Driven Into The Wilderness

Sermon-1Lent-March 1, 2009

The Cloud of Unknowing,
"O God, our great companion, lead us ever more deeply into the mystery of your life and ours, that we may be faithful interpreters of that Life to each other, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen. (from the Cloud of the Unknowing)
I wanted to be a priest so badly. I had thought and planned and worked for little else since I was 19. And finally, it was my first day at seminary. I was 27 years old. I had packed up and moved all my belongings into my dorm room-8x10 where I would live the next 3 years. I arrive about 2 days early so I can get my bearings. And I walk around the seminary, meeting people, seeing where things are. And I hear bells ringing, and watch as people come rushing out of one building and hurry into another one-obviously they are supposed to be some place. And I am thinking to myself-everyone knows where they are to be, where they are to go, everyone belongs-but me. I’m not supposed to be here. I was wrong about what God wanted me to do, or be. Everyone knows who they are here, and how to dress, and where to go. And I know none of those things. And I have this incredible thought-“I can leave.” I can walk away. I can pack up my things and be back to my former apartment in an hour. I don’t belong here! That’s what I kept thinking. I am not supposed to be here. I was so scared. And in desperation and fear I knelt and prayed.
This gospel for today should sound familiar. We heard the first part of it, Mark 1:9-11 on Jan. 11 when Jesus was baptized. We heard the last part of it, verses 14 and 15 on Jan. 25 where Jesus announces his purpose and message. There are only 2 new verses 13 and 14. Is this reading so powerful, so special, that we need to hear so much of it repeated-twice in 7 weeks?
Did you notice how in today’s gospel story you don’t hear about Jesus argument with the devil? You do in Matthew and Luke-the other two years-but not in Mark. All it says is12And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. (these are the two new verses)
No clever argument with Satan that has Jesus whisked up to the top of the temple or asking why he doesn’t turn rocks into bread. Very simple. 13He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; that’s it.
Here is why I think we’re hearing most of this gospel a second time. Jesus is baptized by John, and at the baptism, 1:10 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.
The great preacher, Barbara Brown Taylor says, “here is no sweet dove” this Spirit.. Because two verses later the same spirit casts Jesus into the wilderness. Don’t think of the Spirit, this dove, as a bird of peace or protection. This bird lands on you and drives you. It chases you and forces you to go places you don’t want to be. It casts you out into places of trial. This Spirit that sounds so kind and gentle at baptism also thrusts Jesus into a lonely place for 40 days, where he is attracted and lured by Satan. What were Jesus’ temptations? What did Satan offer or give or coax Jesus with? Mark never says. For this gospel writer, it’s unimportant. Leave that stuff to Matthew and Luke. Jesus is alone for 40 days, facing temptation. First the Spirit rests on him at baptism, then it drives him to the wilderness.
I was on the island of Iona last summer. My son had gone home the week before, and I was surrounded by hundreds of other pilgrims in this holy place. But I was alone. And it was lonely. And I went to the Eucharist late one night in the Anglican chapel on the island, and the priest there said at the sermon, “if you’re feeling alone and lonely right now, maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe you should embrace it. Maybe this island is your wilderness where you face some demons, and stay for awhile. Let the angels take care of you. Maybe this is where you are supposed to be in your struggle.”
A wilderness doesn’t have to be a place without people. A wilderness can be a place where you are surrounded. The wilderness is where you feel alone. And lonely. The wilderness is that place the Spirit, that “no sweet bird”, sometimes takes us to so that we can see ourselves and hear our God. The gospel stories in Lent from Mark will all be about Jesus being taken to hard places where he is tested and tried. We will learn the many temptations and trials that he faced over the next several weeks. And here is the first one. It comes right after his baptism-right when most people are going to the party and celebration. And he is driven into the wilderness where he confronts himself and his mission. The wilderness isn’t a bad place. Just a tough one. It’s where we meet ourselves and struggle with demons. We all have wildernesses in our lives, places of testing and trial. Sometimes the Spirit drives us, sometimes we find our own way there. Sometimes they are full of people, sometimes we are surrounded by silence and the only voices are the ones in our own heads. But always we feel as though we don’t belong, that we are in over our heads, that we are not ready enough or strong enough or capable-enough. We all have places where we feel the temptation to run away, and to admit defeat. This is the first Sunday in Lent. This is how Lent begins for Jesus, in the wilderness, tempted by Satan, comforted by angels. This is where Lent begins for us this year, cast out by the Spirit, into the lonely places and facing our wildernesses. Don’t be afraid. Jesus went there before us. Amen.


Mark 1:9-15
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And 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. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” 12And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”