Into the Wilderness (Mark 1: 9-13)

When I think of the wilderness, this is what I think of: a place of pristine beauty; forests, mountains; the place that begins where the road ends.

And I make a point of going to the wilderness every now and again.  Sometimes, it’s a wilderness with a capital ‘W’, like the San Gorgonio Wilderness in the mountains high above Loch Leven.  That’s where I went last Saturday. By law, a Wilderness with a capital ‘W’ is an area where there are no human improvements to the land other than foot trails.  The Wilderness Protection Act – 50 years old this month – is one of our nation’s ways of practicing good stewardship of creation.

Sometimes, I need a wilderness closer to home.  Here in Long Beach, the El Dorado Nature Center comes close, although there you do still have the sound of the San Gabriel Freeway echoing through the trees; but it’s still a wonderful place to spend some time in nature.

The wilderness features prominently in scripture.  Abraham & Sarah’s journey.  The burning bush that Moses saw in the wilderness.  The Israelites’ forty years of wandering.  John the Baptist, doing his thing out in the wilderness. Jesus’s forty days in the wilderness, and later feeding the 5,000 out in a deserted wilderness region.

There’s a lot of wilderness in the scripture.

What is it about the wilderness? 

As described in scripture, the wilderness is a place devoid of life.  That’s a little different than the lush wilderness forests I’m used to.

What the scripture writers had in mind was more of a desert.  Dry.  Desolate.  Barren.  Not good for crops or animals.  Sheep might find something to graze upon there, but they have to wander around to find it, and usually end up getting lost.

Certainly, it was best to avoid the wilderness.

Nevertheless, there are similarities.  In the wilderness, whether it’s a forest high in the mountains, or a desert, you’re far away from, well, everything.

What is it about the wilderness?  That’s the question I have today.  It’s certainly not a place most people choose to go. Most people I know would much rather spend a day at the beach than in a deserted wilderness.

I went to the wilderness last week when it was near 100 degrees here in Long Beach.  It was only about 70 degrees up on the mountain – it felt great! – yet my friend and I only saw three other people on the trail all day.  On the other hand, I’m sure the beaches were packed; but nobody in scripture ever goes to spend a day at the beach, laying out under the sun, building sandcastles… the Mediterranean Sea was right there, but no!  In the Bible, it’s hardly ever about the beach. It’s about the wilderness.  When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they couldn’t have just walked along the coast, and enjoyed that cool sea breeze as they made their way to the promised land…  No.  It had to be the wilderness.  And a desert wilderness, at that.

What is it about the wilderness?

Maybe it’s how open the wilderness is.  You can see a long way in the desert, or from the top of a mountain.  The horizon might be a hundred miles away, but in the desert it might look like it’s just an arm’s reach.

Maybe it’s the isolation.  Sometimes, people just need some time by themselves.  Time to think, and be quiet… and a wilderness is definitely quiet.

Maybe it’s the connection to the past.  Arid climates preserve ancient artifacts and features better than humid climates do.  Bones, rock paintings, old dwellings all last longer in the desert.

Maybe it’s the stillness of the desert.  Or the violent wind; a desert can have both.

Maybe it’s how clear the stars shine in the desert at night.  I don’t know about that, though.  I know that the best place to go see stars at night is the desert, away from the smog and the lights of the city, but in ancient times there wasn’t much smog, and there weren’t many city lights, so perhaps any places with a wide open view of the sky was good.

So. What is it about the wilderness?  These are all possible answers to that question.  But I have two more possible answers that, I think, rise above the rest.

Maybe it’s how spending time in the desert makes you aware that, even in a hostile, seemingly barren land, life thrives.  The desert is definitely one place that cannot be judged by first appearances.  There is so much more to the desert than meets the eye.  There is even life in the desert – lots of life!  Animals and plants have found unique ways to adapt to the hostile environment.

When Jesus fed the 5,000, it was out in a wilderness area.  There was nothing there.  Which is why the disciples were so concerned that there was no food for everyone to eat.  Where would they get food?

But Jesus knew that even in the desert, life thrives. 

First, he had the crowd sit down on areas of green grass.  Wait!  Where did the green grass come from?  This is a desert! 

And then he fed them.  Loaves and fish.  And more loaves and more fish.  Wait!  Where did all those loaves and fish come from?  There’s nothing out here!  It’s all desert!

But in the desert, there is more than just what you see.

That’s a good lesson, don’t you think?  Herod had a banquet, and he made something out of, well, something.  (Herod had a lot of “something.) But when Jesus had a banquet, he made something out of nothing. 

Sometimes I feel like that’s what we do here at Bixby Knolls Christian Church: we make something out of nothing.  Well, not nothing.  We do have something.  But sometimes, it doesn’t seem to be enough.  Just a few loaves and fish. And yet, great things come from it when we use it for God.

The other amazing thing about the wilderness is how it helps clear your mind.

I am always looking for ways to clear my mind, to be present in the world right now, and to stop focusing on the past or the future.  How often do we dwell on the past, or worry about the future?  In more ways than one, the wilderness helps us reflect back and look forward in more healthy ways, and also be more present.

When the Israelites left Egypt, they left it in body, but their minds were still there.  They were still dwelling on Egypt. Pharaoh had finally let the people go, but the people hadn’t yet let go of Pharaoh in their minds.  And so they spent forty years in the wilderness – a rather long interim period – in which they learned to let go of the past, consider what God is doing for them in the present, and prepare themselves for the future that lay ahead.

That’s why I think the church in today’s society is in the wilderness.  It is, on the one hand, a hard place to be.  Everything is new and uncertain.  The consistency of Egypt, where we at least knew what to expect, is gone. 

And in some ways, having the church at the center of society was like being in Egypt.  With society and church so intertwined, it was hard to tell the difference.  You could even say that the church was held captive by the prevailing attitudes of society. Worship of God, loyalty to country… it was all the same. 

I just finished reading a book by Derek Penwell, a Disciples pastor, titled The Mainliner’s Survival Guide to the Post-Denominational World. In his book, he draws parallels between our time and the time following the American Revolution.  As you know, the American Revolution freed the colonies from the authoritarian rule of the king, and placed that authority in the hands of the people.  It was a time when people distrusted authority and the institution. 

Back in England, church and state were one.  That was not to be in the new United States.  People would be free to belong to any church, or no church at all, and it would have no bearing on their status as loyal citizens.  And many did, in fact, choose “no church at all.”  Finally they were free to make that choice.

Well, in recent decades we have a similar movement.  Back in the mid 20^th century, church was at the center of society, everyone was a part of a church, and if you didn’t go to church, you weren’t considered a good citizen. 

Today there is greater distrust for authority, and more people are choosing not to go to church.  Just like during the years following the American Revolution.

In the years following the American Revolution, when it was recognized that the old ways of doing church weren’t working, some started looking for new ways of doing church, with less centralized authority, less denominational bureaucracy, more sharing of authority among worshipers.  Among them were Barton Stone, Thomas Campbell, and Alexander Campbell, men whose ideas would lead to the formation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

But before they could do that, they had to spend some time in the wilderness.  They had to spend some time in reflection, letting go of the things that were no longer working, and discovering what did work.

  When Jesus spent time in the wilderness, he was tempted.  He was tempted to use his power and authority the way power and authority had always been used in society.  He was tempted to use his power and authority for his own benefit, his own self-preservation, his own glory.

But that wouldn’t accomplish his mission.  To accomplish his mission, he needed to let go of those temptations, and use his power and authority in a new way.

The 21^st century church is in the wilderness, don’t you think?  We’ve been taken out of Egypt.  We’ve been removed from the city.  We’ve been relocated, far away from the centers of power in our society, out beyond where the road ends.

And at first glance, it sure looks bleak.  The wilderness is a lonely, desolate place.  And the cell phone reception there stinks.

But the wilderness provides the opportunity to spend some quiet time alone, with our own thoughts, our own hopes, our own temptations, and to seek God’s help and to listen for God’s still small voice in helping us navigate and find our way through the desert sands.

And eventually, when we look around at what we thought was an ugly wasteland, signs of life start to appear.  Green grass appears in the desert, a spring of water bursts forth, and the beauty becomes apparent. 

It may take awhile. 40 days.  40 years, perhaps.  But it will happen.  The beauty of the wilderness will become apparent in time.

The wilderness is a metaphor for so many things.  No matter what kind of a wilderness we may find ourselves in, I am so thankful to be part of a church that helps us find our way through.  For me, when I arrived here 6 ½ years ago, I was in a wilderness where I was actually questioning my call to ministry, due to some less than ideal situations at my previous church.  Being pastor of this congregation helped me navigate through that wilderness in my life.

For so many, who feel lost in the wilderness, who don’t know which way to go in life, BKCC has been there to help them through the wilderness.  We don’t always tell you which way to go – sometimes you need to figure that out for yourself.  And we don’t rush you through the wilderness so you can quickly reach your destination – because often, there is great value in spending time in the wilderness.  “Not all who wander are lost,” after all.

But we, the church, do journey with you, by your side, reminding you over and over again, that, even in the wilderness, you are not alone.