The desert

A number of years ago I had the opportunity to live and study in the Holy Land for three months and visit biblical sites. I was particularly struck by the Judean desert. Rainfall in this desert ranges from four to twenty-four inches annually, too little to support vegetation, but where there is water, such as along streams or oases or on irrigated plots, the land is very fertile and can produce lush growth.

The other characteristic of the Judean desert that struck me is the absolute silence. There were caves in the desert hills, where people would go to escape civilization for whatever reason. John the Baptist went to have silence for prayer without the distractions of everyday life.

John’s time in the desert enabled him to focus on the basics: the importance of repentance, of a change of heart, of leaving behind all that is sinful, and the symbolic baptism he celebrated as a sign of that repentance with those who came to him, including Jesus himself.

The desert, fertile with possibilities, can apply to our lives as well. What are the possibilities for flourishing that God holds out to us? Where do I find my life-giving stream or oasis in a world that can be dry and arid? How can I make that stream or oasis available and life-giving to others who are in need, as well as to myself?

“A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths.'” (Luke 3:4)

Most of the images in this blog are of the Sonoran desert in Arizona which has much more vegetation than the Judean desert. In springtime desert flowers fill the landscape.