Different wilderness, same people

Dan Harper July 31, 2024 5 2

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Mark 1: 1-8 (NRSVA)

1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way;

3 

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
    “Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight”’,

4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

I spent a significant amount of my younger days walking around various bits of the Highlands, but never had the good fortune of seeing a Scottish Wildcat. They are a fantastic and vanishingly rare mammal that feeds mostly on rabbits, voles, and other small creatures.

On the contrary I have seen foxes frequently throughout my life and know that they are considered pests by many. But they too are fantastic creatures, that whilst they eat whatever food humans discard, they also prey on rabbits and other small mammals.

In our reading we hear Mark’s Gospel opening with John the Baptist, and the prophecy from Isaiah about making straight a path in the wilderness. John speaks of Christ to come, calling out to us, who are lost and wandering in the wilderness.

Wildcats and foxes are as different as cats and dogs, but they can eat the same prey. They live in different places and face very different levels of public support, but what they eat and how they hunt can be quite similar. They exist in different contexts, and live different lives, and yet can eat the same prey.

In our readings this week we have moved from the Israelites wandering the desert, to the people in the ancient near east who are following John the Baptist. They walk in a different wilderness but look to the same God.

So, what now? As we travel with God, we will encounter different situations and different places in life, knowing we are all different, yet the same. Just like the wildcat and fox, different though they are, must eat their shared prey. And as we travel we travel with God, and share the road with those who look to God, and those who don’t; with those who are like us and those who aren’t; we must intentionally seek that encounter, that time to pray.

Prayer:

God,

Open my eyes to the different wildernesses that we each inhabit.

Amen