Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being [btempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, [cbut by every word of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! [fFor it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’
11 and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
~ Luke 4: 1-13
Thank you for this chance to pause and reflect on Jesus’ battle for our salvation while on the Earth. Have a blessed Lenten season.
May I know what Lent meant for the New Church? and what is required of us as New church members. Gloria Ebute-metta
Hello Gloria. For our family, we use Lent as a preparation period for Easter (similar to how we have the Advent season culminating in Christmas). My husband fasts on fridays. My sons and I choose something to give up for the 40 days. This year the boys have chosen to give up board games for Lent. I have decided to give a special prayer each day for unborn children (they are much on my mind these days). We also start decorating for upcoming Easter and learning Easter recitations etc…
Thanks for this inspiring reflection, Eden. It’s really good for us to remember the Biblical origins/inspiration for lent.
If I may touch on Gloria’s question, please, I think it’s worth mentioning that the New Church doesn’t have a stance on Lent, per se; people handle it in their own ways, some giving up something for 40 days, many others not observing Lent at all. We are encouraged to do private self-examination a few times per year, however no-where in the writings for the New Church are there – to my knowledge – requirements pertaining to Lent, or specifically when these self-examinations ought to be.
Best wishes to all for a blessed Lenten season!