I hope you’re having a meaningful start to Lent. As we embark on this Lenten Journey, this week we’re going to survey our starting point. So…

What words describe the current state of your soul? Are there any images that come to mind? Does the unemployment office feel eerily similar to the ethos of your inner being at the moment? Or does a Hawaiian beach or a congested highway better capture your core?

If your soul’s story were to play out on stage or debut on the big screen, what would your set look like?

THE ANCIENT BACKDROP

Backdrops can play a large role in plot lines. So, Lent’s backdrop may just give us hints to what was happening in God’s heart a couple of millennia ago. The orienting story for Lent is that of a cosmic showdown between Jesus and Satan (see Matthew 4:1-11). The desert serves as the set in the opening scene; for forty-days Jesus meanders in the Judean wilderness. As the story goes the Spirit led Jesus to this barren backdrop.

Why the wilderness? While the desert can be harsh, perhaps it enabled Jesus to rely on His Father in ways He never had before. In the stripped down space of sand and bald hills, shifting paths and scarce water sources, one must pay attention. Death chases down the inattentive in such environs. However, in Scripture the wilderness is often the setting for new beginnings.

It’s in the desert that God captures Moses attention and calls him to the adventure of leading the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt. Ultimately it’s God who delivers Israel and guides them into Sinai desert. He provides manna and meat, water and the most vital nutrient of all, His Word (The Torah). Isaiah 40:3, Jeremiah 2:2-3 and Hosea 2:14-15 also portray the desert as a place where God creates anew.

PROVISIONS FOR YOUR LENTEN JOURNEY FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS

REFLECTION: Lent is a time we survey our soul’s terrain. We ask God to reveal the distractions that endanger our soul’s survival. And, we pay attention to the new beginnings God might be creating for us.

As we enter this first week of Lent, let’s pray that the Spirit would lead us to a greater understanding of our beauty and brokenness and as well as a keener sense of the soul of God.

DISCUSSION: What words come to mind when thinking about how you’re doing at the core? What images emerge? Are there settings you see everyday that seem to capture the state of your soul (the carpool line, the corporate boardroom, a cul-de-sac, a favorite bend in the road or mountain peak)?

In your backdrop, where does the light fall? What elements of beauty come to the fore? Where are the shadows? What does it sound like? Can you describe the smells and textures? Does your setting feel roomy or claustrophobic?

And, ultimately, does it feel conducive to listening to Jesus, to paying attention to the voice of Love?

What do you long for your soul’s set to look like? What might need to change to make that so? [To respond go to DISCUSSION BOARD]

IMAGE OF GOD: As we explore our image of God, what do you think the wilderness tells us about who God is? How does your understanding of God compare and contrast to your connotations with the desert? [To respond go to DISCUSSION BOARD]

As you reflect on this check out the images of the Judean Desert [See Pictures].

CONFESSION: Lent is also a time to confess the many ways we betray God and the multiple reasons we need a Savior. So, I’ll start us off. Right now, because I’m in the throes of a vocational change I feel like I’m jumping out of airplane. Instead of savoring the thrill of a new adventure, I’m fighting a fear that God pushed me from the plane and strapped a dead man on my back. I’m also battling my self-sufficient sensibilities, thinking that if I flap my arms often enough I won’t need a parachute (or God so much). And so, I confess my pride and self-delusion and acknowledge my need to grasp a greater sense of God’s goodness and companionship.

When you look at what’s going on in you, what might you need to confess? Where has your view of God been deflated or distorted and your understanding of yourself been inflated with hot air.

HOPE: The reason we can be gut-honest with where we’re at is because this Lenten Journey takes us beyond ourselves. The theme of God’s great epic is redemption. As we consider the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we get to see God’s passion to make all things new.

SCRIPTURE: Read Matthew 4:1-11, the story of Jesus in the wilderness. And then move slowly through Psalm 40 this week. Notice how David, the poet, describes his soul’s backdrop and how God created something new for him.

LENTEN ASHES FOR YOU: Listen to U2 sing 40. What phrases or words stand out to you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enzcke5iT4A&feature=related

INVITE OTHERS INTO IT: Pray each day for God to give you sacred encounters, conversations with close friends and perhaps strangers that give you insight to who God is and what is going on in your own soul. Meet for coffee or go on a walk with a friend this week to share your descriptions of your soul and how you perceive God at the moment.