Pilgrim Uniting Church, Adelaide SA SUN 21-FEB-2021 - 11.00 AM Sermon Rev Sandy Boyce Lent 1 – Lent is a time of fasting, when you give up, for example, chocolate or TV. In the last year we have had to give up a lot, because of all the slowdown, postponement, deprivation, limitation and loss. We've given up so much ever since Lent last year. Doesn't it make giving up for Lent this year seem a bit redundant? So this year, instead of giving up something else for Lent, perhaps we could instead take up something that's life-giving, or gently take down something that detracts from all that's joy. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the silence of the desert for 40 days, away from the challenges of noise, demands and distractions. In silence we might get to know ourselves better, to see how we really are and not how we imagine ourselves to be, and give us an idea of the real changes we need to make. During his time in the desert, Jesus was served by angels; who have been the angels caring for you during the Covid desert experience? Commit to calling to mind what you're grateful for every day. Even with the pressures of Covid, God is offering love and compassion each day. May we have the courage to to open ourselves to rejoicing in the giftedness of this marvellous and precious life with which we are blessed. Mark 1: 9-15 Playing Time   –   13:13