The First Sunday of Lent February 24, 2023
Dear Road Church Friends,
I like to think of the six week season of Lent as a Boot Camp for Christians. Basic Training in the fundamentals of Christian Faith and Life. The gospel story begins with Jesus in the Wilderness of Judea. It ends in a garden at Jesus’ empty tomb. It is an arduous journey from the wilderness to the garden. Scripture says, Be strong in the grace of Jesus. Share also in his suffering like a good soldier. No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier's aim is to please the enlisting officer. (2Timothy 2:1-4) Jesus began his ministry by undergoing a 40 day ordeal of fasting and enduring hardship in the desolate Judean wilderness. He was on a “Vision Quest,” seeking answers to what it meant to be the Son of God in this world. He was all alone, hungry for food, and hungry for answers. Jesus’ faith in God was being tested as he walked through a harsh, unforgiving landscape inhabited by wild animals. The Gospel of Mark 1:13 sums up Jesus’ desert ordeal as a time when Jesus lived between wild animals and angels. I see this description as a metaphor that describes our lives too. Gather with us Sunday morning when we think on these things.
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 4:1-11 SERMON: Living Between Wild Animals and Angels
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. But he answered, It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
BUILDERS by Purd E. Deitz
Teach us to build upon the solid rock,
The unfailing purpose of our noblest creed.
Teach us to build, O Master, lend us sight
To see the towers gleaming in the light.
Keep us building, Master, may our hands
Ne’er falter when the dream is in our hearts,
When to our ears there come divine commands
And all the pride of sinful will departs,
We build with thee, O grant enduring worth
Until the heavenly kingdom comes on earth.
Blessings to you all,
Pastor Norm
This service on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/Wn3oTYj4wFk?feature=share