Blog
First Sunday in Lent
Jesus’ Spirit-Filled Journey
Luke 4:1–13
by Laurel Akin
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil.
–Luke 4:1
I attended my first Mission u, then called the School of Christian Mission, more than 30 years ago. I was in a place I’d never been before—the chapel at Blue Lake Assembly near Andalusia, Alabama.
Another first for me—we sang “Here I am Lord” at one of our worship times. As those words filled my ears, my eyes filled with tears, and my heart filled with the Holy Spirit.
As I meditated on today’s Scripture from Luke, I was struck by the phrase “full of the Holy Spirit” in the first sentence. It is set off by commas, which often means that what is between the commas isn’t essential to the meaning of the sentence. In this case, I believe nothing could be further from the truth.
Being full of the Holy Spirit gave Jesus the strength to withstand the temptations he would face in the wilderness. Being full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus knew his purpose as Immanuel, God with us, was immeasurably greater than anything the devil could offer.
I would love to be able to say that the feeling I experienced that day at Blue Lake stayed with me always. But we are only human and don’t always recognize that the Holy Spirit is with us, ready to guide us. There are temptations in all of our lives, some of which we succumb to. I am thankful for God’s love, grace, and forgiveness.
Prayer
Gracious and loving Creator, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to comfort, strengthen and guide us. Amen
Laurel Akin was consecrated as a deaconess at Assembly in 2018 and commissioned to a ministry of photography and writing. The seed for her calling was planted at her first United Women in Faith conference event.
