April 6 (5th Sunday in Lent)
Isaiah 43:16 – 21; John 12:1-8
Our day-to-day living is filled with highs and lows, mountains and valleys. And some days represent an ongoing “mountain phase” in our lives when wonderful things are happening: the birth of a child in our family, a new job, a wedding or tenth or thirtieth or eightieth birthday celebration. And some days represent an ongoing “valley phase” when hard things are happening: the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or the loss of a job or home.
The longer term phases sometimes might define our initial definition of wilderness. But we perhaps can say that in our own lives, we may find ourselves alternating, on a smaller scale, between mountains and valleys within a single day. One moment we feel joyful because we just enjoyed lunch with a special friend, and then thirty minutes later we feel anxious due to upcoming work deadlines.
How we overcome the daily wilderness and the long-term ongoing wilderness in our lives is the same, just as God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Today’s Old Testament sermon scripture begins with an image of moving from a major valley phase toward a joyful mountain phase as the Israelites passed out of Egypt toward the promised land. The power and might of Israel’s God is displayed in the parting of the Red Sea as God himself fought the battle for his people. What an incredible example of moving out of the wilderness and into new life! Now, the Israelites still had a lot of wilderness wandering to do. And indeed, they made a lot of mistakes along their way (sounds rather familiar). But with every step they made in the daily wilderness, God never, ever left them. He was working out of his purest love for their good and their salvation. We get to claim that same blessing, whether we’re on the mountaintop or in the valley, because Jesus is right there experiencing every joy and every pain, right along with us, with the promise of a permanent mountaintop always before us.
Moving forward many years to our New Testament Scripture, we find Mary pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair. A true servant’s gesture, in anticipation of the hardest wilderness ever endured – Christ’s crucifixion. But we know the full story – the springing forth of the new thing God is doing – in the resurrection of our Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
God tells us to forget the former ways – separation, enslavement, hatred, violence – and instead to climb the mountain hand in hand with Jesus. “Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19
In our daily walk with God, we will experience highs and lows, with flashes of intense wilderness as well as flashes of new life in Christ. If we work toward embracing both, fully immersing ourselves in the love of our Lord, we will find victory and the peace only He can give.
Almighty Lord, fill our hearts over and over again with the good news that we are already living our eternity with you. Guide us through our daily and major life wildernesses, reminding us of the perfect joy and new life that lies ahead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
~Sarah Lauren Kattos and Elizabeth Bowman