Today’s sermon is based on today’s Old Testament from Deuteronomy 26:1-11. It speaks of what the Israelites are to do when they come out of the wilderness and into the land which the Lord has given them.  It connects strongly with the Gospel, which covers the temptation of Jesus, which takes place in the wilderness.  For this first Sunday of Lent we will look at the big Biblical metaphor of how God has redeemed us out from the wilderness into a land flowing with milk and honey (Duet 26:1; 9). In part, that is what Jesus was doing out there as he obediently followed his Father and resisted temptation, so he could set a path to the cross that would make possible our ultimate change in location from death to life.  It helps us all the time to remember that God has indeed brought us to a promised land.  That is our new reality as Christians.  And by the way, of course we give back to God from the first fruits of this – such is our joy and gratitude (Deut 26:10).