“The wilderness is a dangerous place. You only go there if you have to.” This is one of the key phrases that storytellers use in the Godly Play program. It is an introductory line to the many stories of the people of God who find themselves in the wilderness…Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, and Jesus all go out into the wilderness. What isn’t taught in Godly Play, or the Bible for that matter, is what to pack. According to one website that promotes “wilderness adventures” their packing list goes on for several pages and includes everything from a tent and sleeping bag to three pairs of shoes (camp shoes, lightweight boots, waterproof boots), an axe, a saw and a shovel. While I’m sure that the leaders of these “wilderness adventures” are experts at what they’re doing, I can’t imagine having to take so much gear on my back. It’s really enough for a caravan. When Jesus emerges from the Jordan and hears God’s voice say “You are my beloved Son” he doesn’t go home to pack. Instead, according to Mark, Jesus is immediately driven into the wilderness. “The wilderness is a dangerous place. You only go there if you have to.” Now we can read the wilderness as a physical place. Dry, hot, limited water, no shade trees. A desert landscape. Endless. And according to Mark, it is in the wilderness that Jesus is tempted by Satan and surrounded by wild beasts. How would we respond to temptation and the confrontation of wild beasts? Would we understand the wilderness as a place of adventure or rest and renewal? Probably not. We can also read the wilderness as a spiritual place. Isolated, quiet, still. While it wouldn’t have a landscape per se, spiritual wilderness can feel lonely and lead to a sense of abandonment. It can feel endless. St. John of the Cross is best known for his writing on the “Dark night of the soul” which is about his spiritual dryness or wilderness wandering. “The wilderness is a dangerous place. You only go there if you have to.” So what happens in the wilderness that makes it so dangerous? It is in the wilderness that all of our insecurities and anxieties come to the forefront. It is in the wilderness that we are confronted with doubt and fear. It is in the wilderness that we let go of human desires. It is in the wilderness that we are tempted and confronted. If this is what the wilderness is all about, then of course, we would choose not to go there. But for Jesus, there is no choice…he is driven out by the Spirit into the wilderness. And this always makes me question why? Jesus is called God’s “beloved Son” and then is driven out by the Spirit. It serves as a model of discipleship. We too are God’s beloved children, and when the Spirit comes, we are changed and pushed out into the world. Being a disciple isn’t about being safe and comfortable, it’s about being pushed into the world—the wilderness if you will—to face the challenges of life, while at the same time, doing our part in bringing about the Kingdom of God. For Jesus, he has to go into the wilderness in order to return to the ‘civilized’ world to do his ministry. The season of Lent is about our wilderness journey. It too is 40 days. During this journey we will have to make decisions, face temptations, and from time to time, we’ll encounter wild beasts. But we won’t be alone. Like Jesus, we will be surrounded by all the company of heaven. And hopefully, when we return from the wilderness, we will be ready to go back into the world to do our ministry, knowing that we are God’s beloved. Yes, the wilderness is a dangerous place. But I hope you’ll go there.
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AuthorI don't know what the future of the church is, but I know that we will continue to be a place of sanctuary and hope, working towards healing in the world. Archives
October 2017
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