The First Sunday of Lent
March 9, 2025
Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13
Lead Us Not into Temptation
A true gift to a pastor in a new assignment comes in the form of an invitation. An invitation to join a member of the church in visiting those persons who are sick or unable to leave their own homes. The invitation is to build relationships with the people of God together.
Mrs. Helen Kite was a woman ahead of her time. The spouse of a retired military pilot, she too obtained her pilot’s license and flew on her own. She was kind and supportive, active in many ministries and Bible study groups. And when I arrived as the new pastor of the congregation where Mrs. Kite worshiped, she offered me the gift of an invitation to accompany her on visits to homebound church members.
Reflecting on a sermon she had heard once, Mrs. Helen shared the words of the pastor; namely, “The first thing that I do every morning when I get up is clean my glasses. I do not want to see today’s world through yesterday’s dirt.”
She went on to dig a little deeper into the importance of personal renewal and spiritual cleanliness, saying, “even with clear eyesight we often have not cleansed our hearts. We have a tendency to hold on to things of the past that need to be discarded. Our ‘mental baggage’ can get very heavy when we continue to carry hurts and grievances that need to be forgiven and forgotten. They hold us back and need to be thrown away. We can, with God’s help, start each day with a clean heart and a renewed spirit and have a far brighter view of today’s world if we lay those things aside. God forgives and gives us a new day and a fresh start every day that we live. Accept this and be renewed.”
As we begin this journey to the cross in the season of Lent, we are given the opportunity to reflect on the struggles endured by Christ as he was tempted in the wilderness even as we reflect on our own struggles and hurts.
Lent is a time for us to reflect on our relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. At times, we speed through life, keeping busy, losing track of time, barely ever getting a chance to rest and we miss out on the critical times to check-in with ourselves. To take stock of our own spiritual condition is to dig into “who you are and whose you are” so that you can live on purpose for the sake of Christ in this world.
And yet, regardless of the amount of dirt on our glasses or the mental baggage we carry, we are representatives of Jesus Christ. I believe our greatest temptation is to turn away from ourselves and settle for a shallow life and sleepwalk our way through this world. But, when our hearts are clean and our spirits renewed, the joy of the Lord flows through us.
Friends, making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world requires of us to be transformed by God’s love ourselves. No matter what is going on around us, we’ve got to show up for God to work within us. The good news is that we don’t have to show up alone. Blessings for the journey.
Prayer:
Lord, listen to your children praying.
Lord, send your spirit in this place.
Lord, listen to your children praying.
Send us love, send us power, send us grace. Gracious Lord, thank you for this day.
We are grateful that your compassion is renewed every morning and your steadfast love is enduring.
Grant us your strength and courage to face the day that is before us.
Let us lean on you with all of our heart instead of relying on our on imperfect understanding.
Guide us and teach us in the way that we should go and the paths that we should take this day and beyond.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Bishop L. Jonathan Holston became resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida and North Alabama Conferences, the newly named Alabama Panhandle Episcopal Area on September 1, 2024. Bishop Holston is married to the former Felecia Brown. He and Felecia have two adult children, son Karlton and daughter Brittany.
