Here’s a prayer for the First Sunday in Lent, taken from my book Prayers for All Seasons, focusing especially on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
First Sunday in Lent: Petition
Gracious and merciful God,
on this first Sunday of Lent we come together to worship you,
to praise and thank you,
to seek your forgiveness and to ask for renewal.
Create in us a clean heart, O Lord,
and put a right spirit within us.
We come in the name of Christ,
remembering his lonely days in the wilderness,
his time wrestling with temptation,
and the ministry that followed,
restoring and transforming so many lives.
Create in us a clean heart, O Lord,
and put a right spirit within us.
Help us to learn from his example –
to search our hearts as he did,
to consider our calling,
to reflect on our faith,
to resist temptation,
and to commit ourselves more wholly to you.
Create in us a clean heart, O Lord,
and put a right spirit within us.
Help us to recognise all Jesus has done for us
through his life, death and resurrection;
and so may we come gladly to you,
confessing our sins,
acknowledging our faults,
accepting our weaknesses,
and receiving your forgiveness.
Create in us a clean heart, O Lord,
and put a right spirit within us.
Gracious and merciful God,
we come together on this first Sunday of Lent.
Speak to us today and in the days ahead,
so that we may know you and love you better.
Create in us a clean heart, O Lord,
and put a right spirit within us.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.