Bp Miller’s Musings: More Second Sunday in Lent

Seems I have lots of thoughts about this week readings

“Get up and go” לֶךְ־לְךָ

In the twelfth chapter of Genesis, God tells Abram to get up and go “to the land I will show you,” and promises to make of him a great nation.

I wonder—how many people did God call on before finding someone who would obey? Were there others who decided to stay put in a familiar place with familiar people? Did God tell other people to leave their homes and families to head for a new place where they would have to make a new home?

We could ask the same question when we read about Jesus calling his disciples. Were there other fishermen who didn’t listen to Jesus, but only Peter, Andrew, James, and John?

Of course, when it comes to these stories of call, the ones about whom we read in Scripture are those who obey God’s call, who hear and obey, even if only in part.

Thinking of this, I am reminded of our prayer, “your will be done.” Indeed, God’s good and gracious will comes about without our prayer, but we ask that it comes about in and among us (Small Catechism). When we pray these words, we ask God to make us part of the story and not like those who did not act on God’s call.

God commands Abram to leave his place of comfort for a promise of new life, a life in which he and his descendants will bless “all the families of the earth.” Abram must decide whether to stay in the home of his father or to trust God and go into an unknown future. In choosing to obey, Abram became the ancestor to a great nation and a blessing to many. But he did not come to the promise without difficulty.

As we read his story, we discover that Abram (Abraham) suffered through famine, strife with neighbors and in his own family, threats from rulers, and the near sacrifice of his son. These struggles continued for his descendants, generation to generation: the people of the promise always lived under threat from within and without, from natural and human powers.

Thus, when Jesus calls disciples to follow, those called can expect similar struggles with powers and principalities. This is the way of the cross. This is the way of trust in the one who promises wholeness and peace as the reward for faith.