By Rev Angela C
Bosfield Palacious
LENT is a time to go in the wilderness and be tested. Our 40 days parallel the 40 days that Jesus spent being tempted. It is a time for us to encounter God personally, examining our consciences, seek to detect secret sins, and reflect on the inevitability of death. It is also a time to change and bear fruit for God as we consider the impact of our national wilderness and the ongoing challenges to our faith. It is here that we come to recognize just how much we need the Lord even as we wait for the Lord to act.
Moses is a shepherd in the wilderness who goes “beyond the wilderness” to encounter God on Mt. Horeb (Ex. 31). He has been herding sheep and goats for many years since his flight from Egypt, which has prepared him to shepherd the band of freed slaves through the desert. The burning bush opens the door for him to be commissioned for leadership. His whole world is turned upside down as he finds himself going back to Egypt to face Pharoah.
Are we ready to do this? Are we pondering a new possibility? Is God speaking to us in our present circumstance? Why not spend some time for the rest of Lent contemplating some change that you would like to see? Perhaps there is an outreach program that needs support, or an ecumenical project that is looking for volunteers. God may want you to start something new. Consider your call from God as your mind-blowing, life-changing, unforgettable moment that may move all of us into a Promised Land of peace, love and joy.
Unfortunately, the wilderness is also a place of judgement as Paul reminds us in 1 Cor. 10:1-13. He exhorts us to learn from the example of the Hebrew slaves who die because of disobedience. They ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink, he explains, but indulged in sexual immorality and the worship of idols and did not make it out of the wilderness. What warnings do we need to heed? What can we learn from the mistakes of others in the bible and in society? Are we in danger of being close to church activities but far from God?
In Luke 13:1-9, Jesus Christ comments on the theme of repentance and death as he refers to current events of his day where persons died in accidents. He emphasizes that these persons were not the worst of sinners because these things happened to them. We all have to determine whether we are like the tree that does not bear fruit and is slated to be cut down. The appeal from the gardener to give it one more year to be fertilized, draws to our attention that we may need a counsellor, doctor or spiritual director to help us to “bear fruit.”
It is quite evident that we need a Saviour. This is why the prayer or Collect for the Third Sunday of Lent speaks so poignantly to our normal spiritual condition: “Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves. Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul.”
Psalm 63:1-8 captures the spirit of worship and reverence that God desires and deserves. Is this an expression of our authentic faith?
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.”
Now is a good time to head for the wilderness and expect God to be there with us, encouraging us to keep journeying beyond the wilderness to a place of spiritual intimacy and transformation.
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