Second Sunday of Lent

Genesis 15.1-12,17-18; Philippians 3.17-4.1; Luke 13.31-35

"And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness". Abram, in future to be known as Abraham, the founding Father of the great people of God, without an heir, looks up in the sky and God says to him you will have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. If there was anyone with any cause to doubt, it was Abram at that point. God showed him something that would have seemed to him impossible, but nevertheless, he believed - and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Last week as we began our journey through Lent and as we began our look at repentance we thought a lot about doubt. We thought about how the devil tried to sow seeds of doubt in Jesus mind and heart during those long days and nights in the wilderness. And we thought about how the devil does the same with us. But we saw in the reading too how Jesus dealt with those temptations or trials. So today our readings help us look at belief, as we read of Abram, St. Paul and Jesus himself.

Abraham was faithful to God, throughout his life. God called Abraham to set out to a land far away which God promised to make his home. He answered the call. God asked him to sacrifice his own son and in the torment and horror of answering that call he was saved from actually doing that. And these in addition to what we've read from Genesis this morning show the depth of Abraham's faith in God, the depth of his belief. Abraham shows us that unswerving commitment to God and God's will. And that commitment is sometimes tested to breaking point, to a point where you could expect anybody to give up or give in. But Abraham models for us what faith really is about, in part, going on when all seems lost or diametrically opposed to all common sense and wisdom.

When we come to read what St. Paul says this morning, he's telling the Philippians to "stand firm in the Lord". Around them the Philippians can see people living contrary to the law and will of God. He says to the Philippians that "Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things". He's telling the Philippians not to be distracted by those they see around them, not to let what others outside the Church think of them put them off their journey with God. He says "our citizenship is in heaven....(the Lord Jesus Christ) will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory". And so he tells them to "stand firm". It can be so easy to be put off our Christian commitment by the life and lifestyle of those outside the Church, to be drawn into thinking that it has pleasures and joys and happiness not open to those who follow Christ. But it's actually an illusion, because the real joy to be had is joy in the Lord because it's from the Holy Spirit dwelling in us that we bear the fruits of love, joy and peace. The joy of the Holy Spirit is real joy, the joy of the world is an illusory joy because it is transient, unlike the joy of the Holy Spirit which is permanent and abiding.

Jesus comes to Jerusalem and mourns and weeps over it. The people are such a disappointment to him, because they don't believe; and the place which Jews believe is God's dwelling place will become the place where Jesus' life will be taken from Him. Those people are probably then the epitome of unbelief. And even though they are the people of God, they still don't see God's Son when He's amongst them. They will laud Him when He comes, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" they'll sing; and then so soon kill Him. So this we read in Luke's gospel this morning is the opposite of what we read in Genesis and of St. Paul. But it can be so like ourselves too - wavering - believing one minute, unbelieving the next.

If we are truly to repent; if we are truly to turn heart and mind to God and let the Holy Spirit work in us. If we are truly to do God's will and put His will in place of our own and know the real delights of His presence within and around us, then we must believe, we must cast our all upon God and then not only that but we must stand firm, we must not give up in that belief. What you have to do is really and actually bet your whole life upon God, no less will do. You have to believe His word and live His commandments. Only then will God begin to make sense, only then will we know His love; only then will we not just know about Him but we will know Him. Nothing less than total commitment of heart, mind, body, soul and spirit will do. Because we remember that Jesus said, "not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father".

These readings this morning remind us that there are no half way houses with belief. It's all or nothing.