You Are My Beloved: Identity in the Wilderness

Because the wilderness will not have the final word. Christ will have the final word. The whisper, if you are, does not have the final word. Our father has the final word. And his word over us is this, you are my beloved. You are my child. Amen. [00:45:39] (40 seconds)  #FinalWordIsChrist

At the start of Lent, that is exactly what we need. Clarity. Clarity about who we are. Clarity about whose we are. Not perhaps So perhaps the real question this Lent is not what must I do, But instead, who am I choosing to be? Whose am I choosing to be? Will I live from anxiety or from belovedness? [00:42:57] (34 seconds)  #LentChooseBelovedness

But what it is, what it is is an invitation to remember who we are before we start striving. It's an invitation to remember that we are named as children of God, not because of our righteousness, but because of his grace. And that is a gift. Our identity as children of God is a gift, and gifts cannot be earned, only received. [00:40:41] (35 seconds)  #IdentityIsGift

But what I love about this story is that Jesus doesn't avoid the wilderness. He's led there. The spirit leads him we're told. And so, wilderness is not about abandonment. Instead, the wilderness clarifies what matters. It exposes those false voices in our heads and in our lives. It reveals what we cling to and what we should let go of. [00:42:25] (32 seconds)  #WildernessClarifies

Jesus in the gospel reading shows us what it means to live from the truth. Not loudly, not theatrically, but steadily. This is my beloved. As we step into Lent, may we resist the temptation to prove ourselves. May we resist the temptation and the urge to perform. But may we stand firm in what God has already said. [00:45:01] (38 seconds)  #LiveFromTruth

Will I chase approval or will I trust in the father's voice? Will I grasp for control or will I stand rooted in grace? The wilderness will come. It always does in life. And, there'll be moments this week, perhaps even today, when that voice will whisper again, if you are. If you are loved, then why are you struggling? [00:43:30] (44 seconds)  #RootedInGrace

If you're forgiven, why? Why do you still fail? If you are called, why do you feel so unsure? If you are a child of God, then why do you feel abandoned? It's in those moments that we have a choice. We can choose to live from the lie or from the declaration that's already been spoken over us. [00:44:15] (45 seconds)  #ChooseDeclarationNotLie

And so, Lent is the season when those whispers often become louder, not because God is accusing us, but because silence reveals what noise usually hides. The wilderness has this ability to strip things back. Jesus does not though respond to temptation with display. He does not perform. He does not argue his status. He stands rooted in what he knows to be true. [00:39:10] (32 seconds)  #SilenceRevealsTruth