Wilderness

The beginning of Lent starts with Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days before being met by the adversary. Hungry and tired, Jesus is met with tests that begin with If you are the Son of God...prove it. Yet Jesus knows that his identity is in God and therefore relies on God and not on self sufficiency.  

Eleanor Hamilton, a pastor in Scotland has a Facebook page called "Whispers of Grace" and she writes beautiful poetry. She talks about wilderness of our own making or that is forced upon us. Her poetry resonated with me and I wonder how we might open ourselves up to the new that we are being prepared for and rely on God and not ourselves when we are in the wilderness of our lives.  

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Welcome to season four of Faith in the Cracks. I'm Pastor Karen Wright. Life has cracks, moments between activities, places where we feel fractured. This is the space where we listen for God in the ordinary moments of life, where we are reminded that just as cracks let things in, it's a space for light and love to shine through. So just like plants grow in the cracks of a sidewalk, let faith grow in the cracks of our lives, trusting that God is at work within us. Episode 7. Wilderness. The first Sunday of Lent is always Jesus being led into the wilderness following his baptism. And that word led is actually what is used in Matthew's gospel, that the Spirit leads him there. And it becomes a time of 40 days of figuring out his identity. Because at baptism he is claimed, he hears the voice that says, You are my son with whom I am well pleased. And so now it's 40 days of preparation. And at the end of the 40 days is when the adversary comes to tempt Jesus. And it always starts with, if you are the Son of God, and then it's kind of like a challenge and says, prove it. And so it's turn these stones into bread and feed yourself, throw yourself off the top of the temple. God's angels will catch you. Or you could have all of the power of all of the kingdoms of the world. And Jesus refutes all of them and knows that the tempter is using a twisted version of scripture. And so Jesus knows that his power comes through his reliance and his dependence on God. And we too, as humans, experience wilderness. And I particularly have been feeling in the depths of my being, there's a Facebook page called Whispers of Grace. And it's Eleanor Hamilton, and she's a pastor in the Church of Scotland. And she writes beautiful, beautiful poetry. And one that she posted about wilderness is the wilderness of our own making or a wilderness forced upon us. And that one struck home in the wilderness of our own making. And when are we in the middle of an identity formation? When are we running so hard we can't look up and stop? That we need time to eat, to sleep, to rest, to recharge, to detoxify ourselves from screens. Our world runs on high anxiety and stress and we cannot keep up with it. But yet we keep pushing. And so I wonder what that wilderness of your own making might look like. Mine is continuing on even when I'm tired and not taking time to reflect on what it's doing to me or anyone else around me. And so it is important, and I think as we begin this season of Lent, where is our wilderness? And where do we find our identity? Do we understand ourselves as children of God? Do we understand ourselves as dust and that we are fragile and mortal? And do we tend to our souls and ourselves? So as you go through the week, I remind you that sometimes the wilderness is a place where we are preparing for what comes next. It's a threshold, it's a crossing over. And that God walks with us through these wilderness times. We aren't actually ever on our own, for we are God's beloved, and we don't have to prove that identity. Until next time. Thanks for listening. New podcasts are released every Monday. If you like the show, share it with a friend, or scroll to the bottom of the episode description and support the show for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month. You can also check out my webpage at faithinthecracks.com. As you go through your week, remember you are a child of God and you are love. May God seep into the cracks and bring forth new life.