March 2026

Lent is often associated with wilderness. Sometimes, the most we can say of the wilderness times in our life is that we survived! Yet, as we look at our ancestors in faith, we see a deeper alternative with wilderness. Henri Nouwen compares the desert and wilderness with entering the furnace of transformation.

In “The Way of the Heart,” Nouwen calls Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness the “three compulsions of the world:”

‘There Jesus was tempted to be relevant (“turn stones into loaves”), to be spectacular (“throw yourself down”) and to be powerful (“I will give you all these kingdoms”). There he affirmed God as the only source of his identity (“You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone.”)’

We come into the wilderness with a healthy sense of ego, or sense of self. The compulsions of the world invite us to glorify the ego. “You will find fulfillment in more power; more relevance!”

This is what we see playing out in our world today, on national and global stages. The human ego, left unchecked, is like a monster that can never be satisfied. This is why, we, like Jesus, go through times of purification and testing. Jesus isn’t tested on correct dogma or doctrine! The purification Jesus went through was a purifying of the heart. It was shedding his heart (the center of feeling and devotion) of anything but God and love.

In these times of wilderness, it’s as if God asks us: to whom does your devotion lie? Not just in words, but in practice. For we can say “Lord, Lord” and yet our hearts can be far from love. So, the invitation in wilderness is both to shed and to embody. And, to embody love, there are things we must let go of that no longer serve us on the spiritual path.

So, whether we’ve been going to church for several months or for a lifetime, we are invited each Lent to consider where our heart is devoted to the compulsions of the world. We’re invited not to destroy our ego, but to expand our sense of self. I am not this little ego. If I was, then it would be in my best interest to succeed at your expense!

If instead, I am a member of the body of Christ, then we are connected. All of us. My happiness is dependent on your happiness. My joy is found in your joy. No exceptions. This is why contemplative practice- loving God and ourselves- is not separate from loving our neighbors and the world. These three loves are interconnected. Jesus presents the great commandment as One, with each part connected to the other: love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Friends, entering this furnace of transformation, we can never do it alone! We need the support of God and one another. That is why Bethany House exists, and is the inspiration for our name: Bethany was the place where even Jesus went for rest, respite, spiritual company, and time to connect with God and spiritual friends.

Over the next two months, there are an abundance of opportunities to be with spiritual friends at Bethany House. Join our last two Wednesday “Engaging Christian Contemplative Practices” sessions March 25 or April 29, our directed silent retreat April 10-12; and our labyrinth Eastertide retreat April 18. You’ll find details for all these and other offerings at our upcoming events page.

Henri Nouwen calls wilderness and solitude… “the place of conversion… where the old self dies and the new self is born… Solitude is the place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from the victimizing compulsions of the world.”

God be with you this Lent, friends, as we seek, in solitude and community, to purify our hearts of all that is not love, so that we can be love in this aching world.

Rev. Matt Carriker and LaToya Staine Carriker