December 19th, 2021
John 3:16-21
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
Temptations Run Amuck
Last week, while on retreat, I had the opportunity to see the movie, “The Way.” It is a powerful movie about a father who, in his deep grief, finds hope and healing as he undergoes an unexpected hike on The Camino de Santiago. While on this pilgrimage, three fellow pilgrims connect with him at different stages on the journey; and for the last half of the journey they share the experience together. Although they were walking a trail to a destination, the true destination was found in a deep darkness within each one of them. The journey would be painful at times, but grace was there in that they did not journey alone. At times, they pointed the way towards the light for one another; and at other times they confronted the darkness in each other. They helped one another navigate out of the wilderness and towards the light, towards healing, and towards life.
It’s a fitting movie for Advent. After all, light and darkness permeate the weeks of Advent - inviting each of us on a pilgrimage into the wilderness as we experience anew the birth of the Light, of Christ in our hearts.
However, we don’t all get the opportunity or have the means to be a pilgrim on the Camino. Nevertheless, the journey into the wilderness awaits you. Here’s one example of how the wilderness can present itself. You are no doubt familiar with the controversy surrounding the slogan, “Put Christ back in Christmas.” Over time, this has morphed from people complaining about all things “politically correct” to people intentionally looking straight into your eyes and with emphasis and attitude will say “Merry Christmas!” There are many reasons why "Put Christ back in Christmas" is charged with lots of emotions. I, however, get curious when people tell me to put Christ back into Christmas without knowing anything about me or how I relate to the Divine. Blaming, judging, and finger pointing are at the least signs of emotional/spiritual immaturity and at the most signs of a culture in darkness or perhaps both. Regardless, the seduction to such an argument is that it gives us an out. If I can distract myself by assuming that you are leaving Christ out of Christmas, then I don’t have to look at all the ways I leave Christ out of, not only Christmas, but also the many areas of my life. Do not trick yourself into believing that this is an easy temptation to avoid. We live in a world where distractions literally exist everywhere, which is what makes our environment a true modern-day wilderness.
As disciples, we are called to know the terrain of the wilderness and know it well enough to not only survive, but to be able to point the way out for lost pilgrims. Knowing the terrain means knowing yourself well enough to know where you become vulnerable to temptation, because the truth is that the enemy, (the darkness or absence of Light), knows these places in you well. The more you know and do healing work around these places, the more you are available to help lost pilgrims navigate out of the wilderness. Our healing work begins by being open to the Advent journey, being open to the invitation to enter the wilderness where distractions, noise, and temptations run amuck. The path will be revealed to you in often surprising ways, such as a fellow pilgrim connecting with you just when you need a bit of Light. Do your advent work (repent), for the Kingdom of Heaven is indeed near as there is a voice crying out in the wilderness. Go therefore and prepare the way, make the paths straight so that the Light can shine forth and the path be made clear.
The Rev. Tammy Wooliver
Priest in Charge, St. Luke’s Ada, OK
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma