LENT WK3: JESUS THE GENTLE DESERT GUIDE
I’m being honest here, I mostly fail at Lent. I’ve had varying experiences with Lent that circle around the oft asked question, “What are you giving up?”.
I would never say this, but now it seems I am, until recently, I viewed lent as a rule-laden abstinence game. If I did a good job of abstaining from my chosen vice I got what? A gold star from Jesus? A self-righteous pat on the back? More Reese’s peanut butter eggs on Easter, or wait can I have them on Sundays?
Who is this Jesus that wants us to jump through hoops? Not the Jesus of the Gospels.
It’s important to notice our image of God. There is no shame in me recognizing that maybe my view of the Lenten Jesus is a little off. How does one change their image of God? It begins with curiosity. Where does that image of Jesus come from? Do the scriptures support this image I hold?
As I look at Jesus in his week leading up to the cross I’m curious about the picture of him that rises off the pages of the Gospels. I ask:
Who was he with?
What did he say?
What did he NOT say?
What was he doing?
He was mostly with his disciples, inviting them to notice, to pay attention, to be with Him. This is the Jesus of Lent. Wanting us to notice, to pay attention, to be with Him.
This year I had a deep yearning to experience Lent differently. A quiet invitation to follow Jesus into the desert. I haven’t really had any expectations of this desert time with Jesus. It’s mostly me and Jesus sitting quietly. I pray, I listen, I get distracted, I return to him. He has gently asked me to notice some things. This gentle Jesus is the one who bids me to repent.
It takes the desert space sometimes to really let go of our preoccupations and appetites for things that fill our bellies and numb our minds. I’m feeling a shift in the open spaces, toward prayer and service as a way to fill my soul, a call to more silence and solitude.
This gentle Jesus of the desert is not judging me he is inviting me. He is not trying to take away my good things, he is my good thing. Repentance leads to renewal. Giving up turns to giving. This is the Jesus image I now treasure during this solemn 40 days. The desert isn’t flashy, it’s usually pretty dry and that seems appropriate that this ever gentle, humble God would call me away to sit with him and take in the somberness, the sorrow, the grief.
Jesus we pray for the grace to notice who you truly are in this lenten season. Help us hear the invitation inviting us to get quiet, allowing you to come close revealing who you truly are. Amen.
Question: What image of God do you unconsciously gravitate toward during lent? Why?
Practice: Spend some time in Matthew 26. Contemplate the last supper and Jesus’ agony in the garden. Compare this image of Jesus with the one from the previous question. Are they the same? Is there anything that needs to shift in you in order to experience Jesus as a gentle desert guide?