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Renewing Trust

Kuchle are unique German doughnuts, especially popular during mardi gras. These are even “evangelical”.

Lent has a bad rap. It’s often seen as a time to feel bad for sin and with fasting. Instead it should be an opportunity to renew our trust in God’s love and joy in newness of life.
Lent is an invitation to learn from Jesus how to experience God’s love and how to love each other like ourselves.
Word
The temptations Jesus faced were not designed to see whether would sin, but to prove that he would not give in to temptation.
Luke tells us: “for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, ...” ( Luke 2)
Jesus believed that only God can provide what we need for life, and could not be tempted to give up that trust.
Connection
Temptations are a test to our loyalty, our trust in God and the gifts of God for our life.
In order to trust God we need to re-focus on God’s true nourishment of our soul (and body) and that means minimizing competing distractions by false alternatives. We live not by bread alone, but by the Word (and Lutherans would add Sacrament!) of God.
Let God show you how richly satisfying a simple life is that focuses on love for God and the people around you.
Message
The Good News is: When we renew our faith by practicing loyalty to God, we are able to resist temptations like Jesus.
Jesus says to you: Fast with me, from distractions that keep you from God’s love and enjoying life of loving each other.

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