On this first Sunday of Lent, we are brought to the first chapter
of the Gospel of Mark, where we encounter the baptism of Jesus and the Spirit
leading him into the Wilderness for forty days.
Mark gives little detail as to what happens in the wilderness. We know Satan tempted him there and some
angels and wild animals kept him company.
Matthew and Luke, give a little more detail as to the nature of the
temptations, but we are left to wonder what exactly happened in the wilderness.
Wilderness elicits various responses. For some it's a place to avoided, it's
dangerous, filled with potential risks and pitfalls, lack of indoor plumbing
and air conditioning. Our culture has
come to celebrate the "spirit of adventure" found in the wilderness,
beckoning us to come climb its mountains, raft its rivers and purchase all the
right gear in order to be able navigate the adventure, comfortably and in
style.
To some, the wilderness is a place of retreat, where one can
leave the pace and noise of life behind for a period of time or a least the
weekend. It's the weekend escape to the
lake, river, mountains, campsite or cabin.
Wilderness may encompass great beauty, wasted barrenness or perhaps
both, somehow simultaneously.
Wilderness can also be those periods of our lives where we
experience trials and testing. Health
issues, loss of job, difficulties within a family and so much more, create an
experience where we are left wandering and wondering if we will ever find a way
out. Wilderness is that place we may
find ourselves longing to escape to, or it might be an experience that we will
do anything to avoid. The wilderness causes
us to be resourceful, rely on others or even draw upon a strength that we never
knew we had. Or it may cause us to
retreat, isolate ourselves and give up.
And the two extremes may vary from day to day or even hour to hour.
In the wilderness more often than not we find God, but we may
even meet Satan. And we may even finally
find ourselves at least a version of ourselves that we may really like or
maybe, not so much.
It's funny how Jesus' first wilderness experience that was
recorded in the Gospels, takes place immediately after another, significant
experience: His baptism. A time when the
heaven's open and he heard the voice.
The voice that spoke an unwavering identity that would always be with
him, "you are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased." I wonder if it was the power of those words
that sustained him not only those forty days in the wilderness, but the three
years of public ministry and an eventual journey to the cross. I, also, wonder if the Spirit drove Jesus
into the wilderness, so that Jesus could learn to trust those words
Wilderness has a tremendous power to do stuff in us. Mostly, because God shows up in the wilderness, like he did with Jesus. And whether the wilderness is beautiful or
barren, a retreat or place of imminent danger, it's there where God says
"trust me". The cross is the
ultimate example of wilderness where Jesus displays his trust. And it's ultimately where God reveals his
power, the power His love and salvation and speaks an identity to all of us.
The season of Lent beckons us into the wilderness, a place where
we might experience not only our brokenness and lostness, but most of all
experience that voice, "you are my beloved." If you were at worship this week, you were
handed a Lenten Experience Weekly (you can also access on the HC
web-site). This resource is designed to
help you/your family experience Lent.
This week, we are asking our community at Holy Cross to
experience the practice of silence and solitude, to turn off the noise and
voices of our culture that vie for our identity and listen to God's voice. Consider turning down the noise: the car
radio, device, social media, advertisers, the demands of culture, in order to
be quiet and just listen. Create your
own wilderness experience this week, by retreating to be alone with God before
the day begins or skipping the late night show, and grabbing some time before
you drift off to sleep.
Also, we hope you can join us at Holy Cross on Wednesday night
2/25 at 5:30pm for a meal, conversation, worship and explanation of Lenten
Community groups. You can sign up at tinyurl.com/hclclent. We've also created a mid-week Lenten prayer
and worship experience at Holy Cross on Thursday nights from 6:30-7:30pm.
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| Scott McDonald, Dir. of Adult Discipleship & Outreach |
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