St. John's Lutheran Church: Alexandria, VA

Lent 2011 - On the Lenten Road

In the Gospel lessons appointed to be read in worship during the Lenten season, we encounter places along the Lenten road: the barren desert, a meeting that occurs under cover of darkness, a well where people come to draw water, a pool of water near the temple, a grave where a loved one has been buried. All of these are places that point to Jesus and his power to help in time of need. On the First Sunday in Lent (March 13), Jesus is tempted by Satan in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11), but He does not give in and remains true to the mission the Father has given him. On the Second Sunday in Lent (March 20), Jesus has a conversation at night with Nicodemus (John 3:1-17) about what it means to be born from above by water and the Spirit. On the Third Sunday in Lent (March 27), Jesus stops to rest at Jacob’s well and engages a Samaritan woman about her need for living water (John 4:5-26). On the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Jesus heals a man who was born blind by placing mud on his eyes and sending him to the pool of Siloam to wash (John 9:1-41). And on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Jesus raises his good friend, Lazarus, from the dead after he had already been in the grave for four days (John 11:1-45). I invite you to join your fellow travelers on this Lenten road as we stop at the various places along the way mentioned above.