Sermon: "Hunger Pangs," February 14th, 2016
The focus reading is from the Good News According to Luke, 4:1-13, the Temptation of Jesus. Immediately following his baptism, Jesus is driven in to the wilderness by God’s Spirit. There he fasts for 40 days and nights. In the desert and hungry, Jesus is tempted by Satan, meaning “the adversary” or “the accuser.” Jesus resists each temptation by responding with words from the Hebrew Scriptures.
Sunday, February 14th, is the First Sunday in the season of Lent, remembering Jesus’ 40 days (excluding Sundays) in the wilderness and the time of spiritual preparation for Easter. During Lent, churches focus on it as a time of prayer, especially penance, turning away from our failures and brokenness as a way to open ourselves to God’s grace.