Step Into the Wilderness

-
Luke 4:1-13 (NRSV)
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
5 Then the devil[a] led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil[b] said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil[c] took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to protect you,’
11 and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent and a time to turn inward, examining ourselves from the inside out for these next 40 days and nights (not counting Sunday).  But now that we got our ashes and have begun this journey of introspection, it's now time to step into the wilderness.  Coming this Sunday, our Gospel lesson from Luke talks about Jesus's own journey into the wilderness following his baptism in the River Jordan.  The wilderness is one of those rich metaphors, full of many possibilities, yet the wilderness oftentimes gets such a bad rap.  Perhaps because the wilderness is oftentimes so desolate, devoid of the necessities of life with a bleak landscape.  During Jesus's 40 days in the wilderness, he was faced with many temptations by the Devil.  That crafty Devil tried in every way possible to trick Jesus, but to no avail.   
Even amidst the temptations, the wilderness is not always what we think it is.  The wilderness can be part of our faith journey without even stepping foot into an isolated place.  Last year, a group of us from Wesley spent ten days in the wilderness of Pine Ridge, South Day.  It literally was wilderness,complete with a stark landscape filled with extreme poverty among those who lived in it.  Sometimes, the wilderness is necessary to open our eyes and transform us.  But at the same time, the Wilderness is not a bad thing.  Four years ago when I was beginning my discernment of seminary and ministry, Pastor Tina preached about the wilderness and her own time in seminary being like the wilderness.  But what stood out in the message was that the wilderness can be a time of seeing yourself in a new light and getting to know yourself in new ways.  Following worship, Pastor Tina said she hoped I was paying attention and it has stuck with me since.  While I have definitely gotten to know myself in new and exciting ways, I also still have a lot to grow on, as I'm sure all of us feel that way at one time or another.  So perhaps it is time again for a trip to the wilderness, a time to face temptations, a time to form disciplines, and a time to see ourselves and know ourselves in a new light.  What is on your mind as you step into the wilderness?  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where Do We Begin? Sermon, July 3, 2016

-
Community UMC, Quincy, CA “Where Do We Begin?” Pastor Andrew Davis July 3, 2016 Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20         It feels so much like Christmas Morning. - You know, that feeling when we were all children?  No matter how late we went to bed, we still woke up early on Christmas Day with that sense of anticipation, just waiting to see what was laying beneath the Christmas tree, or what waited in our stockings on the fireplace mantle or wherever the stockings were hung. -- Likewise, today also feels like the first day of school, slightly along with that same sense of nervousness of not knowing what to expect, not knowing who will be in the same class, or whether or not you’ll like your teacher. -- I think both feelings can sum up how both of us may feel this morning, this first Sunday together as pastor and people. - We both come into today with a sense of anticipation, a sense of new energy, but perhaps a sense of nervousness as well, - not knowing what to expect from each other
Read more

Adventures... - April 2017 from "The Quincy Quill"

-
In the bulb, there is a flower, in the seed, an apple tree; In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. (Hymn of Promise, v. 1, UMH 707) Natalie Sleeth’s “Hymn of Promise” is a beloved hymn by many with its themes of new life, hope, and resurrection.  It is often sung for memorial services and during the Easter season because of these themes of new life, hope, and resurrection.  Dr. Michael Hawn, who recently retired as professor of church music at Perkins School of Theology, writes that “Hymn of Promise” was written at a time when the author states that she was "pondering the ideas of life, death, spring and winter, Good Friday and Easter, and the whole reawakening of the world that happens every spring." Inspired by a T.S. Eliot line, the germ of the hymn grew from the idea "in our end is our beginning," the
Read more

"Move...in Love" - Sermon, August 26, 2018

-
Community UMC, Quincy “Move…in Love” Rev. Andrew Davis August 26, 2018 Ephesians 6: 10-20             It is GOOD to be back with you this morning.   These last two weeks, I have literally been on the move from driving to Sacramento, then flying to San Diego, doing a lot of walking in San Diego, flying back to Sacramento, driving back to Quincy for a brief minute, then to Lake Tahoe this past week.   Talk about being on the move!!   Yet amidst the busy-ness of these past two weeks, my mind has been moved too, as I have learned a great deal at the School of Congregational Development and look forward to sharing more with the lay leadership of our church.   Of course, there was a lot I was challenged to think about, especially this last week at Residence-in-Ministry at the Zephyr Point Retreat Center with fellow residents seeking ordination as deacon or elder in the UMC and CA-NV Conference, as we focused on theology and heard some deep, thought-provoking lectures from Dr. C
Read more