The Second Sunday in Lent (Year C), March 4, 2007
BCP: Gen. 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27 or 27:10-18; Phil. 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:(22-30)31-35
RCL: Gen. 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Phil. 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35
Despair is evident in Abram’s complaint to God (Gen. 15:2-3). He has no offspring, and a slave will be his heir. This is an intolerable situation for Abram. But God speaks to him in a vision and promises more than Abram can imagine. God invites him to look up toward heaven and try to count the stars. Then God promises that Abram’s own descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the night sky. God also promises Abram a place for his descendants, and they make a covenant. Abram finds himself incredibly blessed by God.
Our concerns may seem far removed from those of Abram. But we also can turn to God in the midst of despair, and find ourselves invited to “look up” and see the situation with a different perspective. We may find a new vision, and discover hope that exceeds what we can explain or count. We may find that the promise of new life is offered to us, along with real and specific ways for God’s offer to be fulfilled. God did promise a way and a place for Abram’s descendants to live, and we can look for the fulfillment of God’s promises in our own lives.
Psalm 27 also expresses hope in the midst of adversity. The psalmist is unafraid and trusts in the Lord, even when surrounded by enemies. God will keep the psalmist safe in the day of trouble: The Lord “shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling/and set me high upon a rock” (27:7). The psalmist can count on God even if “my father and my mother forsake me” (27:14). God’s promises will be fulfilled in time. The psalmist advises to “tarry and await the Lord’s pleasure;/be strong and he shall comfort your heart;/wait patiently for the Lord” (27:18).
God’s promised comfort is also expressed by Jesus as he considers Jerusalem. Although Jerusalem is “the city that kills the prophets,” Jesus would lovingly gather together the people of Jerusalem “as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” His love is not conditioned on acceptance or appreciation. Jesus would comfort and protect Jerusalem, but he is rejected. The people of Jerusalem cut themselves off from God, and their house is left to them (Luke 13:34-35).
But we can accept God’s gracious promise. We can respond unconditionally as we have received unconditionally. We can engage God’s covenant, and live out God’s promises in our own lives.
Look It Up
In the hymn text, “Now quit your care” (Hymn 145), Percy Dearmer states that it is not Lent’s goal “to bow the head in sack-cloth and in ashes, or rend the soul,” but for us “to be led to where God’s glory flashes, his beauty to come near.”
Think About It
How may we “look up” and recognize God’s promise when we are troubled by despair? How do our disciplines in Lent help us to share God’s hope?
Next Sunday
The Third Sunday in Lent (Year C), March 11, 2007
BCP: Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 103 or Psalm 103:1-11; 1 Cor. 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
RCL: Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Cor. 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
