Dual Immersion - The One Year Salt and Light Devotional

Luke 5:15-16

Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. (Luke 5:16)

CHRISTIAN MONASTICISM SEEMS TO have begun in the 200s in the deserts of Egypt, where hermits and ascetics retreated from the world to get closer to God. On the surface, this monastic impulse looked like a detachment from social influences, though monks created new communities of faith and often dedicated themselves to praying for the world they had left behind. They wanted to be alone with the Father, sometimes for the rest of their lives.

Most Christians throughout history have understood themselves to be “in the world” but not “of the world”—citizens of heaven who continue to live and function within the context of mainstream society. And it’s true that the vast majority of believers are called to serve God among others in the routines and structures of daily life. We don’t normally pull away from the world for a lifetime. But many of us do pull away mentally, retreating into our own communities of faith, forming a parallel world that functions alongside “secular” society, with our own schools, businesses, and organizations. We have a hard time finding the balance of being alone with God, fellowshiping with other believers, and influencing the non-Christian world. We aren’t sure how “in the world” we are meant to be or how diligently we should avoid being “of the world.”

As always, the life of Jesus is our example. He often withdrew to isolated places to be alone with the Father but then reentered the mix of daily life in order to minister to the needs of society. That’s what priests do in representing humanity to God and God to humanity. We find strength in the Father’s presence, but we also recognize our role in carrying the Father’s presence into the world.

If you struggle with your level of involvement in the world around you—what to embrace, what to renounce, how deeply to engage—let Jesus be your guide. Get filled up in the Father’s presence, then spend yourself in the presence of others. Withdraw at times, but always be ready to enter in. As a bridge between two realms, you need to be immersed in both.

{Lord, teach me how to be alone with you—and how to live together with you in this world. Let my familiarity with the realm of the spirit thoroughly influence my life in the material realm. Amen.