Claimed, gathered and sent

This is the message I shared with the people of God at St. Timothy and St. Mark's.  It is based on the gospel reading from Mark 1:9-15 . In the Gospel of Mark, the desert is a lonely and frightening place. It is the place where evil spirits were thought to dwell. The desert can be described by what it is not. It is not a place of flourishing plant life. It is not a place where we find an abundance of water. The wilderness is desolate and uninviting. There is little in the desert that draws us to itself and yet it is just where we need to be from time to time. As the day passes and the sun is low on the horizon, the bland beiges of the dessert become rich hues of pink. At the right time, it has its own beauty. During the rainy season, the desert blooms with color and foliage. At times Jesus sought the desert because of its simplicity and isolation. The throngs would not find him there. Jesus could commune in peace with his Father. In today's gospel, the desert was a pl

Tomorrow I'm supplying for a friend. I'll be preaching on the first lesson, Isaiah 55:1-9 , which has been deeply meaningful for me. The sermon is still just in my mind, but this morning, working on other assignments, I was listening to internet radio and the following song came on: Whether the hunger and thirst are physical or spiritual, it can be a scary place to be in. And yet God keeps on calling us to come to the feast, to not be afraid. Those are just some of the thoughts that are swirling through my head as I prepare to proclaim God's Word of plenteous food and drink for God's people. When it has come together and been preached, I'll post it.