Lent I, Year C, 2007; St. Stephen Episcopal; Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton
                                        The Invitation to Enter the Wilderness

This first Sunday of Lent juxtaposes two important events that inaugurate Jesus’
ministry.  The journey begins with his Baptism by John in the Jordan River, an
experience characterized by God’s affirmation, “This is my beloved, my son, in whom I
am well pleased.”  It’s an experience shared by Jesus with his friends and even his
family on earth (as represented at least by his cousin John the Baptist).  It’s an intimate
scene of community, affirmation, divine love and spiritual fulfillment.  It is set within
the context of flowing water, a large river that gives life and abundance to the fertile
Jordan valley and its many communities.

But this beautiful moment does not last for long, because the very next thing that God
(through the urging of the Holy Spirit) seems to say to Jesus is, “That was nice; now,
go away.”  Jesus is prompted by the Spirit to leave the intimacy, safety and support of
family and community and venture out into the wilderness.  The time noted for his
wilderness experience is 40 days.  Forty days was an important theme in Hebrew
spirituality: the book of Exodus depicts Moses as having stayed in his mountain top
experience for 40 days; in the book of Numbers, the Israelites search for the Promised
Land for 40 days and nights; and in 1Kings, Elijah fasted on his mountain trek to God
for 40 days and nights.  Christians began to keep a 40 day Lenten fast in the 4th
century.

Reference to a time period of 40 days is important in ancient astronomy, an accounting
of the solar year that the ancient Israelites would have encountered during their time
in Egypt.  The annual transit of the earth orbiting the sun can be accurately measured
by accounting every fortieth day until the passing of nine fortieth days. By the same
token, a fixed count of 3205 days in association with the passage of 9 solar cycles
requires that the intercalation each 40th day be continued in perpetuity.  Therefore,
every 40th day marks a time out of time or a new beginning; the passing of 40 days is a
sacred measurement denoting that some spiritual movement or divine growth is
occurring on the earthly level, within the context of what is eternal and transcendent.

In contrast to the image of flowing water and a fertile valley, the image of the
wilderness evokes a sense of deprivation as well as greater reliance on the self and
on the Sacred.  But the wilderness is not only an external reality in Jesus’ journey; it is
a spiritual experience of being confronted by ways the world or others want to
measure us as opposed to what God says of our worth and what we ourselves hold to
be true.  Satan in the setting of the wilderness represents the ultimate in peer
pressure and societal expectations, those ideas and opinions external to us that
would knock us off center or offer hollow victory.  Jesus’ family, friends and followers
all had their own ideas about what Jesus should be about and what he should try to
achieve.  But he needed to discover who and what he was, the purpose God had for
him, for himself.  And he could only do that by removing himself from societal and
familial influence for a while so that he could find his own internal yard stick by which
to measure his success, determine goals and ascribe value.

There are many taunts, impositions and self images out in the world that pull us off
message, and the message to us from God through Christ is, “You are my beloved, my
child, in whom I am well pleased.”  If anything or anyone has other thoughts for us, we
must return again to this fundamental understanding given to us in Baptism.  The
commitment to uphold the dignity of every person includes a commitment to believe in
our own dignity and value. The invitation to the wilderness is one we must be
intentional about accepting.  We must seek out the wilderness and make it part of our
spiritual health so that we can firmly address those voices and social pressures that
would have us live by any other measurement than the one God gave us.

Creating a wilderness for ourselves, a place and time for prayer and reflection, does
not need to meet elaborate Prayer Book or monastic criteria.  It can be as simple as a
nook, a windowsill or a corner of a desk top in which to place an image of wilderness
that causes us to pause each day – just for 40 days – to intentionally sort out the
messages and pressures that surround us in order to discover the dreams and
freedoms within us.  One image often used to create a space in which we can
spiritually encounter the Divine and safely but surely confront our own demons is the
image of a cup (a chalice or a glass).  Therefore, I am giving you each a wine glass (a
cup for youth) with the hope that you will be intentional about creating a small but
sacred space where you live or work as well as creating a space within your self and
within your day for prayer, for intentionally seeking out encounters with the Sacred
that is with you, in the wilderness of life.