A Devotional Journey Through Lent

Braving THE

Wilderness

A DEVOTIONAL JOURNEY THROUGH LENT • FEBRUARY 18 – MARCH 31

Worship Schedule ASH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 7 PM • Sanctuary

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18

Lost and Found • Mark 1:9-13 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Is the Lord Among Us? • Exodus 17:1-7 SUNDAY, MARCH 3

The Threat of Life • Mark 4:35-41 SUNDAY, MARCH 10

The Wild Within • Genesis 32:22-32 SUNDAY, MARCH 17

A River in the Desert • Isaiah 43:14-21 PALM SUNDAY, MARCH 24

The Donkey is the Point • John 12:12-16 MAUNDY THURSDAY, MARCH 28 8 PM • Sanctuary

GOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 29 12-3 PM • Room 356

Easter Sunday MARCH 31 7:30 AM • Labyrinth 9 & 11 AM • Sanctuary

Home Again • Mark 16:1-8

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Braving the Wilderness “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” ~Isaiah 43:19

In the pages of scripture, the wilderness is both a setting and a character. It is a literal and figurative place of vulnerability, testing, solitude, and doubt. The wilderness evokes the struggle to cling to faith when we are confronted with chaos and our lack of control. God’s people often find themselves lost in the wilderness.

Jesus is tempted in the wilderness with promises of power and domination that would undermine his mission. The disciples stumble through periods of self-doubt and spiritual wastelands.

The wild and untamed landscape can overwhelm us.

But the Biblical wilderness is also a place of new beginnings, fresh discoveries, renewed commitment, and even beauty. If we have the courage to stay in this place of unguarded tenderness and reflection, we will be changed by the encounters we have there.

In the season of Lent, we invite you to linger in the wilderness long enough to receive the gift waiting for you.

You will not be alone. Where God sends us, God also walks with us.

SENIOR PASTOR

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WEEK 1 • FEBRUARY 18

Lost and Found He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. ~Mark 1:9-13 Hardly anyone goes into the wilderness with the intention of getting lost. Perhaps one might plan a trip there in order to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, to turn off the phone (it wouldn’t work out there anyway), to exist more simply (you can’t bring a lot of stuff anyway), or to commune more closely with the natural world (that’s all that’s out there anyway). But purposefully (or accidentally) getting lost is generally to be avoided at all costs.

The wilderness can be an unpredictable and mysterious place, one that is inhabited by creatures unused to human interaction and at the mercy of unpredictable and harsh weather conditions. And in the scope of world religions, the wilderness is often a place where individuals venture to find themselves or connect with the divine.

In Mark 9:12 we read that after his momentous baptism during which the voice of God spoke from heaven naming him as Beloved, “the Spirit immediately drove [Jesus] out into the wilderness.”

Rather than being left to his own devices, Jesus finds himself with a motley crew of companions: Satan, wild beasts, and angels. And rather than getting lost, either internally or externally, Jesus finds purpose for his life and mission on earth (see Mark 9:14).

I wonder what those strange forty days were actually like for Jesus. Was he lonely? Was he hungry? Were the wild animals good company? Did he talk with the angels? Forty days is a long time to be out on his own, away from the routines and relationships that bring shape and connection to human life.

I wonder how hearing “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” impacted his experience of the wilderness. Perhaps there was enough comfort in those words to last a lifetime.

As you stand on the edge of a wilderness, whether that be a bleak internal landscape, an external vista of uncertainty, or simply the beginning of this Lenten journey with Jesus toward the cross, I hope you too can hear the words of your Creator spoken over you at your baptism: “You are my child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” May this be a lifeline to always keep you from getting lost.

Rev. Rachel Klompmaker LAKE FELLOW IN PARISH MINISTRY 4

WEEK 2 • FEBRUARY 25

Is the Lord Among Us? He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” ~Exodus 17:1-7

The wilderness is a place of deep formation. For the nation of Israel, the wilderness was a profound period where they experienced the growing pains of coming to trust the living God. Guided by a pillar of cloud and by a pillar of fire, Israel could see the visible presence of God above them as they journeyed, but often the world in front of them felt strangely devoid of his presence. Even after the Israelites had witnessed God’s supernatural victory over the Egyptians and passed through the Red Sea on dry ground, they still cried out “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Ex. 17:7).

It’s easy to reflect back on the ancient Israelites and to chastise them for their forgetfulness. It seems silly from my office chair that they could question God’s presence among them after God delivered them in such a heroic way. But I’m also not trudging through wastelands to an unknown place with hunger and thirst gnawing at my body. It reminds me that our memory is colored by the present we experience. Knowing that my parents put food on the table last night does not make me any less irritable when hunger hits me in the late afternoon. We don’t always trust God even when we have experienced his deliverance in powerful ways.

The Psalms invite us to join our voices and cry out “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Ps. 13:1). God invites us to bring our doubts and fears before him. In prayer, doubt and questioning are not antithetical to the Christian life but are at the heart of learning to be human before God. Even our own Savior could cry out to his Father in prayer, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”

(Matt. 27:46). As we trudge through the wilderness moments of our lives, we trust that doubt will not be the end of the journey, but that we might join the Psalmist in proclaiming, “I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” And in the wilderness, we hope that we will be the faithful disciples of Christ who walk by faith and not by sight.

Rev. Ben Davison LAKE FELLOW IN PARISH MINISTRY

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WEEK 3 • MARCH 3

The Threat of Life He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” ~Mark 4:35-41 Who wouldn’t be afraid in a boat that’s about to be swallowed? It’s my first question. It’s my first question for we who dare to join Jesus on a Lenten journey, a journey that ends at the cross.

Is Jesus is equating fear with faithlessness? It’s the unnerving question this story demands. Is he dismissing a response that is as natural to our bodies as crying or laughing?

Fear certainly has a bad reputation in the Bible. And with good reason. Fear has power that is deeply unsettling.

It can captivate our thoughts, paralyze our action, and compromise our compassion.

But fear also has its rightful place. It prevents us from traversing dark alleyways. It reminds us to check the battery in the carbon monoxide detector. It enabled our ancestors to outrun toothy animals. Our bodies are wired to fear what genuinely threatens us, thanks be to God. When fear receives blanket condemnation under the guise of faith, are we not creating a terribly unrealistic bar for discipleship?

There is a cue in this story, and it functions as a lifeline. It suggests this story is not about the kind of fear that seizes you when your boat is threatening to capsize. It’s in the question the disciples hurl at Jesus: Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? They don’t exclaim, “Help! We’re drowning!” They don’t demand “Teacher, what should we do?” No, what they test is their teacher’s compassion. What they fear is Jesus’ apathy, his lack of presence. They fear he is snoozing through their distress: Do you not care that we are perishing?

It is in answer to that despair that Jesus responds: Why are you afraid of that? Where is your faith?

I hear an invitation to trust that Jesus is in the boat with us. We needn’t look up in despair when the storms hit, but rather around. The God we worship is incarnate. The God we worship doesn’t watch from above, unmoved.

The God we worship is in the boat.

There’s something else: Storms are inevitable for those who follow Jesus into the sea. The disciples boarded a boat headed for unfamiliar shore with new people to meet and love. And we, like them, can withstand the tension if we find our child-shaped trust.

Jesus is in the boat. God is the boat. We are in the boat, together.

Rev. Sara DorrienDorrien-Christians ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRIES

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WEEK 4 • MARCH 10

The Wild Within So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” ~Genesis 32:22-32 A year ago, I had the privilege of sharing my experiences as a hospital chaplain with a Turkish Muslim community. At the end of my talk, a student posed a question: “If you were to describe your chaplaincy experience in one word, what would it be?” After a pause, I responded, “Wilderness.” They looked confused, so I continued, “Because there is no place quite like a patient’s room where I could sense the nearness of God’s presence so profoundly.” I vividly recall their silent nods, as if they understood what I meant without needing further explanation.

When a person, wrestling emotionally in their hospital bed, invited me into this personal and vulnerable space and trusted me with their story, I felt God’s presence. When an elderly woman, without any friends and family, clutched my hands tightly while praying together on Christmas, that was Immanuel. When a sick young boy offered me a prayer from his bed, God’s grace to me became a tangible reality.

We often mistakenly seek God’s grace in life’s most familiar places and most familiar faces. Yet, when we encounter God’s grace in the most unlikely place, it disturbs our feelings, and challenges our life and sometimes even our faith. These disorienting experiences either make us deny the mystery of the divine work or stretch us beyond the boundaries where we have confined God’s grace only for “us.”

Jacob once believed the blessing he took from his brother would secure his future and prosperity. However, it was only when he fled from his brother and unwillingly entered the wilderness that he rediscovered the true blessing. it was not what he held in his hands so tightly, but instead was God’s very Self. It was not until he left his “home” and ventured into this wild world that he began to see God’s grace take shape in his life. Likewise, who would have thought that a woman alone at a well, would encounter an exhausted Savior who would transform the dry wilderness of her life into a wellspring of salvation. Anne Lamott once said, “I do not understand the mystery of grace —only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.”

I wonder what unfamiliar wilderness God is calling you to enter in this Lenten season. I wonder what paths God may be making for you in this season, and what may be holding you back from exploring God’s wild, unexpected love. As you ponder these things, I hope Christ’s reconciling work emboldens you to go beyond the familiar. There, together, we may find ourselves, echoing Jacob’s very words: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

Rev. David Kim LAKE FELLOW IN PARISH MINISTRY

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WEEK 5 • MARCH 17

A River in the Desert Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters. ~Isaiah 43:14-21

Imagine with me for a moment. You find yourself in a barren land, a desert perhaps in the heat of the summer after embarking on what you believed to be a great day for a hike in God’s creation. A few miles into the journey, you realize just how hot it is and that you have found yourself with an empty water bottle. Suddenly, the barren land around you becomes daunting and you realize just how scary it is to not have water on such a hot day.

You wonder, should I turn back or maybe I should keep going… I’ll find water somewhere.

On this day you seem to hear a still, small voice prompting you to keep going, to trust. So, you do. The journey feels harder, yet there is a calm that seems to have rest upon you despite it all. Finally, you begin to hear what can only be moving water. The terrain around you begins to turn from neutral tones of desert life to greenery right before your eyes. Joy overcomes you in that moment. You find the river, gather some fresh water, and quench your thirst, taking a moment to bask in the journey.

As you reflect on the barren desert and the moment of fear, you realize that the still, small voice that led you to this abundant, beautiful oasis of life was God all along. When has your life journey felt like a barren desert?

What memories of your journey thus far have felt like the joy of finding a river of God’s grace amid life’s darkness? As we lean into this season of Lent and any season of our life journey that feels like a barren desert, may we remember it is God’s grace that surrounds us when we need it most.

Thanks be to God for surrounding us with grace in every moment.

Rev. Hannah Ostlund LAKE FELLOW IN PARISH MINISTRY

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WEEK 6 • MARCH 24

The Donkey Is the Point So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” ~Genesis 32:22-32 As we enter into the Easter season this year, we focus once again on the astonishing and disturbing events at the headwaters of Christian faith, known in the tradition of the church as Holy Week. It begins with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, an event we remember on Palm Sunday.

To understand the significance this event, we need to look at the expectations of the people who were welcoming Jesus. Many in the crowd would have been aware that back in the day, when one of Israel’s great kings defied an existing power that threatened Israel, that person’s followers would spread their cloaks under the new leaders’ feet as a sign of loyalty.

They also waved branches cut from trees to mark a celebratory procession. In the long memory of Jerusalem and its surrounding villages, stories continued to be told about the famous Judas Maccabaeus who had arrived in triumph two hundred years earlier after conquering the pagan armies that had oppressed Israel.

In addition, the crowd shouted royal chants and slogans welcoming Jesus as the “Son of David, who comes in the name of the Lord.” For generations, the Jews has been waiting and praying for a leader like David, a Messiah, to arrive and deliver them from the oppression of foreign powers and restore them to their rightful place in the world as God’s chosen people.

However, Jesus had a different agenda. He chose to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey, a symbol of peace, rather than on a horse, a symbol of war. He taught repentance, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love, even for the enemies of Israel. Now he has come to Jerusalem to demonstrate and live out this alternative vision of what it means to be the Messiah—one who is not only for Israel, but also for the whole world.

He has not come to win great military victories. Rather, he has come to die for the sake of the world. He has not come to conquer Rome in order to make Israel great again. Instead, he challenges the aspirations of the people for greatness and calls on them to look after the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed through self-sacrificial love for the sake of others, including their enemies. May we learn from him and become his faithful disciples.

Dr. John Franke DIRECTOR OF ADULT FAITH FORMATION 9

Easter Home Again When the Sabbath was over… when the sun had risen… when the ordinary tasks at the tomb were needing tending… a miracle made its way in this world.

Amid all that is ordinary an immovable rock is rolled and an angelic young man appears, while the one we left for dead is hiking home.

Perhaps it’s the interruption of the expected order that seizes the women with terror and amazement. Perhaps it’s the possibility that the world they thought they knew is not as it appears for miracles can happen here. That is, if you can get your mind around it, a frightening paradigm shift. Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us. (Romans 8:34).

A Miracle made its way in this world and now he is making his way home. Is there anything more ordinary and transcendent than that? The journey home. There’s a reason it has populated our literature and art, from Odysseus to James Joyce, we are all in some way imagining a homecoming so triumphant it is itself a miracle.

Galilee is where it all began for Jesus and his ragtag disciples, an ordinary place with strange, marginalized people. After God’s greatest miracle, God in Flesh marches home. Even God thinks the hometown heretic should get his moment of heroism, but there he’ll be hushed and crowded into upper rooms with unbelieving betrayers.

Is there anything less fitting for the Resurrected King?

But also, is there anything more relatable?

On Easter so many make their way home to the strange land of church. For some it feels like they never left home while, for others, it’s been a while and they’re expecting the, “We’ve missed you,” and “So nice of you to show up.” The skepticism swirled with hope and a side of shame. Perhaps it’s the wanderers who know more about the welcome Jesus would receive in his hometown than those of us who have been planted firmly here for a while?

And perhaps all of us, wherever we are on the journey, would do well to heed these words about coming home on Easter, penned by the late Rachel Held Evans: “There are other people signing words to hymns they’re not sure they believe today, other people digging out dresses from the backs of their closets today, other people ruining Easter brunch today, other people just showing up today. And sometimes, just showing up — burial spices in hand — is all it takes to witness a miracle.”

Rev. Gracie Payne 10

DIRECTOR OF YOUNG ADULT ENGAGEMENT

Wednesday Evenings FEBRUARY 21 – MARCH 20 7 PM Worship • Room 356

Calendar of Events FEBRUARY 11 – MARCH 15

Angelita Hampton Art Exhibit

FEBRUARY 11 – MARCH 24

Memorial Lilies Flower Fund

FEBRUARY 13

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Party

FEBRUARY 27

Men’s Revival: Rev. Ben Davison

FEBRUARY 29 Visio Divina

MARCH 10*

Lenten Concert: I Want Jesus to Walk with Me Second Treasures Donation Day

MARCH 11

Second Act Gathering

MARCH 12

CCP Spring Program and Art Show

MARCH 17 – MAY 3

Art Exhibit: Between Paper and Palette

MARCH 21

Visio Divina

MARCH 26

Men’s Revival: Steve Archibald

MARCH 27

Stations of the Cross

*Daylight Saving Time Begins

For more details, go to SecondChurch.org/Events

SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | 7700 N. MERIDIAN STREET | INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46260 | (317) 253-6461 SECONDCHURCH.ORG