Oli Preston writes:
Encounters in the wilderness.
We are now well into the season of Lent. Looking towards Good Friday and Easter. We remember Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and join with Him symbolically through intentionally making space for prayer and focus on God - often by putting some things down for a time (‘fasting’) to take hold of deepening connection.
In the Bible the wilderness is a key place of encounter. It is not comfortable - in fact that is part of the point! In the wilderness the normal patterns of predictable, safe, and easy life are stripped away. This forces simplicity, a focus on basic needs, and an active trust in God. Some wilderness times are by choice, some by the Spirit’s leading, and others are simply a part of life (something to be grumpy about or to be embraced).
The wilderness is where Moses hears from YAHWEH through the burning bush; where the people wander for 40 years as they learn to trust God; where the prophets often go to or through, and where some of the most powerful images of God’s work of renewal and rebuilding come from. Our verse for the year, Isaiah 57:14, speaks of a building a road ("Build up, build up, prepare the road!”) - where? In the wilderness. This is a key part of Isaiah’s message, a developing theme as the prophet sees something of what God is doing: "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19). This promise can give us real and trustworthy hope in wilderness times - that in God’s Kingdom nothing is wasted, that He walks with us through our wilderness times, that He is making all things new. The wilderness is often the place where God is most powerfully at work in us. If we are able to recognise the presence of Jesus with us in our wilderness, these challenging times can become a sacred space for a transforming encounter.
New Creation is coming. There may be snow on the ground, but we can already see the early spring blooms and taste the promise of summer.
Rev. Oli Preston Multiply Minister (Bridlington) and 'Green Dean' for Bridlington Deanery Christ Church Bridlington Network