People's Prayers: Prayers of the People: Spiritual Spare Tire ~ First Sunday in Lent '26 Yr A

For Sunday, February 22, 2026, Readings: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32, Romans 5:12-19,

Matthew 4:1-11

Image by Bible.Art

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew they were both naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. [Genesis 3:7]

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not conceal my guilt. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD." Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin." [Psalm 32:6-7]

For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ...the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness... [Romans 5:15b, 17b]

The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" [Matthew 4:3-4]

This day, in some Christian denominations, is the First Sunday in* Lent, a season of prayer, reflection, and, of course, repentance. While Lent officially began this past week on Ash Wednesday, we now begin in earnest over forty days, symbolic of both Moses’ time on Mt. Sinai and Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness. Temptation is the theme that undergirds this season. Genesis tells us about the man and woman, later known as Adam and Eve, who succumb to the temptation offered by the serpent, and thought they understood the consequences. With their eyes now wide open after partaking of the forbidden fruit, they are suddenly aware of being naked. This week’s reading of Paul’s Letter to the Romans reflects on the difference between the one man’s trespass in the Garden and how Jesus stood firm on the mountain. Matthew’s Gospel is more explicit about Jesus' confrontation with the Devil.

Temptation is, simply, the lure of the desired. Our mortal time is filled with unlimited varieties of attractions that entice and stimulate our appetites. Temptation is as small as an unhealthy sugary delight, a second glass of wine, or a third helping at the buffet table, and as large as a forbidden relationship, abuse of power, or murder. Russell Moore, a Southern Baptist theologian, ethicist, and preacher once said: Temptation starts with a question of identity, moves to a confusion of the desires, and ultimately heads to a contest of futures. In short, there’s a reason you want what you do not want to want. Temptation is embryonic, personality specific, and purpose directed.** We cannot free ourselves of it which is why we have this season – and beyond – to consciously and willingly examine what triggers our desires, and what, as in the case of Adam and Eve, keeps pulling us to the knowing “fall” into the clutches of the wanted-not-wanted. That brings us to repentance and the making of a personal plan, with regular beyond Lent updates, to continually improve our resistance to those enticements, especially after a lapse.

The word repent in Biblical Hebrew is represented by two verbs: return and feel, essentially to return/turn back toward God and feel sorrow/regret for falling into temptation. In the post-Resurrection New Testament of Christianity, it can be defined as: to think differently after; to make a change of mind and heart. Unlikely and hopefully as it is that many of us will find ourselves in an actual wilderness for these forty days, it still is an opportune time to take ourselves away symbolically for a few minutes or more each day. Put an alert on your phone for a specific time of day each day to think about what Lent is calling you to be and to do, prayerfully, and continue it after Lent as a reminder to regularly review. We can look for ways to simplify our wants in this temporal life, to dig down into our deepest selves to find the living Presence of God in Christ within us. We can seek and experience a positive change, to feel that sorrow/regret for our sins, and with soul and heart and mind eyes open, return to the conscious work of living as God intends. It is far less about giving up a piece of chocolate/beer/or bad habit, and more about taking on a spiritual practice to discover again, or for the first time, what true life is all about and pray for the strength and courage to live it in an authentically Christ-called way.

Resistance builds on itself and looks ahead rather than in the heat of a moment, as having a spare tire in the trunk of the car. When we summon the courage through the grace of God to resist even mild earthly temptation, we invite the spiritual growth that gives us ever increasing strength and grace to resist more, and to grow into the Life in Christ that beckons us beyond unconscious habit and self-soothing/unhealthy behavior. Moore tells us further: Don’t let your urges scare you. Let them instead drive you to pray for the wisdom to see what you were created to be and to do…seek to direct your appetites toward the ways in which the Word of God…tell us they can be fulfilled.

Lent is the perfect time to examine the temptations and distractions, the emptiness or even destructiveness of some activity in our lives, the nakedness in our souls. Through prayer and reflection, meditation, etc., within small groups, on one's own, or both, or with a pastoral counselor or spiritual director, we can discover ways that bolster our ability to resist temptations small and big and bigger. Whether through a Lenten study guide online or in hand, the practice of Morning and Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer or another source, or the daily reading of Scripture, among many other ways, one small step begins the journey. The more we resist the glitter and lure of the temporary earthly delight, the less prone we will be to sliding into the cold chill of the shadows of sin, leaving behind the warmth of God's embrace. We can build on the fortitude of Christ within us. Yes, we’ll fail, often, and perhaps spectacularly. So fill that spiritual trunk with the spare tire of soul care, prayer, and repentance, and begin again and again and always again.

Jesus, ultimate Resistor of Temptation, help me to give up ignoring the inner voice that can guide my life back toward you. Enable me to be willing to take on a Lenten practice seeking guidance to rediscover my spiritual purpose in this life. Hear me as I pray for the inner strength to walk consciously on the path of offered grace to seek renewal and strength of and in faith, for each step, in each moment, of each day, now and always.

*FYI: The Sundays in the Season of Lent do not “count” in the time span of 40 days which is why the heading is the x/th Sunday in Lent rather than of Lent. The Sundays in the season after the Epiphany and of Advent do count in the time up to their Holy occasions, Christmas and Epiphany. The Sundays beyond Easter Sunday and Easter Week, the Epiphany, and also Pentecost, are all noted as the # Sunday “after.”

**From ”Tempted and Tried” by Dr. Russell D. Moore, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, American theologian, ethicist, and preacher. With an extensive resume, he is currently Editor-at-Large and Columnist for Christianity Today. Moore has previously served as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention; and at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as dean of the School of Theology; and as a pastor for a number of Southern Baptist churches.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Most Merciful God, You have given us eyes to see ourselves as we truly are, the heart to accept Your free gift of grace through Jesus, and a soul to seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Fill us now with the courage to step forward in faith, to repent of our sins, and to turn over the life we have been given to Your guidance and to Your service.