Lessons for March 11, 2007 – Third Sunday in Lent

The first lesson

Isaiah 55:1-9
 
    "Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it's all free! [2] Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul! 
    [3] "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David. [4] He displayed my power by being my witness and a leader among the nations. [5] You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, because I, the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, have made you glorious." 
    [6] Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. [7] Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 
    [8] "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. [9] For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (NLT)

Psalm 63:1-8

L.  O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.
C.  My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you
L.  in this parched and weary land where there is no water.
C.  I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. 
L.  Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you! 
C.  I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. 
L.  You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.
C.  I will praise you with songs of joy.
L.  I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. 
C.  I think how much you have helped me;
L.  I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings. 
C.  I follow close behind you; your strong right hand holds me securely.  (NLT)

The second lesson	

1 Corinthians 10:1-13
 
    I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, what happened to our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. God guided all of them by sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them, and he brought them all safely through the waters of the sea on dry ground. [2] As followers of Moses, they were all baptized in the cloud and the sea. [3] And all of them ate the same miraculous food, [4] and all of them drank the same miraculous water. For they all drank from the miraculous rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. [5] Yet after all this, God was not pleased with most of them, and he destroyed them in the wilderness. 
    [6] These events happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did [7] or worship idols as some of them did. For the Scriptures say, "The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged themselves in pagan revelry." [8] And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. [9] Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. [10] And don't grumble as some of them did, for that is why God sent his angel of death to destroy them. [11] All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close. 
    [12] If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. [13] But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.  (NLT)

The Gospel Lesson

Luke 13:1-9
 
    About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the Temple in Jerusalem. [2] "Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than other people from Galilee?" he asked. "Is that why they suffered? [3] Not at all! And you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God. [4] And what about the eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? [5] No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will also perish."
 
    [6] Then Jesus used this illustration: "A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. [7] Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I've waited three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's taking up space we can use for something else.' 
    [8] "The gardener answered, 'Give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. [9] If we get figs next year, fine. If not, you can cut it down.' "  (NLT)