Even in the Desert
Luke 4:1-13
Friends we are in the desert and we want nothing more than to escape. War threatens the world. A pandemic continues to impose and threaten us. Racism continues. Gun violence continues. Poverty continues. Prices rise. Our churches struggle, our souls struggle. Much of what we see and endure overwhelms our senses and our ability to see a way forward. And we can’t wait to escape this desolate place. I imagine Jesus felt that pressure in the desert alone, tempted with easy options for escape for himself, and even great power.
And yet, when faced with easy solutions Jesus didn’t take them, because the cost would be his humanity. The cost would leave behind too many. The cost would cause him to abandon his quest to show that love is the only way.
What if our quest to escape this desolate place is really misguided, and we are right where we are supposed to be…alongside the struggle, within it, trying to overcome it without leaving anyone behind, with love?
Last week, we talked about how our journeys may have mountaintop experiences, but our calling was to return down the mountain…I wonder this week if the mountaintops are surrounded by deserts?
When I have visited places in the desert, I recall the strange beauty that burst forth from blooming cacti. I recalled the stories of biblical hospitality extended to travelers and even the stories of hospitality extended now in modern times in desert communities.
Jesus insisted in his time, that he had what he needed in the desert without taking the easy way out, that there was enough. I often wonder, in this desert we find ourselves in, what if we focused on what we have instead of what we want to have?
In this desert of pandemic life, where wars threaten people across the world, we have survived, and even thrived in some ways. As a church, we’ve paid our bills, paid off our mortgage, we’ve remodeled, we’ve installed new heating and air units, we’ve got new doors, we’ve exceeded our fundraising efforts, we’ve filled backpacks, we’ve supported the non-discrimination ordinances, we’ve supported camp sunflower, week of compassion, our regional camp, and one another with porch drops, cards, calls, and rides. We’ve extended our minds, studying and worshiping together, we’ve created a way to transcend space by worshiping together online and in person. We’ve collected and donated all sorts of things, and more…ALL of this and more, in spite of, our limitations.
Yes, the desert can be an abysmal place, especially if hospitality and compassion and community fails, but that isn’t all that it is. And that isn’t what it has been for us. We are in a position to nurture hospitality, compassion, and community with our love and our actions, and perhaps we might be uncomfortable at times, but I believe we are right where we are supposed to be, alongside one another with love.
Because when we follow the way of love, we can’t leave this place when it means we leave people behind. So, friends, get used to it. Settle in, this is the journey of our lives, and we are called to live it right here, with everyone else, in a desert…filled with love. There is still enough for all, but not if we’re too busy following the temptations of the world and trying to escape on our own. Amen.