Everything is made somewhere. And certain places develop a reputation for certain things. If you want fine leather goods, you turn to Italy; solid engineering, Germany; household electrical goods, Japan or Korea. But what about us? Where are we “made”? What makes us into the people we are? And what can mould us into the people God wants us to be?

We are currently in the season of Lent, and it will remain with us throughout March. It is a time when we remember Jesus' time in the wilderness – forty days and nights facing temptation in the desert. It was an uncomfortable place to be. He hears tempting voices. He is forced to reflect on what might lie ahead and so come to a better understanding of what his ministry might be about. Temptation is, after all, the crucible where our faith is forged. It is the clash between the way of God and our own way. As Jesus finds, the wilderness is not a place from which to escape life's problems but a place to face up to them and spend time thinking them through, however difficult that is. Yet, as he does so, he finds himself being forged and moulded into the one he is meant to be, and by the time he returns, he is ready to begin his ministry. In a very real sense, Jesus is “made in the wilderness”. And, maybe, we are called to be “made in the wilderness”, too.

Entering the wilderness doesn't necessarily mean going to the desert for forty days but we do all have those places which we find uncomfortable or difficult. Perhaps our challenge for Lent is to put ourselves in one of those wilderness places. Where that is will be different for each one of us. For you, it may involve making time to sit with a neighbour or friend, someone you may find difficult but who would welcome your company nonetheless. Or maybe you could volunteer for something you don't normally do, whether that be for a charity or some other group with which you are involved. For those of you who are not church goers, the challenge could be to go to church, or experience worship in one way or another. If you are a regular church goer, how about experiencing a different style of worship and seeing what that might be able to teach you? Or maybe for you the wilderness might involve facing up to an issue you find difficult – gay marriage, abortion, assisted dying – and really trying to get alongside those to whom such issues are very personal and relevant.

Where might God be calling you to be this Lent? How might God want to mould you and shape you? And have you the courage to let the Spirit take you there?

God bless!
Jonathan

Jonathan writes a monthly column for the Woodstock and Bladon News. This is his contribution to the March issue.