March 1, 2002

FROM THE DEACON'S BENCH

What's in a name? Quite a lot, for St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church.

Of course we are named after John the Baptist, who cried out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord." Like John, this parish has been a voice of proclamation to a world desperately needing to hear a message of hope, love, forgiveness, and salvation.

And then there's the location, out away from the city. When Lady Laura and Sir John Aubrey gave the land for the original church building, and raised $800 from their friends in England to build the church in 1861, White Bear Lake truly was in the wilderness. The new parish of St. John was a witness for Christianity on the frontier, quite literally in the wilderness.

In the Bible, the wilderness is a very important place. It is where the children of Israel wandered for 40 years, in the process becoming transformed from a band of escaped slaves into a people dedicated to God, who had freed them and bound them in a covenant relationship. The years in the wilderness helped them to understand who they were and what they were called to as God's people.

The wilderness is also where the Holy Spirit led Jesus after his baptism. In the wilderness, Jesus fasted and prayed, and was tempted by Satan. In the wilderness, Jesus came to understand who he was and what he was called to do.

In the Bible, and in our lives, the wilderness is not a comfortable place - but it is often a place where God is encountered and where growth happens. In the barren loneliness of the desert, we, like the children of Israel and like Jesus, can grow more fully into who God calls us to be. Facing our own demons, and wrestling with the temptations that would separate us from God, is what Lent is about. And so for these weeks of Lent, we are in the wilderness. We look ahead with hope to Easter's promised resurrection, when "waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert" (Is. 35:6).

A time of interim between permanent rectors is also a kind of wilderness experience for a parish. St. John's at this time finds itself in an unfamiliar, barren place. The stay here might be long - metaphorically 40 years, or 40 days and 40 nights. At first the wilderness seems dry and comfortless, but remember that God has accomplished great work in the desert. Away from the center of usual activity, those in the wilderness can become aware of God and themselves in new ways. Community can be strengthened, and new visions for mission can emerge.

Lift your eyes to see the pillars of cloud and fire, and take heart! As St. John's has shown through the years, the Wilderness can be a very fruitful place.