A Pregnant Season
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. - Matthew 4:1-2
The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is the traditional reading for the first week of Lent (which is now). Lent covers the 40 days from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday (excluding Sundays). Typically it’s a season of seeking God or clarity or new and better ways of living.
As Brenna pointed out in the message yesterday, theologians and bible scholars (or at least the male ones) through the ages have wondered why 40 is such a common number in the Bible… but that’s because they’ve never been pregnant! 40 weeks is the standard gestation period for a child to grow in the womb. And all of the seasons of 40 (days/years) in the Bible are built around God birthing something new in the people. Birthing something new takes a long time. It takes a lot of energy. It takes personal investment.
As you think about this season leading up to Easter, how are you feeling about it being a season of seeking? Do you have a sense of what God might be wanting to birth in you? Do you have hopes for something to come out of this season? Can you sense a change that might be wanted or needed? Talk with Jesus about this season that is pregnant with potential.
For this journey we’ll be hearing often from our friends over at Sanctified Art who have put together a set of helpful resources. If you would like to read their thoughtful, thorough, artful devotional book, just email Bill@CityChurchLB.org and he’ll send it to you.