Lent

March 5, 2022

Scripture Reading:
Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
   and serve only him.”’ –Luke 4:1-8

Every time I read the above scripture, I am reminded of the spirit-walks young indigenous people from tribes in the United States take as a part of their maturation experience. God does indeed work in mysterious ways across all peoples when we open our hearts and minds to the Great Spirit.

Bread in some form is the primary staple food in most cultures, including the culture of the ancient Israelites. As the Israelites began their sojourn in the wilderness after escaping from Egypt they panic when their food supply was exhausted. God provisioned them with manna from heaven. It is the remembrance of that story that Jesus uses to refuse the devil’s temptation to turn a stone into bread. The devil was also testing Jesus regarding whether he accepted, understood his role as the Son of God. Beyond that, Jesus was forced to consider whether he would use his storehouse of power for his own benefit, a very important consideration for those who have much. Jesus answered it well as a model for all of us when he fed the 5,000.

We, too, must deal with similar temptations.  In 2019, more than 1 in 7 children—10.7 million—were food insecure in the United States, meaning they lived in households where not everyone had enough to eat*. The United States ranks third regarding all food insecurity in the world following Singapore and Ireland. The rest of the world has even worst hunger. Yemen and Venezuela are among the bottom of the rankings according to the Global Food Security Index**.

How can we best Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him through assuring food availability for the masses?

Prayer: Lord, as we walk with you through the wilderness of the world’s temptations, let your Spirit fill us with the courage to feed the hungry. Amen.

*https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-child-hunger/#:~:text=Millions%20of%20children%20entered%20this,eat%20(see%20Table%2010).

**https://www.glaubfm.com/blog/us-ranks-3rd-global-food-security-index#:~:text=The%20Economist%20Group%2C%20supported%20by,list%2C%20following%20Singapore%20and%20Ireland.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.