Emery Nester tells a story about a lost hiker stranded in the wilderness. Hopelessly lost, the hiker worried about finding a way out of the dense forest, until, by chance, the hiker encountered another wilderness wanderer. “I am lost,” said the hiker. “Will you please show me the way out of the wilderness?” “No,” replied the stranger, “I cannot show you the way out of the wilderness, but maybe if I walk with you, we can find it together.”
The tale of two hikers journeying through the wilderness together gives me hope. More than once during the past year I have heard people connect their lived experience during the global pandemic to the biblical account of the Israelites wandering through the wilderness, hoping beyond hope that the “Promised Land” (life on the other side of Covid) would soon be within their reach.
Though many may want people in positions of authority to take the lead and say, “This is the way forward. Follow me!”, the reality is that we are wilderness wanderers too. Although I am a pastor, I cannot show you the way out of the wilderness, but maybe if I walk with you, we can follow the Holy Spirit’s lead together.
The truth is that the challenges facing many congregations today are adaptive ones. Adaptive challenges, like discerning how God is calling us to be the church together during frightening and uncertain times, defy easy solutions. They are messy and often require multiple approaches.
The most pressing challenges cannot be solved only by people in positions of authority. Adaptive challenges require a lot of people to make progress as we press ahead together into unchartered territory. Because we are all in this together it is important for everyone to listen for understanding without getting defensive or shutting down the ideas of others, especially those whose voices have not yet been heard.
Charting a new course begins with two questions:
- What are your concerns?
- What are your greatest hopes and dreams for the future?
Asking the questions and listening to one another, especially from those whose input has been ignored, will help us close the gap between where we currently find ourselves and the place where God is inviting us to go.
Fellow wilderness wanderers, please know how much your input, your leadership, and your faithfulness to the Gospel means. “Alone, we can do so little,” wrote Helen Keller, “together we can do so much.”
Walking to Golgotha 