Lenten Season

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the sacrifice you made for all of us. Your dying on the cross provides us continuously with the gift of eternal life. You have already chosen us, all of humanity, to be with you forever in Paradise. The rest is up to us, yet you have even shown us the way to get there.

As we humbly sacrifice in your name during this time, let us remember that the purpose is that Lent serves as a reminder of the journey’s path we need to take. It is a time to ask for and receive your continued guidance along the way. God, we ask you to allow us to have the courage to accept the gift you have given to us all. Amen.

Scripture: Luke 4: 1-13

The second temptation Jesus faces is a political one. Here he is, out in the wilderness, a long way from making the kind of difference in Israel and the world that the angels and the magi talked about at his birth. And here is an offer of glory and authority, an offer to rule over all the kingdoms of the world. This is the chance to set right injustice, to end violence, to legislate the kingdom of God. But Jesus doesn’t take the offer. He doesn’t because he’s learning where true power lies. Governments are important. They influence most people’s lives. But one can become obsessed about public office and the personalities in the public spotlight. Just imagine what power one would discover if one set that aside for a moment.

Going The Distance

Scripture: Read and compare Matthew 10:39, 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:23-5, 17:33; and the even stronger language in Luke 14:26-7 and John 12:25.

Marathoners and African long-distance Olympians often remind us: we humans are amazingly capable runners – able to outdistance even great runners like cheetahs, which can attain great bursts for short distances. The great St. Louis / East St. Louis runner, Jackie Joyner-Kersee – being interviewed with her coach-husband, Bob Kersee by Bob Costas in 1996 after her racing and long-jump wins and losses – reminded us: life’s a long-distance run, not a sprint!

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” – Luke 22:19

“Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” – Romans 15:7

When our oldest child was around six years old, she asked us when she would be able to take communion. As it goes with your oldest child, every new parental step seems to present itself as a momentous decision. We delayed answering our daughter while we dutifully conducted research about the “right” time for a Methodist child to take first communion. We read church materials. We talked with pastors. We debated and discussed.