Right after Jesus’ Baptism when he was drenched in water, the Holy Spirit leads him into the desert—to be “soaked” in dryness! You might expect that after thirty years of quiet in Nazareth, after his baptism, Jesus would really get into the ministry of preaching, teaching and healing. Nope! Back into being alone and isolated once again!

Jesus was lead into the desert—that place where our Hebrew ancestors were making their way into the Promised Land. But they complained against God, rebelled, worshipped a Golden Calf and did a number of bad things that showed how ungrateful they were at being God’s people; God couldn’t count on them.

So it makes sense that Jesus begins where God’s people had left off—finally being faithful to his Father against the kind of temptations that our ancestor fell into. Jesus begins to break the power of the devil by resisting him. He does this by using some verses from the book of Deuteronomy as weapons against the devil—and it works!

We can do the same! Find a verse in each day’s reading that you will come alive for you as God’s weapon against bad and mean things—both to hit evil with it, and also to be protected from evil by the verse. There will be a verse suggested each day—but maybe you’ll find one that leaps off the page and is just right for you. Take hold of that verse and embrace it! Check below for a suggested “Bible Breath.” Each day of Lent you’ll have a daily tool to use so that you will be faithful to the Lord.

Luke 4:1-13

Here is a sample of a seven-syllable breath-prayer
from today’s reading:
In the desert with Jesus
For more information about this creative way to pray,
see Bible Breaths.

This is the First Week in Lent
Spring in the north.  Year C
Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from
The Revised Common Lectionary

Seasons of Grace – A Calendar for 2019

Solar and Sacred Seasons
Some adjustments to make the church year simpler.

These Firestarters are from a new edition of The Bible Through the Seasons being developed for families with children. For the Firestarters in the original edition, I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand Firestarters with you on your phone or tablet.  More information…