Lent 2

Some thoughts from today's lectionary readings:

Genesis 12:1-4a
“ Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran”

Romans 4: 1 - 5, 13 - 17
“What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring - not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations” - in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”

John 3:1 - 17
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

God’s instruction to Abram, the father of none and the husband of a barren wife, was to leave what he had. To put aside the security of a place he knew and the safety of being surrounded by friends and family and leave for a strange, alien, place. Do that, says God and I will bless you and make you a blessing. And so Abram, at the age of seventy-five does what God tells him.

What lessons do we have to learn from this?

That ‘calling’ is costly? That it will take you from a place of comfort, safety, security, familiarity and family and take you to . . .Seems to put paid to most of our excuses for not going or doing!

That if Abram was seventy-five and could be called and could be sent, that perhaps our reasons for not doing it because of age goes out of the window too!.

Paul asks what Abram got in the light of things that matter in the world?

Could he boast about them? Well, he could if he’d done the stuff but since he went and God did it all, I guess not. But we can boast about what God has done and what blessing God gave Him I guess!

Paul makes a good point here regarding the areas of work and faith – if we work, we get paid, it’s not a gift!

If Abram’s faith was placed in God, it was about believing (and going) not doing stuff. There were Jews in Jesus time who considered what Abraham did was basically good works and that was why God blessed him. But work has its own reward! But, Paul points out – Abram had only faith, not works, he didn’t do, he was and God counted this as righteousness.
It is not what you do, but why you do it – loving God is enough, but from that love comes actions. And it’s not just for the Jews – father of many nations is important, because nations were religious groups not just nationalities.

Just as Abram embarked on a new beginning, so to must we if we are to have a relationship with the living God!

Jesus talks to Nicodemus, a teacher of the law, and we come to the famous passage in 3:4 “How can a man be born again. can he re-enter his mother’s womb?” He knew the answer, but had to ask.
Physical life requires a physical presence, which is birth a spiritual life requires as spiritual presence. One comes through the delivery suite and the other by water and the Spirit.
Just as some Jews were looking for physical signs to gain blessing (i.e. Work) so too were they expecting physical sign of the Messiah’s presence (ie. Conquest and freedom from occupation and oppression). But in both cases it is not the physical that has the importance but the spiritual.
Both the Pharisees and Sadducees were taken up with the physical act of worship and the thing of worship being visible, after all what power is there if it can’t be seen? What reward is there if the effect isn’t tangible?

Jesus speaks of the winds, unseen and yet its force and effect can be seen, its power tangible and it might and ability to move things (even houses – seen a tornado?) immense.
And so we have the amazing words of 3:16-17.

God sent Him into the world to save it, not condemn it, not to oppose those who sin but to heal them. God opposes the author of sin but seeks to bring freedom and healing to sinners! Not to condemn and write off but to save and redeem (literally to pay the price to set us free – the price tag being death. Christ’s death on a cross).

Are we ready to be people of faith, trusting in God rather than seeking to take up, or as it is Lent, put down?