Reading
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.”
Read More on Bible Gateway
Reflection
Apologies to those of you who have not watched Bake Off but stay with me a moment! Whilst I do not believe in good or bad luck I have noticed that those who win ‘Star Baker’ one week, tend not to do so well the following week and there is said to be a similar phenomenon with Oscar winners who after the accolades experience a decline in their acting careers. Our bible reading today follows an experience that has left Jesus on a real ‘high’ – he has just been baptised and told by God ‘You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased’. And then … he is led into the desert, tempted by the devil and goes without food for 40 days. What a downer. But wait…verse 14 tells us ‘Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit’. The devil did not have the last word. He never has and never will. Hang on to this thought if you are experiencing a desert right now. Resurrection is coming…
Spiritual Exercise
Your to-do for today: Pray for those who are in a desert experience right now. If this is YOU, it is ok to pray for yourself. Pray that God will show them (or yourself) they are loved and cared for and not forgotten by Him. Pray that they will know there is no situation too complex, intimate or removed from God. Put a timer on your phone to pray for them on the hour throughout the day (or whenever is practical for your situation).
Music
This hymn tells of a love that will NOT let us go: O Love that will not let me go
And, if you love a bit of rock, listen to Chris Tomlin ‘live in Austin’ telling us that God is ‘On our side!
We have an awesome ministry team at St Andrew’s who are called to ‘minister’ to those in need. Reach out to them so that you do not have to experience the desert on your own.
Why not join our Lent Discussion Group today at 12noon (GMT) via Zoom (details from Elaine@SAC.church) when we will take a ‘Whirlwind’ look at the story of Job.
Digging Deeper
Want to spend a little time digging into this series?
Church of England Daily Prayer.
Church of England Lent: LiveLent: God’s Story, Our Story
Link to St Andrews online Services.
