This Sunday is Wilderness Sunday, according to the Season of Creation liturgy. In previous posts (see below), some of us mentioned trees, flowers, mountains... as the images that come to mind when "wilderness" is mentioned.
But Rev. Elbert pointed out that, in Jesus' time, and really throughout the Bible, "wilderness" is more akin to a desert scene.
In Mark, we read about Jesus' baptism and his temptation... in the wilderness/desert. In Hebrew, the word "midbar" means wilderness, uninhabited land, tracts of land (around cities). So, wilderness is more than a place; it's a concept... an area that is beyond: beyond cities and organized civilization. Perhaps that's why the word, in our modern day, elicits thoughts of getting away, putting down the electronics, turnning off the phone, and spending time in a place and space where faith can be honed and the spirit can take root.
See you Sunday... and leave your Blackberry/iPhone at home! ;-)
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