We look at Deuteronomy 8 and consider the message from Moses to Israel after 40 years of wandering. 

The number 40 plays an outsized role in many of the stories of Scripture: from the number of days it rained on the ark, to the length of

time Jesus spent in the wilderness prior to His temptation. The 40-day period of Lent acts in a similar way, where the length of time

shapes and forms the faith of those called to trust in God. During this 40-day season of Lent, we will study the Bible passages where “40

days” plays a vital role in shaping God’s people.

We reflect on a portion from No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler and conversation she had with a friend about tragic, apocalyptic and pastoral time. 

We look at the way in which the author of Esther uses feasts and banquets to organize the book, reflecting also on the Feast of Communion we celebrate as Christ's disciples. 

The number 40 plays an outsized role in many of the stories of Scripture: from the number of days it rained on the ark, to the length of

time Jesus spent in the wilderness prior to His temptation. The 40-day period of Lent acts in a similar way, where the length of time

shapes and forms the faith of those called to trust in God. During this 40-day season of Lent, we will study the Bible passages where “40

days” plays a vital role in shaping God’s people.

When life does not go the way we expect, we are tempted toward one of two extremes. On the one extreme, there is a weak god (if there is a god at all), and we are left to the whims of the universe. On the other extreme, the God in charge simply acts...and people are just puppets. The world of Esther undermines these extremes as we meet people who are called to act in the midst of immensely difficult situations. And, we meet a God who is clearly at work, behind the scenes, even when we have trouble sleeping.

We close down our look at Esther with a reflection on how her 'moment' and our 'moment' share similarities. 

When life does not go the way we expect, we are tempted toward one of two extremes. On the one extreme, there is a weak god (if there is a god at all), and we are left to the whims of the universe. On the other extreme, the God in charge simply acts...and people are just puppets. The world of Esther undermines these extremes as we meet people who are called to act in the midst of immensely difficult situations. And, we meet a God who is clearly at work, behind the scenes, even when we have trouble sleeping.

When life does not go the way we expect, we are tempted toward one of two extremes. On the one extreme, there is a weak god (if there is a god at all), and we are left to the whims of the universe. On the other extreme, the God in charge simply acts...and people are just puppets. The world of Esther undermines these extremes as we meet people who are called to act in the midst of immensely difficult situations. And, we meet a God who is clearly at work, behind the scenes, even when we have trouble sleeping.

We go deep (again) on Esther 5:1, looking not at Esther's "royal robes" but instead at the first phrase, "on the third day."