Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks,
Welcoming you to Day 3 of our Lent 26 journey in the wilderness already held as we walk through the Gospel of John.
Today we step a little deeper into the wilderness.
This is not a wilderness of danger,
But a wilderness of clarity.
The wilderness is the place where distractions fall away,
Where noise begins to get softer and where we really begin to emerge in quietness.
So before we begin,
Allow yourself to arrive in that space.
If it's comfortable and safe,
Gently close your eyes,
Let your breathing slow,
Don't force it or control it,
Just simply notice your breath.
Feel the ground beneath you,
And remember you don't need to strive in this moment,
You don't need to improve yourself,
Just be here.
In John's Gospel,
Hear these words,
Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Now notice what John the Baptist does in saying this,
He's pointing.
There's no shame or accusation,
There's no raising of the voice as you might imagine it coming from him,
But a simple recognition and an invitation for others to see.
There's something profoundly healing in being pointed toward truth without being attacked,
Because many of us have learned to associate truth with harshness,
To link honesty somehow with condemnation,
But the movement of God is very,
Very different.
The Spirit reveals,
But the Spirit doesn't reveal in order to crush us,
The Spirit reveals to free us.
John names Jesus as the Lamb.
Notice that language,
This is not a conqueror or a punisher,
But a Lamb,
Gentle strength,
Self-giving presence,
Love that doesn't coerce,
And John recognises this Lamb.
And not because someone argued him into it,
And not because it was imposed on him from the outside,
But because he learned how to see.
Being in the wilderness had clarified John's vision,
And the wilderness journey does the same for us.
When we allow ourselves to become quieter and more spacious and less defended,
Distortion begins to fall away,
We start to see what's actually here.
Quite often,
We imagine repentance as feeling worse about ourselves,
Right?
As if spiritual growth requires a certain level of disappointment,
Or something like that.
But repentance at its heart simply means to see again,
Or to think differently,
To perceive clearly,
To turn toward reality.
And reality's never as cruel as the voice of shame.
Shame says,
You're the problem.
But truth says,
Hey,
Something's out of alignment,
But it can be healed.
And there is a great,
Great difference.
In this passage,
Sin's not described through a list of failures.
But instead,
We're shown the one who removes it,
Which suggests something more important,
And that is that sin is less about moral collapse,
And more about disconnection.
Disconnection from God,
Disconnection from our truest self,
Disconnection from one another.
And the Lamb doesn't come to humiliate the disconnection,
But to gather us back into communion.
For the next few moments,
Allow yourself to rest in gentle awareness.
Let your breathing be natural,
And as you sit there,
You might quietly wonder,
What am I finally able to see when I stop defending myself?
No analysis is needed,
Just notice what arises.
And now gently consider this,
Where do I confuse honesty with harshness?
Where have I believed that being truthful requires me to be severe with my own heart?
See if you can let honesty feel spacious,
Almost compassionate,
Because God is never impatient with truth.
And one more question held very lightly.
What might it mean to recognize Christ already present?
Not arriving later,
Not waiting until you improve,
But already here,
Already moving towards you,
Already restoring connection.
Imagine John again,
Standing in the wilderness,
The simplicity of the wilderness,
Right?
Pointing and saying,
Here is the Lamb.
What if recognition is the beginning of transformation?
Forget the striving,
Forget the self-rejection,
But seeing,
Simply seeing.
Let this next breath be an act of consent to reality,
Breathing in,
Receiving what is true,
And breathing out,
Releasing the need to defend.
And again,
Breathe in,
Welcome,
And breathe out,
Soften.
And you may notice when you stop attacking yourself,
Perception becomes clearer.
Energy that you spent on self-protection becomes available for awareness.
And this is why the spiritual life is not built on self-criticism,
But on courageous gentleness.
God doesn't rush revelation.
The Spirit is patient,
Steady,
Non-judgmental.
And as you remain here,
Allow this quiet assurance to settle within you.
You are safest in the truth,
Not the sharpened truth of accusation.
But the liberating truth that reconnects you to love itself.
As we come to a close,
Picture yourself standing beside the river with John.
The air is still,
The wilderness wide and uncluttered.
And without drama,
No pressure,
No fanfare,
Christ is simply there,
Already present,
Already offering himself.
You don't have to force recognition,
Just be willing to see.
And perhaps today you might carry this simple prayer.
God,
Give me the courage to see clearly without turning against myself.
Strip away distortion.
Reconnect what has been separated.
Help me recognize your presence already here.
Amen.
Stay for one more slow breath.
Let clarity feel calm.
Let honesty feel kind.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
The Lamb of God is still among us,
Quietly restoring all things.
Walk today with clear sight and a steady heart.
May grace,
Peace and love go with you every step of the way.
Today and always.
Amen.
Grace and peace be with you,
Friend.
We'll see you tomorrow.
