First Sunday of Lent

Today is the First Sunday of Lent - a Sunday where my best friend and I shared joys and sorrows, prayed for the easing of burdens and for the healing of loved ones. A Sunday of coming together as true sisters in Christ.

This was a Sunday in which I was blessed to serve a friend, and was blessed in being served by her. It was a Sunday where temptations of various sorts were discussed...our own, and those of loved ones...



Today's Scripture Readings relate to sin, to temptation...to the very real presence of evil, from the very beginning of man to the temptation of Christ.

The Genesis story tells us of the Fall of Man...our human tendency to be willful and disobedient. The Matthew Gospel tells us of the Temptation of Christ...and His perfect obedience to God's Will.

I like to believe I am more like Jesus and less like Eve...but really? I am a broken vessel, an imperfect and often downright surly and disobedient servant. How wonderful to know that my Master is so supremely patient and forgiving!

Genesis 2:7-9
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil."

Genesis 3:1-7:
"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

Matthew 4:1-11
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
 
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
 
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
 
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."