Holy God, we bring our tithes and offerings to your altar, understanding that on the journey in Lent, we can’t avoid or detour around the wilderness. It is essential that we hear Jesus call us to repentance! Bless our gifts for your unfinished kingdom work. Remind us, as we worship here, that this redemption of our lives did not come without a price; without our own repentance, we can miss the enormity of the gift Jesus gave. Knowing we cannot earn this redemption and forgiveness, this wiping clean of our ledger, we can only hope to reflect such grace and compassion in our encounters with others. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen. (Mark 1:9-15)