Homily 02/26/2023

Grace Chicago Church

First Sunday in Lent

Matthew 4:1-11

This Sunday is the First Sunday of Lent. From ancient times the church has set aside the forty days leading up to Easter as a time of reflection, a preparation to meet the risen Lord, During Lent we are encouraged to ask God to enable us to take stock of our lives, to show us the patterns of thinking, feeling and being that oppose God’s work of redemptive love in the nooks and crannies of our lives - to show us those patterns and empower us to turn from them and embrace God’s empowering and renewing forgiveness. A good Lent is a time of self-discovery, wherein we rejoice in finding light where there was darkness, and hope where there was a measure of despair. A good Lent should not be an exercise in self-loathing but a time of refreshing. On the First Sunday of Lent we meet Jesus in the wilderness where he is tempted by the devil for 40 days. As we reflect on Jesus’ temptation we will take heart that his ordeal was because of love and enjoined on our behalf.