Thursday after Ash Wednesday.

"Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Psalm 1, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, and Luke 9:18-25

This being the first day after Ash Wednesday, after being invited to the observation of a holy Lent, we shouldn't be surprised to have these readings greet us today.

• "Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked." Psalm 1:1
• "Choose life so that you and your descendants may live." Deuteronomy 30:19b
• "Then he said to them all, 'If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.'" Luke 19:23

Each of these passages calls out to us with words of warning and words of encouragement, and don't we need both in healthy doses? Too much of either leads to an imbalance, and we wonder if we'll ever measure up or begin to think that we can never falter.

The Israelites here in Deuteronomy needed to be reminded of the stakes in their covenant with God: that God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and that God could lead them to prosperity. They could choose life and prosperity or death and adversity. That shouldn't be a difficult choice, especially since they had already faltered at least once before in their trust of God.  Now, though, their charge was to love God, obey God, and worship only God.

As Christians we believe this opportunity is extended to us, too, in the person of Jesus Christ, who Peter proclaims in today's gospel as "the Messiah of God." As God challenged the Israelites, Jesus also challenges those who wish to follow him. He says that in order to be a follower, one must "deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

Observing a fast or keeping a discipline for the season of Lent is so challenging because of the many distractions around us. Simply in writing this post, I was distracted countless times to check email, get coffee, or something else. In life, when the stakes are so much higher, it's still very easy to be distracted, to lose focus, or to falter. All of this is why I find the collect for today so wonderful and reassuring and humbling. The words remind us to seek God in all our works, and that in doing so we can glorify God, and those are great words to remember as we look to the long journey ahead.