Lent is Love

Michael W. Arnold — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:50:13 -0600

“Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dust forgive the sins of all those who are penitent…” These have to be some of my favorite words. Not just in the prayer book, but in general. Those words are the heart of my ministry: reminding people that there is nothing that can bring them outside the love of God and that Jesus is able and willing to forgive all sin.

Let me unpack that just a little bit. I was raised outside of the church. In my religious world, sin was my problem. God had given me the tools to overcome sin, but it was up to me to use them. Each sin required my work to overcome. Each sin, once overcome, needed more work from me to show God that I was sorry. If I sinned again, I must not have been truly sorry and needed to work harder the next time.

Like Sisyphus, I would work and work and work to reach God, only to have it all fall right back down to the bottom. Sin terrified me. I hoped that my lame attempts to recover from small sins would count for something before God, but the idea of a big sin was always hanging out there. I knew because I couldn’t overcome small sins, I’d be eternally damned if I ever made a big mistake.

In so many ways, I think Lent is seen by so many as the same thing. It’s a season for us to feel horrible about ourselves. A season to remember how crappy we are. A season of fasting where we try and earn God’s favor by showing him how sorry we are or how much better we can do when we really try.

My friends, this is not Lent. I am so thankful that the Spirit moved our English fathers to add a second collect to entire season Lent to help keep us from this very easy error.

So, let me say it again, God does not hate us. Anyone. He hates our sin. “Hate the sin, not the sinner” gets used and abused in the modern Christian discourse, but there is truth in it. God hates sin because it destroys and hurts what He loves; us. God’s wrath and anger towards sin comes from His deep, deep love for us. When God yells, it’s the yell of a father stopping his son from running into the street after his ball.

In Lent we fast, not to earn favor, but to gain clarity. Stripping away a comfort or two, skipping a few meals, struggling to stay on top of a special devotion; in all of these things we become more aware of our bodies, our daily patterns, and our weakness. These fasts help us step out of the ordinary and reflect. And, in that reflection, to see our weakness. And in that weakness, to turn to the one who is strong and ready to support us.

If all you get out of the Lenten readings is “why I’m a horrible person, I can’t believe I made Jesus have to do all of that.” You’ve missed the point. You didn’t make Jesus do anything. Jesus is God. He is not compelled to do anything. He did it willingly. He did it out of love.

No matter how low humanity goes, Jesus willingly goes there to save us.

Read the Old Testament. Pick a history of any people on earth: English, Greek, Japanese, Aztec; I don’t care whose history you find, it’ll go to some really dark messed up places. Murder, greed, war, famine, torture, really awful stuff. No one’s avoided it. No one has risen above it. And we only have histories since the flood! What was going on then that was so bad God had to reset things?!

The Bible and the history of the world prove that no sin is too deep for the love of God. He truly hates nothing that He has made and will stop of nothing to save you. No matter what. No matter where. No matter what He must do. This is the God the Lenten season points us to. This is the God we are called to share with the world.

Lent isn’t driving us to feel real down and low about ourselves so we’re ready to feel really happy about Easter. No, in Lent God helps us see the depth and full power of the cross. In knowing our sin, in naming our sin, in owning that we are unable to do a single thing about it, we start to see the full power of the cross; the universe-shattering thing Jesus did when He rose from the grave. What it actually means to say that His resurrection freed us from the curse of death.

You see, if we go on pretending that there’s sins we have to deal with before seeking Jesus. If we keep pretending there’s part of our lives we have to clean up before we can stand before His throne. We are blaspheming the Lord. We are saying His promise is a lie. We are saying His sacrifice wasn’t sufficient. We are saying His power is limited.

Thanks be to God these are all lies. His grace is sufficient. His power unending. On the cross He bore all sin; not just some; all. As He stepped out of the tomb, He offered forgiveness, love, and new life to everyone: traitors, cowards, the weeping, the scared, the sick, murderers, tyrants, everyone.

Jesus wasn’t compelled to return to Peter. There was no covenant Jesus was required to fulfill. No, despite having been denied by him three times. Despite his cowardness and his lack of faith, Jesus returned to Peter because of love. Jesus forgave and continued teaching and molding Peter simple because Peter was willing to receive. Nothing will keep Jesus away from those who will receive Him.

With all of this in mind, then, let us look at today’s gospel reading. In particular, I want to focus on a few maybe not so obvious aspects of this well-known event.

First: the Devil does a lot of “taking” of Jesus here. I get the sense that the Devil is trying to figure out how powerful Jesus really is. I don’t think the Devil fully understands that Jesus is God the Son. Either way, let’s be clear. Jesus wasn’t “taken” anywhere. He went. He went willingly. The Devil thought he was taking Jesus somewhere, but Jesus went; He wasn’t took.

Which, is the second observation, why is Jesus going with the Devil? He obviously has no interest in what the Devil has to say. At this point Jesus is tired and hungry. He is deeply in tune with His body; its pains, weaknesses, and wants. The Devil knows our bodies well. The sins of the flesh are his favorite temptations. Hanging out with the Devil in this state was torture for Jesus. His time with the Devil was so awful, God sent angels to minister to Him afterwards. That’s how bad it was.

But, why? Why did Jesus go? Why did Jesus endure that?

Primarily, of course, to show us how He is the one man who can perfectly resist the Devil’s temptations. Secondly, to show us how we can lean on God’s Holy Word in our struggles against sin, the Devil, powers, and principalities.

But, I see a third thing Jesus is showing us. Jesus willingly went with the Devil and freely suffered his torture to show us how deep His love for us goes.

Jesus stood next to that disgusting creature tempting Him to eat rocks, because He knows some of us have made that deal. Jesus shows us that even when we’re cracking our teeth eating dirty rocks, He’ll come to us.

He stood next to evil so concentrated that it caused pain in His soul atop the temple. This creature wasn’t reflecting on God’s holiness present there, the beauty, the prayers, the hope, the forgiveness. No, he just wanted God to do a party trick at his command. Jesus knew we’d sit in Mass and do the same. Even in that shame, Jesus willingly comes to us with arms open ready to receive.

Jesus went with the Devil and saw all the kingdoms of the world. The Devil showed Him wars, mighty palaces built by slaves, temples to false Gods, fields of plenty hoarded by the powerful, grand cities surrounded by slums, and so much more. The Devil called it “glory”, but Jesus couldn’t imagine anything worse. He knew many of us would seek this “glory” only to find its true darkness. Even in our towers of lies, Jesus will come to us when we call.

In each and every temptation Jesus showed us that He could endure. That He would go anywhere. That there is nothing He will not do and nowhere He will not go for us.

Hear the good news this morning: God hates nothing that He has made and forgives the sins of all that seek it. He’ll come to you no matter where you are, no matter how dark, how filthy, how embarrassing. He loves you and nothing will prevent Him from saving you.

Lent isn’t about making ourselves worthy of Easter; it’s about making ourselves ready. Fast to know your body and to step outside of the norm. Dig into scripture. Lean deeper into prayer and relationship with God. When you think of sin, think of the deepness of His love. Go deeper and deeper into His love. This is the journey of Lent. This is our invitation these forty days. Come to Easter not with shame and guilt, but with awe. Awe for the God who died for you. Awe for the God who receives you in filthy rags and places a crown upon your head. Awe at the God who doesn’t look away from our warts and sores, but heals. Awe at the God who is love who gave His life for us and rose that we might rise with Him.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Temptation on Marmanold.com

Lent is Love