It's ON!

Lent has begun! And like every year our gospel reading is Jesus being tested in the wilderness. Mark’s version is brief. Jesus is baptised. He hears a voice declaring him to be God’s son, the Beloved. The heavens are ripped open and the Spirit descends like a divebombing dove and possesses hm, casting him out into the wilderness. Here the Satan tests him. What kind of “son of god” will Jesus be? Like King David, or the emperor Tiberius? Both are sons of god. Or maybe something else. That is what this time in the wilderness is about for Jesus. A test of identity that will shape how he lives out that call for the rest of the Gospel. What of the Divine nature will be revealed in what he says and does?

Lent is offered as a similar time for us. A time in the wilderness to begin again living into being beloved children of God. Last week we used 4 words to describe Jesus and talked about what they revealed about God for us. Now we are asked “What of the divine nature is revealed in us?” How do we live that out?

Do you want to fast this Lent?

In the words of Pope Francis

·       Fast from hurting words and say kind words

·       Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude

·       Fast from anger and be filled with patience

·       Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope

·       Fast from worries and have trust in God

·       Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity

·       Fast from pressures and be prayerful

·       Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy

·       Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others

·       Fast from grudges and be reconciled

·       Fast from words and be silent so you can listen

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