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<table class="gmail-m_7689280344162739312layout gmail-m_7689280344162739312layout-table gmail-m_7689280344162739312root-table" style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" width="650" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="gmail-m_7689280344162739312layout-row-margin21371" style="padding:5px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_7689280344162739312layout-row21371" class="gmail-m_7689280344162739312layout gmail-m_7689280344162739312layout-row gmail-m_7689280344162739312widget gmail-m_7689280344162739312_widget_text gmail-m_7689280344162739312style21371" style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><td id="gmail-m_7689280344162739312layout-row-padding21371" style="padding:10px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_7689280344162739312text_div20930" class="gmail-m_7689280344162739312td_text gmail-m_7689280344162739312td_block" style="color:inherit;font-size:12px;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.5;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:Arial" align="left" valign="top"><div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-align:start"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;font-style:normal;text-align:start"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">Friends,
we have come to the great and holy season of Lent<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>. Lent is, by its
nature, a desert time, a time of simplicity, purification, and
asceticism. </b></span>We notice <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>today in Mark’s account of the
temptation that the Spirit himself led Jesus into the desert. </b></span></span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>In
so many of the great figures of salvation history—Abraham, Jacob,
Joseph, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David—a period of testing is required
before they can commence their work.</b></span> We see the same thing in the
initiation rituals of tribal peoples as well—and you can see it in Luke
Skywalker’s initiation in </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:italic">Star Wars</span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">. </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">The
desert represents a stripping away so as to make the fundamental things
appear. In the desert, there are no <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">distractions or diversions or
secondary matters</span>. Everything is basic, necessary, simple. One survives
or one <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">doesn’t</span>.</span></b></span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>One
discovers in the desert strengths and <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">weaknesses</span> he <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)">didn’t know</span> he <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">had</span>.</b></span>
<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b> It is like the purifying of a metal in fire. </b></span>Now, <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Jesus </b></span>didn’t have sin
to deal with, but <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>in his humanity, he knew <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">temptation</span></b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">.</span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Before we’re
ready to resume our work, we have to go with him into the wilderness.</b></span></span></b><br></span></b></div>
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