The Wake-Up Call — First Sunday of Lent

Host: John David Walt (Seedbed)
Guest: David Walt
Date: February 22, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode marks the first Sunday of Lent in Seedbed's "Jesus Asking" series. Host John David Walt reorients the community for the season, explaining why Sundays are "feast days" and distinct within the Lenten period. Instead of the usual reflection, today centers on a Scripture reading and a communal worship moment, aiming to deepen listeners’ personal friendship with Jesus throughout Lent.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Unique Rhythm of Sundays in Lent

Sundays Excluded from Fasting:
- Lent traditionally includes 40 days of fasting, not counting the six Sundays. Sundays are always “feast days.”
- Quote: “You never fast on a Sunday. You fast on the other days.” (01:04)
Pilgrimage Metaphor:
- Walt likens the Lent Sundays to a pilgrimage, visiting “six different holy sites” through scripture.
- Quote: “I think of this... like a pilgrimage. We’re going to six different holy sites. We’re getting on the bus.” (01:42)

2. Itinerary for Lent’s Six Sundays (Scriptural Focuses)

First Sunday: Caesarea Philippi (This episode)
Second Sunday: Mount of Transfiguration (return visit for deeper reflection)
Third Sunday: Jordan River
Fourth Sunday: The Wilderness (where Jesus was tempted)
Fifth Sunday: Jerusalem, Jesus washes the disciples' feet
Sixth Sunday: The Pool of Bethesda (healing of the man who had been incapacitated for 38 years)
- Quote: “Don’t you kind of like that, knowing where we’re going?” (02:49)

3. Scripture Reading – Matthew 16:13–28 [06:07 – 08:30]

Walt reads the entire passage, centering on Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah, Jesus’ foretelling of his suffering, and the famous teaching on losing one’s life to find it.
- Key phrases from the passage:
  - “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
  - “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
  - “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
  - “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
Quote: “The word of the Lord. It's good just to read a long text like that, isn't it, Dad?” (08:33)

4. Reflection on Scripture’s Self-Sufficiency

Walt acknowledges the temptation to comment extensively but chooses to let the passage stand on its own.
- Quote: “Really, the word of God needs no comment... it is complete in and of itself.” (08:37)
He mentions preaching on this text at his local church and others doing the same, inviting listeners to join online if interested.
- Quote: “If you would like to hear what I have to say about that text, you can just come to Gillette today.” (08:53)

5. Communal Worship – “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” [10:00 – 12:29]

A special moment as John David and his father, David Walt, sing the hymn together, reinforcing the episode's focus on friendship with Jesus.
- Hymn Highlights:
  - “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear...”
  - “Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer.”
Quote (David Walt): “What a friend we have in Jesus, 116.” (10:05)

6. Friendship with Jesus — A Deeper Invitation

Lent as a call not merely to serve Jesus but to be considered his friend.
- Quote: “He's not looking for servants. He's not looking for employees. He's not looking for fans. He's looking for friends.” (13:16)
Personalizes the hymn’s sentiment, imagining Jesus singing about his friendship with us.
- Quote: “I bet Jesus, if he’s singing this song, he’s thinking, 'What a friend I have in David.' Amen. And I hope he’s singing, 'What a friend I have in John David.' And I have a sense he’s singing, 'What a friend I have in Mary and Peter and Thomas.' And you know your name, too.” (12:46)
Invitation to “raise your hand” and come closer into friendship with Christ, referencing how some were in Jesus’ inner circle.
- Quote: “All you gotta do is say, ‘Jesus, pick me. I’ll be your friend.’ And that’s what Lent is about.” (13:29)
Emphasizes that the “disciple whom Jesus loved” is a spot open for anyone willing to draw close.
- Quote: “That disciple that you hear about in John’s Gospel... that spot again. It’s reserved for anybody who will raise their hand and say, 'That’s where I want to be.'” (14:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Lent’s Sundays:
- “You never fast on a Sunday. You fast on the other days.” (01:04)
On the Pilgrimage of Lent:
- “We’re going to six different holy sites. We’re getting on the bus.” (01:42)
On Friendship with Jesus:
- “He’s not looking for employees. He’s looking for friends.” (13:16)
On Letting Scripture Speak:
- “Really, the word of God needs no comment...it is complete in and of itself.” (08:37)
On Lent’s Purpose:
- “These days of Lent, they’re days that are meant to deepen our friendship with Jesus.” (12:29)
Closing Blessing:
- “Be ready to see friends. Be ready to see maybe visitors at your church. Just be ready to befriend them, to deepen your friendships with each other.” (15:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

Lenten Pilgrimage Itinerary: 01:42 – 03:04
Overview and explanation of Sundays in Lent: 00:45 – 01:36
Scripture Reading (Matthew 16:13–28): 06:07 – 08:30
Worship with “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”: 10:00 – 12:29
Reflection on friendship with Jesus: 12:29 – 15:30

Tone & Atmosphere

Warm, reflective, and inviting.
Informal interaction between John David and his father brings a family-like, communal sense.
Emphasis on personal relationship and encouragement for spiritual friendship.
The mood is gentle and contemplative, fitting for the Lenten journey.

Summary Takeaway

This episode launches listeners on a Lenten journey as a pilgrimage through significant scriptural scenes, with an emphasis not on ritual or duty but on deepening our personal friendship with Jesus. By focusing on the Gospel text and joining in a beloved hymn, the hosts invite everyone—no matter where they start from—to draw closer and say, “Jesus, pick me. I’ll be your friend.”

Transcript

A (0:03)

Hey, good morning. It's Sunday, February 22nd, in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm John David Walt, and this is your wake up call. And Sundays are going to be a little bit different during this Jesus asking series through Lent. If you've noticed in the book, I, I don't have an entry on Sundays. I just have a scripture text. And that's because Lent, the 40 days of Lent, do not include the six Sundays. You see, Sunday is always a feast day. You never fast on a Sunday. You fast on the other days. Lent is a season of fasting, but it breaks for the Sundays. Now, we observe that we're in this season and you've noticed if you have the book, and of course, if you don't have the book, you're doing this with the emails or the podcast. It all's basically the same. But I listed a series of scripture text that we're going to be navigating through on the six Sundays of Lent. And I think of this, this is. It's like a, like a pilgrimage. We're going to six different holy sites. We're getting on the bus. First stop, first Sunday of Lent is Caesarea Philippi. Second Sunday, we're going to get back on the bus, and we're going to the Mount of Transfiguration. Okay, we're going back there because there's so much to take in, we couldn't even grasp it all. Third stop, third Sunday of Lent, we're going to the Jordan River. The bus is going to take us right down to the water's edge. We're going to get out of the bus, and some of you are going to get in the water. Some of us will stay back on the. On the bank. But Jordan river, fourth Sunday, fourth stop, I'm giving you the itinerary. Don't you kind of like that, knowing where we're going? Fourth Sunday, we're going to leave the Jordan, get back on the bus and go to the wilderness, the desert, that place where Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting, praying, being tempted, speaking God's word straight into the devil's face and. Oh, look who's coming in here. Dad's coming over. Dad, can you pull in over here? Come all the way over. Let me qu.

B (3:06)

Your cherry. All right,

A (3:12)

let's pull up right there. You got it? Yep. Make it good. All right. Well, I was up to the fourth Sunday. We're. We're going into the wilderness with Jesus. Fifth Sunday, we are going to be. Where are we going on. Oh, we're going to watch Jesus. We're going to get in the bus, we're going to Jerusalem, and we're going to watch him wash the feet of his disciples. And then the sixth, the last Sunday of Lent, we're going to make a little bit of an unexpected stop on the itinerary. We're going to the pool of Bethesda, the place where he healed the man who. Who had been incapacitated for 38 years. So there's the itinerary. But one of the things I'm going to do each Sunday, you notice even in the email, it's not. Not a big entry here, I want to read the Scripture to you. So I'm going to read right out of the book. This is Matthew, chapter 16, verses 13 to 28. You're now the word of the Lord. We're just going to let God's Word speak today to us. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah, and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But what about you? He asked. Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah, the son of the living God. Jesus replied, blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law. And that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Never, Lord, he said. This shall never happen to you. Jesus turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. Then Jesus said to his disciples, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit Their soul or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. Truly, I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. The word of the Lord. It's good just to read a long text like that, isn't it, dad?