Open Country
Georgia O'Keeffe. My Front Yard, Summer, 1941. Oil on canvas, 20 1/16 x 30 1/8 inches. Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.
Jesus said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark 6:31 NRSV
Jesus’ invitation to his harried disciples is notable for at least two reasons. That Jesus had an eye to their weariness, and acted to address it, is a poignant expression of his care and concern for them. His gesture also signals to the church that personal wellbeing is not simply a modern/post-modern fad, but a practice Jesus himself modeled for his followers.
The Greek word eremos, translated above as “deserted place,” has several geographic meanings: Besides desert or deserted place it can mean wilderness area or place of desolation. It can refer to an area of uncultivated land used for grazing. Eremos can be understood to mean something like open country.
The phrase “open country” implies the prospect of an odyssey of some kind or another to a place with a wide wide sky, a broad horizon, and plenty of breathing room. If we hear Jesus’ invitation again with that nuance in mind, we can imagine him inviting us to a place that will not only provide us some rest and refreshment, but also offer us the opportunity to dream of possibilities for how our daily lives might be lived more creatively and joyfully.
20th century American artist Georgia O'Keeffe was no stranger to eremos, having made her home in the desolate, inhospitable wilderness of the desert Southwest. Her artist’s eye saw color in that deserted region to rival a kid’s kaleidoscope. "People think of the desert as barren," she wrote, "but in truth it is filled with secret and glorious color." She’d discovered open country, and proceeded to bring it to the rest of us.
Take a moment to ponder the call of Jesus in Mark to his earliest disciples. Imagine that summons as being spoken directly into your ear, your heart, your life: “Come away with me for a while . . . to open country.” In a sense, this is the invitation Rev. Sheri Clifton and I—United Methodist clergy colleagues in the Río Texas Conference—are extending in the coming season to any and all who yearn to hear and heed its life-giving message. If that describes you, then we hope you’ll join us in this shared quest for open country. We feel assured that God will join us, too.
Grace and peace,
Paul L. Escamilla
The Art of WellBeing
A coach-based course for reflecting on our lives in leadership and beyond.
Six group sessions: September 26; October 10 and 24; November 7 and 21; December 5
Course fee: $495
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