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Sermon February 21, 2021
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
First Sunday in Lent, Year B
http://lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Lent/BLent1_RCL.html
Audio: /documents/Eucharist_Service_February_21__2021
Video: https://youtu.be/1YvTdCiDgCU
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Mark 1:12-13
In our Gospel reading this week, I was drawn to Jesus being driven into the wilderness. I remember visiting Israel and the landscape of the dry desert.
I found some interesting discussion online about people who want to go live in the wilderness. This one really caught my attention:
[Living in the wilderness] sounds like freedom, fun and adventure, and it is!
BUT…..
Along with that freedom, fun, and adventure, comes pain (physical and mental), hunger, occasional fear — more like terror, to be honest…. .If you plan on dropping out of civilization, you better wrap your head around the fact that, at some point, you will be violating a law…. dozens probably.
If you really, REALLY fear death, don’t go. This is not a melodramatic statement. In the bush, an ingrown toenail can be your, rather painful, demise. A health issue, that in civilization is a minor annoyance, in the bush can lead to infection, diarrhea, and immobilizing pain….
Out there, in the wild, it’s the REAL, real world. Mother Nature is not your friend. Nor is she your enemy. She just IS. And she will truck along, like she has done for billions of years, your happiness and health be damned.
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus is baptized. God says Jesus is the beloved son. How wonderful was that? Don’t we have lots of fun when people are baptized? It is such a joyous time. But, then, just after the joy, the Holy Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days.
I think this past year of living in this pandemic has given us a taste of wilderness, hasn’t it? We are forced to live in ways so different from before the pandemic. And we had to make these changes so quickly. We have how many masks…masks everywhere? We keep our distance. We meet more often outside when possible. We keep in touch through digital means. Church is totally different.
This wilderness is lonely at times, isn’t it? There is uncertainty. We do not know if we will catch this virus and if we do, how it will affect us? We do not know if we will have long-term affects from it.
The writer of Mark tells us that Jesus was tempted by Satan in this wilderness. Another way to put that is Jesus was tested. Being tested is part of our wilderness experience.
What are the wild beasts and testing of Satan that you have experienced during this pandemic wilderness time? Has your faith faltered at times? Do you feel that God is far away?
We experience loneliness because we cannot see our family and friends as easily or share time, vacations, and meals together in the same way. We are frustrated that we have not been able to stop the spread of this virus through the consistent use of public health measures that are proven to mitigate the spread. We are frustrated in our attempts to get the vaccine. Sometimes our technology doesn’t work well. If a beloved family member or friend has died, we cannot comfort the family or be comforted in the same way.
We are tested. Can we adapt to the new ways we must relate to each other? Can we find new ways to stay in touch, support each other, and minister to our community? Are we finding support and solace in our church community and in our worship together?
Wilderness time is a time of testing and it is also an opportunity to grow in new ways. It is an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with God. It is an opportunity to understand our mission and ministry in new ways. While we long to go back to “the way things were before,” we do know in our heart of hearts that things will be different…life will not be exactly the same. Some of the changes we will like and welcome. Some we may not like as much. In the wilderness, there are the wild beasts and there are also the angels who wait upon us.
When Jesus came out of the wilderness, John was arrested. John who had baptized Jesus. That was certainly another test, wasn’t it? If John was arrested for encouraging people to repent or turn around and come back to God, what would Jesus face as he carried out the ministry God had given to him?
Yet, Jesus goes to Galilee and proclaims the good news of God, saying “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” May this wilderness time we are in, strengthen us for proclaiming the good news of God.
