This week, Christians everywhere, begin the observance of Lent. The season of preparing for the suffering and death of Jesus, the Christ, lasts forty days; and begins with the temptation. (when Jesus is challenged to leave his appointed mission of redemption for humankind). The temptation was to avoid the pain and suffering of the cross (required for the reconciliation of God and his creation) by accepting lesser goals. Goals that the lord of lies promised would be just as righteous.

If this story, alone, is used as the theme of the Lenten season, we may focus on Jesus’ victory over the tempter; and adopt the term “resistance” as our Lenten goal. We could use the forty days to concentrate on all the ways we are tempted by the world. And we could use Jesus as the example of resisting the evil all around us. However, if we do this, we will be drifting away from the message that Jesus himself was announcing.

In Jesus’ own words, we find the term that is intended to be our Lenten goal. “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” The word that Jesus gives us, as a focus of our Lenten season is “repent”!

Unlike the word “resist”, the call to “repent” is an inside job. Repentance is the task given to us sinful humans; a work performed within our hearts and minds. Lent is a time to turn and ask the Spirit for power in following Jesus’ way. The life of loving service to any and all others. Jesus calls us each to turn from self-serving interests. We have a precious forty days for the Spirit to focus our attention on the gracious and merciful suffering and death of Jesus. There, the kingdom of God revealed. And there, in love, God is reconciling the world to himself.

Rev. Rob Bjornstad

February 17, 2021