LENT 1 Reflection

Lenten Meditation

March 13, 2011

by the Rev. JAB

Emmanuel's theme for this Lenten season is "Going into the Wilderness Seeking Spiritual Wholeness." Following the services today and for the next 4 Sundays, we're providing you with a meditation by one of your clergy or lay leaders as spiritual food for reflection in the week ahead.

In our Gospel reading this morning (the 1st Sunday of Lent) Jesus went into the Wilderness following his Baptism, and experienced there a time of temptation by his adversary, Satan, as he sorted through his call to a public ministry. What do you think of when you hear the word "Wilderness"? For some it's a barren, rocky, desert sort of place; for others it's deep, dark, trail-less forest. What these very different habitats have in common is that they are remote from human habitation; they are untamed, and filled with potential danger. Those who enter a wilderness unprepared are at the mercy of the elements.

“Wilderness” may refer not only to a physical location, but also to spiritual realities. Those who are trapped in chemical addiction, mired in depression, at their wits end with family conflict, subject to unrelenting stress, reeling from the death of a spouse or child, or experiencing changes in our lives that threaten our values or world view - can all justly claim to be having a Wilderness experience. That is to say: feeling isolated and alone; facing very real spiritual danger, and at the mercy of forces often well beyond our control. What Wilderness experiences have you had? Are you in the midst of one right now?

Jesus surely felt many of these same feelings of isolation, spiritual danger, and challenge as he encountered his adversary in the Wilderness. Satan does his utmost to undermine and damage Jesus' sense of self, and his understanding of what he is called to be: his destiny as the Anointed, the Son of God. Yet for Jesus and for us as well, the Wilderness (though fraught with danger) is also a potential place of rich spiritual growth. Each of the temptations led Jesus to get clear in his own head, his mission and ministry. Removed from the company of others, he could go deep within, undisturbed, and encounter there a living, loving relationship with God. He took time (40 days) to refocus, redirect, and identify those very things that could sabotage an effective ministry of healing and compassion. He emerged from the Wilderness focused, spiritually healthy and whole, ready for "prime time."

If we desire to grow more deeply into wholeness, aliveness, and new beginnings, we must not dread going into the Wilderness. We must not shrink from solitude; from seeking clarity, wisdom and understanding; from plumbing the depths, seeking to find God there. Whatever pain we experience in life also offers to us the opportunity to grow deeper in compassion for others. Whatever doubts or uncertainties we may harbor will be clarified, not by avoiding them, but only by addressing them with courage, head-on. Whatever conflict or stress we are experiencing right now will never disappear unless we seek a new vision or vista, sorting out that which is temporary & fleeting and letting go of it, as well as discerning that which desperately needs changing, and putting our heart and soul into transformation.

When you are in the Wilderness, you may feel hopelessly lost, unless you find an opening, a vista, a high point, a long expanse of open space to regain your bearings. Jesus had his vista moment when Satan took him up to a high point and offered him the Kingdoms of the World. Jesus saw clearly that his journey was not to be one of power and dominion, but of suffering servanthood. Without that Wilderness experience and the vistas he saw, Jesus might have muddled along, and never become for us our Lord and Savior, the Redeemer of the World.

In the 5 weeks ahead, I invite and encourage you to use these 40 days as a Wilderness experience of your own. Do not ignore, waste or fritter them away. Go deeper into reflection, study, prayer, or worship. Have courage to face the challenges of your life, seeking clarity and a connection with God. Seek a vista where you can review and ponder the priorities of your life, as well as refresh and renew the Spirit within you.