Gen 9:8-17; 1 Pet 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15
One of the most inspiring sights in nature is the eagle in flight. It spreads its wings and soars majestically and gracefully across the sky. Free, powerful, complete. Created to soar. Because of this the eagle becomes a symbol for how we’d like to be. We all want to soar like an eagle in life.
But I wonder if you know how it is an eagle learns to soar? I’ve read that there is a particular species of eagle which builds its nest high up on the face of a cliff overlooking the sea. In this nest the eagle chick is hatched and spends its first days watching its mother come and go, collecting food and bringing it back.
One day mom decides it’s time her chicks learned to fly. You know how she does it? At the right time (her time, not the chicks!) she forces her way right into the nest and then pushes her chicks out. The chick starts plummeting down the cliff-face, terrified, shocked, heartbeat racing, aware that death is coming. And then something amazing happens. The chick instinctively stretches the wings it never knew it had, the plummet slows to a fall, then a gentle
It’s in that time of terrifying danger (the wilderness) that the chick comes face to face what it really is.
Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. His baptism into ministry and the voice from heaven affirmed that for him. Then he’s then driven into the wilderness by the Spirit. 40 days, tempted by Satan. Yet it’s from this experience that he emerges as the One ready to assume the role he came for. He begins his ministry as Christ and Savior, which will end three years later with his death on a cross. It’s in the terrifying wilderness that we come to know God’s direction for us.
We live in a broken world. We all go through terrifying times where we don’t know what the outcome will be, where all we can see are the rocks below, where Satan seems to be the only one around. Wilderness. Yet it’s in these very situations that have the opportunity to know who we really are – what God really created us to be. In the wilderness we have the opportunity to turn to God and live through it, or rely on ourselves and fall prey to the temptations of anything other than God.
The text says Jesus was “tempted” by Satan. It’s the same word as “tested.” Though the same word in Greek, the concept is quite different. Testing is to see where you really are. The intent is to measure your progress. Tempting is trying to turn you away from one path on to another one. The intent is to entice you away from where you are.
In Southern Mexico lies the Cueva de Villa Luz, or Cave of the Lighted House. As you make your way to the cave you walk through a veritable paradise of tropical birds and lush rain forest. Underwater the cave is fed by 20 underground springs, beautiful watercourses which teem with tiny fish. The cave itself is home to spectacular rock formations and beautiful ponds. The environment is inviting. Yet accept the invitation and you’ll soon be dead. You see, the Cueva de Villa Luz is filled with poisonous gases.
Temptation is just like this. It presents itself to us as a viable alternative, attractive, lifegiving. Yet in reality it’s poisonous and toxic.
The Reality is that God is the author and giver of life. Our belief, our philosophy, our doubts and questions certainly don’t affect that reality. So when you get down to it, if you want to live through the wilderness there really is no other place to turn. At least no other place that offers life.
Yet we are tempted. As we’re falling from the top of the cliff, there’s some pretty large branches sticking out from the cliff that we could grab on to in order to save ourselves. It’s tempting. But then we never fully become the soaring eagle we were created to be. The eagle that never has to fear falling again, because it has learned to trust in the wisdom of its creator.
In Lent we acknowledge the wilderness times we all live in at different times of our lives. Times when we feel alone, vulnerable, and can’t see any good coming out of our situation. Lose/lose. We all face them from time to time. But the choice we have is to go through these times together, allowing God to shape us and strengthen us, or we can allow the temptation to turn us away to something that seems, in the interim, better.
We’ve been marked with the cross of Christ forever. Our identity is in God. We’ve been changed from a little eaglet safe in the nest to people ready to soar. At those times when you feel like you’re falling, we can turn to God – even as the rocks are looming ever closer.
We have been given gifts to help us in the time of testing/temptation: prayer, scripture, the sacraments of baptism and holy communion, and the support of a congregational community that loves us. God reveals himself in these. As we spend time with these and in these, we learn to spread our wings – not just to avoid the rocks below, but to soar; to be who we are created to be.
Join the journey. God calls us to begin. Let us learn to trust God, and let us soar.