Last Saturday at CONNECT we introduced the Gospel writer John Mark. We talked about John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus, and the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. John's message was to repent, be baptized and to, "Clear the road! Make a straight way for the LORD to travel!” The clearing of stones from the road speaks to clearing our lives of sin. While we repent and accept Jesus at a certain point in our lives, clearing our hearts of the 'stones' is an ongoing process. Some stones can be easily cast aside, some require a shovel, and others require a crowbar. Still some require the help and prayers of the Christian community around us as we seek to make a straight path for Jesus in our hearts. The job is ongoing, rain (the spirit) washes away soil revealing more stones and we continue the process of living a life towards repentance. We also must be committed to living towards Jesus if we are going to help others clear the stones from their hearts. Are we being good heralds for Jesus, authentically seeking pure hearts for ourselves even as we announce the Good News to others?
The baptism of Jesus must have been very affirming for the Son of God through the Father's voice of approval and the presence of the Holy Spirit. After this spiritual mountaintop that inaugurated His ministry, Jesus was compelled by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted and where angels ministered to Him. As Abraham, Moses, David, and Jacob wandered in the wilderness they met God, received their callings, and were affirmed in their purpose. We should pay attention to the wilderness experience. Ours may be an emotional, financial, spiritual, or physical wilderness. We may feel spiritually dry or that God has abandoned us. We may question God and his goodness and our purpose. But take heart, it is in the wilderness where we will meet God. If we can understand God is doing a new thing and working in our hearts towards a purpose, we can have hope and push on in faith to a new level of intimacy with God and a fresh purpose in our lives.
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