1st Sunday of Lent

Our readings for the first Sunday of Lent are:

1. Deuteronomy 26: 4-10
2. Psalm 91: 1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
3. Romans 10: 8-13
4. Luke 4: 1-13

1. All good gifts ...
• What do you thank God for most?
• What do you thank God for the most often?
• Do you ever congratulate yourself?  For instance you might think that you're unusually fit for a person your age, and you congratulate yourself on all of the healthy habits you adhere to, no matter how tempting the occasional lapse might be.
• What do you think God thinks about those self-congratulatory moments?
• How can we become more humble?
2. Leading a sheltered life
• Things could always be worse, always get worse.  Given that, do you feel that you've led a sheltered life, do you feel that you've managed to get along without suffering any or all of the consequences of your mistakes?
• Have you ever asked God for shelter?
• How did you try to convince Him that he should shelter you?
• What, ultimately, do you want shelter from?
3. We believe
• If you were going to build a new religion, where would you start?
• What would you try to fix about the faith tradition that you have?
• How exclusive would that new religion be?  What would be the entry requirements?
• Do you think that Jesus would be that careful about who He let in?
4. One does not live on bread alone ... but a little now and again would be nice
• More and more it seems to me that temptation boils down to an offer of something that is good in its own time and place, but just not right now, not right here.
• How do you think that we can come to resist such temptations to try to shortcut God's will?
• Where do you find the strength to persevere in the face of the same temptation that comes up over and over?
• How many times do you think that Jesus faced various temptations?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. When was the last time that I thanked God for something that I had never thought to thank Him for?
2. Am I willing to trust God to take care of me, no matter what?
3. Who is there in my life that I care about so much, that I'd be willing to talk with them about my faith?
4. Am I defined by what I worry about?

What Tempts You

The sure thing is the hardest to resist.
On the one hand, we like to live as though there's no tomorrow,
No reason to hold back, no cause to wait.

And at the same time, we act as though this life that we're in
Is going to last forever, that health will always be there,
That we'll always have the strength and vitality to do whatever we want.

Oddly, both are wrong.

A life well lived is one of waiting on the Lord
Always prepared for His time and circumstances to ripen fully
Knowing that when it comes, we'll be told.

At the same time, change is always in the wind.
This very moment is sacred, and to be savored,
Because we will never pass this way again.

Fear is blinding.

Fear of missing out, of blinking at just the wrong moment,
Makes me want to take what I think is coming before it arrives,
Just to make sure that I don't miss out.

At the same time, fear of change makes me want to cling
To all that is comfortable, safe and warm,
And miss out on that still small voice urging me onward.

Pray for me, for all of us -

That our eyes will be opened to the miracle of now.
And never miss a chance to inhale deeply
And smell the richness of right here.

And yet, and yet, eyeing the horizon for that next step
That can change everything,
Even if it all looks the same.

Shalom!