The readings for this coming Sunday, February 25 are:Old Testament: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Gospel: Luke 4:1-13
Epistle: Romans 10:8b-13
Click here to read them
The Wilderness
The theme of "wilderness" surfaces throughout scripture. Wilderness in scripture might often relate to barrenness (including famine), wanderings in a desolate land, or a period of life void of production (in pragmatics or spirituality). From Abraham's wanderings, to the Israelites' time outside of the Promised Land, to John the Baptist's nomadic life, to Jesus' temptation in the desert, this theme arises several times and with different characteristics and results.
The Hebrew title of the book of Numbers is bemidbar, meaning "in the wilderness." The book of Numbers is filled with stories of the Israelites outside of the Promised Land - a place they found themselves in seemingly because of their mistrust and an unbelief in the promises of Yahweh, the Lord.
John the Baptist spent much of his life wandering around in the wilderness - this time by his own choice. Jesus to preceded his public ministry with a period of fasting in the desert. This is our gospel text for this week - Jesus' time in the desert.
The first beginnings of monasticism (monks, monastaries, etc.) saw participants intentionally choosing to live in the desert as a form of asceticism (the removal from worldly pleasures). It's tough to fall into the more obvious temptations of the world (gluttony, sex, etc.) when there's nothing around to be tempted by. However, as we see from Jesus' time in the desert - we can be even more vulnerable in these times.
We find ourselves in the "wilderness" throughout life. Sometimes the desolate times are self-inflicted as when we fasting or abstain from something. But more often, we find ourselves thrust into times of unproductivity, "barrenness," or need suddenly and without warning as with the death of a loved one, loss of a job, or a terminal illness. Either way, when we are in the wilderness, we have a decision to make - we can live in pity, or we can choose to acknowledge the fact that we need God.
Last week we considered the "high places" of life - the desirable times when it's just so obvious that God is with us. In these times, it's easy to feel good, to trust God, and to know his will. But we acknowledged that a place is "high" only because we've experienced the "lows." We know that life comes with low times - times of depression, disappointment, or sadness. It's what we choose to do in these times that defines us.
As you prepare for worship this week, read Jeremiah 17:5-8 below and consider how it is that you should prepare yourself in the "high places" to be able to withstand the "wilderness."
Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
[BUT] Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
- Jeremiah 17:5-8
