The Importance of the Wilderness Journey (Critical Choices of Faith)

 


"And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.  He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him."  --Mark 1:12-13

In the wake of the story of Jesus's baptism are the two verses above.  Before he can begin his ministry, Jesus is driven by the Spirit of God into the wilderness for forty days, where he is tempted to compromise his identify and purpose, and to misuse his gifts.  While the passages in Mark are brief, both Matthew's gospel (Matthew 4:1-11) and Luke's gospel (Luke 4:1-13) give much more detailed stories that include the nature of the temptations that Jesus faces.  Take time to read them carefully and reflect on them.  He responds to each temptation by rooting himself more deeply in God's Word and God's will. 

 How do you think that happens in our lives?  What are some of the decisions that we  make in life that clarify our identity as a Child of God and a disciple of Jesus?  In class we talked about important choices, and the role of our faith in those choices.  Choices can be simple and profound:

--the choice to speak up;

--making a commitment to something or someone that requires the fullness of ourselves;

--how we spend our money;

--playing with a younger sibling generously, through all it entails;

--commitment to friendship: finding the right friends, and sticking with those you are having difficulties with;

--joining something (a sport, activity, effort) or leaving it;

--a willingness and eagerness to learn.

God is present in all decisions like this, and more.

Why do you think Jesus needed this time in wilderness, and its challenges, before he could begin his ministry of leading others and tending to them?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Images of Jesus from Around the World

Image
  Here are artistic images of Jesus from places around the world. In the gospels, Jesus lives among the people, he meets them where they  dwell and work and share life together. He receives their hospitality and becomes the living Word of God among them.   The next-to-last image, which hangs in our church's upper lobby, is by American artist Warner Sallman (1940).  We are used to "seeing" Jesus this way. The stained-glass image after it is also American, but clearly very different.  The window is in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where in 1963 white supremacists  bombed the Sunday School of this African American congregation, killing four girls.  Imagine the meaning of a crucified Christ of color to this congregation. PScott has seen this one up close.   Rembrandt's Head of Christ,  which hangs in The Louvre, is included here.  There is a Byzantine image of Christ painted on a wall at St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai.  Moving upward.
Read more

Confirmation Promises

Image
The word confirm means "to make firmer or stronger." Through baptism you were welcomed into the worldwide community of the Christian Church. God's covenantal claim of love, from the very beginning and extending throughout your life journey in gracious ways, was celebrated.  Parents, family, and community made promises to nurture you in the faith and accompany you in your journey of growth until you made your own decisions of faith. Our promises were to God and to one another. Confirmation is the process through which you confirm your relationship with God and your growth in it, celebrating your God-given life and claiming your identity as a disciple of Jesus. You   confirm the essence of the promises once made on your behalf. A Confirmand considers giving her/himself wholeheartedly to God, seeking to know God's will for your life.  You acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Savior to follow all the days of your life.  You seek the Holy Spirit's guidance in all you do
Read more

The UCC Statement of Faith

Image
We believe in you, O God, Eternal Spirit, God of our Savior Jesus Christ and our God, and to your deeds we testify: You call the worlds into being, create persons in your own image, and set before each one the ways of life and death.  You seek in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin. You judge people and nations by your righteous will declared through prophets and apostles.  In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Savior, you have come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the world to yourself. You bestow upon us your Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues and races. You call us into your Church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be your servants in the service of others, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, to join in the passion a
Read more