Foreword: This is a short reflection about the Christian state of being, that of being “unsettled,” that I posted this morning on Facebook (being reposted in the form of this blog).
Like very many in our nation, I have been feeling “unsettled.” When one reflects on the Christian faith, feeling unsettled is a feeling Jesus instills in those who follow him. The disciples of Jesus were unsettled, having given up their lives of comfort and complacency in order to follow this itinerant Rabbi. Jesus himself told his followers that he didn’t come to bring unity but division. Images like “baptism of fire”, nobility being cast out while the lowly rise to power, those well fed going without, while the poor and the hungry finally eat and drink to their fill. God takes all of creation, including humanity, and turns it inside out. The prophet, Isaiah, goes on and on about how the normal comfort and complacency of the world gets destroyed by God for a brand new paradigm, the paradigm God intended before humanity under the influence of Sin, mucked it all up. If we are feeling unsettled, then we are in the place we should be as Christian disciples. If we are feeling self-righteous … well, the first couple of phrases of “Santa is coming to town” just might be apropos, “you better watch out, you better not cry.”
A wonderful prayer written by Francis Brienen expresses this natural way of being Christian.
“Wilderness is the place of Moses,
a place of no longer captive and not yet free,
of letting go and learning new living.
Wilderness is the place of Elijah,
a place of silence and loneliness,
of awaiting first steps on the path of peace.
Wilderness is the place of John,
a place of repenting,
of taking first steps on the path of peace.
Wilderness is the place of Jesus,
a place of preparation,
of getting ready for the reckless life of faith.
We thank you, God for the wilderness.
Wilderness is our place.
As we wait for the land of promise,
teach us the ways of new living,
lead us to where we hear your word most clearly,
renew us and clear out the wastelands of our lives,
prepare us for the life in the awareness of Christ’s coming
when the desert will sing
and the wilderness will blossom as the rose.”
