Genesis 15:1-12,17-18 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13:31-35 Psalm 27

Our Old Testament lesson is from the saga of Abraham.  God promises the childless Abraham not only a son, but countless descendants as numerous as the stars in the night sky.  We are told that the Lord reckoned this promise to Abraham as righteousness.

But that was not to be the end of God’s promises to Abraham. Additionally, God informs Abraham that He brought him out of Ur for the purpose of giving him this land through which he has traveled since his first encounter with God.  The land from the Nile River of Egypt to the Euphrates, which runs through modern day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, was to be the possession of these countless descendants.

Our lesson tells us that, on that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, whose name would be changed to Abraham later in the story.  Abram’s vision includes this ritualistic ceremony that symbolizes the solidification of the covenant and the consequences of breaking the promise.  A covenant, interestingly, is most often defined as a binding agreement between two entities in which both parties make some sort of promise or obligation to the other.

But, in this case, God does not ask Abram to contribute anything. Abram is not making any obligations. There are no specific actions required by Abram to fulfill his part of the covenant.  To be made righteous or to prove his righteousness, he is, quite simply called to remain in a right relationship with God.  Being in right relationship requires that he trust in God’s promise.   Trust puts Abram in right relationship with God – a relationship of praise and worship.

Trust, like that of the Psalmist, includes not only our affirmation of faith, but our lamentations as well.   As we read from Psalm 27, “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.”  Remaining in this right relationship of trust means trusting God, praising and worshiping God, in the bad times as well as the good times.

Our greatest and only true fear is separation from God. Again, from the psalmist, “Do not hide your face from me.  Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!”  God remains faithful in his covenant – this covenant He established with Abraham so many thousands of years ago.  Still, we are asked only to remain in right relationship with God. Still, we are asked only to trust his promise.  In trusting in His promise we resist the evil enemy forces that seek to separate us from God – the little voices that tell us that we are not worthy, that we are not loved, that we are alone and without help in the face of our distress.

When we do not trust, we risk a sense of separation from God. When times are good, it is easy to forget that we are dependent upon God.  We tend to begin to believe that we can do it all ourselves – to give glory to ourselves.  When times are bad, we remember our humility, but it is easy to begin to believe that God has forsaken us.

Trusting and believing are the essence of our faith, and faith is the “wedding ring” that unites us to God through our mutual commitment. Remaining in right relationship with God requires our trust in God’s promise.  To use Martin Luther’s analogy, It is not simply believing that the ship exists; it is stepping onto that ship, putting to sea, and entrusting ourselves to the voyage.[1]

Trust is a difficult thing for us; from the time of Abraham, it has been a difficult thing for God’s people.  And, yet, it is all God asks of us, all that is required for us to remain in a right relationship with God, to God be the glory.

By the time of Jesus’ ministry, God’s covenant had passed from generation to generation of Abraham’s descendants down to Jesus and his fellow Jews.  Time and time again, God’s people had forsaken their trust and fallen into despair. Each time a remnant had been preserved to carry on the task of preserving the word of God.

We have jumped ahead in Luke’s Gospel to a time late in Jesus’ ministry.  In today’s lesson Jesus has made his way to Jerusalem.  The shadow of the cross is growing more intense.  The hollowness of religious life and worship is evident in the disingenuous concern of the Pharisees for Jesus’ safety.  In actuality, they just wanted him to shut up and go away and quit challenging their religious authority.

The hollowness of political life is evident in Herod Antipus, who, in our Gospel lesson represents shallow self-serving greed for power.  This Herod, the son of Herod the Great, served only at the pleasure of the Roman emperor; he was part of a dynasty that was dependent upon a false peace enforced among the Jewish people by the controlling Roman army.  Rome was vehemently opposed to the message of the Gospel.

Much of the world in which Jesus exists with Rome at its center has separated itself from God.  Jesus came into the world to save us from this fate of separation from God.  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing.”  Jesus wants only to gather us into His arms and assure us of His presence with us.  When we fail to trust; when we fail to give God the glory, we push Him away.

Think of Abraham and his countless descendents – the people of God – when you step out outside on a clear night and look up at the vast expanse of stars farther away than we can possibly comprehend, more numerous than we could begin to count.  Look up at the vast expanse of stars and trust that God keeps His promises; He has gathered us unto himself and is guiding our ways.   Trust that it is for this reason that he sent His Son to live and die as one of us and to overcome death on the cross.  Trust that there is nothing that separates us from God except our own failure to acknowledge His constant presence with us.

God is present in relationship.  Lent calls us to renew and refuel that relationship – through Bible study and prayer, through ministry, through worship and praise.  Yes, we can praise God at home, on the fishing pier, and on the golf course, and we all need those times of relaxation and joy.  But, in these times of solitude and enjoyment we do not forget our need to be refueled with God’s nourishment of our place in the Body of Christ.  Think of what happens to a glowing log when it is pulled from the fire and left on its own.  We are called to worship and praise God, not ourselves.  We are called to worship and praise as God’s children, worship and praise as the Body of Christ in relationship with fellow children of God.

Remember these words from the Apostle Paul, “Our citizenship is in heaven.  The Lord Jesus Christ will transform our body from our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.  Stand firm in the Lord in this way.”

Step onto the ship; put to sea; and entrust yourself to the voyage.

Carry with you the words from Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi, “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.”  Amen