Today we jump to the Hebrew Scripture/Old Testament reading to consider how we Covenant with God in our lives and actions as we look at the story of Abram in Genesis. Mary and Elizabeth in the New Testament offer inspiration of ways we say “Yes” to the seemingly impossible plans of God.
This week’s collect (prayer) from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
says, O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who
have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and
steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your
Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and
reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. It acknowledges that we do fall
away from God’s ways. The prayer reminds us that in the “unchangeable truth of
your Word, Jesus Christ,” we are brought back to relationship with God.
In the Hebrew Scripture reading for this Second Sunday of Lent (Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18) Abram has a vision where God affirms the covenant of relationship with Abram. God assures him that, though he is currently childless, he will have descendants as many as stars in the heavens. Abram believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. How many of us would be able to believe in thousands of descendants when all the physical appearances say the opposite? However, God keeps the promise through decades and centuries until Christ and even to us, now.
In my book, Sacred Story: Yours, Mine, Ours, I look at the
stories of Mary of Nazareth and Elizabeth as women who can teach us about
saying “Yes” to God’s (seemingly) impossible actions. I note, “Saying ‘yes’ to God means risking
being changed…the two women say “Yes” to God’s action. Elizabeth prefers to
keep her pregnancy a secret. Mary, on the other hand, wants to share what
happened and hurries off to the only person who might understand. They each
accept the risk of saying ‘yes’ to God’s work”
In the book, I invite readers to join with “Mary and Elizabeth [living] the
reality of being, and birthing, hope…If we look deep within our story, we may
very well find times when we heard and said ‘yes’ to speaking God’s word in our
lives and actions.”
Despite the
thousands of years between Abram and the women, God is faithful. Elizabeth’s
child will proclaim the coming of the one who fulfills the covenant with Abram.
Mary carries in her womb the One who IS the fulfillment. As noted in the
Epistle to the Galatians (3:27-29), all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor
free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong
to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
We ourselves are the fulfillment of the promise and covenant!
As
inheritors of the ancient promise of God, we are invited to respond and enter a
relationship with God and God’s people. We are invited to act justly and to
love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) That looks
different for each of us, God loves the diversity of responses to enact God’s
work and dream.
Where have you heard that invitation to covenant like Abram, Mary, and Elizabeth to say ‘Yes’ to God’s promise for your life and our world?
Are you willing to believe that your life can bear fruit ‘as many as the stars in heaven,’ despite whatever current appearances are?
