Sunday Readings: Genesis 9.8-15; 1 Peter 3.18-22; Mark 1.12-15
“Immediately after the baptism the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert.” – Mark 1.15
The whole of Mark’s gospel unfolds what awakens in Jesus after living in harmony with God and all creation in the desert. “God’s reign has come near,” Jesus announces. God is near, within, and around us–the reality in which Jesus lived in the desert.
Jesus’ relationship with God mirrors the relationship to which he calls us. We are God’s beloved. The Spirit drives us, too.
What if Jesus’ time in the desert evokes in us the value of time alone and the heightening of our senses that comes from slowing down?
What if it is our affections that pull us more strongly to accomplish our commitments than the ascetic disciplines we undoubtedly consider each Lent?
What if our senses are not the problems, leading us into temptation at every side, but are doorways to community?
What if we need to fall in love again with those closest to us, giving them time and ear to re-engage? What if we make a point this Lent to do with family and friends what unfailingly brings us joy and recharges our batteries?
What if we need to fall in love again with Earth, its beauty, diversity, and unfailing burst each spring into new life?
With whom or what might you fall in love again this Lent?
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