February 14, First Sunday in Lent: Luke 4:1-13

One of the many patterns discernible in the Revised Common Lectionary is a shift from year to year in the people the Lenten texts focus on. Year A is most interested in the spiritual growth and development of new believers. In Year B, the ranks of the faithful—those deepening their relationship to Jesus Christ and at home in the church—are the focal point. This year, Year C, draws attention to those who are alienated from Christ and the church.

My husband and I are Year B people living among Year B people. We live in the bosom of community. We walk about two blocks to worship in a building that also houses my husband’s massage practice. I have only a mile to travel to work (by car more often than I care to admit). Child care for our son is usually free or bartered and includes a doting auntie and grandparents. We are revitalizing the soil in the yard, helping it become more fertile and productive. We and our friends are part of an active local community of locavores, dumpster divers, and cultural creatives.

In Year C, as in Year A, the Gospel reading for the first Sunday in Lent begins with Jesus’ sojourn into the wilderness, culminating in his temptation by Satan. We do not hear Mark’s celebratory words from Year B that first proclaim Jesus’ belovedness at his baptism, enabling him to withstand his adversary. So it’s not immediately clear what the good news is for my friends and me in Luke 4:1–13.