Stories & News

Our Gospel reading this week features a sweeping drama encapsulated in a dinner hosted by Lazarus, a man Jesus raised from the dead mere days before. “It is a story bathed in the light of a much greater revelation,” writes Summerlee Staten, “the truth that God is the God of resurrection,” not just for some, but for all who rest in Jesus.

What if the Parable of the Prodigal Son is actually about two brothers, the reckless and the rule-follower, each lost in his own way? We, too, lose our way searching for fulfillment in places we’ll never find it, writes the Rev. Yein Kim, “but God has already found us.”

In times of desperation, we often turn to self-preservation rather than surrender to God’s protection. “But just because we fail to recognize our need,” writes Patrick Haley, “doesn’t mean we need God any less.” Lent helps us see we can’t do it all on our own.

While fasting is oftentimes associated with food, today we might interpret the term more expansively: pausing or stopping certain habits to focus on what’s essential, what’s true, and what’s holy.