Tag Archives: wilderness

March 12, 2023 · 12:00 am

Third Sunday in Lent

Living Water

In life, we have wilderness experiences, times in which we may experience a spiritual dryness. These are often times when our faith is tested. This was certainly true for the children of Israel. God rescued them from bondage in Egypt through great signs and wonders. Yet they wondered if God could provide for their needs in a wilderness environment. Reading from Exodus:

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”   (Exodus 17:1-7)

Wildernesses can test our faith and trust in God. Some might say that we should have enough faith to not ever experience a wilderness. I believe that God allows us to experience such times in our lives because they can help build our faith and character. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness in preparation for his earthly ministry. He certainly did not lack faith in God, the Father.

Let us look at someone struggling with an apparent wilderness in her life. Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well. He was passing through Samaria and his disciples had gone ahead to buy food

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”   (John 4:7-15)

What was remarkable is that the woman responded to Jesus in the affirmative, without understanding all that Jesus was saying. She was willing to talk to him even though she was told not to do so.

What did Jesus mean by “living water?” The seventh chapter of John tells us:

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit because Jesus was not yet glorified.   (John 7:37-39)

Let us return to Moses. The Apostle Paul wrote:

I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.   (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)

Jesus was glorified on the cross. He was struck on the cross so that we might have living water. This is the gift of the Holy Spirit which he could not give us unless we were cleansed of all our sins. The Apostle Paul wrote:

When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive;
    he gave gifts to his people.   (Ephesians 4:8)

Let us continue with the Gospel narrative. The Samaritan woman had a complicated life. In her heart, she must have been seeking answers to the turmoil she was apparently experiencing. She began to open her up:

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!”

Jesus’ statements shock her. She realizes that Jesus is no ordinary man. Notice how quickly she retreats to religion:

The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”   (John 4:16-26)

Through his words, Jesus opens up the possibility of her receiving the promise of God that was offered to the Jews. The argument concerning the proper place to worship was no longer valid. What was really important was the worship itself. She becomes excited. In her heart and soul, she was thirsty for God. Jesus revealed that thirst to her. Could he be the long-expecting Messiah for whom even this Samaritan was hoping?

In this Season of Lent God wants to open our hearts to what may be going on inside of us. Will we take the time to examine ourselves? Are we thirsty for more of God? Are our religious exercises going to stand in the way of what God is doing? Will church doctrine keep us from seeking living water?

Do we want living water flowing from within us? What is required? Jesus said:

“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”   (John 4:10)

We need to know Jesus. We need to spend some time with him. We need to know this gift. Is this gift for us. Are we thirsty for it? The Samaritan woman was thirsty.

Jesus is the giver. He has paid dearly so that we might receive this gift. Maybe we need to engage in conversation with him. Lent is a time to go deeper into prayer. The psalmist wrote:

Deep calls to deep
    at the thunder of your torrents;
all your waves and your billows
    have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.   (Psalm 42:7-8)

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February 26, 2023 · 12:00 am

First Sunday in Lent

Dialogue with the Devil

As we prepare for the Season of Lent. let us go back to the origins of sin. Reading from Genesis:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” (Genesis 2:15-17)

God created us in his image which meant that we could also create. This allowed for infinite possibilities. Some of those possibilities could be dangerous. We needed God’s guidance to properly tend the garden.

We remember the serpent. He took the form of a serpent, but he was a fallen angel who rebelled against God. Simply put, he disapproved of the creation of humankind. Unable to create himself, his. the goal was to pervert and distort the creations of God:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’“ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.   (Genesis 3:1-7)

What wisdom is Satan talking about? We have this explanation from the Apostle Paul:

My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed. But we speak God’s wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.   (1 Corinthians 2:4-8)

With Satan’s so-called wisdom, he crucified Jesus. In his wisdom, God knew this was possible when he created us. Thus Jesus offered himself as a sacrificial lamb before our world even began. Reading from 1 Peter:

You know that you were ransomed from the futile conduct inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.   (1 Peter 1:18-20)

Though Satan lost at the cross, that had not stopped him from tempting us with his lies and half-truths. Satan tried his powers of temptation upon Jesus during his wilderness experience. Let us see how this might apply to us today:

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”   (Matthew 4:1-11)

Jesus had been in the wilderness. without eating, for a very long time. He realized that he needed spiritual food as well as bread. The Prophet Jeremiah wrote:

Your words were found, and I ate them,
    and your words became to me a joy
    and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
    O Lord, God of hosts.   (Jeremiah 15:16)

How often does Satan try to distract us, with food, from meditating on the word of God? This is why fasting can be beneficial. It helps us to focus on God’s word. That is the last thing our flesh (carnal self) wants us to do.

Satan’s next temptation of Jesus is a big one for all of us:

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”   (Matthew 4:1-11)

This temptation has to do with a sign. Satan asks Jesus for a sign to prove himself. Satan asks Christian for a sign. Many fall into this trap. Satan wants us to believe that we are not connected to God unless he has given us a vision or miracle. We may look for God to validate us. God has validated us on the cross.

Some Christians brag about the signs they have received. This is what Jesus said about signs:

An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.   (Matthew 16:4)

The sign of Jonah prefigured Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. That is all we should need to believe that God loves us and is with us. That is all the proof we need from God. Jesus rises.

Signs are not insignificant. In Mark’s Gospel, we read:

And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”   (Mark 16:17)

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.   (1 Corinthians 14:22)

Paul referred to the sign of tongues on the Day of Pentecost, which attracted the masses to Peter’s preaching.

Now let us look at the last temptation of Jesus while he was in the wilderness:

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’”

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.   (Matthew 4:1-11)

This temptation is perhaps Satan’s greatest deception. Life is often looked upon as a climb up the ladder of success. That ladder has many rungs. Reading from Isaiah:

Whom will he teach knowledge,
    and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from milk,
    those taken from the breast?
For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little.   (Isaiah 28:9-10)

Satan tells us that we can take some short. We will not have to suffer a cross. Unfortunately, Satan can reward those willing to take shortcuts, and he does. That is why many go his route. If we do so, we will hurt others along the way. We will ultimately hurt ourselves.

Jesus said:

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.   (Matthew 5:5-8)

How do we resist the temptations of Satan? We do not do it through a dialogue with him. We will not defeat him with worldly wisdom. He invented worldly wisdom. Eve made the mistake of entering into dialogue with Satan. Jesus would not enter into dialogue with him. Instead, he quoted scripture, which Satan cannot nullify or dismiss. He used the word of God against Satan. The whole universe was established by the word of God.

Let us use the method that Jesus used against Satan. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm. Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.   (Ephesians 6:13-17)

The last one on the list is our offensive weapon against Satan. This is our best way to keep a Holy Lent and Holy life. God is with us and for us. We must be willing to use the weapon he has given us. We are in a battle. Jesus has won that battle. Let us follow in his footsteps.

 

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February 22, 2023 · 12:00 am

The Season of Lent

The Wilderness Experience

 

The Season of Lent is a time of fasting and prayer for the Church. It corresponds to the time of preparation that Jesus spent in the wilderness before beginning his earthly ministry. Scripture tells us that Jesus was led there by the Holy Spirit for forty days of fasting and prayer. Thus, Lent begins with the service of Ash Wednesday and runs through Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. This period is actually forty-six days because the six Sundays between the beginning and end of the Lenten Season are not really part of the days of fasting. Sundays are always days of celebrating the resurrection of our Lord.

Historically, in the Easter Church, Lent has provided a time when new converts were prepared for Holy Baptism. This practice is still observed in many liturgical churches.

Why should we observe this time of preparation and what does it mean to us and the Church today? Clearly, this observance is not required for salvation. The saving act of Jesus on the cross and our response to his loving sacrifice is required, followed by our endurance in the Faith with His help. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that life does present us with wilderness experiences.

What is false is a church that suggests that Christians should not have them. We do have them. Job stood head and shoulders above his peers as a righteous man in his day, yet he experienced a terrible wilderness experience. The false triumphalism found in some of today’s churches would make us believe that such incidents should not occur, bringing condemnation to those who go through them because they lack faith. Jesus had enough faith, but he experienced the wilderness.

If we have wilderness experiences as a matter of course then why designate an appointed time to go through one within the Church Year? Is not this appointed time artificial? It is my belief that the Season of Lent in the early church was very much influenced by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it is better to observe a wilderness experience appointed by the Holy Spirit than one that is unscheduled and catches us by surprise.

We may still endure unscheduled ones but we might be better prepared for them, having benefited from the teachings and disciplines of Lent. Jesus required preparation in the wilderness through the Holy Spirit to begin His ministry on earth. He experienced other wildernesses as well, Gethsemane being one of them.

Our purpose for Lent should be the same purpose that Jesus had for entering the wilderness: to prepare for ministry. We all have a ministry if we are Christian believers. Lent should be a time of fasting and prayer, self-examination and repentance, and reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. It should be a time of setting aside the things of this world that so easily creep in and devoting ourselves more to God and His Word.

What should Lent not be? It should not be about our attempt to impress God by what we are giving up for Him, or by what spiritual gymnastics we are putting ourselves through. The “giving-up” notion is fundamentally flawed. It makes us dread Lent. We then cannot wait for Lent to be over. That is why Mardi Gras or Carnival appeals to many people. They feel that they must make up ahead of time, the fun they will be losing.

Too often Lenten promises are like New Year’s resolutions. We make them but we don’t keep them and then we feel under condemnation. Satan has a field day with us. He loves our false humility and piety. God does not want us to prove who we are. He wants to prove himself to us if we will allow him to do so. He is the author and finisher of our faith. We just need to submit ourselves to him.

It is said that we often grow through our struggles and trials. This may be true, but it is not necessarily true. A greater truth is that our struggles do teach us that we cannot get through life on our own strength alone. The struggles often drive us to God. It is God who then changes us and not our struggles. Why should we wait for a crisis to go to God? Why not go to him early and often?

Perhaps the best observance of Lent would be to approach God with faith in the saving blood of Jesus, asking him what he would have us discover about ourselves and about Him. Let Lent be a time of intentional fellowship with God in prayer, seeking his will and wisdom for our lives so that we might be better disciples of Jesus Christ and living examples of God’s love for the world.

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