The Wilderness

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 -- Week of 3 Advent

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 938)
Psalms 119:49-72 (morning) // 49, [53] (evening)
Isaiah 9:8-17
2 Peter 2:1-10a
Mark 1:1-8

There is a great and complicated tradition in the biblical narrative that reflects on Israel's relationship with God as it is formed in the wilderness. In our reading from Isaiah today we see the prophet interpreting the fall of Israel and their wilderness exile as the consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness. God through the prophets has been unable to get the attention of God's people. If they had listened to the prophets, they could have avoided disaster. As it is, their hearts were hard and greedy, and catastrophe has fallen. Isaiah sees this enforced wilderness as both a consequence of sin and a judgment from God.

Yet it is in the wilderness that God cares intimately for God's people -- feeding them, comforting them, nurturing them, and forming them into community. The Gospel of Mark draws on this tradition from Isaiah by interpreting the wilderness ministry of John the Baptist as the prophet's voice declaring that the Messiah is coming via a road through the wilderness.

John calls the people to come out into the wilderness, away from the distraction and indulgence of urban life, in order to prepare for the one who is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself, after his baptism by John, feels the Spirit drive him into the wilderness. There he confronts the deepest darkness of the human condition and prepares himself for his own vocation.

Wilderness is the place of judgment and renewal. Many people intentionally enter the wilderness regularly. They open themselves in daily prayer to the darkness of their own temptations and a vulnerable awareness of their sin. They abandon the usual comforts and excuses through which we avoid self-awareness and responsibility. They open themselves to God, alone and exposed. Through this journey of purgation, they are cleansed, healed, comforted and strengthened for service. For many people the practice of taking an occasional retreat offers a more extended visit into the wilderness.

Sometimes we are sent into the wilderness and it is not our choice. In those vulnerable and threatening times, it can be helpful to remember that God meets us in the wilderness. It is the Messiah's road. Prepare ye the way.

Lowell
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The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR