Lent 2, March 17, 2019 (full size gallery)
A busy week and one of celebration. Monday was Vestry. The late afternoon provided shimmering sunlight before the meeting. This week was the arrival of spring in terms of warmer weather and also the appearance of blooming flowers – daffodils, cherry trees, tulip poplars.
Wednesday was the Quiet Day retreat at Roslyn in Richmond. We had 6 people participate. Half of those had to get back to St. Peter’s for the Village Dinner.
Friday was the beginning of Estudio Biblico, Spanish Bible Study on March 15. Coming up we have Hymnody in Lent at Susan Onderdonk’s home on Monday, March 18. Please email Catherine to participate.
This Sunday was one of celebration. First Cleo Coleman was recognized for her work through the community and in particularly for her portrays of Harriet Tubman. You can see her portrayal from last year’s July 4. See videos 15-19 in the links. A picture was presented to her today.
The sermon emphasized persevering in the face of challenges – covering Paul and Jesus, St. Patrick and Harriet Tubman.
From the sermon – “The season of Lent challenges us to go beyond our spiritual comfort zones, and to press on wherever God leads us.
“When Paul said to the Philippians, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved,” Paul was not talking about sitting around in a spiritual haze of contentment.
“Paul is encouraging us to press on, because Christ Jesus has made us his own.
And through the centuries, the saints have pressed on, carrying the kingdom far and wide.
“And through the centuries, the saints have pressed on, carrying the kingdom far and wide. ”
“Cleo reminds us all to remember the saints who have gone before us and to press on. She reminds us that we are all saints and that God calls us out of our comfort zones. Our job is to figure out where we are called and to press on—to all that God calls us to do and to be!”
Today’s readings invite us to trust in God’s covenant promises. In Genesis 15, Abram’s confidence in the Lord’s promise is counted as righteousness. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, trusts in the coming of the Savior and the transformation of our bodies. The gospel reminds us that although God’s covenant promises are for everyone, nevertheless our effort is required if we are to participate.
In the first reading from Genesis, the perspective changes from the story of humanity to the story of Abram, who will become Abraham, and of God’s chosen people. Today’s reading repeats earlier promises to Abram about descendants and a land. It describes the sealing of the covenant between God and Abram in a symbolic ceremony that portrays the fate of those who break the covenant—they will be torn apart as were the animals offered in sacrifice.
Because of his childlessness, Abram is relying upon the custom of adopting a slave as an heir. But in response to God’s promise of descendants, Abram “believed the Lord,” (v. 6), that is, trusts God to fulfill the promise though it looks impossible, which puts him in a right relationship (“righteousness”) with God.
In the second reading Philippians 3:17–4:1, Paul’s invitation to imitate him just as he imitates Christ reflects the reality of the Christian life as response to a person rather than as belief in a set of dogmas.
The identification of the “enemies of the cross of Christ” (v. 18) is not certain; they are Christians who are misunderstanding or misusing their faith. Paul, using a political metaphor, summons the Philippians to recognize their true allegiance. Philippi was a Roman town, and its inhabitants were proud of their Roman citizenship. Paul reminds the Christians of the transformation awaiting them when the Savior returns, and he therefore encourages them to be steadfast now.
The Gospel from Luke 13:31-35 is a short passage, of a time when Herod, who had already killed John the Baptist, was looking for an opportunity to kill Jesus as he drew closer to Jerusalem. We are reminded through this passage that not all Pharisees were the “bad guys.” It’s easy to condemn an entire group of people for the actions of a few, but in this case (and in John 3 with Nicodemus who also mentions there are others who know he is from God) there are Pharisees who, while maybe questioning who Jesus is and his motives, do not seek his harm.
The Pharisees here warn Jesus that Herod is trying to kill him, and to get away from Jerusalem. Jesus will not be swayed – he reminds his audience that, as a prophet, his destiny awaits him in Jerusalem. In strong language, Jesus tells them to tell Herod that he is doing what he was called to do, and Jesus also laments over Jerusalem. So many have tried to warn the people, especially the religious leaders and the ruling elite, that they were going astray from God’s ways, but they were unwilling to give up their power. Jesus knows that Herod is a fox, and smart enough to realize that he doesn’t have to take him out himself, because the powers of Jerusalem will do it for him.
Then, in a moment unlike any other (and not recorded in the other Gospels), Jesus invokes the image of the mother hen gathering her chicks together. Here, the power that Jesus describes is to gather and protect, unlike the power in Jerusalem that was used to rule and dominate. The power that comes from God is a power of protection, of bringing together, of healing and hope (as demonstrated when Jesus tells the Pharisees to tell Herod what he is doing—casting out demons and healing the sick), not a power of domineering, destruction and greed over others.
Jesus “comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:35) in order to lay down His life for the sins of the world. Earthly Jerusalem was blind to His gracious visitation, and it put Him to death like the prophets before Him. Yet, His sacrifice upon the cross became the cornerstone of the new Jerusalem, His Church. He visits us today in mercy with His preaching of forgiveness, to gather us to Himself within that holy city, “as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34), for “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20).