Dancing in the Wilderness
By Mandy Hall
Text: Luke 4:1-13
Valentine’s day was last weekend, which means it a great excuse to re-watch all your
favorite romantic movies. The web was filled with lists of the top romantic movies, the best
kiss, the most romantic lines. “We’ll always have Paris” “You have bewitched me body and
soul” “You had me at hello”.
The romantic movies that have really stood the test of time, the movies that have
become cultural icons are the ones with that one scene right at the end where a character
put’s it all out there, makes a grand gesture, and proclaims their love.
You know the type of scene I’m talking about- Richard Gere shows up to sweep the
girl off her feet and carry her out of the factory. It’s Rose jumping off the life boat, climbing
back onto the Titanic to be with Jack. It’s the scene in Love Actually where Mark shows up
at Juliet’s door with the signs expressing his love for her. It’s John Cusack outside the house
holding a boom box over his head.
These moments are the reason we watch the movies over and over again- they make
you feel deep down that there is real passion and real love and that you are a part of it. The
grand gestures we find in Hollywood are what keep us hopeless romantics holding out for
something epic in our own lives. People emulate these moments in their lives- they use
these movies as blue prints for wedding proposals that they then post online to share with
the rest of us.
These moments have become so big, so iconic, so engrained into our culture that
some begin to believe that the grand gesture is enough. One grand gesture and your love
story is set, because who can say no to the person standing outside their house holding a
boom box over their head? In all reality, if someone did that, if a random person showed up
out of nowhere blasting music outside your house, you’d probably call the cops. You
wouldn’t fall in love with him, you’d think he’s creepy wearing a trench coat in the middle
of summer.
The reality is that relationships are so much more than grand gestures. Life is so
much more than the ‘I’m all in” moment at the end of the story. Real life relationships are
about all the small moments in between. It’s the ups and downs, the hard times and the
good times. It’s the character development, the plot line, the stolen moments, the ordinary
times that build the foundation for the extraordinary romance. Too often we get caught up
in the allure of the grand gesture that we miss the real story that precedes it. Life moves
pretty fast, if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it. Sorry
couldn’t help it… life isn’t just about the awesome day off when you explored the city, its
about the friends that you explored with.
Life isn’t a Hollywood movie. We don’t have writers, directors, casting agents,
costume designers. No one is shaping the scene, telling us how to react, and feeding us the
perfect line. What we do have are messy relationships in a messy world. We have a lot of
little moments of joy and sorrow, commitment and betrayal, beginnings and endings. We
have a very special story of an ordinary life well lived. And yet, we keep calling out for
something bigger and better.
How many times have you heard someone say ‘if you really loved me you would”.
Maybe you’ve heard a kid tell their parent’s this as a way of guilting them into something.
“If you really loved me you’d let me go on Spring Break with my friends.” “If you really
loved me you’d buy me that new game.” Maybe you’ve heard this said as a little joke
between partners ‘if you really loved me you’d fold the laundry'. Maybe when you heard it,
it wasn’t a joke, it was at the end of a relationship. If you really loved me….
In those moments we are asking for proof, something tangible and in the moment.
We want a grand gesture, our own iconic moment because we do not trust the little things,
the small moments that got us here, that the relationship was built on so we have to test it.
In the Gospel reading, we heard the story of Jesus in the wilderness being tempted
by the devil. His faith was put to the test, he was repeatedly asked to prove himself. If you
were really the Messiah you would turn this rock into bread. If you were really the Chosen
One you would have all this authority and power- so long as you worshiped me. If you
were really the Son of God you could jump off the roof and the angels would catch you.
Come on Jesus- prove it. Prove you are who you say you are. Prove you are worthy of all
our trust. Show us that you are different, that you are special, and not just another rabbi.
Prove to me that you aren’t going to abandon me, that you will always love me, and accept
me for who I am. Prove that you are worthy of my faith. One more sign God, then I’ll
believe.
“It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Don’t ask God to be a part of
your Hollywood style faith. Don’t ask for grand gestures, epic moments, or proof of God’s
fidelity. There are already plenty of examples of God making a grand gesture, everything
from Moses and the burning bush, to Jonah and the whale. God has already made the
grandest gesture of all- Christ’s sacrifice on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter
Sunday. If this was a movie, the credits would be rolling by now, but instead this is life, this
is a faith journey. There is still a story to be told, a song to be sung, a faith to be lived.
Faith journeys are full of ups and downs, detours and scenic routes, maybe even a
few dead ends. Faith is a journey, a lifetime adventure. At times we might feel alone,
walking in the wilderness isolated and afraid. When a loved one battles cancer, when
discrimination becomes status quo, when a child lives in poverty, when we encounter
stories of oppress and abuse we might call out asking God to show a sign, to make a grand
gesture.
It’s ok to cry out in lament, in fact it’s good to cry out. But we can’t just shout, we
have to stop and listen. Remember that the grand gestures are only grand when they are
built on a solid foundation one piece of a larger story. It’s up to us to pay attention, to
listen, and to remember. We must reflect on the journey thus far. Remember the moments
our faith was strongest, when we felt most connected to God. Those moments of intimacy
help to carry us through the hard times. We must learn to listen for how God is moving
now, watch for the movements of the Spirit in our life. No matter how alone we may feel,
no matter how lost we may feel, no matter how harsh the wilderness may seem- we are not
alone. Stop, look, listen. God’s grace is all around us, working in us and through us even
when we are not aware of its presence. God never abandons us, we never walk our faith
journey alone.
I tend to picture my faith journey as a song- where the Gospel is the music and the
Holy Spirit is leading the dance. God is composing a song for us and she is inviting us to
listen and join in the dance. The music plays on even when we are too distracted by the
noise in our lives to hear it. The song continues even as we sit on the side refusing to dance
because we are waiting for the grand gesture, the proof that we won’t be made a fool by the
steps. Stop waiting, Jesus isn’t going to over to you ‘saying nobody put’s baby in a corner.’
You must decide to join in the dance, to learn the steps, and to trust that it’s ok to stumble
and fall. The dance continues, the song plays on, and our hearts are tuned to sing God’s
grace.