Roger Lynn
February 21, 2021
First Sunday in Lent
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Today is the first Sunday in the season of Lent - the part of the Church calendar which leads us to Easter. It has traditionally been a season marked by thoughtful prayer and reflection. There are valuable reasons why the Church has developed the cycle of seasons which now take us through the year, from Advent and Epiphany, through Lent, Easter and Pentecost, into a long period of “Ordinary Time,” and back again to Advent. Each season has its own themes, its own character, its own gifts to share. They offer us opportunities to spend time exploring a wide variety of ways in which life and faith intersect – from times of joy to times of grief, from experiences of deep spiritual connection to “dark nights of the soul,” from mountain top ecstasy to the “valley of the shadow of death,” from extraordinary moments to ordinary days. The genius of paying attention to the seasons of the Church year is that even if we aren’t experiencing a particular theme in our lives at that particular moment, the chances are good that we will at some point. The seasons provide us with a way of practicing faithful responses – trying them on, so to speak – so that we might be better prepared to face the experience when it does come our way.
One of the themes we find in the season of Lent is that of wilderness. It is the experience of being outside the normal, everyday flow of life. It can be an unsettling time when the routines in which we often find comfort fall away and the assumptions of life are reexamined. It is no accident that such experiences are often described in terms of wandering. The fact that there are no clear directions is central to what it means to have such a wilderness experience. It can also be a time of powerful growth, as previously hidden strengths and resources are discovered and explored. It is a time which is ripe with potential and new possibilities.
Luke describes Jesus’ time in the wilderness as a Spirit-led experience. This is an important note which is often overlooked. When we find ourselves in the midst of such an experience, cries of “Why me?” and “Where is God?” seem to come easily to our lips. There can be a sense of isolation and abandonment. In the midst of such an experience it can be helpful to remember that we are not alone on this journey. The routines of our living may have disappeared, but God is still with us, ready to shine light on the path if we will open ourselves to such guidance.
And remembering God’s presence is at the heart of what will help us deal with the temptations we face along the way. Luke describes these temptations as coming from the devil, the force which has been described elsewhere as the “Prince of Lies.” That is a pretty good way of understanding what seems to be a common human tendency – we lose track of the Truth and then try to live our lives based on that which is not true. In Luke’s story of Jesus’ temptations, all of the things which the devil offers are, at their heart, real and important and needed – food, security, power. The problem was not in what was being offered. The problem was the untruth behind how they were being offered. “God is not in the picture. Community is nowhere to be found. You are on your own. You have only yourself to rely on.” When we find ourselves in the midst of a wilderness experience, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing such things. Our culture certainly promotes such thinking. It can seem so true. Which is precisely why it is so vital that we remember who led us here in the first place, and who is present with us still. Jesus’ response to each of the temptations is essentially the same. “I am not on my own. My strength is found in my connection with Sacred Presence. That is what is real. That is what is true. That is what will see me through.” Jesus survives the experience because he remembers to stay grounded in this foundational truth.
And the, immediately following this story of temptation, Jesus moves out of his wilderness experience and begins teaching in the synagogues of Galilee. He is, in the words of Luke, “filled with the power of the Spirit.” It is important to note, however, that this powerful beginning to his public ministry occurs on the far side of the wilderness. Sometimes it takes spending some time in the uncomfortable wilderness of “not knowing” before we can find our way into a sense of knowing. Sometimes the only way out is through. And in those times when we find ourselves wandering in the wilderness, we would do well to remember that we are not alone. We are never alone. And even in those moments when we can’t see a way out we can draw strength from knowing that we are forever embraced in the care of the One who does.
As we journey through this season of Lent, I invite you to spend some time in the wilderness, remembering again the power which comes from knowing that God is always with us, no matter what.
Excellent! Thanks again, Roger
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