Wilderness/Desert – Starkness of harsh conditions/Silence of no human contact

The scripture account today fits right in with the mood of Ash Wednesday by depicting the suffering side of Jesus. It tells of his 40-day trial in the wilderness or desert before beginning his public ministry. The wilderness was a place with no other human contact; it was a desert of extreme temperatures, scarce food and water and the danger of wild creatures. It was a place the people of the Bible knew well.

They often lived in close proximity to wilderness areas and had been raised on the stories of Moses and the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years. They knew what the conditions were and that while survival in such a place was possible, it was certainly never guaranteed. The wilderness for them was synonymous with hardship and suffering, with uncertainty and fear.

Mark’s account – few details, but main point clear

As you know this is the year that we read mainly from the gospel of Mark and since Mark’s is the shortest gospel by far it shouldn’t surprise you to know that his version of the wilderness story is the shortest as well. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke combined take 25 verses to describe this important and dramatic episode in Jesus’ life. They go on in great detail about what specifically happened to Jesus in the desert, how he encountered Satan 3 times and how he masterfully resisted each temptation – down to the scriptures he quoted.

In comparison, Mark’s gospel uses just 2 verses – to basically say, “Jesus went into the wilderness, he suffered temptation, he made it out o.k.” (It kind of reminds me why I broke up with my last boyfriend… You know, I needed just a little more communication.)

Mark may be short on words – but he gets the main point across: Jesus suffered in the wilderness, not knowing at any given moment what lay ahead of him in terms of temptation, physical hardship, or duration of time. Jesus would not be our Savior if he did not know what it meant to be human, and he wouldn’t know what it is to be human if he never suffered. Suffering is simply a part of life – from the first cries of birth to the disappointments, losses, changes and sometimes tragedies that follow.

Natural Cycle of our lives/Church’s life – my dreams of adult hood

I appreciated our teen preachers, Elijah, and Brianna, last Sunday sharing with us ways they have struggled. If you weren’t here, I encourage you to watch the video – both services were wonderful, and their messages were powerful.

I still remember how I struggled as a teen. Like many of my peers, it was a time when I was constantly trying to figure out who I was and faced with the uncertainty of knowing what my life would become. When I was feeling highly stressed, I daydreamed about the promise of adulthood. I would picture myself in my mid-twenties after college, settled in a career that I loved, leading a meaningful life, secure in who I was and never again having to go through such times of profound change, doubt, insecurity, or fear.

When I got into my twenties, I often found myself daydreaming about my 30’s – which surely would be the phase when l was secure in who I was and never again have to go through such times of profound change, doubt, insecurity, or fear. Of course, I had similar experiences in the years and decades that followed.

At this stage of life, I have finally (I think) figured out that times of change, doubt, insecurity and all the rest are just a part of what it means to be alive. So, whether or not we will face wilderness times throughout our lives is not even a debate – the important question is how we will face them and where we will turn for strength when we are in them.

We are in a Wilderness time at FPCAH

Lent is often a time in the Church when we emphasize prayer. But instead of looking at it as a time simply to pray more, maybe we should look at it as a time to remember that our whole life is supposed to be a prayer, spent in constant connection to and reliance upon God.

This is what we as Christians need all the time, and even more so during our own wilderness experiences – the same is true for the Church. And for us here at First Pres Arlington Heights, it is especially needed at this time in our Church’s life. For, in many ways, this congregation has been experiencing its own wilderness time that really began a couple of years ago with a series of staff transitions and what has turned out to be an extended Interim Pastor period – starting with me serving as your Interim Associate Pastor last March and, since September, as your Interim Pastor/Head-of-staff.

Like all wilderness times, it has been marked by change and challenges, with perhaps the greatest challenge – not knowing what lies ahead for your next season of installed pastoral ministry. In all faith, the end of this wilderness time will come. But what lies at the end of it and how your next season of ministry will look and develop is still in the unknown realm.

The same is always true for me as an intentional Interim Pastor. I know that our time together will come to an end – as an interim colleague of mine likes to say, we come to the Church “pre-fired.” Exactly how my how my life will unfold when that time comes and where I will go next is completely unknown. So, for all of us, it is still very much a wilderness time when none of us can really see what lies ahead.

Hope in the wilderness

One of the consistent lessons that comes from wilderness times for people in the Bible is that they are not only periods of fewer resources and specific hardships but are also times when their ears become more sharply attuned to God’s voice. They are times when the people have to rely more on each other and on God and turn back to their faith with a renewed desire. In fact, wilderness times in the Bible are often seen as times of the greatest revelation because without the ordinary distractions of life, the people are more able to turn to God in prayer and not only listen for but also hear God’s voice. Sometimes it takes experiencing the wilderness to understand whose strength and guidance we need the most.

Mark’s gospel makes it clear that Jesus not only suffered in the wilderness but that he got through the wilderness by the strength of God’s spirit. In a previous Church that was going through its own challenges in a wilderness time, a member wrote an article of encouragement in their newsletter.  She quoted from her favorite prayer book that, “Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen.” (My Utmost for His Highest)

Jesus persevered through the suffering of the wilderness by turning to the Spirit of God with absolute assurance and certainty that God would bring him through it because God had something important waiting for him on the other side.

We need to walk through our own wilderness time with this same perseverance, with absolute assurance and certainty that God will lead us through it. This could be our time when we will learn not only to listen for but also to hear God’s voice, if we are able to turn to God in living prayer. This is what gives us Hope, that we will not only survive the wilderness but emerge from it renewed and strengthened in spirit, for what God surely has waiting for us on the other side. In the name of our God who is greater than any wilderness. Amen.

Benediction

As we continue to journey through the season of Lent and the wilderness of the unknown, may we remember to look to God in Christ for the Hope of what is waiting for us on the other side. May the blessing of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit go with us and strengthen us always to Choose Love, so we may be the Light, that Changes the World.