A Positively Poetic Priest

I cannot imagine the state of being  Jesus is in  during his time in the wilderness. I myself know what it has been like during wilderness times in my own life times of struggle, confusion, and tension. The wilderness always involves emotional and spiritual tension. Jesus goes from being a carpenter in a small town in Galilee, working with his earthly father, Joseph maybe with brothers learning the trade of repair and creating out of wood A good business keeping him busy And then he takes a small journey down to the Jordan River. He meets his cousin John again and asks him to baptize him. As he is coming up, he hears this voice A voice different than any other voice which speaks to him and names him and claims him "You are my son." Naturally,  I always sort of picture this happening as it does in The Lion King... the rolling thunder, the voice coming out of the cloud Simba, you are my son. His naming and claiming also come...

Lent 1A 5 March 2017 “Forty days and forty nights, thou wast fasting in the wild; forty days and forty nights tempted, and yet undefiled.” Hymn 150 begins. We have officially started the season of Lent. The gospel passage for today sets us firmly in the season of Lent and it fits the beginning of Lent so very well. We are told that Jesus is led into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. The number forty in the Bible is symbolic of a time of transition, and this story comes as the transition for Jesus between his baptism by John in the river Jordan and the beginning of his ministry throughout the region of Judea. Jesus is led by God into the desert for some transition time to test and strengthen his call to ministry and his identity. This passage calls to mind another transitional testing period in the wilderness – the time the Israelites spent in the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land. However, we know full well that the Israelites failed the testing they ...