RENEWsletter for February 21, 2010 - 1st Lent

Dear Friends of Renewal--
Lent has arrived. Ash Wednesday is this week. Lent is a time to be reminded of our sinfulness and our unworthiness, and a time to be delivered from those and accept the healing and forgiveness of our God.

The readings for next Sunday, the First Sunday of Lent, which can be found on the web at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/022110.shtml, are:

Deuteronomy 26.4-10
Psalm 91.1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Romans 10.8-13
Luke 4.1-13

The First Reading is a passage from the law of Moses. The people were reminded of the faithfulness of the Lord (Deut. 26.4, 5). The people of God had been afflicted by a widespread drought and fled to Egypt as refugees, but there one thing led to another and soon they found themselves taken advantage of by the Egyptians (v. 6). Then they cried out to the LORD (v. 7), and he delivered them from their bondage in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land that flowed with milk and honey (vs. 8, 9). In their gratitude, they gave back some of their harvest of blessings and offered homage to their Deliverer (v. 10).

By the message of the Responsorial Psalm we are reminded that we are safe when we dwell in the shelter of the Most High (Ps. 91.1, 2). Trusting in the LORD, no evil shall befall us and angels watch over us (vs. 10-12). When evil approaches, when we step on a serpent, or stumble over a sleeping beast, we will be delivered if we cling to our God and call upon him in time of trouble (vs. 13-15).

In the Second Reading from Paul's letter to the Roman Christians, we are reminded that the Word of God is very close to us. It is in our mouths and in our hearts (Rom. 10.8). That is, God's laws are the most natural, sensible, intuitively obvious rules for life we could possibly come up with. Here it is, "If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God has raised him from the dead, we shall be saved" (v. 9). Those who confess verbally and believe in their hearts that Jesus is Lord will be delivered from sin and shame (vs. 10-13).

The Gospel Reading in Luke recounts how Jesus, after fasting for 40 days in the desert (Luke 4.1, 2), reminded Satan of what God had said in the Scriptures: You don't live by bread alone, but by every word uttered by God (vs. 3, 4); you are to worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone (vs. 6-8); you are not to test the one true God (vs. 10-12). It's interesting how Satan quoted Scripture to the Lord, the very psalm that we have today in our readings, in his final attempt to tempt him. But he twisted it and took it out of context. Yet Jesus quoted Scripture back at him and thus was delivered from the wiles of the devil who went away to sulk for awhile (v. 13).

The point here is that Scripture is the key to a victorious and happy life. The Scriptures prove that God is faithful. They promise that believers will not be let down. And they show what God expects of us in return. "If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we are saved!"

And to tell you the truth, I'm looking forward to that Promised Land that eternally flows with milk and honey!

Randy Jones
"Those who cannot see the deliverance of the Lord need to be reminded of his faithfulness!"