This spoke so deeply to me. I keep finding myself finding deeper connection with the holy when I’m out in the wild. Or at least as far into the wild that I can get while living in Cincinnati. One of my photography practices is to find crosses appearing in the natural world - tree branches intercrossing, cloud formations, blades of grass. I have crafted a whole album of them on my phone. Helps me find the connections outside the walls.
From an early age I developed a habit of fleeing classrooms and houses for the woods nearby. The woods were my first context for understanding prayer and any kind of theology. So I associate them with freedom and a sense of God's presence. It's worth a good pause and reorientation-- at least once a year, but I'm thinking maybe more-- to remember the fear wildness can invoke. To remember the impact of the Baptizer's wildness on the world around him, and how it shaped his message.
Can you tie this into Cosmic Theology / Cosmic Christ / Process Theology ? I think that having Brian McLaren and Philip Clayton together addressing this would be awesome, and could provide a more thorough understanding for a very wide group of people. Thanks.
The wilderness is where we find ourselves after nearly two thousand years of the Triune forevermore we continue to wander in the wilderness when we fear the future and get hooked into the doom sayers words and deeds.
Even in John's Revelation there is a walled city with a wilderness outside the gates.
This wilderness is our mission as Apostle Paul we to venture out daily and live in a world Milton described as Paridise Lost.
But we that believe in John's Forevermore are not lost. We let our light shine in the darkness and proclaim the good news that the world is not going to hell.
Our Messiah defeated hell so we might live in Peace even while in the wilderness if this material world.
"This little light of mine"
"I'm gonna let it shine"
As the Advent brings a new year and part of the three year liturgical rotation let us be the good news to our fellow humans that the Good News is Free and available to all whom want it.
Come take of the water of Eternal Life, freely. As John's Revelation tells us in his final chapter this Holiday season be the invention to happiness even while the world seems hell bent on falsehood and destruction.
One of our favourite places to visit late winter is Arizona (I am from Canada). The awesomeness of desert everywhere reminded me of my childhood in the Canadian prairies - the endless expanse where you could see forever. On one trip, I asked my husband to stop the car, on a desolated part of road through endless desert and I got out, and just stood there, listening to the silence, feeling the gusts of wind… and heaving a deep sigh of total bliss! I lay this experience alongside the opening to Mark’s gospel, and sense this kind of desert experience pulling me beyond John the Baptizer into a new desert relationship - an unknown relationship. So perhaps the Gospel of Mark can be called a ‘Mystery book”, on my bookshelf alongside the family history, the political thriller and the cosmic speculation - what a quartet!
Such a beautiful and truthful message. The musical treat was also viscerally beautiful. I love the contrasting explanation about Mark being the first gospel historically and about the "rough cut" of what was to come with the arrival of Christ Jesus. Thank you so much.
Terry Tempest Williams poem really brought it all home for me. So very true on so many levels.
The wilderness hits in so many ways for me, both being silent and the outside person. Despite my time in contained in 4 walls, the wilderness lets me run out and spill over. A kind of found mercy. Fortunately 4 walls now are a conscious choice. The story of John in the wilderness is one of my favorites passages, it's the striking visual it brings.
Two thoughts. First, in the history of God's people, the Wilderness is the place where they find themselves and themselves in relationship with God. They are challenged and put to the test of faith. I think of the Hebrews in their long journey in the wilderness--developing an understanding of their God they had not had before, and being put to the test as to whether they can keep that relationship--that covenant. John the Baptist is in the Wilderness, preparing for the coming of "God" in human guise. And Jesus, again, in the wilderness to fine tune and test his faith as he prepares for his difficult ministry and his role in salvation--tempted by the evil force to cop out--take the easy way; to leave the wilderness behind and live in luxury. The wilderness is a place of refining the gold.
With regards to the end and the beginning, I love Lewis Carroll. I remember as a child reading the story and thinking but the beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning. I am not sure why that stuck in my mind but all endings are the start of a new beginning, just as at winter as it appears that everything dies--leaves fall, degrade, the grass dies and flowers disapear--they are not at the endof their life, but at the beginning--under the ground the seeds, the tubers, the roots are promoting new growth. There is renewal, and new life starting at the same time. Beginning in the ending of what we see. the unseen. jesus said that unless the seed dies it can not truly grow., "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. "
During Advent, we with longing must wait, and contemplait what our new growth will produce.
Great choice of keyword today, Diana, thank you. I really appreciate the Lucille Clifton poem, great selection. And the insight from Marianne Borg is helpful to me as well. I too am too illiterate in this wilderness, though the wilderness is my home in this human body made of wild nature and made for wild nature (cf. Genesis, "made of the dust" and "work it and preserve it"). Let's go wild. : )
This spoke so deeply to me. I keep finding myself finding deeper connection with the holy when I’m out in the wild. Or at least as far into the wild that I can get while living in Cincinnati. One of my photography practices is to find crosses appearing in the natural world - tree branches intercrossing, cloud formations, blades of grass. I have crafted a whole album of them on my phone. Helps me find the connections outside the walls.
Also Carrie Newcomer’s Sunday reflection spoke to this idea as well. Feels like the universe is saying something...
The wilderness is a place where you can find yourself; look deep inside yourself and learn who you are and who you want to become.
From an early age I developed a habit of fleeing classrooms and houses for the woods nearby. The woods were my first context for understanding prayer and any kind of theology. So I associate them with freedom and a sense of God's presence. It's worth a good pause and reorientation-- at least once a year, but I'm thinking maybe more-- to remember the fear wildness can invoke. To remember the impact of the Baptizer's wildness on the world around him, and how it shaped his message.
McLaren's contrast between indoor and wilderness theology is thrilling. I don't want to tax the metaphor(s), I only want to let this marinate.
Hah! “Indoor theology”! That’s why so much theology is unappealing and limited and irrelevant. Of course! What McLaren books should I read?
Diana,
Can you tie this into Cosmic Theology / Cosmic Christ / Process Theology ? I think that having Brian McLaren and Philip Clayton together addressing this would be awesome, and could provide a more thorough understanding for a very wide group of people. Thanks.
John Muir would agree on the transformative power of wilderness.
The wilderness is where we find ourselves after nearly two thousand years of the Triune forevermore we continue to wander in the wilderness when we fear the future and get hooked into the doom sayers words and deeds.
Even in John's Revelation there is a walled city with a wilderness outside the gates.
This wilderness is our mission as Apostle Paul we to venture out daily and live in a world Milton described as Paridise Lost.
But we that believe in John's Forevermore are not lost. We let our light shine in the darkness and proclaim the good news that the world is not going to hell.
Our Messiah defeated hell so we might live in Peace even while in the wilderness if this material world.
"This little light of mine"
"I'm gonna let it shine"
As the Advent brings a new year and part of the three year liturgical rotation let us be the good news to our fellow humans that the Good News is Free and available to all whom want it.
Come take of the water of Eternal Life, freely. As John's Revelation tells us in his final chapter this Holiday season be the invention to happiness even while the world seems hell bent on falsehood and destruction.
PEACE!
One of our favourite places to visit late winter is Arizona (I am from Canada). The awesomeness of desert everywhere reminded me of my childhood in the Canadian prairies - the endless expanse where you could see forever. On one trip, I asked my husband to stop the car, on a desolated part of road through endless desert and I got out, and just stood there, listening to the silence, feeling the gusts of wind… and heaving a deep sigh of total bliss! I lay this experience alongside the opening to Mark’s gospel, and sense this kind of desert experience pulling me beyond John the Baptizer into a new desert relationship - an unknown relationship. So perhaps the Gospel of Mark can be called a ‘Mystery book”, on my bookshelf alongside the family history, the political thriller and the cosmic speculation - what a quartet!
Such a beautiful and truthful message. The musical treat was also viscerally beautiful. I love the contrasting explanation about Mark being the first gospel historically and about the "rough cut" of what was to come with the arrival of Christ Jesus. Thank you so much.
Terry Tempest Williams poem really brought it all home for me. So very true on so many levels.
The wilderness hits in so many ways for me, both being silent and the outside person. Despite my time in contained in 4 walls, the wilderness lets me run out and spill over. A kind of found mercy. Fortunately 4 walls now are a conscious choice. The story of John in the wilderness is one of my favorites passages, it's the striking visual it brings.
Thank you Diana
Thanks for:
The Como Mamas - Come Out the Wilderness
Beautiful in every way!
I love this perspective and all these resources synthesized into something so beautiful here today. Thank you!
Two thoughts. First, in the history of God's people, the Wilderness is the place where they find themselves and themselves in relationship with God. They are challenged and put to the test of faith. I think of the Hebrews in their long journey in the wilderness--developing an understanding of their God they had not had before, and being put to the test as to whether they can keep that relationship--that covenant. John the Baptist is in the Wilderness, preparing for the coming of "God" in human guise. And Jesus, again, in the wilderness to fine tune and test his faith as he prepares for his difficult ministry and his role in salvation--tempted by the evil force to cop out--take the easy way; to leave the wilderness behind and live in luxury. The wilderness is a place of refining the gold.
With regards to the end and the beginning, I love Lewis Carroll. I remember as a child reading the story and thinking but the beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning. I am not sure why that stuck in my mind but all endings are the start of a new beginning, just as at winter as it appears that everything dies--leaves fall, degrade, the grass dies and flowers disapear--they are not at the endof their life, but at the beginning--under the ground the seeds, the tubers, the roots are promoting new growth. There is renewal, and new life starting at the same time. Beginning in the ending of what we see. the unseen. jesus said that unless the seed dies it can not truly grow., "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. "
During Advent, we with longing must wait, and contemplait what our new growth will produce.
Thank you! Yes yes yes!
Great choice of keyword today, Diana, thank you. I really appreciate the Lucille Clifton poem, great selection. And the insight from Marianne Borg is helpful to me as well. I too am too illiterate in this wilderness, though the wilderness is my home in this human body made of wild nature and made for wild nature (cf. Genesis, "made of the dust" and "work it and preserve it"). Let's go wild. : )