Church of the Incarnation

Native American cultures have a tradition called the Vision Quest. As a young teen, a boy goes into the wilderness alone to listen for his calling. He may spend the time walking, being in nature and connecting with his maker that way. Or he may confine himself to a very small area and spend the time in meditation, listening that way. The Vision Quest is a struggle, wrestling with who he has been up to that point in his life, and wrestling with selfish desires and motivations. It is not uncommon for an animal to befriend a boy during this time, and for that animal to become for him the symbol of God from then on. At some point, the boy will gain clarity about the direction his life is to take, the career he is to pursue, and his quest is over. He returns to the tribe more mature and confident, ready to be a man and ready to begin training in his profession.1

After Jesus' Baptism, "the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him."

In the movie "One True Thing," Ellen, played by Renée Zelwegger, is lost. She is a New York journalist fighting over stories and scratching to get ahead. She is dating an intelligent, successful man who has been unfaithful to her. She has everything she ever dreamed of, and she is miserable. The family discovers that Ellen's mother has cancer, and Ellen's father cajoles her into coming home to care for her mother. And so Ellen's Vision Quest begins. She has always thought her mother silly, coming to literary costume parties as Snow White and spending her days cooking and cleaning. And she has always thought her father brilliant, admiring his novels and peeking in on the college courses he taught. But as she nurses her mother through her last months, Ellen discovers that her mother actually has a strength and a depth of love that is beautiful. And she discovers that her father is weak and petty, a philanderer and a drunk. Ellen recognizes that she is more like her mother than she thought. After her mother's death, Ellen returns to New York. But she refuses to write a story exposing a senator's drug use, and decides to write features for the Village Voice instead. And she leaves the unfaithful but otherwise perfect boyfriend, finally realizing she deserves better. Her Vision Quest has given her the chance to confront her demons and to be attended by angels. And she comes home with a new sense of calling, and equipped with the strength of character to pursue that calling.

After Jesus' Baptism, "the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him." And when Jesus emerged from the wilderness, he was ready and equipped to begin his public ministry.

We all have Vision Quest experiences. We may nurse a loved one through death, or we may struggle with an addiction. We may lose a job we loved or come to despise the career we trained for. We may get divorced or find ourselves empty-nesters. All these can become Vision Quest experiences. They may trigger that solitary inner searching for meaning and purpose. They may cause us to wrestle with our demons, to struggle with the reality of our own brokenness and weakness. The circumstances are often so overwhelming that they force us to drop our defenses, to be honest with ourselves and with God in a way that we usually avoid. And so they may also be times of incredible blessing, as we discover God with us, transforming our weakness into strength and using our brokenness to heal others. We emerge from Vision Quest experiences exhausted, because they are hard work. But we also emerge renewed, clearer about our calling, and more equipped to carry out that calling.

After Jesus' Baptism, "the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.'"

I think it i impressive that Native Americans seek out their Vision Quests. I have to admit that I do everything I can to avoid them. They are painful, and they are exhausting. They make me face things I do not want to face, and they disrupt the equilibrium of my life. They may result in my having to take out student loans and go back to school or pack up my life and move to a strange new town. They make life messy. But as the philosopher Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."2

It is Lent, the season of Vision Quests. Before the Confession, we will hold up the ten commandments, trying to think of the fullness of what they ask of us, and confessing the many ways we have failed to live up to their standards. And just before communion we will say the Prayer of Humble Access, acknowledging that on our own merits we are completely unworthy to dine at the Lord's table. It is a start. It is a first step toward a full Vision Quest, toward truly admitting our weakness and brokenness. It is a first step toward stepping aside from our busy lives and listening for God. It is a first step toward opening ourselves up to receive the fullness of God's love and joy and peace. And it is a first step toward hearing God's call in our lives. But it is only a first step. The rest of keeping Lent, the rest of the Vision Quest, is up to you. And so I issue again the invitation from the Ash Wednesday service: "I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word." I invite you to follow Jesus' example, to leave the safety of your life as you know it, and risk your own Vision Quest.

Amen.

References:

1. From http://www.crystalinks.com/visionquest.html
2. Socrates, Apology 38a
3. Book of Common Prayer, 265