Lead us not into temptation

Yesterday morning around 11:00 am, I administered the sacrament of baptism for the first time. I was a little nervous, but mostly excited as a 10 year old girl named Breena stood at the altar to receive God’s amazing grace. When I asked her why she wanted to be baptized, she said, “So I can be a part of God’s family.” This is the most profound theological statement I have ever heard concerning the sacrament of baptism. It is an act of God adopting us by water and Spirit. What a joyous and holy celebration of adoption into God’s family we had yesterday!

About an hour later, a celebration of a different sort occurred just 45 minutes to the north of our church. On the North Shore of Pittsburgh, the brand new Rivers Casino had its grand opening. In an effort to boost the state’s economy, Pennsylvania’s government has chosen to expand gambling. No longer will Western Pennsylvanians have the inconvenience of driving to West Virginia to slowly give away their hard-earned money on the false hope of slot machines. Now, my beloved hometown of Pittsburgh is a gaming town. Hoorah.

However one feels about gambling, there is no denying the reality that it tempts us to press our luck in the hopes that we can “hit the jackpot.” There is also no denying that the old adages of gambling possess some truth: “It takes a lot of losers to make one big winner,” and “The house always wins.”

As of yesterday, we have a new, shiny, beautiful temptation in our midst. It will tempt many “recreational gamblers” who are looking to have a little harmless fun. It will also tempt those with serious existing gambling addictions. It will tempt those with addictive personalities who never knew the joy of gambling, and they will soon learn the perils of gambling that accompany that joy.

Breena has made a conscious decision to live a life guided by the cleansing waters of holy baptism. But just a short drive away is the tempting waters of the Rivers Casino, seeking to lure her (and the rest of us) in with false promises of hope. I pray that we may continue to place our hope in Christ and Christ alone, and that others may come to know the grace that we already enjoy. I pray also that we are not led into the temptation of the new business in our midst, and that when lives are negatively impacted by it, we may find the wisdom and courage to be in ministry with those “down on their luck.”