Lent

March 6, 2022

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:1-13

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you,
   to protect you”,
and
“On their hands they will bear you up,
   so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. –Luke 4:9-13

Evil is insidious, acting or spreading by imperceptible degrees: harmful, damaging, or destructive in a way that is gradual, or not easily noticed*.  Sounds like COVID or the stories I have read about the bubonic plague. We were encouraged to get vaccinated, wear masks, socially distance. Evil does spread by imperceptible degrees until we are so intertwined with it we cannot escape its tentacles.

Like taking health precautions to avoid or lessen the impact of viruses, we try to train children from birth to make good choices and give them tools like Jesus had in the wilderness to respond to evil when it besets us. Jesus as a young man had ready reference to scripture to debunk the enticements of the devil. We build resilience in our children by teaching and modeling better ways of love.

Prayer: Lord, help us to do our best to present ourselves to God as one approved by God, as workers who have no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth**. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/insidious

**Derived from 2 Timothy 2:15

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.