Lent isn't long in turning up, less than a fortnight. We start with a wilderness, and the temptations. I'm in a wilderness here: barren yet even this wilderness has grass that is luxuriously watered and looks decadent in a world where water is scarce. It's barren too because I can't phone home easily because the phones here don't do international calls and its a few miles to walk to a phone that does so communication is thin.
But in the barrenness there is a lot of life. It's amazing. Here is a group of people writing resource material and the ideas flow (slowly at first). Camelback mountain (?!) looms right infront of me but in the nooks and crannies there are shrubs, cacti, animals (and you can hear some of them).
And so I'm thinking Lent: a wilderness to travel through yet from the wilderness comes the life. All the great stories of our faith (Exodus, Exile, John the Baptist etc) come from the desert. A highway, a blooming meadow, manna, a voice, a promise, a transformation. It's our natural place to be - a wilderness.
Now, think of that and think about the comfort of the Church (not congregation). Could it be true that the churches that live on the wild side, hear the promises of God first, or better recognise those promises better because they're not concentrating on aesthetics and stuff.
Just a wee Arizona thought...
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