Reverend Philip Stringer
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
LET US PRAY: Almighty God, we pray for your living, creating presence among us today; that the worship which we offer to you may be the work of your hands. Strengthen us in our worship, that we may be fed by you and have strength for our journey through the coming week. AMEN
We are victims of the Greeks. The Greek Empire stretched over the known world of the Bible lands, for about 200 years, during which time Greek philosophy and culture took a strong hold. The Greeks had been defeated and were long-gone, centuries before Jesus was born. But their influence was still heavily felt -- The New Testament, for example, was written in the Greek language, and many people in the New Testament have Greek names. I have a Greek name!
The Greek influence also spread through Europe, and much of how westerners view the world today is still very characteristic of how the Greeks viewed the world.
The Greeks saw civilization as “in order” and therefore good -- while nature was seen as out of control and evil. And so, when a westerner hears the word, “wilderness” we think of a wild, crazy place of disorder and carnage.
But the Hebrews saw things differently. They saw creation as the good work of God -- and, indeed, if evil is to be found, it is usually residing in cities and in the homes of people.
The Hebrews recognized that the wilderness is, for God, a place for creating -- for bringing about order; a place for sorting things out. Time and time again, the Bible tells us of how God used the wilderness to purify and even to protect his chosen ones.
From nomadic, wilderness-dwelling Bedouins God raised up a great nation.
When they became enslaved by the Egyptians, the wilderness became their escape -- and the Lord kept them there for a generation to teach them again, how to deal justly with each other and to know their place before God.
When God’s prophet, Elijah was pursued by his attackers, he fled into the wilderness for refuge.
When David was pursued by Saul, he hid in the wilderness.
John the Baptist, the one who came to prepare the way for Christ, was prepared for his role in the wilderness.
And now, too, Jesus goes to the wilderness.
Perhaps something that we might learn from the Hebrew-way of thinking is that what the world sees as “wild” and “untamed” is actually the workshop of God.
When we read the words of our Gospel text for today, it is important for us to realize that the Holy Spirit did not drive Jesus into the wilderness. Our text tells us that the Holy Spirit LED Jesus IN the wilderness. There is a tremendous difference between the two. To lead, one must go before, and our text tells us that the Holy Spirit was with Jesus every step of the way. So, when Jesus faced temptation, he did not do so alone. Jesus faced temptation with a strong partner -- the Holy Spirit.
Jesus knew this and relied upon it. As his defense against temptation, Jesus remained firmly rooted in his relationship with God’s Spirit, instead of exchanging it for a relationship with the devil.
Jesus was not alone in the wilderness, and he knew it. You are not alone, either. But do you know it?
On the night of September 7, 2009, two girls — ages 10 and 12 — became lost in a network of storm drains in the outskirts of Adelaide, Australia. Fortunately, they both had mobile phones.
But instead of calling for help, they updated their Facebook statuses. Fortunately, one of their classmates was online and saw their message. He messaged them back, and then HE called authorities, who then rescued the girls.
One of the firefighters who participated in the rescue pointed out that they were able to access Facebook on their phones — which means that they could have called for help, themselves. Help was right there . . . It just never occurred to them to use their phones to make a phone call.
Sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit goes before us and stays with us to show us the way.
Sometimes, I think that we not only forget that we are not alone -- we also forget that the wilderness is a place where good things can happen.
You have wilderness in your own lives -- places that you cannot control. And that makes all of us uneasy. But remember that you are not alone, and that the wilderness is the place where God does amazing things. That does not mean that wilderness is easy, or even safe. But it IS the place where the Holy Spirit is at work, bringing forth new life.
Today’s gospel reading assures us that NO place is too dangerous for us, because the Holy Spirit goes before us. Later, Jesus himself would assure his disciples of this when He spoke of Pentecost.
When Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to the believers as “the Helper,” the text used the Greek word PARACLETE, which is an ancient warrior’s term. Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs, so when the enemy attacked, they could draw together back-to-back, covering each other’s blind side. One’s battle partner was the PARACLETE. Today the Holy Spirit comes to cover our blind side.
The Holy Spirit was not behind Jesus driving him -- nor did the Holy Spirit abandon him in the wilderness. But the Spirit led the way for Jesus, going as his partner, helper, and strength along the way. And so also for you and me.
We face wildernesses all the time in our individual lives. In a way, any change that introduces something new is a type of “wilderness.”
In the wilderness, there is a lot we don’t know, and there are many things different -- and not all of them are good! It is unsettling, no doubt!
But we DO know who goes with us into it. And we must remember that when God creates, when God brings about new life, when God cleanses -- it always happens in the wilderness. God is working in the wilderness. And therefore, there is no better place for us to be.
We need people, places, and moments that are wilderness for us. Places of sanctuary and escape from our busy “ordered” lives. Places where we can do little except notice the presence of the Holy Spirit with us.
Such genuine wilderness experiences are all round us. But whether or not one sees that depends on how one looks at life -- like the Greeks or the Hebrews?
Times of change are hard -- especially when they mean leaving behind well-loved people and experiences. But it is the way that life works. To live means to change and to move. The only things that don’t change in this world are dead. God is the God of the living, not the dead. And good things will come.
We work hard to put things in order and to resist wilderness-changes. But we need them. In so many places where the concrete of our lives is cracking, a little seed of wilderness experience may sprout up to show us that God’s Holy Spirit is at work here.
Lent, as a season of spiritual “spring cleaning” is the perfect time for us to let the wilderness reclaim some of our lives that we have developed -- the perfect time for us to let go of things that are dilapidating, and let God restore.
And Lent is the perfect time for us to remember who is in this wilderness of life with us – always -- leading and supporting as God creates within us.
May your lives, whether complex or simple, frantic or calm, focused or confused -- be filled with the wilderness experience of God’s Holy Spirit breaking forth to lead you and shape you.
AMEN
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