“God’s Ways in Our Wildernesses”
December 8, 2024
Luke 3:1–6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ****
Arthur Frommer, the writer of hundreds of travel guidebooks died last month, leaving a legacy of meaningful travel. Bud Philbrook, the founder of Global Volunteers, a Twin Cities based travel company that provides volunteer opportunities across the globe wrote: “Frommer empowered countless individuals to discover the world’s beauty on a budget, but his impact extended far beyond affordability. Arthur actively championed the idea of travel as a force for good, using his influential platform to publicize volunteer vacations and highlight their unique ability to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding.” It was my honor to join two Global Volunteer trips.
Reflecting on his journeys, Frommer once shared, “On every trip to anywhere, in unfamiliar surroundings, among new and different people, your consciousness changes and you develop new beliefs.” That brings me to this Advent reading introducing us to a traveler of sorts who was a volunteer himself, not afraid to step out into the world’s wilderness. Perhaps that is why Luke introduces John in the wilderness.
Wilderness might have a charming sense if you think of the beauty of nature far from civilization or the refreshing weekend up north under the stars at a quaint cabin. But there are other wildernesses that reside in the landscape within us. Those wilderness stories include feeling lost, alone, overwhelmed; stories of struggle, frustration, falling down and wondering when, how, or even if we will get up again.
We are not told how John landed in the wilderness. But you know in life sometimes we go to the wilderness, other times it comes to us. There is no quick fix or way around the wilderness. One must go through it. That is what John knows and proclaims in today’s gospel. Before him he tells us, it was “the prophet Isaiah, as “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’”
The wilderness is not without its assets. This is the place where lives can be transformed, the point when we are most open to changing and being changed. Throughout my ministry, the people I saw change and go in a new direction were people who had gone through the wilderness. Perhaps this is because the wilderness has a way of making us face the truth. In the wilderness there is no place to hide. No denials hold up.
The greatest asset is that hidden within every wilderness is the beauty of Divine presence. That is why every year at this time, the season of Advent takes us not just to the wilderness of long ago, but to our wilderness. It is our preparation for the coming of the Christ. Today. In the future. But most of all, right now.
God often has a way of coming quietly. God is always showing up, speaking, and acting in the wilderness places of our lives. This is our sacred story and it is the story of those who have gone before us with the word of God which:
· led the Israelites through the wilderness of slavery and bondage in Egypt.
· raised Lazarus from the wilderness of death.
· fed the 5000 in the wilderness of hunger and emptiness.
The Word of God and the wilderness always go together. I do not believe the same is true in the domesticated places, cities full of noise and distraction, as well as places of human power and prestige.
Luke intently indicates that the word of God came in the wilderness. Not in the empire of Tiberius, the governing of Pontius Pilate, the ruling of Herod, or the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas. The Word came in the wilderness. This was true for John the Baptist and it is true for us, too.
Name any wilderness of your life and there will be a corresponding word of God.
In the wilderness of broken relationships, the word of God speaks reconciliation.
In the wilderness of addiction, estrangement or self-doubt, the word of God speaks of being beloved.
In the wilderness of loss and sorrow, the word of God speaks healing and comfort.
In the wilderness of scarcity, the word of God speaks generosity and abundance.
In the wilderness of sin and guilt, the word of God speaks mercy and forgiveness.
In the wilderness of emptiness and barrenness the word of God speaks fullness and fruitfulness.
In the wilderness of death, the word of God speaks resurrection.
For every wilderness there comes the word of God because we are preceded by divine love. It is the presence of the Holy into which we are born, that sustains us in and carries us through the wilderness. It is not the final word but the first word, the creative word, the word that calls us to turn around (i.e., repent), to examine our lives, to change our way of thinking, to see the world, one another, and ourselves in a reordered way. We repent to go in a new direction not because we are bad, defective, or deficient, but because we are loved.
This is the start of our preparing the way of the Lord. It is in the reordering that paths are straightened, valleys filled and mountains leveled. Here it is that the crooked will be straightened and the rough ways made smooth. We prepare the way of the Lord because we are loved and because of this love we live, breathe, love others and someday, we shall see the salvation of God. ****
I am again recommending an easy & excellent daily devotional. It is one I use each day.
The Daily Texts for 2025 is a small paperback book which provides an Old and New Testament verse each day and a prayer to tie them together. Daily Texts includes pages to record your own prayer concerns, a Bible reading plan and other resources. Order it at groundupgrace.com. It is also a great gift to share with family, friends at church and community.