The season of Lent echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and dealing with a variety of temptations. So it’s appropriate that the gospel reading for this First Sunday of Lent describes how He was offered all the wealth, power and immortality anyone could ever want. “The whole world can be yours, and if you worship me, it will all be yours,” the devil declared. “Just do that one thing, and you’ll have everything you could ever possibly desire.” The offer was alluring, and Jesus had to make some choices. Would he say yes, or no?

Of course, not everyone believes that an actual demonic entity exists. But all of us face temptations of various kinds – and have choices to make. To be sure, few if any of them are as consequential as the ones that Jesus faced. But the choices we make do matter.

This coming Sunday, you’ll be asked to make some choices that relate to the future of St. Mark’s United Church. Our annual congregational meeting will be held immediately following worship, and we’ll be considering a proposal to launch several new initiatives over the coming year. They’re designed to help us reach out to the community in some different ways and offer some new programs and initiatives – so your input is important. Thus I hope you’ll be present to discuss these ideas, offer your response, and help make some choices about the future direction of St. Mark’s. Afterwards, we’ll have a chance to enjoy a delicious lunch, and continue our conversations. March 9 will be an important day in the life of our congregation. I very much hope to see you this coming Sunday at 10:30 am.