Additional Scriptures 

Genesis 2:15–17, 3:1–7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12–19  

Preparation  

Provide sticky notes or small pieces of paper and pens for each participant. Also have wall space cleared near the exit with the word BLESSED! written on a poster(s) board in fat, empty letters. Designate someone to collect the sticky notes and place them here before the postlude making sure the sticky notes are put within the letter outlines. If the service is done online, perhaps comments could be posted in chats.  

Prelude  

Welcome and Focus our Thoughts  

Lent began on Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Easter, not including Sundays, and ends on Holy Saturday. This is a season of personal reflection, inward soul-searching, and repentance as we remember Christ’s sacrifice.  

We receive God’s grace as a gift; we do not earn it. Take a moment and remember a time when you were surprised with an unearned “gift.” Here are some examples:  

• • After being stopped for going 30 miles over the speed limit, the officer decides to just give you a warning.  

• • Your teacher, who was notorious for springing surprise quizzes before break, had a fun day of activities planned instead.  

• • An unexpected clean bill of health.  

• • A “snow day” from work or school.  

• • Finding cash in the pocket of an old jacket just in time to help pay the bills.  

Divine grace also comes in many surprising ways, often overlooked. You are invited to write on your sticky note an unearned gift you received.  

Allow time.  

 We will come by to collect your sticky notes. When you have finished, feel free to visit with those around you about what “gifts” you remembered.  

Allow time.  

Praise Scripture Reading

Psalm 32:10b–11  

The reading starts with “…steadfast love surrounds those…” 

 Hymn of God’s Presence  

“God Within, God Around”   CCS 20 Sing in the Taizé style.  

Taizé (pronounced: tay-zay) is a prayerful form of music that originated in Taizé France. It is simple and meditative. The Taizé style often includes a melody that repeats over and over and serves as a type of centering prayer done with music. Taizé style music tends to be easily learned and remembered. Because it is intentionally simple, the songs provide a great way to move prayer from a head experience to the heart. 

The Taizé style could be compared to the way an athlete focuses on the game, tuning out distractions. This meditative music can help us leave behind our busyness and the outside world to concentrate on the Lord. 

Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own. 

Translations into Spanish and French for this hymn can be found at HeraldHouse.org.

OR “Creator God We Sing/Cantemos al Creado” CCS 114  

Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.  

Prayer of Praise  

Scripture Reading    

Place readers in different locations around the room.  

Matthew 4:1–11  

Voice 1: Matthew 4:1–3  

Voice 2: Matthew 4:4  

Voice 3: Matthew 4:5–6  

Voice 4: Matthew 4 7  

Voice 2: Matthew 4:8–9  

Voice 4: Matthew 4:10  

All Voices: Matthew 4:11  

Lenten Hymn  

Choose one  

“Jesus Tempted in the Desert” CCS 449  

“Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley” CCS 452  

“The Glory of These Forty Days” CCS 451  

 Prayer for Peace  

Light the peace candle.  

Statement  

Today we light this candle in the hope that its light reminds each one of us to be “the light that shines”—an example to all of Christ’s love.  

Prayer  

Dear Lord,  

In our rush and hurry, we so often miss your presence in our everyday life. Please help us:      Take a deep, three-count breath before reading on. 

to stop and take note;  

to see with your eyes… your creation and world;  

to hear with your ears…this world’s songs of joy and sorrow;  

to feel with your skin…the pain and suffering of those near and far;  

to use the hands, feet, and soul you have supplied us…to reach those in need;  

to make “the” difference…in the here and now.  

We sincerely pray, Amen. 

 Song of the Sacred Moment  

“Come, Holy Spirit, Come” sing several times   CCS 154   

Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own. 

OR “Listen in the Silence”   sing several times.   CCS 153   

OR “Come and Find the Quiet Center” CCS 151  

Lenten Sacred Moments  

Take a few moments to consider how you are choosing to “go into the wilderness” these next few weeks. Project or print these questions.  

• • What changes would be beneficial in your relationship with God?  

• • How can you find, or make, time to remember God throughout the day?  

• • What Christ-like attitude do you choose to work on daily and how?  

Play one of the following hymns as background music giving participants time to reflect.  

“Leftover People in Leftover Places” CCS 275  

“God of All Time” CCS 270  

“I Will Talk to My Heart” CCS 168   

Disciples’ Generous Response  

Gratitude Focus Moment  

Spend a few moments asking for “popcorn” responses from participants–for what are they grateful?  

Scripture Reading: Doctrine and Covenants 163:10b 

starting with “Come before your Eternal Creator….”  

Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes  

Hymn of Generosity—to be sung as the offering is received  

“Let Your Heart Be Broken” CCS 353  

OR “Can We Calculate Our Giving” CCS 617  

OR “Come and Bring Light” CCS 287  

 Message  

Based on Matthew 4:1–11  

Gratitude Becomes Action  

“My Gratitude Now Accept, O God/Gracias, Señor” CCS 614/615  

Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.  

OR “Called by Christ to Love Each Other” CCS 577   

Prayer for the Journey  

Postlude  

Have the “BLESSED!” poster and sticky notes displayed for all to see as they leave the worship space.  

Gathering

Welcome

Lent is a time for personal and community spiritual renewal. The Lenten season is the 40 days (excluding Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. As we journey with Jesus we are called into the wilderness to prepare for something new. In this wilderness we confront the most painful parts of ourselves, face our weaknesses, and await the transforming power of grace, hope, and resurrection.

Prayer for Peace 

Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.

During the Lenten season we will use a verse from CCS 221, “Spirit of Christ, Remember Me,” as our prayer for peace.

I will read aloud verse 1. Then I will read it phrase by phrase, and you will repeat each phrase after me. I will close with Amen.

Read verse 1 aloud from CCS 221, “Spirit of Christ, Remember Me.”

Say: “Repeat after me.”

Read the first phrase of CCS 221, verse 1, aloud. Wait for congregation to repeat.

Proceed in that way through the entire verse.

Close with, “Amen.”

Spiritual Practice

Practice of Silence

Practicing silence may be difficult at first. The mind may run wild. Allow yourself grace in this practice. We will begin when I ring the chime. We will be silent for five minutes. I will ring the chime again at the conclusion of our time of silence.

Remember to breathe deeply. Focusing on each breath can help quiet the mind. Become aware of your surroundings; notice how the air feels on your skin; trust that you are in the presence of the holy—fully surrounding and embracing you. Allow your inner conversations to stop for a while, being fully present with the One who is fully present with you.

Ring a chime to begin.

Wait five minutes.

Ring the chime to conclude the period of silence.

Ask: How does it feel to be present with God in silence?

—Adapted from a Guide for Lent

Sharing Around the Table

Matthew 4:1–11 NRSVue

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 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.’ ”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
    and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’ ”

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

On this, the first Sunday of Lent, we are invited to journey into the wilderness with Christ following his baptism. Still dripping wet from his baptism, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. It was a time for Jesus to open himself up, and he became vulnerable to the temptations that face us in our humanity.

The temptations Jesus faced came after 40 days of fasting. Jesus was famished. The first temptation, to turn stones into bread, seemed intended to tempt Jesus to focus on his own need and away from his greater mission. In the words, “If you are the Son of God,” Jesus’ own sense of identity was challenged to raise doubt in his mind. Courage and strength can wane in the face of doubt.

The second temptation, to throw himself down from the temple and allow the angels to bear him up, invited Jesus to test God’s faithfulness. Jesus resisted this temptation because testing God is not about trust, but rather lack of trust. Our human tendencies often can lead us to place conditions on God of performing to our expectations before we claim our faith in God.

In the third temptation, Jesus was offered all power and dominion over “the kingdoms of the world” in return for falling down and worshiping something other than God. These temptations offered Jesus comfort, power, and wealth. Instead, he chose a journey of sacrifice that would bring God’s justice for all.

As disciples, we face similar struggles. Too often we fall into the pattern of misuse of power and seeking the easy way to live our discipleship.

For Matthew, the questions Jesus had faced and wrestled with were: Who will I be in God? And what is God’s wish for my life? In this text we are confronted with the question: Will we be someone different from whom God calls us to be? The temptations we face in our daily lives (materialism, doubt, misdirection, false worship, prestige, and power) press us to ask similar questions.

Questions

1. How are you tempted to take the easy road to discipleship?
2. What things in your life do you need to confront to become the person you sense God calling you to become? What is holding you back? 

Sending

Generosity Statement

Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.

—Doctrine and Covenants 163:9

The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response.

The offering prayer for Lent is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response:

Ever-present God, Forgive us when we are less than loving, less than hope-filled, less than you have created us to be. Your mercy and grace are always with us. May we find strength in your presence, and may we respond to your love with generous spirits. Amen.

Invitation to Next Meeting

Closing Hymn

CCS 453, “When We Are Tested”

Closing Prayer

Optional Additions Depending on Group

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Communion Scripture

Choose one scripture to read from this selection: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Matthew 26:17–30; Mark 14:12–26; Luke 22:7–39.

Communion Statement

All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others may have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.

During this Lenten season let us share in Communion as an expression of blessing, healing, peace, and community. In preparation let’s sing from Community of Christ Sings 526, “Is There One Who Feels Unworthy?” 

Blessing and serving bread and wine.

Thoughts for Children

 Say: People prepare for God’s presence in many ways. Some fast (not eating from sunup to sunset). Others gather for prayer or worship. Others find a quiet place to wait in silence.

We are going to practice “Entering the Silence.” This spiritual practice helps us feel God’s presence. As we enter the silence, everyone should try to remain as quiet as possible.

Find a comfortable place to sit. (Children may wish to sit or lie on the floor.) Ready? Close your eyes. We will breathe in and out three times slowly.

In…out…

In…out…

In…out…

I will give some directions. Try to follow them silently. We will have time to share at the end.

Listen and hear the silence. What do you hear?

Listen and see the silence. What can you see?

Listen and taste the silence. What does it taste like?

Listen and smell the silence. Can you smell it?

Breathe in…and out…

Listen and hold your arms out to embrace the silence.

Now rest your hands in your lap.

Let’s open our eyes.

What was it like to sit in the silence?

What did you see or hear in the silence?

Does silence have a taste or a smell? What is it?

Could you sense the presence of God in the silence?

After children have shared, thank them for doing this spiritual practice. Offer a short prayer: “God, thank you for being with us in the silence of this day. Amen.”

“Entering the Silence” is based on a practice of the Seneca (First People) Nation. The imagery is adapted from the words of Twylah Nitsch

Exploring the Scripture

This is the first Sunday of Lent. During this Lenten season we find ourselves invited to journey with Christ. We spend time practicing spiritual disciplines because it draws us closer to God through whom we anticipate the glorious hope of Easter.

Our Gospel lesson comes from Matthew who shares the experience of Jesus’ journey into the wilderness following his baptismal experience. Still dripping wet from his baptism, the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It was a time for Jesus to open himself up rather than closing himself off. Yet, when he opened his life to God, he also became vulnerable to the temptations that face us in our humanity.

What were those temptations? It is important to help listeners go deeper in their understanding of the temptations and what Jesus’ experience has to say about our discipleship. First, the temptation came after 40 days during which Jesus fasted, so Jesus is famished. The period of 40 days connects to stories in the Hebrew Scripture in which people fasted for 40 days (Moses and Elijah) or waited to be delivered from evil for 40 days (Noah).

First Temptation

“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (v. 3). What was special about turning stones into bread? Stones would often have the shape of a loaf of bread. In this temptation we find an effort to get Jesus to focus on his own need and away from his greater call and mission of salvation for humanity.

But Satan does something else in this temptation. “If you are the Son of God,” challenges Jesus about his own identity as a means to raise doubt in Jesus’ mind. It’s amazing what happens to our courage and strength when we begin to doubt.

Second Temptation

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone’” (vv. 5–6).

So, why would Jesus resist this question to prove who he is? Jesus resists the temptation to test God because the attitude of testing God is not about trust; testing God comes in our lack of trust.

Too often in our human nature we place conditions on God to perform to our wished-for expectations before we claim our faith.

Third Temptation

“The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; …‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me’” (vv. 8–9).

False worship and power is the third temptation. Jesus was faced with the easy way of becoming who he was called to be by falling down and worshiping the devil versus his journey of sacrifice to bring God’s justice for all. We face the same struggle in our life as a disciple. Too often we fall into the pattern of misuse of power and seeking the easy way to live our discipleship.

The temptations Jesus faced and the temptations we face of materialism, doubt, misdirection, false worship, prestige, and power press on us to ask deeper questions. For Matthew, the questions Jesus had to face and wrestle with were: Who will I be in God? And what is God’s wish for my life? In this text we are confronted with the question: Will we be someone different from who God calls us to be?

Central Ideas

1. In this story of Jesus’ temptations, the question is about Jesus’ identity as the Son of God and who he is called to be. When we are willing to step into the story, we are confronted with our own question of who we will be in God.
2. During this season of Lent, we journey with Jesus toward the blessing of Easter. But on this journey we may discover our own human limits of doubt, misdirection, and false worship that keep us from being who God calls us to be.

Questions for the Speaker

1. What experiences have congregational members had during Lent in which they felt led by the Spirit to make it through difficult challenges?
2. How have the temptations of Jesus—materialism, doubt, misdirection, misuse of power, prestige, and false worship—been present in the congregation and in our lives? What effect have these temptations had on the congregation and on us?
3. Where do you see the Holy Spirit inviting others to a time of wilderness reflection to discover who God is calling them to be?
4. How can your congregation respond to human behaviors and temptations in ways that help others live more fully into God’s grace expressed in the hope of Easter?

Background for Teachers

Focus Scripture Passage

Matthew 4:1–11

Lesson Focus

Jesus is the Son of God. Who will we choose to be in God?

Objectives

The learners will…

• engage in the spiritual practice Dwelling in the Word.
• discuss the focus scripture passage.
• make connections between the focus scripture passage and Community of Christ basic belief statements.
• consider the significance of Lent in preparing disciples for Christ’s mission of justice and peace.

Supplies

• Bible 
• Response Sheet for each student (end of lesson)
• Pens or pencils
• Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, Herald House, 2018
• Community of Christ Sings (CCS)

Notes to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Matthew 4:1–11 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: New Testament (with focus on the Gospel according to Matthew), pp. 45–46, available through Herald House.

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

Today is the first Sunday in Lent. We fast for 40 days remembering Christ’s own fast in the wilderness. Our journey through Lent gives us a chance to reorder priorities and to make space in our lives for being in the presence of God with greater awareness and intentionality. As we practice self-examination and conversion through prayer, fasting, self-denial, and generosity, we open ourselves to God’s creative purposes in our lives and in our world.

We begin the season of Lent with the practice of Dwelling in the Word using Isaiah 58:6–12. Read the passage (see end of lesson) adapted from the NRSV and The Message. Spend a few moments in silent reflection with the following questions. Record your responses or share in groups of two or three.

• Where are you on your journey as a disciple? What is the invitation through this text as you enter the season of Lent?

Read or sing “Lead Me, Lord” CCS 450.

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

Read Matthew 4:1–11 and discuss the following. 

Matthew’s account of Jesus’s time in the wilderness following his baptism parallels that of Luke (see Luke 4:1–13). Matthew and Luke draw from the sources of Mark (see Mark 1:12–13) and Q (from the word quelle, meaning source; written collection of Jesus’s sayings). Jesus’s time in the wilderness is not by accident. It represents his submission to God’s will and understanding of who he is as the Son of God in preparation for his ministry. In this passage, Matthew’s depiction of Jesus as Messiah does not defy the limits of Jesus’s humanity. Instead of an abundance of food, miraculous feats, and political power attributed to worldly kingdoms (such as the Roman empire of first-century Palestine), Jesus presents an alternative vision of the kingdom of God. This vision is grounded in covenant relationship with God that does not test God or ask for miraculous exceptions to an authentic human life.

Consider these key phrases and statements from the scripture passage. You may discuss as a large group or assign each one to a group of two or three; then share insights with the larger group. How does this phrase or statement relate to the children of Israel in the Old Testament? How does each phrase or statement relate to your understanding of discipleship today, particularly during the season of Lent?

• “…led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted…”
• “He fasted forty days and forty nights…”
• “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (see Deuteronomy 8:3)
• “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” (see Deuteronomy 6:16)
• “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” (see Deuteronomy 6:13)

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

Read the following statements from “We Share Basic Beliefs,” Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, pp. 33–34, 37.

God
Jesus Christ
The Holy Spirit
Humanity
Discipleship

You may discuss the following as a large group or form small groups of two or three and assign each group one (or more) of the basic belief statements to discuss. Share insights with the larger group.

• How is the basic belief statement revealed in the focus scripture passage?
• What new understanding do you have about discipleship and mission as you consider each basic belief statement and the focus scripture passage?

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

Jesus’s wilderness experience demonstrated his radical obedience to God’s purposes. In our Lenten journey, we are invited to prayerfully consider who we will be in God, and how we will live Christ’s mission. What is God’s invitation to you this season of Lent? What will be your invitation to another?

For further study, select one of the additional lectionary texts (below) to read each day in the coming week. Write in a journal what the passage reveals about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Humanity, or Discipleship.

*Additional lectionary texts: Genesis 2:15–17, 3:1–7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12–19

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Read or sing “When We Are Tested” CCS 453 as a closing prayer of commitment.

Response Sheet

Dwelling in the Word: Isaiah 58:6–12 (adapted from NRSV and The Message)

Reader 1: Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Reader 2: Is it not sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families?

Reader 1: Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly;

Reader 2: Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage.

Reader 1: Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say Here I am.

Reader 2: If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, 

                   If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, 

                   Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

Reader 1: The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in the emptiest of places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

Reader 2: You will use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past.

                   You will be known as those who can repair, restore, rebuild, and renovate, and make communities thrive.

                   Where are you in your journey as a disciple? What is the invitation through this text as you enter the season of Lent? 

Background for Teachers

Focus Scripture Passage

Matthew 4:1–11

Lesson Focus

We prepare daily to become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Objectives

The learners will…

• define aspects of human growth.
• examine what it means to prepare.
• evaluate choices.
• explore the role of trust and faith as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Supplies

• Bible
• Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
• Pictures of people at various stages of growth (If possible, ask group members to bring pictures of themselves at different ages for this activity.)
• Chart paper
• Paper
• Pens, pencils, or markers

Notes to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Matthew 4:1–11 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the Gospel according to Matthew), pp. 45–46, available through Herald House.

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

We Grow

Display pictures of people at various stages of growth, child to older adult.

• What do you observe about each person? What is different? What is the same?
• Can you observe anything about their intellectual and spiritual growth?
• In what other ways does a person grow?
• How do you measure how a person grows physically? Intellectually? Spiritually?

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

The Christian Season of Lent

Today is the First Sunday in Lent. For the next five Sundays we will explore our spiritual growth as we discover what it means to grow closer to God and how to live as disciples of Jesus. It is a time of spiritual self-examination and recommitment. The forty-day period signifies the forty days of temptation of Jesus as described in Matthew 4:1–11. This is the time between his baptism and the beginning of his ministry. The number forty is significant throughout the Bible as a time of transformation.

First used in the 13th century, the word Lent comes from the Middle English word lente or springtime, a season of reawakening. These forty days before Easter (not counting the Sundays) are recognized by many Christian churches as a time of spiritual renewal.

Ready, Set, Go!

Before the team takes the basketball court, the soloist performs the recital, the actor goes on stage, and the student takes an exam, they prepare for the challenge ahead of them. They prepare to do their best by training with a coach, a mentor, a teacher, or someone who can show them the way and give them guidance with their skills and techniques.

• Tell about a time when you prepared for an event with someone who coached or mentored you.
• Describe what happened at your last practice just before the competition, recital, or other event.
• How did you know you were ready to perform or compete?
• How important was the involvement of your coach, mentor, or advocate?

Today’s scripture passage is a conversation describing Jesus’s last experience before he began his ministry. It tells how he was tested, and what his responses revealed about his nature and mission. Read the passage taking turns.

• How had Jesus prepared to withstand the temptations placed before him?
• How are the roles in this passage like a mentor testing the readiness of an individual for a task?
• How does this scripture passage connect to your spiritual growth?

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

Choices

In the scripture passage, Jesus had choices to make. He made those choices based on his relationship and commitment to God. With whom do you communicate when you have choices to make? Write the titles such as teacher, coach, parent, or God on slips of paper, fold in half, and place in a container. Use several slips of paper, if needed. After all papers are in container, unfold, categorize, and display them for all to see.

• Who are the most common individuals consulted?
• Why do people go to them?
• How does this relationship affect choices?

Read the section below from the Enduring Principle Responsible Choices from Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, p. 30.

Responsible Choices

• • God gave humans the ability to make choices about whom or what they will serve. Some people experience conditions that diminish their ability to make choices.
  • Human choices contribute to good or evil in our lives and in the world.
  • Many aspects of creation need redemption because of irresponsible and sinful human choices.
  • We are called to make responsible choices within the circumstances of our lives that contribute to the purposes of God.

Discuss:

• What keeps us from responding to God’s call?
• What changes do we need to make in our lives so we may better follow Jesus, the peaceful One?
• How can we respond more faithfully to Jesus’s invitation, “Follow me”?

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

Whom Do You Serve?

Jesus began his ministry to “worship the Lord [his] God, and serve only him” (v. 10). As Christians, we declare our promise to be Jesus’s disciples, to learn and follow what he taught and practiced.

• How do you prepare to be a faithful disciple of Jesus?
• How can the five Mission Initiatives of Community of Christ (Invite People to Christ; Abolish Poverty, End Suffering; Pursue Peace on Earth; Develop Disciples to Serve; and Experience Congregations in Mission) provide opportunities for disciples to grow?

Make a chart titled “Invite People to Christ.” Together list people you can invite to your church activities in the next few weeks.

• Consider what you need to do as an individual and a class to be invitational.
• Ask yourself, “Do I represent Jesus in a way that others would want to come with me?”
• How do you live daily to represent Jesus, the peaceful One?

Prayerfully consider these questions this week and invite someone to come with you to a church activity.

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Close by singing or by each group member taking a different verse or phrase to read from “Jesus, Tempted in the Desert” CCS 449, or sing “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” CCS 190 stanzas 1–3 as a closing prayer. 

Background for Teachers

Focus Scripture Passage

Matthew 4:1–11 

Lesson Focus

Jesus was tempted by the same things that tempt us today.  

Objectives 

The learners will… 

• retell the story of Jesus’s temptation in the desert. 
• understand about the season of Lent. 
• make a Lent jar to use as a spiritual practice during Lent. 
• explain about the Mission Initiative of Develop Disciples to Serve. 

Supplies 

• Bible or Lectionary Story Bible, Year A, by Ralph Milton, illustrated by Margaret Kyle (Wood Lake Publishing, 2007, ISBN 9781551455471) 
• Small bowl of treats or other items for the children (such as candies, crackers, stickers, or erasers) plus extras 
• Glass canning jar for each child (if glass jars are not available, paper cups or transparent plastic cups would work) 
• Glue 
• Paintbrushes (optional) 
• Colorful tissue paper 

Notes to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Matthew 4:1–11 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: New Testament, pp. 45–46, available through Herald House. 

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

Gather the children in a group. Pass around a bowl of small candies, crackers, or some other desirable item such as stickers or erasers. Tell the children they may take as many as they want, until the bowl is empty. There is a chance that the first few children will take more than a fair share of the items, leaving none for the other children. It is also possible that the first few children will realize they need to leave some for the other children and will only take a small amount. No matter which happens, use the activity as an opportunity to talk about temptation. (Temptation is the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise.) Sometimes we are tempted to take more than our fair share, or to take something that doesn’t belong to us, or to do something we shouldn’t. Our scripture passage today is about a time when Jesus was tempted.  

Note

Be sure to have extras of the snacks or other items available so everyone ends up with a fair amount. 

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

Read “Jesus Gets Ready” on pp. 78–79 in Lectionary Story Bible, Year A, by Ralph Milton. Or, read Matthew 4:1–11. Discuss: 

• What happened when Jesus was in the desert? 
• What temptations did Jesus face? 
• Why was Jesus able to resist the temptations? (He knew God was with him and God loved him. He wanted to serve God. He wanted to please God.) 
• How does this story connect with our opening activity? 
• When have you felt tempted to do something you shouldn’t? 
• How can our relationship with God help us resist temptation? 

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

Jesus spent 40 days in the desert. He spent that time praying and fasting (not eating). Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is a season on the church calendar that includes the 40 days (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter. Often, people observe Lent as a time of prayer, fasting, and giving. It is a time to refocus on our relationship with God. Some people choose to give up something during Lent. This is a form of fasting. Often, they choose something that might be coming between them and their relationship with God. For example, they might give up watching TV or spending time on social media, and they might use that time to read scriptures or pray. Other people might give up unhealthy habits and replace those habits with healthier ones. Some people focus on “almsgiving” during Lent. This means donating money, food, or other items to those in need. 

Craft: Lent Jars 

Each child will decorate a jar by gluing strips of colorful tissue paper onto the jar. You might want to water down the glue and use paintbrushes to apply it. 

Pass out strips of paper to the children. On each piece of paper, they will write one thing they can do during Lent. Younger children can draw their ideas, and an adult or older child can write their ideas for them. Encourage the children to share their ideas with the group. Ideas might include: 

• donate toys 
• donate clothes 
• help someone before they ask 
• share a toy with a friend
• read scriptures 
• pray for someone 
• thank God for something 
• do an extra chore 
• choose a healthy snack instead of candy 
• exercise 
• clean up litter 
• plant a tree or flowers 
• hug a friend 
• choose a reusable water bottle instead of a disposable one 

Children can make as many strips of paper as time allows. They can put the finished paper strips in their decorated jar and pull one out every few days during Lent and complete the task on the paper. 

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

One of Community of Christ’s Mission Initiatives is Develop Disciples to Serve. Jesus’s time in the desert models for us one way we can develop as followers of Jesus. Jesus took time away from other distractions to pray and fast. We can deepen our discipleship by doing some of the things we wrote about in our Lent jars. 

Play a game of charades. Invite children to act out ways they can be disciples of Jesus; the other children can guess what they are doing. 

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Offer a prayer of blessing for the Season of Lent. Ask God’s blessing to be with the children as they find ways to deepen their discipleship.