and anxiety for the leader and followers, reducing motivation and well-being for everyone. This is the impact of relying solely on a power-over-others strategy, which ultimately results in a lose-lose situation for all involved.”*
As the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance and with peace talks between Israel and Hamas hanging by a thread, our lectionary serendipitously offers us the story of a power struggle, a power struggle in the wilderness. We go back in time this week to consider this story from the fourth chapter of Luke. Following Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan river we read that Jesus is “led by Spirit in the wilderness.” Jesus is not alone. Whether the result of extreme hunger or thirst, or the result of some spiritual shift in his consciousness, he is besieged by what our translation identifies as “the devil.” The word for devil that would have been used in the earliest telling of this story is ha-satan ( שטן) which is an Aramaic and Hebrew word meaning “adversary,” or “opponent.” **
Whether literal or figurative, this opposing force challenges Jesus in three ways. First, to use his power to turn the stone to bread and feed himself. Jesus does not use his power to benefit himself, not now and not in any other story we have about his life and ministry. His power is always and exclusively used to the benefit of others. Secondly, this opposing force challenges Jesus to denounce God in exchange for power over “all the kingdoms of the world.” Jesus does not take the bait. He quotes the ancient Hebrew scriptures and affirms that his allegiance belongs to God and to God alone. Thirdly, Jesus is challenged to test God’s promise of protection by throwing himself off of the temple heights. Again he refuses. He will not use his power for personal gain. He will not use his power to make unholy alliances with the force of darkness and destruction, and he will not put his power on display to prove his worth.
What a lesson for modern times, my Friends. What a lesson for us as we bear witness to an unprecedented display of executive power in our own country that is undermining the security of so many in our nation, from stockholders, to those on a fixed income through Social Security, from recent immigrants to children of immigrants born and raised as Americans, from parents like me whose children are covered by medicaid to our elders in nursing homes who rely on medicaid, so many are wondering how they will fair as those who wield the levers of power decide who benefits and who does not. Jesus did not use his power for his own gain; Jesus used his power to serve others and when offered authority over “all the kingdoms of the world” Jesus declined. “Worship God; serve only God,” he said.
In closing, I lift up Jesus’s final response, “Do not put God to the test.” In this I hear a message to each and every one of us. In our relationships with family and friends, in our workplace, in our church, and in our community, we must exercise right use of whatever measure of power and influence we have to serve the greater good. Too many Christians, all around the world, are quick to throw up their hands in the face of big problems. Some may even say, “What can one person do? It’s up to God.” I disagree. “Do not put God to the test,” Jesus said. Do something. Calling your representatives is something. Prayer is something. Mending relationships is something. Smiling at strangers is something. Caring for one another is a big something. We can all do something, Friends. Let’s use our power to keep faith and hope and democracy alive, together. So be it. Amen.

*https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/persuasion-bias-and-choice/202112/motivation-power-why-do-people-want-be-in-charge#:~:text=Key%20points,antisocial%20strategies%20to%20control%20them.
**https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7854.htm

Pastoral Prayer: God of morning and God of night, draw us closer to the place within us where Your love is all there is. Remove the illusion that we are separate from one another and remind us that as we nurture and heal ourselves, we, in some small and magnificent way, are serving the greater whole of humanity. As we remember our brothers and sisters in despair, help us to bear the weight of empathy and compassion as we share their burdens. Strengthen us to live in this world we love and to remain centered within you, where all goodness, compassion and love find their source. And in Jesus’s name, let us pray the prayer He gifted us… Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever and ever. Amen.

Benediction: I leave you with these words from the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 31:

“Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread, for it is the Lord, your God who walks with you; he will never fail nor forsake you.”