Spiritual formation is something that every candidate for ministry is asked to engage in. When I went through the candidacy process in our synod some 19 years ago now, I had a woman ask me something like, “Well, what has Jesus told you lately?” And I remember stumbling and hesitating because I am not one of those fortunate souls that hear him talk in such specific ways every day or every week. Spiritual formation is of course a whole lot more than hearing God whisper something to you. It is also about finding our gifts, expanding our understanding of God and scripture, peeling the skin off of our childhood faith and becoming adult Christians, curbing selfishness, remembering gratitude, opening our hearts and homes to people in need – all that is part of spiritual formation as far as I am concerned. And sometimes it goes a whole lot further than that.
Jesus’ main spiritual formation exercise is one that I wouldn’t recommend for imitation: it consisted of going into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for forty days. The devil, of course, is one of those mythological figures that rationalist people are eager to dismiss. But whatever our take is on the power of evil and how it manifests in our world, everybody can agree on two things. Number one, evil is well and alive and number two, we all face temptations. I always have a very simple definition for temptation that I share with my confirmation classes: “Temptation is something that you really, really want, but you know deep down that it’s not good for you.” Temptation, I have to say this on Valentine’s Day, is also not to be confused with chocolate. Enjoy your chocolate today! It’s much more serious than that. Jesus, according to the gospels was baptized and right after it, filled with the Holy Spirit, went into the wilderness and was shaken to the core of his existence by the devil. He was tested, tried, and survived.
I wouldn’t call the outcome of this story a victory for Jesus by any means. He survived the vicious attacks on a weakened body and a tired soul. And, as all people who have gone through rounds of chemotherapy know, in those situations when your body is under extreme duress, survival is good enough; recovery will come later.
I am probably not the only person who has a romantic view of spiritual formation. I tend to dream that it takes place in retreat settings, in beautiful monasteries where, removed from the stresses of work, family life and your own worst instincts of multitasking, you can find peace for your soul, recharge your batteries, encounter God in the sunrise and come home refreshed and strong, ready to take on things again. In my native country there are some beautiful monasteries in gorgeous settings. Surely the monks selected those locations to give weary souls some rest. In a sense, my ideal image of a retreat is this: a Valentine’s Day with God!
And while those types of retreats can have a big upside to our spiritual lives and while I am a big advocate for them and while I have yet to find a church council in 19 years of ministry that is able to find, collectively, a weekend that everybody can sacrifice for such an opportunity, (councils don’t like Valentine’s Days, they’re all business!) the truth is, spiritual growth does not come from beautiful retreats alone. Sometimes it is forged in the temptations of life, yes even in the defeats of life, in the tests that are thrown at us.
A few months ago we heard Jennifer’s story on Consecration Sunday and how she was able, by the grace of God, to deal with a terrible accident, countless surgeries, loss of friends, cancer, the prospect of perhaps not being able to have her own biological children – and in all of that, through all of that, not only survive, but thrive, develop a stronger faith in God. It was really remarkable and I have to confess, when I listened to her, I wasn’t sure whether I would have been ready for those types of tests, whether I wouldn’t have faltered from the force of those blows. But it is true, many time spiritual formation comes through the cross, through the darker moments of life and I will tell you, those types of experiences make you stronger for good. The easy stuff comes and goes. The light experiences make you happy one day and the next day they are forgotten. But spiritual formation in the wilderness of life, it will change you and strengthen you forever!
Of course, we never seek out the wilderness, we never want the confrontation with the darker side of life. It’s not something that we recommend as “good for you,” but it is something that happens in life. So, don’t seek it, but when it happens to you, also don’t be afraid. God has not abandoned you!
We will be singing “On Eagle’s Wings” after this sermon. It’s a beautiful song, based on psalm 91, one of the readings for this first Sunday of Lent. The refrain goes like this: “And I will raise you up on Eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of my hands.” Wonderful, soothing images… But we have to remember that psalm 91 is not all about cozy, warm feelings in the presence of God. This psalm also contains the statement, “Thousands may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,” an image that conjures up war in its fiercest form in my mind. It’s a psalm about faith in the midst of the dark experiences of life. And so, let us pray this morning with those in our community and in our church who have been through enormous tests and are facing an uphill battle at this time, as we worship. I can think off the bat of a few people on our prayer list. I think of Maeve Smart on Long Island who developed cancer when she was in her young teens and survived surgery after surgery and treatment after treatment and is still fighting for her young life. Or Betty Walter who apparently, with faith and courage, is taking on three simultaneous cancers. Never easy, never easy!
May their faith be strengthened, may their souls be heartened, may they resist the temptation of giving up, may they soar like Eagles above the wilderness and give testimony to the God who never abandons us and may we sing the following song for them: On Eagle’s Wings! Amen.