First Sunday in Lent: One Man's Obedience
Welcome to a Lent daybook for these 40 days of prayerful repentance.
Is this your first time to practice Lent? Here's a simple introduction.
Look: Jewish Sacrifice and the Temptation of Christ, Sandro Botticelli - Source
There's a lot going on in this fifteenth-century painting. Take a few minutes to read this brief commentary for assistance in gathering up more layers of meaning.
Listen*: My Soul Is At Rest, Taizé Community Choir - Lyrics | Spotify | YouTube
Read**: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
Excerpts:
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. ...
He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life."
*
"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah"
*
"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."
*
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ... Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said 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, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ...
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”
- Genesis 3:1-7, (24, my addition) * Psalm 32:1-4 * Romans 5:12,17-19 * Matthew 4:1-2,5-7 (ESV)
Pray: Book of Common Prayer, Collect for First Sunday in Lent
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Do: Today's a day to break your fast (at least partially). Enjoy something you've given up, giving thanks to Christ for the abundance we receive from his obedience and great love.
Spend a few moments preparing for the first full week of Lent.
Meditations and practices for the coming week
The daily office lectionary for the Book of Common Prayer will lead us through most of Genesis chapters 37-41, 1 Corinthians, chapters 1-3 and the beginning of chapter 4, and the Gospel of Mark chapters 1-2. We’ll dive deeply into the life of Joseph and his brothers, one of the most tragic, yet redemptive, stories of the entire Old Testament. In the Gospel accounts we follow the chronology of John the Baptist proclaiming the Messiah's arrival, the Baptism in the Jordan with the temptation in the desert immediately following. It's always striking to me that following that first divine revelation when God speaks from heaven that Jesus is God's beloved Son the Spirit then leads him into the wilderness. It's a profound contrast to the story of Joseph who proclaims his own belovedness (revealed to him in a dream) to his brothers and they retaliate with such a vengeance that Joseph is immediately sent into years of slavery, exile, and imprisonment. The end of Joseph's story in Genesis gives us beautiful image of reconciliation and a glimpse of what is in store for us all. Our final reading in Mark this week takes us into the backrooms of the religious leaders who, like Joseph's brothers, plan vengeance against the One who radiates the belovedness of God.
Meanwhile, we'll spend time in 1 Corinthians with the Apostle Paul's appeals for us to remain focused on the true Messiah by living from love for each other rather than disunity and division. Paul's admonition gives us the kind of counsel we need to live in these days between the retaliation of evil that splits us from God, each other, and ourselves and the ultimate reconciliation of all things under Christ. Each day the Psalms serve as a descant weaving throughout with reminders of God’s steadfast love even in the places of our deepest grief.
I’ve tried to suggest one practice a week that can fit along with whatever other fasts you may be undertaking this Lent. There’s merit in committing simply to one fast for the entire forty days. For example, we give up processed sugar (Brian) and alcohol (me) and then fast from one meal on Fridays.
[Note: Traditionally, the Church sets aside Lenten Fridays, the weekday of Jesus’ crucifixion, to abstain from eating meat or to a partial (one meal) or whole fast (24 hours without solid food). You can read more about this tradition and its spiritual implications here, here, and here.]
Sometimes we need a little help imagining what a fast can look like and how it might produce good fruit in our lives. Each week this Lent, I’ll share one specific suggestion for fasting one habit in order to feast on a corresponding practice. You might decide to stay with that fast for the entire forty days, or you might choose just one or two days to try what I’ve suggested.
This week, I’m encouraging us to fast from television (or another form of entertainment) in order to read some poems or good books instead. Pray for God to give you a rested mind and an enlarged imagination to notice His good gifts in the world.
Suggested reading to feast on this week:
May you seek rest and find peace today, friends. I'll be back with Daybook patrons tomorrow, with Lent Daybook 5. Will you join us?
* Listen to my entire playlist on Spotify - Lent: Holy Week. Add it to your account by clicking ‘Save to My Library.’
** Sunday Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 2).