This article was originally published as the Rector’s Closing Thoughts article in the 2025 Lent Bellringer.
Lent is a forty-day season to prepare for Easter. The season evokes the forty years of wandering between Egypt and the Promised Land, and Jesus’ forty days in the desert wilderness preparing for his public ministry. Deserts, by definition, are places of little precipitation. Life needs water so plants and animals struggle to survive in this environment, let alone thrive. Like all animals, we humans need food and water, which are few and far between in the desert wilderness. Deserts are full of extremes. Temperature swings can be intense between day and night. When precipitation comes, it often comes with a violent force. The desert is full of danger. Desert life has evolved for the harsh environment, but humans have not evolved for the desert, so we are particularly vulnerable.
When I was about 20 years old, I visited the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile, one of the driest deserts in the world. Certainly, the arid environment was severe. All of the extremes and dangers of the desert were present in the Atacama Desert. We were warned to stay hydrated. The lack of precipitation meant that there were not many clouds there and the sun was intense that day. But the lack of clouds also meant that when night came, we had a clear view of the night sky. As I looked at the stars and saw constellations like the Southern Cross, I was overwhelmed by the beauty, and stood in awe at the magnificence of God’s creation.
Jesus faced real physical and spiritual dangers while out in the harsh desert environment. Mark succinctly recounts these dangers when he says that Jesus was tempted by Satan and was with the wild beasts while out in the desert. Jesus also encountered beauty in the protection and comfort he received during this sojourn. The same is true for us. There are dangers and beauty in this world. During this Lent, I invite you to consider them both. What dangers threaten this world? And where do you see beauty breaking through? As we journey through the desert of Lent — and the deserts of our lives — do not be blind to the pervasive dangers, but also open your eyes in wonder to the beauty that surrounds us.
Bingham+
