Week 1: Identity over “Ifs”
Welcome to the first in a series of blogs to help you go deeper this lent using the the Sunday Sermon, readings and our “5 Weeks of Freedom” small groups discussion guide so that even if you were not able to join one of our small groups this season, but still want to follow along with our Lenten preaching series, whether you are using this as a personal devotion in the quiet of the morning or as a conversation starter around the dinner table with your family, our hope is that these reflections allow your faith to deepen throughout these forty days.
This season, we are exploring how God meets us in the middle of our fear and doubt to invite us into a more abundant, hope-filled way of living. Today’s reflection is about the “wilderness moments”—those times when we feel stretched, uncertain, and tempted to forget who we really are.
How to use this devotional
You can use this by yourself as a tool for personal reflection. Perhaps the prompts might encourage you to do some journaling or resolve to try on a new practice or give up a habit that is getting in the way of you and God becoming closer. You can also use this as a guide for discussion with a spouse, partner, or family. Use it over dinner or afterwards as a way to connect more deeply with one another and with God. Finally, use as much or as little as you want. There is no need to go through the entire devotion. Perhaps one prompt is enough. Or, space it out through the week.
Preparation:
Watch the sermon for week one here.
Read the Gospel lesson here (two translations side-by-side).
If you are with family, consider saying this together. If you are alone, read it slowly as a meditation.
Gracious God, as we begin this Lenten journey once more, open our hearts to your presence. Meet us in the places where we feel stuck, tempted, or in doubt. Breathe your hope and freedom into our lives. Help us to remember always that we are your beloved—each and every one of us. Guide our thoughts and our words this week, and help us grow into a people shaped by your grace, mercy, and love. Amen.
Before you begin, take a deep breath. Lent isn’t about “doing more”; it’s about making space. Bishop Wright reminds us that the Spirit often does its best work when life imposes solitude. Take a moment and find some for yourself.
Where do you go—or what do you do—to find some solitude with God?
Is it a specific chair in your house, a walk in the woods, or a quiet drive? How does being still help you find peace? Does something come to mind? Might you find 5 or 10 minutes this Lent to try on daily solitude?
In the story of Jesus in the wilderness, the devil doesn’t show up with horns and a pitchfork. Instead, he shows up with a question: “If you are the Son of God…”
Bishop Wright suggests that the “Ifs” are the doorway to self-doubt. They are the distractions that attempt to get us obsessed with proving who we are rather than simply being who God made us to be.
Think about the “Ifs” that hang over your own life:
Discussion Starter: Where do these “Ifs” come from in your life? Are any of them even true? What is the danger of building a life around them?
The sermon suggests that Jesus didn’t stare down the devil with better arguments or raw willpower. He instead relied on his true identity in the words spoken at his baptism: “This is my well-beloved son.”
Before the struggle of the wilderness, there was the promise of belovedness. The same is true for you. You are more than your political party, your portfolio, or your past mistakes. You are a beloved child of God—period.
For Personal Devotion or Family Talk:
Share as a group or reflect personally:
When the “If” questions come your way this week, try saying to yourself:
“I know who I am. I am who God says I am. I am beloved, forgiven, gifted, growing, and redeemed.”
Print and keep it in your wallet or on your phone and pull it out throughout the week. Say it when you rise in the morning and when you go to bed at night as the last thing you say to yourself.
Questions? Comment? Contact The Rev. Chris Harris at charris@christchurchcranbrook.org