Second Sunday in Lent, Year A

​For what does the scripture say? “Abram believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”
~Romans 4:3
 
Boldly.
 
Abraham went. He went from his country and his father’s house to the land God showed to him. He went to be a blessing. He went for a future. (Genesis 12). He went boldly. And he was praised for it.
 
But.
 
What are we to say? If he was justified by his works—even his “work” of trust—he has nothing to boast about, for even this, Romans and our Reformed tradition argues, is a gift from God. “The wind blows where it will,” Jesus told Nicodemus.
 
And that’s not the whole story anyway, is it? Where are the women? Where are the others? Abraham was not alone when he made his uncertain journey toward promise. What else, who else are we missing here? And what should we make of it?
 
Boldly.
 
And so we too move forward with the promise of faith, hope, and trust. Gifts from God all in our own uncertain time, like Abraham and Sarah, like Nicodemus and the woman at the well and the “we” who know flesh and who know Spirit.
 
Enter into worship.
 
Readings: Genesis 12:1-4a † Psalm 121 † Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 † John 3:1-17 or Matthew 17:1-9
 
About the Art: Photo (detail) by Scott Anderson. Card design by Barbara Anderson. This is an image of a series of cards produced for Lent, 2023 based on resources from Sarah Are and sanctifiedart.org. Used by permission.

---

We are so grateful to be gathering in person. If you can't join us, you can watch the service in real-time. Join us in person or watch it here live Sunday morning, 10:00am. You can view it upon completion by clicking on the video graphic to the left.

​We continue to keep our financial commitments to our mission partners and staff. If you are not yet able to join us, thank you for remembering to send in your financial pledges and offerings or donating here.