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Third Sunday in Lent (c)

What rich texts to nourish our Lenten journey! The psalm and first lesson encourage scripture and prayer; he second lesson draws on the wilderness community as a case-study for our own spiritual journey, and the gospel lesson leads us through the wicket of repentance.

ISAIAH 55:1-9-BE NOURISHED BY GOD’S WORDS

In this exilic-era section, the prophet Isaiah invites Israelites to come and sustain their lives on the words of God. Such sustaining, nurturing words are offered without cost so that everyone can freely partake. The section also includes the promise of a covenant with no closure-an everlasting covenant. This covenant is based on God’s love for David who was selected and raised up from sheep-shepherd to shepherd-king. The third paragraph includes a two-fold encouragement-a movement from and a movement toward. In a memorable image that closes this lesson, Isaiah contrasts human thought vis-à-vis God’s thoughts as being as far removed as the heavens are removed from the earth.

 

PSALM 63:1-8-MY LIGHT, MY FEAST, MY STRENGTH

This lesson forms the third part of a trilogy of psalms that encourage trust and the practice of prayer. While Psalm 61 speaks of answered prayer and Psalm 62 of an encouragement to pray, Psalm 63 describes the utter gratification and yearning for God that comes in prayer. During Lent such a psalm balances the discipline of self-denial of normal enjoyments with the discipline of prayer that deepens the heart toward God. In that deep part, the psalmist discovers that God’s faithfulness "is better than life." The final verses (vv. 9-11) are execratory in nature and thus appropriately not used in worship.

 

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13-LESSONS LEARNED ALONG THE JOURNEY

What a great passage for the season of Lent! The lesson encourages a careful examination of our motives and attitudes. Paul draws on the Israelite community who in times past had been on their own Lenten journey. Lessons learned? Paul holds up three particularly perplexing and cancerous foibles that tripped them up and often trip communities up: misplaced allegiances, sexual immorality, and mistrust of God. The closing lines however, spell Good News in block letters: we’re all in the same boat-face the same temptations . . . but God is faithful and will make a way for us.

 

LUKE 13:1-9-THE BARREN FIG TREE

This lesson is unique to Luke and holds before us a context for repentance and a parable that highlights repentance but also patience. A lead-in to the parable is actually longer than the parable. Two current events seem to confirm conventional wisdom: when bad things happen to people, the people themselves must have been bad or else such things would not have occurred. Jesus responds with words about the universal need for repentance. The barren fig tree parable raises awareness of the fruit of repentance that God requires of all.