Driven to the Wilderness
“The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.”
Victor Bregeda vividly depicts Jesus' temptation in the wilderness in his painting "Temptation of Christ." This week’s scriptures contain this scene as Jesus jumps “immediately” from his baptismal waters into a barren and dangerous setting. The juxtaposition captures the paradoxical nature of the spiritual life.
On the one hand, Jesus has just been powerfully proclaimed God's beloved Son. But here, Christ finds himself utterly alone and vulnerable, facing the temptations of evil. The landscape is sparse and rocky, lacking comfort or shelter. A coiled serpent representing Satan winds around his staff, suggestive of chaos and darkness.
Yet there are also signs of hope. In the distance a city glows, recalling the promise that all the kingdoms of this world will one day belong to God and His Son. And emerging faintly in the clouds, the face of the Father looks down on Jesus. He is not utterly abandoned, even here.
The life of faith is characterized by such strange interplays. We long for an easy path of self-improvement. But again and again we find ourselves overwhelmed, our souls laid bare like Jesus in the wilderness. We feel the floodwaters destroying our false selves. But this is a terrible blessing. In the place of rawness and temptation, we can rediscover our belovedness in Christ.
Bregeda shows Jesus grounded amidst the rocks, stabilized even as the serpent seeks to coil around his soul. May we too find ourselves anchored in God's faithful presence. The rainbow remains even when chaotic waters threaten to pull us under. God's promise endures.
He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
— Mark 1:13
First Sunday of Lent
Texts for this Week
Prayer
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations, and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Liturgical Folk: Lent
Liturgical Folk’s new release takes listeners on a contemplative journey through the Lenten season, with a song resonating with each week and holy day up through Easter. The album opens with “Ash Wednesday’s Early Morn” for Ash Wednesday - featured here - a sobering meditation on the universality of human frailty and mortality. From there, songs match the arc of the liturgical season with new poetry set to folk tunes.
Arranged as an extended prayer, these hymns draw from centuries of Anglican liturgical tradition. But the music transcends denominations through the raw poetic power of Nelson Koscheski’s words combined with versatile folk melodies. With contributions from acclaimed artists like Josh Garrels, the album provides a masterful soundtrack for this preparatory season.
Moving through confession to redemption, lament to rejoicing, Liturgical Folk's Lent traces the paschal mystery itself. These songs guide listeners ever deeper into the contradictions of our faith - acknowledging human failure while proclaiming the victory Christ has already won for us.
