Scripture Reflections for the First Sunday of Lent
Year C, Lectionary 24
What does it take for us to forget God's love and grace? In times of trouble we may focus too much on the pain and suffering we are enduring more than God's presence. We may seek to put our wants over God's purpose for us. Jesus shows us how to endure the desert journey of life and not fall for the devil's temptation by holding on to God always.
Hate feeling lost on Sundays at church? Searching for a better explanation of the Bible than what you hear from your pastor's sermon? Check out the following collection of audio, video, and text commentaries from various Christian experts for a better understanding of today's scripture that deal with: Accompany • Adam • Ambition • Assumption • Battle • Combat • Connected • Desert • Devil • Divinity • Economy • Eden • Exodus • Faith • Focus • Freedom • Growth • Heart • Holy Spirit • Human Rights • Humility • Identity • Justice • Lent • Listen • Power • Pray • Prayer • Prepare • Profess • Relationship • Remember • Repent • Routine • Salvation • Sin • Solomon • Steward • Temptation • Thanksgiving • Transformation • Trust • Unity • Vocation • Wilderness • Worship •
“So notice that Paul can describe his entire gospel as being 'the word of faith.' So for him the word 'faith' is kind of, in a sense, summarizes the Good News that he's sharing with the Romans.”
“If you want something you have to give something and that's what the season of Lent is all about. We want transformation and so the penance and prayer and almsgiving of Lent is all about transformation. It's not about oppression, it's about transformation.”
“Just as we believe Jesus is a part of that trinitarian God, there is no separation, so we are called to live as a part of that same body as the children of the living God”
“we don't only have the ability to be self-compassionate, we also have God's love and compassion for us in every moment of every day”
“And all of the temptations come down to this: denying humanity and grasping at divinity”
“what's taking place then in the season of Lent is that we are now going to recapitulate the temptations of Jesus in ourselves. Just as he spent 40 days and 40 nights in the desert, so too we enter into the season of Lent”
“Freedom was a special gift from God to humanity but the same freedom became an entrance point through which the devil brought about the fall of humanity”
“In discerning God's will for us we need to study, reflect, pray and dialogue with others to build right relationships that promote lives of justice, peace and care for the integrity of creation”
“Just because you know scripture don't mean you know Jesus”
““What do I worship?” Well, the answer to that question lies not in what I say but in what I actually do. Where, in reality, do I invest my time, my talents, my money, my energy, my emotions, my enthusiasm?”
“God created us in love and he has assigned each of us a specific mission but unfortunately we tend to be too much in a haste that we do not wait to understand the content of the mission, to know what God exactly wants us to do before we start running around claiming to be doing God's work”
“In knowing God like Jesus, we will be committed to the will of God, stand our ground in our faith and grow to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because we, the people of God, are on our way to the Kingdom”
“If evil attacks us in a way that it tries to wrestle faith out of our hands then that faith is worth holding on to. Amen. There is power in what God has given us.”
“Where do we seek nourishment from when bread alone is not enough? How are we inviting God into our fight for justice?”
“Indeed, in Lent we as a church are called to go slowly so that we can better see God and ourselves in relationship”
“In rejecting this temptation, Jesus was showing us that his power as the son of God was not to serve his own self but for his preaching ministry and to help others”
“in each case Jesus overcomes the temptation by saying 'no, we can only use godly means to satisfy our god-given needs or to pursue our goals.' Jesus's answer silence the devil because Jesus showed the devil that he only needs the grace of God, that he trusts in God.”
