"In the Wilderness" (3rd Sermon of "Revealed" Sermon Series)

For me, Alcohol was the solution. It was always the solution. It was the quick fix that made my insecurity, my depression, my social anxiety go away... for a time. Then I'd have to go back for more and more. Never finding relief from the wilderness of emptiness and addiction.

Most of us are famished. Starved or longing for something. We’re all looking for solutions. It’s why so many people throw themselves head first into new year’s resolutions or spring cleanings, or back-to-school organization, or end of the year reflections… all in hopes of filling the void. Jesus doesn’t offer the quick fix solutions, but Jesus does offer a promise. It is the promise that is displayed most clearly, most vulnerably on the cross – it is the promise that Jesus knows what it is to be hungry – to be famished. It is the promise that Jesus knows suffering and struggle. It is the promise that never for one second does Jesus abandon us in our hunger or longing, in our struggle, in our need.  It is the promise that Christ is always with us in the midst of our brokenness.

On any given day, we can see Christ in this world. We can see Christ is the beauty of moments all around us. We can see Christ in the people lifting up our gifts and potential. But the promise that means that world to me, is that in moments of wilderness, in the moments when we are lost, or longing, or broken, Christ is there with us. Because Christ know what it means to be famished. Jesus knows what it is to be in pain. Jesus knows what it is to be human.

In those places, in the journey through the wilderness, Christ can be found, walking alongside with us.

As you embark on your own journey of faith, you may find yourself in the midst of wilderness… famished for something more, seeking to fill the void, or hoping for solutions. Whether you are in that space, have been there before, or may face it in the future, know that God’s promise is for you. You do not face the struggles on your own. As you embark on the journey of faith, the Holy Spirit is with you. As you look around in times of need, Christ will be in the faces of those who support you. As you make mistakes and missteps, God’s everlasting grace and love, are always there for you.