In today's Gospel According to Pop meditation on the scripture we have Mark 1:9-15
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” 12And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
As Lent is a time of self examination and preparation. I invite you to think about the things that have felt like wildernesses in your life. For Jesus this would have been a time of testing to prove that he was truly off God. But as we think of wilderness times, I invite you to think both about wildernesses that felt like hell on earth and those that felt victorious to endure. Think of moments in your life that tested you emotionally (nervous break down, a broken heart, stress), physically (cancer, childbirth, a marathon), spiritual (wrestling with hard faith questions, feeling like no one else believes what you do, believing less than you used to) or literally (an exam or question of your trustworthiness by a beloved).
As you think of these things, listen to "Awake My Soul" by Mumford & Sons. It was performed here at Community of Travelers by Pastor Megan Rohrer (me) and features Megan Dowdell.
You can find the lyrics here.
What do you notice in yourself? What do you notice in the text? How does this Lenten story feel more human? What do you feel compelled to do?
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