First Sunday in Lent (2/22)

READ: James 1:16-18 

Don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all. He chose to give us birth by his true word, and here is the result: we are like the first crop from the harvest of everything he created.

REFLECT 

In the midst of trials and temptations, James anchors us: God gives good gifts. Always. Empire promises security through accumulation, safety through domination, peace through violence. These are shifting shadows. God doesn't change—what looked like liberation in Egypt still looks like liberation in DC. We are firstfruits of God's new creation, signs that another world is possible. As we begin this Lenten journey in earnest, we ground ourselves in the God who doesn't shift with power's tides.

RESPOND 

List three good gifts from God in your life right now, even small ones. Then ask: how might these gifts be for the flourishing of others, not just yourself?

PRAY 

Father of lights, in a world of shifting powers and changing promises, you remain. Root us in your unchanging love. Amen.