“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

Martin Luther said a goal of his theology was to pull Christ as deeply into the flesh as possible. Somewhere in that thought is the notion that Christ did not simply come on behalf of us, but he entered into our story in order to reveal to us what it meant to be fully human. In doing so he came to us in the rawest form possible we can imagine, literally “in the state of meat” – the incarnation.

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“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah, the prophet, ‘Behold, I send the messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

Mark 1:1-3

The Gospel story in Mark begins in the “wilderness.” Such is the beginning of most Gospel stories. While we thirst and long for something different/other with an aching intuition, what we know first and best is wilderness. Our ability to experience and name “wilderness” is the beginning of Gospel for most of us. It is the “way of the Lord.” The Lord comes in and through wilderness. Perhaps it is “the way” of his followers too. How then can we damn the very place that is the holy ground of our encounter with God? Perhaps this is why Julian of Norwich could say, “First the fall, and then the recovery of the Fall, but both are the mercy of God.”

I am thoughtful today of the wildernesses of my own life and those wildernesses of the people and places we serve. The Gospel of Mark helps me think of such places with thankfulness. It is the way of our Lord.

Kris Rocke
Serves as director of Center for Transforming Mission
Bumps into Reality by accident, most of the time
Heard God laugh once

After a few months away, we’re back with Geography of Grace. Our goal is to serve grassroots ministry leaders in vulnerable communities—“hard places”—by providing resources for reflection and action. We hope you’ll spread the word to others in those contexts… and use the comment feature to engage lively discussion here. There’s also some really good stuff in the archives—practical, poetic, reflective, informative—so search away.

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