So Abram went, as the Lord had told him... [Genesis 12:4a] I lift my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come? My help comes from the Lord; the maker of heaven and earth. [Psalm 121:1-2]
Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness...For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham...through the law but through the righteousness of faith. [Romans 4:3b]
Jesus answered...no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit...If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?...For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. [John 3:12, 16]
Faith takes center stage in the readings for this week. God commands Abram to leave all he knows behind and go to a new land where God will make of him a great nation. Abram went. Later in Genesis, God commands Abraham – formerly Abram – to sacrifice his son Isaac, and he prepares to do just that before the reprieve. Abraham had faith, righteous faith, that is, he was right with God. He trusted God and that trust was demonstrated by his obedience. Some of the stories of Abram/Abraham are overwhelming in terms of the magnitude of his willingness to just obey God, seemingly without question. Farther along in Genesis, and perhaps with some comfort for their truly human characteristics, we discover that neither Abraham nor his wife, Sarah, were perfect in all ways.
Paul helps us along by opening us up
to the understanding that anyone/all of us can be in right relationship with
God even in our less-than-perfect ways. Righteousness of faith and
obedience are less about the defined commandments given to
Noah and more about commitment and attitude.
Nicodemus is a Pharisee who engages
Jesus for the first of three times in John’s Gospel in this reading. A
high-status member of the Great Sanhedrin, the governing council of the Jews at
that time essentially comprising middle class businessmen who were leaders in
the Synagogue. Nicodemus stands firm in and for Jewish orthodoxy/the Law. Yet
something about Jesus and his unconventional path as a religious teacher draws
Nicodemus to seek Jesus out, although only at night. It is in this passage that
the famous John 3:16, seen on placards at sporting events, For
God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes
in him may not perish but have eternal life is found. Martin
Luther described this passage as “the Gospel in miniature.” We aren’t deserving
but God is giving us every opportunity to bring our penitent hearts and
imperfect faith to this relationship.
Following on in John 3:17, Jesus tells
Nicodemus that God did not send the Son…to condemn the world, but…that
the world might be saved through him. Coming to Jesus begins when we
take stock of the earthly “values” that separate us from God, and from one
another, and opens us to the realization of the Spirit already shining within
us. That awakening is a new birth and the brilliance within begins to show
through us. It deepens our faith and commitment and strengthens us to attempt
more obedience, have more trust, and be more faithful to the life that Christ
is teaching us to follow. We can leave behind the notion of a vengeful god only
wanting us to be punished and draw near to the love of God who never leaves us
behind.
Faith can be shaken and still endure. A
deeper faith can be sought even when it only slightly exists and even if not
understood. Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century
theologian/philosopher, whose influence still pervades Christian thought today,
said, “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith,
no explanation is possible.” To move deeper into faith and commitment is to
journey as Abraham – new land, new language, new life. Through the waters of our
human birth we embody our individual Creation as we are born in God’s image. Each
time we are awakened by a moment and desire to take new steps in faith and
follow Christ, we are reborn in and by the Holy Spirit. We aren’t called
to be perfect but we are perfectly called by Jesus, through a love greater than
mere human words can express. It is our rebirthing, our Re-Creation through
water and the Spirit that gives us true life. Whether we have strong and
confident faith or we are among the many with imperfect and often shaky faith,
this is the essence of Lenten reflection, to be inwardly moved into a
deeper commitment to our journey with Christ.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Lord, our Maker
and our Help, sustain us in our flawed and uncertain attempts with our journeys
in faith, as we seek to know the grace of a newness of life through Your Holy
Spirit. Guide our efforts to be earnest in the desire to live through this life
as preparation for eternal life with You.
O God of Constant
Mercy
RESPONSE:
Deliver us from
doubt
~ O
Lord, our Maker and our Help, we
lift our eyes to You in these confusing and unsettled times, to guide us and
the leaders of all governments across this Earth, this Nation, and this
Community, to discover and apply a genuine clarity of judgment and a generous
charity of heart. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O God of Constant Mercy
Deliver
us from doubt
~ O Lord, our Maker
and our Help, calm the distress of those who are ailing in body, mind, or
spirit, and grant stamina to those who give them care. We now join our hearts
to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O God of Constant Mercy
Deliver
us from doubt
~ O Lord our Maker
and our Help, may our grief be eased with a foretaste of the joy and
celebration enfolding all whom we love, who now live forever with You. We
pray especially for… add your own petitions
O God of Constant Mercy
Deliver
us from doubt
~ O Lord our Maker
and our Help, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently… add your own petitions
O God of Constant Mercy
Deliver
us from doubt
~ O Lord, our Maker
and our Help, fortify the souls of all who are anointed to lead Your
Church as they strive to impart to us the faith of Abraham and the willingness
to seek only heavenly things on the path of salvation through Christ. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
O God of Constant Mercy
Deliver
us from doubt
The Celebrant adds: Living and Eternal God, for the mere price of
our continuing faith, You promise us life unending and love without limit.
Re-Create our hearts and souls from the waters of our birth and the presence of
the Holy Spirit, in these reflective days of Lent, and turn our hearts to
repentance to examine and deepen our commitment to You. We ask this
through Your Only Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ; and Your Holy Spirit, our
Sanctifier; who live and reign with You, as One God, now and for evermore. Amen.
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