Wandering in the wilderness

Lent is a time when we can reflect on the theme of wilderness, which appears often within scripture.  From Abraham setting out for Canaan to Hagar being rescued by God with a well.  From Moses leaving Egypt and the burning bush to the people of God wandering around for 40 years.  From David hiding from Saul to Elijah retreating when he's exhausted.  From John the Baptist to Jesus.  There are lots of stories to choose from and if you are a follower of Lectio 365, you will have been enjoying listening to these stories in the current series - Landscapes of Lent.

Sometimes people choose to go into the wilderness.  Sometimes they find themselves there because of circumstance.  And sometimes they are led there by God.

All of the wilderness experiences have at least one thing in common.  Each person/group discovered that they were not alone in the desert.  God was there with them - waiting to meet with them.  And in that place of encounter, life was shaped and fashioned in a way that prepared them for what was coming next.  Sometimes that formation took a long time, but it was critical for them.

Last week, I spoke on this theme at St Stephen's Beta night.  It is a time of fellowship with an opportunity to share in food and conversation over a particular topic.  We reflected on the wilderness experiences of our own lives. This included times of grief, unemployment, relationship breakdown and serious illness.

We also talked about how challenging it is to navigate the wilderness because we don't always know our destination and we can't go back to where we were before - the place of comfort and familiarity - because it doesn't exist anymore.  In time, we will come to a new place of hope and life, but it takes time and energy and trust.

And we considered the question of whether 'the wilderness' is a good metaphor for where we are as a church - locally, regionally and nationally - as we navigate change in an ever-changing world.

Despite our feelings about the wilderness, in some ways, when we look back, we can discover they were times of spiritual growth - when God's presence felt very real to us and we can see His provision for us.

I will finish by posing some questions for you to consider, as you continue your journey through Lent.

• Can you describe a wilderness experience in your own life?

1. 1. What did it feel like?
   2. Was there anything that you needed to let go of?
   3. Did you have a sense of God’s presence with you in it?
   4. How did it impact upon your faith?

Rev Stella