Wandering In the Wild: In the Wilderness

Mark 1:9-15

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Something pretty exciting happened this week. You’ve most likely seen images or video of the historic moment. I’ve watched the following video repeatedly. It’s only a minute long and it moves me every time.

I know some may argue that going to Mars is a waste of resources which would be better directed to the planet we already inhabit. Maybe so, and yet there’s also something so exciting about what was accomplished. It gave me hope. I saw in the mission a commitment to learning, the joy of discovery, the strength of teamwork, and the power of a unified purpose. 

We’re hungry for signs of these things. The mission revealed what’s possible. The name of the mission couldn’t be more fitting: Perseverance. Landing a rover successfully on Mars — has been years in the making and taken a whole lot of smarts. It also required grit, determination and fortitude as it encountered barriers and setbacks that always come when navigating the wilderness of the unknown.

Welcome to Lent — what I’ve heard another pastor describe as “the intentional practice of wilderness living.” ^[1]  Lent always begins with a story about Jesus in the wilderness. And so, as his followers, that’s where we begin too — a place where vulnerability is possible and we’re freed to confess the messiness of our lives. The season challenges us to self-reflection, to come clean about the things that tempt us and scare us, to name our sin and struggles. Lent calls us to return to God, to repent, rethink, refocus and reorder our lives that we might be aligned with what matters most to God — right relationship with God and with each other.

We’ve heard this gospel story a few times in the last couple months — and I’ve been the one on the schedule to preach it. It’s only a few verses but as the gospel writer Mark is prone to do, he packs a lot in. Last December we focused on the role of John the Baptist. In January we gave our attention to Jesus’ baptism. Today is all about what happens next.

After his baptism, Jesus is on the move. There is no “moment” for soaking up the glory of what just happened. There’s no time to rest and catch his breath. There’s an urgency about his mission in and for the world. What happens next is all about what Jesus is sent to do.

The Spirit immediately drives Jesus to work in the wilderness. Baptism isn’t a safety net that protects you from danger. It is God’s promise of love, belonging and purpose. Jesus will face temptation and terror. Baptized and beloved, the Spirit leads him directly into the path of those who would oppose God. He faces temptation and defies death. Jesus’ time in the wilderness is the beginning of the end of the cosmic struggle between good and evil, life and death.

Mark’s gospel doesn’t give us colorful details about what that cosmic struggle looks like. He only gets specific about a couple of things: the cast of characters who are in the wilderness with Jesus (the Spirit, Satan, wild beasts, and angels — the same cast of characters who show up in our lives today by the way) and Jesus’ first words: “the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news.”  We may not know what happened in the wilderness but Jesus emerges with clarity and conviction. After the wilderness he goes “public” with a ministry that reveals God’s love and God’s will — to renew creation with healing and hope.

That’s all we get from Mark. But maybe it’s all that’s needed for navigating the wilderness places of our lives. Perseverance is powerful but in and of itself it isn’t enough. Grit, determination and fortitude help but our capacity to dig deep only goes so far. Sometimes we’ve just got nothing in the tank. We find ourselves in a desert place with no water and we can’t make it on our own. We need help. 

We need someone with us. Someone who has wrestled with demons and fought the dangers that are part of the unknown. We need someone who’s already endured the space where the Holy Spirit, Satan, the wild beasts and the angels reside together. We need Jesus.

The wilderness comes in all shapes and sizes. Most of the time we don’t get to choose what it looks like or when and where it comes. One thing is sure: none of us escapes it. It might be a doctor’s office while you wait for results. It might be a devastating storm that leaves your entire community cold. It could be that moment when you send your kids to school, knowing that the global pandemic still looms. Or maybe the lostness you feel when you’re no longer employed. Maybe it’s unexpected news of the death of a friend or an emptiness in your own heart that longs for a sense of belonging or purpose or a clear message from God. 

This past year has been one long trip in the wilderness, wouldn’t you say? So what a gift it was to see those of you who came for the Ash Wednesday drive-thru. We smiled behind our masks. Our eyes danced with delight at connecting face to face. We shared a few stories. Some of us cried. One of you noted that you draw strength in knowing we’re in this together even as we stay apart. “Our boats may be different,” you said, “but we’re weathering the same storm together.”

We called upon God’s Spirit to bless us in the moment, speaking words shared throughout generations of faith: “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord’s face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord look upon you favor and give you peace.”

That blessing persists right now, right here, in your wilderness, wherever temptation and trials exist. 

You are not alone. Jesus has gone before you. God’s Spirit is with you and God sends angels to care for you. You are always and forever beloved, redeemed by Christ — and empowered to share the good news of God’s love that heals our hurting world.

1 – Pastor Tim Sutton, Senior Pastor, Redemptive Church in Kansas