Not too long ago, a young lady told me her mother is very upset. Her father had just retired and the first day of his new life he went out and bought a new blood red, sport's convertible. I asked the daughter what she thought about all this. She just shrugged and said, "I just told my mother, 'Don't worry, Dad's just going through an end-life crisis!"

A Crisis of Identity - and it can happen at any stage of life. Who am I? What have I accomplished in life? How much time do I have. A mid-life crisis seems to be, a crisis of identity. To be sure, it does not just occur at mid-life. It can happen anytime, at any stage of life. Probably, the so-called Terrible Twos are the manifestation of an identity crisis: "Mom, Dad - You've treated me as if I'm tne center of the universe, but I perceive something is changing." And the Terrible Two acts out. iA college student, wondering if she can measure up academically, deals with her wondering by eating a bit too much. A young father wonders if he can provide for his son as well as his own father did for him, and he drinks a bit too much.. A fortieth birthday rolls around and a woman wonders if she is still sexually attractive, and decides to find out. And a newly retired man wonders if they'll bury him with his new gold Rolex, and he buys a sporty red convertible to prove his is still vital. Early life, midlife, endlife ... there are crises aplenty for each stage of life. And pretty much they all deal with the question of "Who am I?", "What is my purpose in life?" and "Is this life all there is to life?"

For almost three months now, the drama had been played out in the most public of ways. Front pages sports pages, the morning news, the evening news and everything in between. When you make the top 10 list on David letterman, it's not likely to be a good day. And when your name can morph into so many puns - headlines such as, "Tiger's Not Out of the Woods Yet."

The saga of Tiger Woods, for whatever the reason, brings great glee to many people. The Germans have a word for it, Schadenfreude. It has the sense of taking pleasure at the misfortunes of others. All too human, and way too sad! Maybe we just enjoy placing people on pedestals and knocking them over and then, in some way, feeling better about ourselves. When the mighty fall, we stand transfixed by the falling and sometimes enjoy hearing the thud. Instead of empathy or sadness ... because after all, as St. Paul puts it, "we're all sinners and fall short of the glory of God." We get to thinking we're holier than Thou. In reality - we're not. We're all in the same boat. Think this morning of the one private thing you would not want to confess to the congregation, and you begin to understand. Thank God, literally, that our own sins and transgressions are not played out on the world stage.

What Tiger Woods shared in his news conference Friday gets right to the heart of our Gospel text for this morning - and maybe into your heart and mine. "I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply.... I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled."

This is usually the way temptation works. We convince ourselves the rules don't apply - to us. We tell ourselves we're entitled; we deserve the dessert (however we define the dessert). We tell ourselves that life is moving to quickly - so quickly that life is passing us by. We've worked hard. By golly, we deserve a bit of dessert! But perhaps this morning we can pick up a tip or two from Jesus as he makes the trek from the Jordan to the desert. In the desert Jesus is tempted with the dessert - however you define it. In this case, food, power, and immortality.

In the River Jordan, once more God makes the declaration: You are my son; in you I am well pleased. The day of his baptism - and emotional high, if ever there was one. As the day of his Baptism will be for the family of Craig Philip. At the day of his own Baptism, Jesus was declared to be the Son of God; and on this day of baptism, Craig Philip is publicly acknowledged as a child of God. For Jesus, a brand new identity; also for Craig.

From the Jordan, Jesus goes into the wilderness of Judea. There he spends forty days in isolation. He knows who he is: God's Son. And perhaps now he has a clear look into the future, and his purpose in life. And this brings on some tempting thoughts about taking a detour from his destiny. From God's Will.

Three times on the mountain, Jesus is tempted. The devil, the adversary, attacking the very core of Jesus. His identity. When people know who they are and are grounded with a purpose in life, well it's much more difficult for temptations to take control. For this very reason the devil tries to create a crisis of identity. "If you are the Son of God ...." Look you're hungry. If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread. Certainly, Jesus, the normal rules don't apply to you. You are entitled." But Jesus knows that to compromise with the devil for the sake of the body would have meant a shortcut from God. How does Jesus fight off temptation? By turning to God's Word. Jesus preaches to the congregation of one: "The Bible says, 'Man cannot live by bread alone.'"

Forty days in isolation. Perhaps Jesus played out in his own mind just how he could save fulfill his destiny as Savior. The devil has just the prescription: power. To save the world, Jesus would need power. "Look Jesus, all this will be yours, if you worship me. Yours will be the kingdoms and the power and the glory!" I mean, certainly the normal rules don't apply to you. You are entitled. Jesus preaches to the congregation of one: "The Bible says, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him alone shall you serve.'"

Forty days Jesus was without food. In the harsh wilderness of Judea, death is never far off. In reality, whether time be marked in decades, years, months or days - death is never ... far off. And the devil offers the ultimate in temptation: immortality. Not the fountain of youth but the fountain of life. From the parapet of the temple the devil tells Jesus, "Jump! See the angels down there? They'll catch you! After all, the normal rules don't apply to you. You are entitled." And for the third and final time, Jesus preaches to the congregation of one: "The Bible says, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Jesus is tempted to save himself. He declines. Instead he saves the world.

How did Jesus resist the temptations of food, power and immortality? The Word of God! The promises of God. Jesus was grounded in the Word of God, the Promises of God. If you are not familiar with the power of God's Word, we have four ongoing Bible Study classes to explore that power; to try to harness that power for our lives. Join one. It's free. You are entitled!

No matter where you are in the life cycle. No matter how quickly or slowly the biological clock seems to be ticking ... God's Word has something to say to you. God's Word can tell you who you are. God's Word can spell out purpose God has for you. And when we face the gravest crises of our life, those having to do with death, God's Word can give you the assurance of eternity! The Bible says, and we heard it again this morning, "Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved." Who can ask for anything more? Why settle for anything less?