Today in the Spirit: Lent 2A
In our worship during Lent 1, the church introduced, in dramatic fashion, the intense opposition in the world to the revelation of the Son of God. Now in Lent 2A, the prayers and propers highlight a critical internal conflict within the believing community: faith versus works as the path to fellowship with God.
The assigned Gospel reading from John 3:1-16 (also Trinity Sunday B) recounts the midnight conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, “a man of the Pharisees” (1). So entrenched in man’s obedience to the law as the way to holiness, Nicodemus cannot grasp (at least at this point) how a person can be, and must be, reborn by the Spirit of God to have any relationship with God. Nicodemus is a foil in the narrative, permitting John the Evangelist to set forth Jesus’ teaching on the matter of faith and the Spirit, including the famed verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (16).
Sponsored
In the assigned OT reading from Genesis 12:1-9, we hear the story of God’s first encounter with Abram (later Abraham), which launches the divine plan of redemption for all nations of humankind. Abram hears from YHWH the command to leave with his family and settle in the land of Canaan, and he obeys: “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” (4).
All or parts of Psalm 33 appear often in the lectionary (Lent 2A, Easter 6B, Easter 3C, Pentecost, Proper 14C) to encourage Sunday worshipers to trust in God: “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him, and upon those who put their trust in his mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to feed them in the time of famine” (17-18).
The assigned NT reading from Romans 4:1-5 (6-12), 13-17 draws our attention in worship back to the figure of Abraham. Addressing Jewish Christians in the church of Rome who may have been exerting pressure on Gentile members to follow the law, Paul zooms in on their famed patriarch who, before the law was given, was credited with righteousness by God for believing God at his word: “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 (13).
In the assigned Collect, we have another plea for God’s help against opposition, which we admit is too overpowering for us as human believers. The petition is careful to plead for protection for every part of us, outwardly and inwardly, “from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul.”
The Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Leave Your Country (Genesis 12:1-9)
1 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. 2 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. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 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. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
Clearly we find at Genesis 12 an intentional transition in the narrative toward the implementation of the salvation plan of God: Here we meet in detail the characters of Abram and Sara; we are introduced to the land of Canaan and the human settlements there; and we learn of the intention of God to rescue the world after the fall, using the creation of a “great nation” through Abraham in order to bless “all the families of the earth” (3).
However, the narrator is not simply reporting Abram’s movements but also his obedience and worship of God along the way. Abram hears the word of the LORD to go, and he leaves; he arrives at stopping points along the way, and “called upon the name of the LORD” (a Hebrew idiom for worship). The author of Hebrews provides commentary on just this aspect of the passage this way: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8).
Try this devotional exercise: Create a perpendicular grid with connecting single horizontal and vertical axes. On the straight horizontal line, mark from left to right the broad movements of your life chronologically from conversion to the present. From there, create another horizontal axis from left to right, marking your honest assessment of your obedience to God over time. That line will be crooked, showing stages of disobedience below the timeline and obedience above it. Everyone’s grid would look similar in that respect (Abraham’s, too, if we were to take into account his whole “career” as a believer in Genesis). Finally, draw one more horizontal axis from left to right over everything else. This is the faithfulness of God holding everything together. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).
God is faithful, both enabling our obedience and forgiving our disobedience. Today, Holy Spirit, meet me where I am now in my muddled existence of obedience and disobedience, and in your faithfulness, carry me home to you.
Your Steadfast Love (Psalm 33:12-22)
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, *
Psalm 33:12-21, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
and blessed are the people he has chosen for himself to be his inheritance.
13 The Lord looks down from heaven and beholds all the children of men; *
from the habitation of his dwelling he considers all those who dwell on the earth.
14 He fashions all the hearts of them *
and understands all their works.
15 There is no king who can be saved by a mighty host; *
neither is any mighty man delivered by great strength.
16 A horse is considered a vain hope to save a man; *
neither shall it deliver anyone by its great strength.
17 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him, *
and upon those who put their trust in his mercy,
18 To deliver their soul from death, *
and to feed them in the time of famine.
19 Our soul has patiently waited for the Lord, *
for he is our help and our shield.
20 Our heart shall rejoice in him, *
because we have hoped in his holy Name.
21 Let your merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us, *
as we have put our trust in you.
Take note of the phrase “merciful kindness” at the end of the psalm. It is actually one word in Hebrew (Ḥesed) which appears 244 times in every part of the OT and twice in the assigned portion of this song of praise (“mercy,” v.17). We need to understand that when the ancient Israelites wrote about this “merciful kindness” (or “steadfast love,” ESV) of God, they were not wishing for a feeling God might have for them, like when a young man confesses his affection for a girl hoping but not altogether certain she might feel the same.
No. For Israel, Ḥesed is contractual language grounded in the covenant of love that YHWH has made with his people. The love of YHWH for his people is set in stone. So Moses declares: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9; also 1 Kings 8:23, Nehemiah 1:5).
As Christians, we understand the contract of love pronounced from Sinai to have been fulfilled by the flesh-and-blood revelation of the Son of God. Jesus, the fullness of God “dwelling in him” (Col. 1:19) is the fullness of his love. He is the living, dying, rising, ascending, and returning “merciful kindness” of God for his people. While the psalmist prays, “let your merciful kindness, O LORD, be upon us,” we give thanks that the petition has been answered in Jesus Christ himself, and in the Spirit of Jesus being poured into us.
In a children’s sermon delivered in 1740, Jonathan Edwards wrote: “There is no love so great and wonderful as that which is in the heart of Christ. He is one who delights in mercy; he is ready to pity those who are in suffering and sorrowful circumstances. The love and grace that Christ has manifested does as much exceed all that which is in the world as the sun is brighter than a candle. Parents are often full of kindness towards their children, but that is no kindness like Jesus Christ’s.”
And yet, with the psalmist, though having Christ, we still pray in hope for the “merciful kindness” of God to come upon us. It is not wrong to do so, for there is still so much we do not see. Today, in Lent, with the help of the Spirit, we sing this psalm invoking the contracted love of the Father now revealed in the face of our dear Jesus.
Life to the Dead (Romans 4:1-17)
1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, [6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
Romans 4:1–17
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.] 13 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. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 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, 17 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.
It occurs to me that this NT reading in Lent 2, Year A, should be paired with the OT reading for Lent 2, Year C (Genesis 15:1-18), because Paul’s extensive commentary on “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” comes from that passage. But never mind. Paul’s point concerning Abraham can be made from any passage in Genesis where the latter demonstrates faith in YHWH–whether he is actually doing something, like journeying to Canaan (as in Gen. 12:4ff), or meditating on something, like his offspring being numbered like the stars in the sky (as in Gen. 15:4-5).
Faith, beloved, is not just a matter of thinking straight, but acting out of obedience. And, to Paul’s point in this reading, faith is also not only about performing works but trusting God at his word. Paul may be addressing Jewish Christians here, but let’s be clear: Works righteousness is not and never has been a Jewish problem only. We may never imagine ourselves to be “adherents of the law” of Judaism, but are we not guilty of placing our own spiritual laws down as the measure of our approval from God? Are we attending church regularly? Are we dutifully paying our tithes? Are we rigorously keeping up with our daily quiet times or liturgical offices? Are we serving in ministry? For us, too, Paul’s example of Abraham, who believed God and then acted because he believed, is a model that fits.
Struggling as we do practically speaking with works-righteousness, the passage from Paul’s later epistle to the Ephesians always makes an impact: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
Today, by the Spirit, who is in us always making us humble in faith, we tune in and receive Paul’s liberating argument about grace and faith, to which the only right response can be renewed thanksgiving to the Father and the Son.
Born Again (John 3:1-16)
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 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.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 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.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 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. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:1–16
Once Jesus begins, “I tell you the truth…” (3), Nicodemus can hardly speak. Out of sheer bewilderment, he asks just two basic questions: 1) “How can a man be born again when he is old?” (with a follow-up) (4); and 2) “How can these things be?” (9). To that second, more open question, we have to read carefully to discern what Nicodemus has in mind.
I find that, in asking this, he is not only confused but also offended. If we were to expand the question out, it might be something like, “How can it be that it is the Holy Spirit who brings people to ‘eternal life’ with God? While he may not have understood ‘born again’ at all, as a Pharisee, he knows about the Holy Spirit. He understands Jesus to be saying–and he is–that it is the Holy Spirit who is responsible for moving people to righteousness with God, not people through their obedience to the law: it is scandalous.
Devotionally, in keeping with the messaging of the lectionary this week on faith over works, we find hearing this passage we must take two important steps internally: 1) to embrace (and enjoy) the mystery of God working in the world through the Holy Spirit; and 2) to renounce once and for all the idea that we (or anyone) can earn eternal life with a holy God. Even as converted Christians, it takes us a long time to take both of these steps meaningfully. We are, like Nicodemus, confused by divine mystery and offended that there can be absolutely no room for our self-righteousness. Is there really nothing of my own I can offer you, Lord? The biblical evidence suggests that by grace, Nicodemus arrived at the right place in the end, and so can we with God’s help over time.
Today, in the Spirit blowing in the world and in our hearts, new life. Jesus, work in us to the core, gratitude drawing us to the throne of grace of your Father.
Today in the Spirit
Reflections and related content, sent straight to your inbox.
Today in the Spirit: Easter 3C
In the lessons for Easter 3C, the church leads us in worship to the third resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples, as recorded in the Gospel of John. In the assigned text, in John 21:1-14, our Lord reveals himself to a group of seven disciples while they are fishing on “the Sea of Tiberias”…
Today in the Spirit: Proper 14C
Moving forward in Luke’s detailed section of Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem, we come to Proper 14C to more intense teaching directed to the disciples alone. In the assigned Gospel reading out of Luke 12:32-40, we enter into the middle of a discourse on radical commitment to gospel service in the world. Using both intimate and…
