Mark, My Words:

I’m sure you’ve noticed all the topsy-turvy weather we’ve had in recent years—places that used to be hot are either hotter, or ice cold, and vice versa.  Deserts are wetter, and wet places are now dry. It’s causing some to say the end of the world is coming soon.  To that, we can only say, “Wait and see!”

But while we’re waiting, the first Sunday of Lent today shows us how to be both in the water and in the desert—and how both are essential to our journey toward God.  First, God covenants not only with humans, but with “every living creature… birds, cattle and every wild beast… everything that lives on the earth…”  This is a truly inclusive covenant!

As we begin Lent, it’s good to remember that when we are pulled away from God by the swift current of confusion, fear, or self-hatred, God is still here in a covenant of love which lasts forever.   We next learn from Jesus that the desert is the place to cement that covenant.

Notice that the Spirit had to “drive Jesus out into the wilderness.”  Even Jesus needed divine motivation!  But there Jesus becomes intensely aware of “the Spirit within him, as the very source of his life, a life that must break open… for the life of the world.”  Only after his desert days is Jesus ready to proclaim God’s kingdom: “Reform your lives, and believe in the gospel.”

That is the definition of our baptismal call, and you have already been through those waters!  So—go to the desert now.  See how God is calling you to live out your baptism.