"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” (Matt 4:1-4) Okay, so…what else *do* we live on? What are the other things that are nourishing to us—to the whole of us? We know from Luke’s telling of this story that the words of God were Jesus’ sustenance in this time, but Matthew leaves the quote here, a bit more open-ended. Not just bread… but…what, then? Perhaps this makes space for more than just the “right” answer, and lets us explore our own experience a bit? How have you experienced abundance from God, even in the midst of hunger? What has been life-giving and sustaining for you in that place? Has it been Scripture? The presence of another person in the midst of it all? Some particular prayer practice that seemed to sustain you, even when your usual sources of nourishment seemed unavailable in some way? Consider for yourself: what nourishes you? How do you receive sustenance from God in ways that you don’t have to work for, but instead can rest in? What would it be to receive that nourishment this morning, this week, this Lent?

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2022-03-16 14:40:05 UTC