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Second Sunday of Lent by Joan Thorpe-Anderson
Our three readings today from Genesis, Romans and Mark have one common denominator and it is this ‘faith in God’. In Genesis, God made a promise to our ancestor, Abraham, that He (God), would make him (Abraham), the father of many nations. In fact God did not just say ‘I will make you’, He said ‘I have made you a father of many nations’. That is a ‘fait accompli’ to me - God was saying ‘you being the father of many nations has already been accomplished’. Now, given that Abraham was nearly 100 years old and his wife Sarah had long passed child-bearing age, you would expect Abraham to have some doubts or apprehension at such a promise. The saying is that with age comes wisdom - so Abraham was in no doubt that if God says this is so, then it will be so. With that in mind he believed the promise and acted on it. That is faith personified, believing, despite all the negative factors against such a promise becoming a reality.
In Romans the Apostle Paul breaks down and analyses what faith is. Clearly an educator, he delivers his analysis like a university lecturer by comparing faith with the law. The ultimate goal of faith is to generate righteousness. To get to righteousness there must be belief. Once there is belief this leads to trust (where you rely on the integrity, strength and ability of person or thing). This then develops into faith (strong conviction, confidence) and is then added as righteousness. Belief + Trust + Faith = Righteousness.
Paul asks the question ‘who is entitled to be blessed’ the circumcised or uncircumcised? The law brought in circumcision. Abraham’s circumcision under the law, was a sign to seal the righteousness he acquired by faith before he was circumcised. This makes him the father of all who believe and are circumcised and, of all who believe and are not circumcised. The promise to Abraham and his offspring was not made through the law but through the righteousness that comes by faith. Paul proved that it was the faith of Abraham that made us - the uncircumcised - his heirs and therefore, partakers of God’s promise.
Our gospel finds Jesus Christ teaching his followers and disciples. He told them that he would be rejected by the Jewish leaders, killed and after three days, rise from the dead. Peter rebuked him for speaking this way and in return, our Lord strongly rebuked him, calling him Satan and saying he was not thinking of God but of men. Jesus had been teaching that because of what he is doing - evangelising the people, turning them away from the ways of the world and pointing them to the one true God - he would be killed, because the ‘powers that be’ would be unhappy with him.
He then told his followers that to follow him they must deny themselves and take up their cross. When Jesus invites us to ‘take up our cross’, he is preparing us for the dangers and difficulties we will encounter as a result of following his teachings, and living for God. We are told that most of the disciples suffered awful deaths as a consequence of their beliefs - both Peter and his brother Andrew were crucified; Stephen was stoned, Paul who wrote most of the New Testament, was beheaded. Many others, even today feel the weight and pain of the cross, we do too when we carry the burden of secrets, worries, concerns and confessions of others.
So when we confront difficulties, Satan intervenes saying it is easier to take the smooth path than the rough road. It is easier to abandon our beliefs than be challenged. It is easier to avoid the question because you don’t want to hear the answer. It is easier to take the path of least resistance than the one which takes you out of your comfort zone. But to abandon your belief for an easy life is showing Jesus that you are ashamed of him and, to do that means that when he comes into his Father’s glory with the holy angels, he too will be ashamed of you.
The question for us today is - how is our faith holding up? As heirs of the promise made to our ancestor Abraham, could our faith be credited as righteous? Amen
Our three readings today from Genesis, Romans and Mark have one common denominator and it is this ‘faith in God’. In Genesis, God made a promise to our ancestor, Abraham, that He (God), would make him (Abraham), the father of many nations. In fact God did not just say ‘I will make you’, He said ‘I have made you a father of many nations’. That is a ‘fait accompli’ to me - God was saying ‘you being the father of many nations has already been accomplished’. Now, given that Abraham was nearly 100 years old and his wife Sarah had long passed child-bearing age, you would expect Abraham to have some doubts or apprehension at such a promise. The saying is that with age comes wisdom - so Abraham was in no doubt that if God says this is so, then it will be so. With that in mind he believed the promise and acted on it. That is faith personified, believing, despite all the negative factors against such a promise becoming a reality.
In Romans the Apostle Paul breaks down and analyses what faith is. Clearly an educator, he delivers his analysis like a university lecturer by comparing faith with the law. The ultimate goal of faith is to generate righteousness. To get to righteousness there must be belief. Once there is belief this leads to trust (where you rely on the integrity, strength and ability of person or thing). This then develops into faith (strong conviction, confidence) and is then added as righteousness. Belief + Trust + Faith = Righteousness.
Paul asks the question ‘who is entitled to be blessed’ the circumcised or uncircumcised? The law brought in circumcision. Abraham’s circumcision under the law, was a sign to seal the righteousness he acquired by faith before he was circumcised. This makes him the father of all who believe and are circumcised and, of all who believe and are not circumcised. The promise to Abraham and his offspring was not made through the law but through the righteousness that comes by faith. Paul proved that it was the faith of Abraham that made us - the uncircumcised - his heirs and therefore, partakers of God’s promise.
Our gospel finds Jesus Christ teaching his followers and disciples. He told them that he would be rejected by the Jewish leaders, killed and after three days, rise from the dead. Peter rebuked him for speaking this way and in return, our Lord strongly rebuked him, calling him Satan and saying he was not thinking of God but of men. Jesus had been teaching that because of what he is doing - evangelising the people, turning them away from the ways of the world and pointing them to the one true God - he would be killed, because the ‘powers that be’ would be unhappy with him.
He then told his followers that to follow him they must deny themselves and take up their cross. When Jesus invites us to ‘take up our cross’, he is preparing us for the dangers and difficulties we will encounter as a result of following his teachings, and living for God. We are told that most of the disciples suffered awful deaths as a consequence of their beliefs - both Peter and his brother Andrew were crucified; Stephen was stoned, Paul who wrote most of the New Testament, was beheaded. Many others, even today feel the weight and pain of the cross, we do too when we carry the burden of secrets, worries, concerns and confessions of others.
So when we confront difficulties, Satan intervenes saying it is easier to take the smooth path than the rough road. It is easier to abandon our beliefs than be challenged. It is easier to avoid the question because you don’t want to hear the answer. It is easier to take the path of least resistance than the one which takes you out of your comfort zone. But to abandon your belief for an easy life is showing Jesus that you are ashamed of him and, to do that means that when he comes into his Father’s glory with the holy angels, he too will be ashamed of you.
The question for us today is - how is our faith holding up? As heirs of the promise made to our ancestor Abraham, could our faith be credited as righteous? Amen
